Before becoming a major “soul” group for the Detroit-based Motown label, the team of William “Smokey” Robinson, Warren “Pete” Moore, Clarence “Humble” Dawson, Donald Wicker and James “Rat” Grice were known as The Miracles. A few changes with Emerson “Sonny” Rogers and Bobby Rogers taking over Wicker and Grice with Ronnie White replacing Dawson, and the band that became a definitive voice for “The Sound of Young America” was created. This two disc set finds the band in it’s fledgling years, mixing doo wop and R&B into a new genre.
The band starts out like any street corner symphony, delivering material like “Got a Job” and My Mama Done Told Me” before Robinson gets featured on “Shop Around” and the classic bluesy “You Really Got A Hold On Me.” The Motown “sound” starts solidifying on a sweaty “You Really Got A Hold On Me” and “Money.” The team still dabbled in standards, however, and sound comfortable if not middle brow on takes of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and “Speak Low.” The team was just about to break through with Robinson’s own compositions, but the urgency and energy is definitely palpable on these early sessions.