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Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Going to a Go-Go - Away We A-Go-Go (1966)

Track listing:
  1. The Tracks of My Tears 2:52
  2. Going to a Go-Go 2:44
  3. Ooo Baby Baby 2:43
  4. My Girl Has Gone 2:48
  5. In Case You Need Love 2:35
  6. Choosey Beggar 2:31
  7. Since You Won My Heart 2:13
  8. From Head to Toe 2:23
  9. All That's Good 3:10
  10. My Baby Changes Like the Weath 2:44
  11. Let Me Have Some 3:06
  12. A Fork in the Road 3:23
  13. Whole Lot of Shakin' in My Hea 2:41
  14. You Don't Have to Say You Love 2:59
  15. (Come 'Round Here) I'm the One 2:27
  16. Save Me 2:20
  17. Oh Be My Love 2:48
  18. Can You Love a Poor Boy 3:12
  19. Beauty Is Only Skin Deep 2:17
  20. I Just Don't Know What to Do W 2:23
  21. Baby Baby 3:05
  22. Walk on By 2:42
  23. Swept for You Baby 2:54
  24. More, More, Of Your Love 2:27
  25. It's Fantastic (Bonus - Previo 2:33
  26. Goin' Out of My Head (Bonus - 2:21
  27. A Fork in the Road (Bonus - Li 4:46

Notes

Though its title track ignited a nationwide fad for go-go music, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' Going to a Go-Go LP certainly wasn't just a cash-in effort. It's one of the best records the group put out, and the first six songs make for the best side of any original Motown LP of the '60s (granted, all but one are also available on dozens of Miracles compilations). The four biggest hits were among the best in a set of Miracles archetypes: the throwback to the aching '50s doo wop ballad ("Ooo Baby, Baby"), the flashy up-tempo dance song ("Going to a Go-Go"), the dancing-with-tears-in-my-eyes jerker ("The Tracks of My Tears"), and the mid-tempo orchestral epic ("My Girl Has Gone"). "Choosey Beggar" is one of the sweetest of all Robinson's lead vocals, with stunning background work by the rest of the Miracles. Even the album tracks shine, with "All That's Good" and "Let Me Have Some" working as excellent additions to the program.

The follow-up to Going to a Go-Go probably disappointed the teenagers, offering only a few up-tempo dance songs and mostly consisting of odds and ends. It boasted only one pop Top 40 hit, Holland-Dozier-Holland's "(Come Round Here) I'm the One You Need," and never came together the way their classic LPs had. In fact, only four of the songs were Smokey Robinson originals, in part because the Miracles had been so busy on the road. Ivy Jo Hunter, Frank Wilson, and Norman Whitfield took up the slack and contributed material up to par, like the album's other chart entry, Wilson's "Whole Lot of Shaking in My Heart (Since I Met You)." The Miracles also did better than other Motown acts with crossover material; their two Burt Bacharach covers, "Walk on By" and "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself," are convincing performances, thanks to Robinson's familiarity with the range required by pop songs. Besides the singles, the other two interesting songs here are their B-sides, both written and produced by the group. Both "Save Me" and "Oh Be My Love" are simply average compositions, but the Miracles make them both winners with thoughtful, caressing performances.