Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - Ooo Baby Baby: The Anthology
Published October 29, 2002
Although the song reached No. 1 R&B, Gordy's royalty check was for $3.19. Gordy had written hits for Jackie Wilson, Marv Johnson and Barrett Strong, but had seen very little cash for his efforts. This last insult enabled Robinson to talk Gordy into forming Tamla Records, and their first release was the Miracles' "Way Over There" in 1959. It was Smokey's first solo production, and although it wasn't a national hit, it did sell out its run of 60,000 copies.
Tamla's next release was Gordy's production of the Miracles on Smokey's tune "Shop Around," and the bouncy Mama-knows tune shot to No. 2 pop. Motown and the Miracles were on their way.
Smokey has a special relationship with his own songs, and his high tenor soothes and soars through the classic Miracles repertoire. After the peppy adolescent pop of "Shop," "You Really Got a Hold On Me" in 1963 began a string of increasingly sophisticated songs that led Bob Dylan to call Smokey "the world's greatest living poet."
"Hold" was inspired by Sam Cooke and the churchy piano and call and response are gospel, where agony and ecstacy vie for the singer's soul. Smokey has a zen-like gift (which complements his vaguely Asian looks) for balancing seeming contradictions: "I don't like you, but I love you," and "you do me wrong, my love is strong" in "Hold"; "I've got sunshine on a cloudy day," from (the Temptation's) "My Girl"; the titles and imagery of "Choosy Beggar," "My Smile Is Just a Frown (Turned Upside Down)" and "The Tears of a Clown."
Robinson's next classic was "Ooo Baby Baby" with an atavistic, echoey doo wop feel. Smokey's gossamer vocal and shimmering strings suspend time at the moment just before emotion breaks, as he builds a case that repeatedly yields to an unarticulated call to reconciliation, "ooh baby baby."
"The Tracks of My Tears" treads similar thematic ground. A beautiful, regret-tinged guitar figure opens into a strong backbeat and the Miracles light "doo doo doo's." The singer's character is more confident here than on "Ooo," as he states his case against the appearance of happiness.
"Going To a Go-Go" reminded the world that Robinson could rock as the Miracles accompany him down a swinging little street that leads to the happening. Percussion percolates and piano rollicks through a brassy arrangement that celebrates life and the beat.
- Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - Ooo Baby Baby: The Anthology
- Published: October 29, 2002
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- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Pop, Music: Hip-hop
- Writer: Eric Olsen
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Ihave loved motown for a while now and i love the Tempts. Well, I have a friend who is real good friends with them so I got to meet and bow with them on stage.
I've been rediscovering some vintage soul, too, Eric. Smokey smoked. And, when you consider his songwriting and production of other acts, it is clear he is an entertainment genius.
It embarrasses me as someone who lived in Philly for years to admit that I had pretty much lost track of Teddy Pendergrass. Someone sent me his "Life Is A Song Worth Singing," CD and I'm blown away. Downloaded a bunch of MP3s by tenacious Teddy and have been enthralled by him for the last several days. Will be buying three of his CDs tomorrow. Have his autobiography on hold at Powell's, too. Stay tuned for the blog entry.
Thanks MD, Teddy has been amazingly tenacious and is just plain classic soul - I probably like the blend of uptempo and ballads better with the Blue Notes than solo, but the voice is always there as well as the spirit.
Hi my name is Evan and I am a really big fan. I really love Motown. The christmas of 2003 I went to see the Temptations in Oakland. This Christmas I got 2 of The Temptations books and a soul trivia. And also Mr.Robinson, it would be an honir if you could email me a picture . Thankyou for your time. Evan Skversky
the MIRACLES are my favorite group of all time. I love the entire group and I think it's a travesty that the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME didnt induct the entire group . after all , the MIRACLES were the first Motown group.if it wasn't for their sucess ,there would have been no MOTOWN and none of those other groups would have been nearly as sucessful.Yet they have all been inducted , AS GROUPS ,into the HALL OF FAME. BOBBY,RONNIE,PETE,CLAUDETTE,and MARV be inducted too, not just SMOKEY.
I'm going to see Smokey tomorrow night at Carnegie Hall and I am very excited. I've been a big fan since I was a little kid.
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i just wanted to let smokey robensin know this. my mother roselyn cohen who is or was 78, got to meet him a few months ago in atlantic city, he was aloways her fave, she loved him to death, and meeting him was the biggest thrill at 78 in her life, she also saw him at the count basie thearter a few months ago, and enjoyed that to, my mom was just about blind, and what kept her going was a cd player that i got her with smokey cd, she would listen to these cds, with headphones, she was almost deaf also, for hrs and hrs, i beleive its what act. kepyt her alive so long,she had, multa maloma bone cancer, kidney failer, so at dialisis she listed to his recordings, and a few more illisness, anyway, my mom passed last week, and i just wanted smokey to know that on her dying day she listend to him, she loved him so, and he brought great happyness into her life for sure,shes not even buried yet this sunday is her funeral, but i just had to tell him the joy and the fun that he brought into my moms life, and they she cherisid the time she got to meet him and take a photo with him. just wanted to let you know this. vickie riehle