The Fabulous Miracles

The Fabulous Miracles is a 1963 album by The Miracles featuring the million-selling hit, "You've Really Got a Hold on Me", one of the group's most popular singles. It was later reissued as You've Really Got A Hold On Me.It also features the chart hits "A Love She Can Count On" and "I've Been Good To You" , which The Beatles' John Lennon has identified as his favorite Miracles song. Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson was the principal writer on all tracks, while Miracles members Ronnie White and Bobby Rogers co-wrote with him on several of the album's songs.

• The album also features "I Can Take A Hint", which charted on the Billboard pop & R&B listings after being issued as the B-side of "A Love She Can Count On".

• "(Have A) Happy Landing", the flip side of "You Really Got A Hold On Me" which, while never charting nationally, did become a hit on several regional charts, and was performed by the group on their first live album, The Miracles Recorded Live on Stage. It was also the original "A" side of You've Really Got A Hold On Me ,but fell into undeserved obscurity as the nation's Dee Jays discovered and played the record's more successful flip side, relegating Happy Landing to "B" side status.[1]

• The Fabulous Miracles is only one of three Miracles albums to feature Miracles guitarist and original group member Marv Tarplin on its cover. The Miracles' bass singer Pete Moore is not featured on the album or the cover, as he was serving in the U.S. Armed Services at the time this album was recorded (Moore is shown in a separate photograph on the back cover). While Tarplin remained a member of the Miracles through 1973, he was not featured any more of the group's classic album covers, except for 1961's Cookin' with The Miracles, 1962's I'll Try Something New, and this album. Tarplin does, however, appear on the cover of the group's 2009 Motown CD release,"The Miracles-Depend On Me:The Early Albums (2009)

Track listing

Side one

1. "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (Smokey Robinson)
2. "I've Been Good To You" (Robinson)
3. "Such is Love, Such is Life" (Robinson)
4. "I Can Take a Hint" (Robinson, Janie Bradford, Stanley Ossman, Robert Rogers)
5. "Won't You Take Me Back" (Robinson)

Side two

1. "A Love She Can Count On" (Robinson)
2. "Whatever Makes You Happy" (Robinson, Ronald White)
3. "Heartbreak Road" (Robinson, White)
4. "(Have a) Happy Landing" (Robinson, White)
5. "Your Love" (Robinson)

• While this album has not been re-released on CD until recently, all of its songs are available from other current sources. These in print albums include, but are not limited to: "Ooo Baby Baby: The Miracles Anthology" , "Motown: Early Classics" (The Miracles), "Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The 35th Anniversary Collection" (Box Set),and "Hi... We're The Miracles" (*Rare).

• The Fabulous Miracles and 4 other classic Miracles albums, has been released on CD for the first time,as part of the 2009 Motown limited edition CD release: " The Miracles: Depend On Me" .^[2][3]

Personnel- The Miracles

• Smokey Robinson: lead vocals, producer, executive producer.
• Ronnie White, Bobby Rogers (co-lead on "You Really Got a Hold on Me"), Warren "Pete" Moore, Claudette Robinson: background vocals
• Marv Tarplin: guitarist

Other Instruments

• The Funk Brothers

References

External links

• Allmusic review: The Fabulous Miracles
• The Fabulous Miracles- Original Liner Notes