Going to a Go-Go
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Going to a Go-Go is a 1965 album by the Miracles, the first to credit the group as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. It includes four of the Miracles' Top 20 hits: "Ooo Baby Baby", "The Tracks of My Tears", "Going to a Go-Go", and "My Girl Has Gone". It was produced by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson, along with Frank Wilson and William "Mickey" Stevenson.
Primarily produced by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson, Going to a Go-Go features compositions co-written by Miracles members Robinson, Ronald White, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin. In fact, with the sole exception of the song, My Baby Changes Like The Weather, this entire album was written by The Miracles.
Going To A Go-Go was the only Miracles studio LP to chart within the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 albums chart, where it remained for 40 weeks peaking at number 8. The LP peaked at number-one on Billboard's R&B albums chart. In 2003, the album achieved Gold Record status.[citation needed] It was ranked number 271 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[2]
Going to a Go-Go was reissued on CD in 2002, coupled with the Miracles' Away We a Go-Go.
Composition
Robinson wrote or co-wrote all the tracks, apart from "My Baby Changes Like the Weather", which was written by two other Motown writers, Hal Davis and Frank Wilson. Robinson's main writing partner was his childhood friend and co-founder of the Miracles, Warren "Pete" Moore, who worked with him on seven of the album's twelve tracks. The other writers are: Miracles members Bobby Rogers, Ronald White,and Marv Tarplin,along with William "Mickey" Stevenson, a Motown songwriter and producer, who contributed to one song. Marv Tarplin, the Miracles' lead guitarist, created the evocative opening chords of "The Tracks of My Tears".[3] and the starting guitar riffs on the title song, and "My Girl has Gone" .[4]
Release
Going To A Go-Go was released November 1965, and reached number-eight of the Billboard 200 albums chart, and number-one on Billboard's R&B albums chart. It is the only Miracles studio LP to chart within the Top 10.
The tracks "Ooo Baby Baby", "The Tracks of My Tears", "Going to a Go-Go", and "My Girl Has Gone", were released as singles, and reached the Top 20. "Choosey Beggar" charted on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart at number 35. "A Fork in the Road" was a strong regional hit in several areas of the country and was regularly performed as part of the Miracles' live show.
Going to a Go-Go was reissued on CD in 2002, coupled with the Miracles' Away We a Go-Go.
Track Listing
- Side one
- "The Tracks of My Tears" (Warren Moore, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Tarplin) – 2:55
- "Going to a Go-Go" (Moore, Robinson, Robert Rogers, Tarplin) – 2:46
- "Ooo Baby Baby" (Moore, Robinson) – 2:45
- "My Girl Has Gone" (Moore, Robinson, Tarplin, Ronald White) – 2:50
- "In Case You Need Love" (Robinson) – 2:47
- "Choosey Beggar" (Moore, Robinson) – 2:33
- Side two
- "Since You Won My Heart" (Robinson, William "Mickey" Stevenson) – 2:16
- "From Head to Toe" (Robinson) – 2:25
- "All That's Good" (Moore, Robinson) – 3:12
- "My Baby Changes Like the Weather" (Hal Davis, Frank Wilson) – 2:47
- "Let Me Have Some" - (Robinson, Rogers) – 3:07
- "A Fork in the Road" (Moore, Robinson, White) – 3:26
Personnel:The Miracles
- Smokey Robinson: lead vocals
- Ronnie White, Bobby Rogers, Warren "Pete" Moore, Claudette Robinson: background vocals
- Marv Tarplin: guitarist
Additional Credits
- The Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra: instrumentation
- Producers
- Smokey Robinson, producer, Album executive producer
- Frank Wilson, producer
- William "Mickey" Stevenson, producer
- Pete Moore, vocal arrangements
References
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ "News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- ^ Richard Williams (3 October 2011). "Marv Tarplin obituary | Music | The Guardian". The Guardian. London: GMG. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ^ DVD: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The Definitive Performances
External links
- Going to a Go-Go (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)