[.ca] Smokey Robinson: The Definitive Performances 1963-1987

The MIRACLES,,,FIRST OF THE GREAT MOTOWN GROUPS !!!:
Before I comment on this dvd , I'd like to make a few observations. First, this collection was supposed to have been released last year as the very FIRST of the "MOTOWN DEFINITIVE DVD" collections. It was advertised widely on the internet , and in record stores under the name " SMOKEY ROBINSON: MY WORLD- THE DEFINITIVE DVD COLLECTION,(along with a companion cd release of the same name). It was even, until very recently, advertised right here on AMAZON,but,it was withdrawn,and replaced with this collection. Appearently, the powers that be at MOTOWN and UNIVERSAL decided to go with a "MIRACLES" collection instead of just focusing on SMOKEY. I APPLAUD THIS DECISION. FOR TOO LONG,the MIRACLES have been COMPLETELY IGNORED for their many contrbutions in music history,and DENIED their importance as MOTOWN'S VERY FIRST GROUP.THE GROUP WHO'S HITS BUILT THE COMPANY. With the passing of time , people tend to forget that,before there was a "SMOKEY ROBINSON" OR A "SMOKEY ROBINSON AND THE MIRACLES",There was just "THE MIRACLES" the group of 6 young teen-agers from the streets of Detroit-who were hungry for success,and had talent to burn.And,for the FIRST 10 YEARS OF THEIR EXISTENCE,THAT IS HOW THEY WERE BILLED. WILLIAM "SMOKEY" ROBINSON, BOBBY ROGERS, WARREN "PETE" MOORE, CLAUDETTE ROGERS ROBINSON, RONNIE WHITE,AND MARV TARPLIN deserve MUCH BETTER than to have their legacy simply swept under the rug by disc jockeys, music historians,and others who simply DONT KNOW OR CARE about music history or about their accomplishments AS A GROUP,in the current hoopla over SMOKEY AS A SOLO ARTIST. TIME AND AGAIN, OLD MIRACLES SONGS ARE PLAYED ON OLDIES STATIONS ACROSS THIS COUNTRY... WITH DISC JOCKEYS announcing "that was by SMOKEY ROBINSON "- NOT MENTIONING THE MIRACLES AT ALL,AS IF THEY DIDN'T,OR HAD NEVER EXISTED.THIS SAME NEGATIVE ATTITUDE HAS EXTENDED ITSELF TO THE UPPER ECHELONS OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. IN 1987, THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTED SMOKEY ROBINSON AS A SOLO ARTIST, COMPLETELY IGNORING THE OTHER MIRACLES,A SLIGHT AND INSULT THAT NO OTHER MAJOR MOTOWN GROUP (EXCEPT THE MARVELETTES) HAS HAD TO ENDURE....AND THIS WAS DONE TO MOTOWN'S VERY FIRST GROUP...THE MOST HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT ONE... THE ONE GROUP THAT STARTED THE ENTIRE MOTOWN PHENOMONON !! AND, OVER THE YEARS ,THEY'VE MADE NO EFFORT TO CORRECT THIS OVERSIGHT ,INDUCTING OTHER GROUPS WITH NOWHERE NEAR THE NUMBER OF HITS... AND NOWHERE NEAR AS INFLUENTIAL...(THE MIRACLES' SONGS HAVE BEEN RECORDED BY EVERYONE FROM THE BEATLES AND THE STONES TO FRANK SINATRA AND LINDA RONSTADT } AND ALMOST ALL OF THE MIRACLES' HITS WERE SELF WRITTEN GROUP COMPOSITIONS.(SOMETHING NO OTHER "GOLDEN ERA" MOTOWN GROUP CAN CLAIM !!} HOPEFULLY, ONE DAY , THEY WILL BE INDUCTED. THE YEAR 2007 MARKS THE 50 TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MIRACLES... AND I'M GLAD THAT THIS NEW DVD GOES A LONG WAY TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM ....WITH ORIGINAL MIRACLES PETE MOORE AND BOBBY ROGERS JOINING SMOKEY (ALTHOUGH IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO HAVE HAD ALL THE SURVIVING MIRACLES,INCLUDING MARV & CLAUDETTE,PRESENT},IT STILL GOES A LONG WAY TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT THE PUBLIC FIRST FELL IN LOVE WITH THE MIRACLES AS A GROUP -LONG BEFORE ONE OF THEM WAS SEPARATED FROM AND PLACED ABOVE THE REST BY THEIR RECORD LABEL (THE REASONS FOR THE NAME CHANGE ARE EXPLAINED ON THIS DISC).THIS WAS A WONDERFUL REUNION,AND IT SEEMED AS THOUGH ANY PAST PROBLEMS OR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEM HAD JUST MELTED AWAY. A FEW GRIPES...WHY DOES THE MIRACLES "DEFINITIVE COLLECTION" HAVE ONLY 14 SONGS ,WHILE ALL THE OTHER DISCS IN THIS SERIES HAVE 16 ? ALSO, I THINK THAT THIS COLLECTION SHOULD HAVE FOCUSED ONLY ON THE MIRACLES' COLLECTIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS--WITH A SECOND VOLUME DEVOTED TO SMOKEY'S SOLO SUCCESSES-THESE TWO STEPS WOULD HAVE FREED UP ROOM FOR SOME GREAT MIRACLES HITS THAT WERE OMITTED... SUCH AS "BABY BABY DONT CRY,"IF YOU CAN WANT"," MORE LOVE","I LIKE IT LIKE THAT", "JUST A MIRAGE","{COME ROUND HERE} I'M THE ONE YOU NEED","FORK IN THE ROAD","I GOTTA DANCE TO KEEP FROM CRYING", "WHATS SO GOOD ABOUT GOOD BYE",OR "SPECIAL OCCASION"...ALL HUGE HITS THAT WERE NOT INCLUDED .(the MIRACLES have had over 50 chart hits... why are only 11 of them on this video) ?...ALSO, WHY WAS SMOKEY'S REPLACEMENT IN THE GROUP, BILLY GRIFFIN, WHO SANG LEAD ON TWO OF THE GROUP'S TWO BIGGEST HITS,"DO IT BABY,AND "LOVE MACHINE" NOT INTERVIEWED? AND FINALLY.. WHY WAS THERE NO TRIBUTE TO THE LATE RONNIE WHITE...THE ONLY MIRACLES MEMBER NO LONGER WITH US... THE MAN WHO DISCOVERED STEVIE WONDER AND WHO CO- WROTE ONE OF THE GREATEST CLASSICS OF ALL TIME --THE TEMPTATIONS'"MY GIRL" (A SONG THAT WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED FOR THE MIRACLES).I WAS LOOKING FOR IT , BUT HE WAS ONLY MENTIONED IN PASSING (AT LEAST MARV TARPLIN FINALLY GOT HIS PROPS AS AN ORIGINAL MEMBER...HE WAS MENTIONED THROUGHOUT THE DISC!} I HOPE A "VOLUME TWO " IS PLANNED... IT WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARD CORRECTING THESE OVERSIGHTS.... BUT OVERALL,THIS IS A FANTASTIC COLLECTION... ESPECIALLY THE ACAPELLA SECTION ..THOSE HARMONIES SHOW JUST WHAT A GREAT SINGING GROUP THE MIRACLES WERE...ALSO THE DETAILED STORIES BEHIND THE CREATION OF THEIR GREATEST HITS...HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR ANY MUSIC COLLECTION.IT IS MY SINCERE HOPE THAT THIS COLLECTION WILL FINALLY SERVE TO RESTORE the legendary MIRACLES ,THE GROUP,TO THEIR RIGHTFUL PLACE IN MUSIC HISTORY . 5 STARS!!! P.S. IT HAS LONG BEEN RUMORED (AND CONFIRMED BY SMOKEY HIMSELF)THAT THE MIRACLES' HISTORIC FINAL CONCERT TOGETHER, AT THE CARTER-BARRON AMPITHEATRE (WASH. D.C.) IN 1972 WAS ACTUALLY VIDEOTAPED IN MOVIE FORM,BUT WAS NEVER PUBLICLY RELEASED,ALTHOUGH FILM CLIPS OF IT DID SHOW UP ON THE MIRACLES' 1990 SHOWTIME TV SPECIAL.(AS WELL AS IN AUDIO, ON THE DOUBLE ALBUM 1957-1972) MOTOWN....PLEASE RELEASE THIS CONCERT ON DVD !!!