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It’s wonderful to sing well. It’s even more meaningful to write a great and enduring song.
Both talents were bestowed on young William “Smokey” Robinson, long before he helped to start Motown Records in Detroit in the early 1960s, with his friend Berry Gordy.
Gordy had the business acumen; Smokey had the musical chops. By the time he was in his early 20s, Smokey was writing, recording and arranging a stream of hit tunes for this landmark record company, which blended bluesy soulfulness with sleek arrangements and killer hooks. He also was a terrific talent scout, cultivating the musical gifts of the kids he grew up with in Motor City.
As an entertainer, Smokey’s still terrific — I saw him recently, and in his late 60s he’s not only still in great voice (one of the best pop falsettos ever) but he’s still sexy, romantic and full of joy.
But while I’ve found a lot of great performances on video of Smokey, with his hit-making crewT he Miracles and after he went solo, Part I of this tribute considers some Smokey tunes especially wrote (and produced) for other Motown masters.
What makes Smokey’s songs so memorable? The lyrics, though inevitably about boyfriend-girlfriend passions, are so clever that Bob Dylan once called Robinson one of his favorite poets, and John Lennon and George Harrison also gave him props.

Smokey knows how to twist a phrase to make it fresh every one of his songs tells a compelling story, and there are indeed poetic images in a lot of his tunes, along with real wit. But it’s also the arrangements he worked up with the fabulous Funk Brothers (Motown’s brilliant house musicians), including the miraculous James Jamerson on bass, that make the best of the tunes he produced instantly unforgettable. Listen to the baselines – a symphony in themselves! And there’s a perfect layering of percussion, piano, vocals, guitar, bass and backup voices (augmented sometimes by horns and violins).

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supremesgold

There aren’t many girl groups past or present that can even begin to live up to the legacy of The Supremes. Through a period of 16 years (1961-1977) and many different line-ups, they managed a long string of massive hits all over the world, including 12 US number one singles, all of which are featured on this CD. “Gold” gives fans and new listeners a chance to hear the very best of the worlds best girl group.

The first CD features all the hits from 1963-1967, featuring the classic line-up of Diana Ross on lead, backed by Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard. The massive hits such as “Baby Love”, “Where Did Our Love Go?”, “You Can’t Hurry Love” and “Stop! In The Name Of Love” all sound brilliant here – digitally remastered and in great quality. However, there are also some hidden gems worth checking out, particularly “Ask Any Girl” (the B-side to “Baby Love”) and “Everything Is Good About You”, which could have easily been a single in it’s own right.

Moving on to the second disc and it begins with some of the later Diana Ross-era tracks (after Florence Ballard had been replaced by Cindy Birdsong in the line-up). The songs here are more soulful than the earlier pop hits, such as “Reflections” and “Forever Came Today”. Some songs such as “Love Child” and “I’m Livin’ In Shame” are social commentaries of the time.

Finally, the second disc gives the listener the chance to hear some of the post-Diana hits.

In 1970, Diana left and was replaced on lead by Jean Terrell. Some of the songs from this period are some of the Supremes’ all time best. Jean’s soulful voice really livens up excellent songs, such as “Stoned Love”, “Nathan Jones”, “Floy Joy” and “Up The Ladder To The Roof” (all UK top 10 hits), as well as a brilliant cover of “Love Train”.

The line-up changed again in 1973, when Jean left and was replaced on lead by Scherrie Payne (sister of Freda Payne who had a hit with “Band Of Gold” in 1970). Scherrie’s powerful voice stands out on disco tracks, such as “I’m Gonna Let My Heart Do The Walking” and “You’re my Driving Wheel”, which are amongst The Supremes last ever chart hits.

The Supremes “Gold” is essential for all music fans to have in their collection. It shows the brilliance of a group who have never been (and probably never will be) bettered. On top of the great music, the artwork is excellent as well, featuring pictures of all the different group line-ups, and the sound quality on this CD is excellent. I cannot recommend it enough – buy it today!

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