motown sound: the miracles- show me you can dance

[ButterflyInGlassMaze]

Such a rich track; love it!

[tomovox]

@ButterflyInGlassMaze Hi Butterly! I like how you describe the track- I just can't get enough of listening to it in my car! Thanks very much for stopping here and for your comment!

[standingbeark]

pt.2) weeks later, she comes back down to the studio and this attractive woman was with her. she said, "this is my friend, claudette robinson". we hugged, etc, and talked for awhile.

this tid bit is for free: my friend also told me she and marvin wrote a song together, "ecstacy and agony" , i'm sure you've heard it. if you look on the credits it says "d. moffit and m. tarplin"

[tomovox]

@standingbeark That is an INCREDIBLE experience! Fantastic! I know of the song, but didn't know Claudette co-wrote it. Claudette is one person on my list of people I would love to meet. It was her voice on those Miracles recordings that seemed to get to me even more than Smokey's. Thank you very much for relating that experience! btw, I love that you play guitar; I love to play the bass myself.

[standingbeark]

@tomovox; i work in the "radio industry", and i play guitar as one of my many hobbies. one day a friend from the sales dept came down, heard me playing and co-workers singing. she said, "ooh, i didn't know you played, and played like that". it just so happened she walked in on me playing a miracles medley. she said, "i use to date a guitarist and i bet you've heard of him". (it was the now late marvin tarplin, smokey's axe man holding the black les paul guitar in the pic.) (continuted)

[standingbeark]

i'm one of the world's biggest smokey robinson fans. i got a chance to meet the lovely claudette robinson once.

[tomovox]

@standingbeark Wow! I envy you for having met her! How did that come about? Would love to hear about it. I've got a video response here for "Father Dear" where Claudettte takes a rare lead. It's a fantastic song! Hope to hear from you all about your meeting with Claudette!

[jamar22100]

Staunton Walker&Jones are the master producers. Everything they produce is gold to me.

[tomovox]

@jamar22100 My feelings too!

[simon4186]

This song rocks: I LOVE MOTOWN! (Some things just never change, now do they?)

[tomovox]

@simon4186 Hey, when you're right, you're absolutely right!

[mattforte192]

Great song and great images! Here's Motown's "wall of sound." I found this gem on a Miracles Anthology I have and I'm glad I did--when I first listened to it I thought I was going to be blasted into the next room. Do you have any liner notes on this tune? I wonder if that's "Mike" Terry honking on sax; regardless it's in my top 10 Motown songs. Love Claudette's voice along with the Mircales, and of course Smokey is quite the wordsmith.

[tomovox]

@mattforte192 Matt, I had to smile reading that you thought you were going to blasted into the next room! I was floored at how ballistic this song is! Robert Walker, Robert Staunton and Charles Jones wrote and produced this and they always came up with something that was guaranteed to blast everyone into the next room! I wish I knew more about who played on this track, but there wasn't much info on it. The Monitors have a version as well that was mixed to an even louder "wall of sound..."

[tomovox]

cont. I think though, the Miracles have THE version. Yes, Claudette's voice is always the icing on the cake. I love that bit of edge she adds to the vocals. When they get to the end just groove on "Show me you can DANCE!" All bets are off! The whole song kicks into overdrive! Great observations Matt, as always!

[njezan1]

Very underrated song. The Miracles sing superb and the musicians are more than excellent.

[tomovox]

@njezan1 Hey thanks for your comment on this! Robert Walker, Robert Staunton and Charles Jones I think were only at Motown for a few short years and unfourtunately, a LOT of their stuff was never released and this is one of those tracks. They always came up with very interesting arrangements and chord structures. Their songs were Motown only on Steroids! Yes I agree, the Miracles are really superb here and the Funk Brothers are really cooking. I hope more people hear it and like it too!

[theintruder42]

If it was not for Smokey, there would not be a Motown. Plain and simple fact.

[simon4186]

This song rocks: I LOVE MOTOWN!

[tomovox]

@simon4186 Hi Simon! Thanks for your cool comments!  I'm glad you like this song- it deserves to be heard by lots of people!

[pbjellytim3]

such a good video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tomovox]

@pbjellytim3 (with big smile!) Thank you!!!

[pigmonkeyandsuzi]

What year is this song from? I want some more Miracles song from that period.

[tomovox]

@pigmonkeyandsuzi Hi pigmonkeyandsuzi! This from november of 1964. other songs from that period by the Miracles include "I Like It Like That," "You're So Fine And Sweet," and "That's What Love Is Made Of." From 1963 came "I Gotta Dance To Keep From Crying" which demonstrates just how advanced Holland Dozier Holland were becoming with their trademark sound. 

[williamg2552]

Thanks for finally giving MARV TARPLIN credit as an original member of THE MIRACLES and for picturing him with the rest of the group..he is indeed an original Miracles member , but a lot of people may not know that.

[tomovox]

Yes, it seems that Marv, like Claudette never gets the full credit he deserves for his part in the group. Claudette was always heard on record even after she stopped touring with the group. Marv's guitar lines were crucial to the Miracles' sound on record after record. They may not have always been pictured, but there's no way you could ever discount what they meant to the group's overall and unique sound and style.

[lovelychick84]

@tomovox No wonder why Smokey stole him from The Supremes. lol. That 2 month tour wound up being a permanent spot with The Miracles for Marvin.

[tomovox]

@lovelychick84 lol! I'll bet Smokey must be thanking whatever made that connection happen every day of his life!

[lovelychick84]

@tomovox lol! He does. He does. Marvin was an asset to the group and he continued to perform with them until Smokey left. He stayed with the Miracles for a bit after Smokey left but due to the infighting that occured he bailed and finally went with Smokey. I think they're still together til this day.

[tomovox]

@lovelychick84 thanks for that background- I had always wondered what happened with Marvin. I love that their friendship has lasted all these years.

[lovelychick84]

@tomovox You're more than welcome, tomovox. I've been a fan of this group and Smokey's solo career since I was 14 (would be fifteen that year) back in the summer of 1999. The information is from Smokey's 1989 autobiography "Smokey: Inside My Life".

[williamg2552]

At 0.08: the six original members: top row (l to r) : RONNIE WHITE , CLAUDETTE ROBINSON, and MARV TARPLIN

bottom row (l to r) PETE MOORE , BOBBY ROGERS, SMOKEY ROBINSON

[williamg2552]

OTHER GROUPS may think they're COOL...

but THE MIRACLES RULE !!!

[tomovox]

I'm with you there! That song is the Motown Sound really amped up to maximum effect!

[srercrcr]

Here's a way to look at it. You see all these old women all over the place? Back in the 60s they were all fine chicks. It was great.

[tomovox]

i'm with you pajo! it seems the women were hotter back then and the guys dressed so well!

[58pajo]

love the song, the video, the hairdo s, love everything fromthe 60 s!