The 500 - #273 - Going To A Go-Go - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

---

Album: #273

Album Title: Going To The Go-Go

Artist: Smokey Robinson and The Miracles

Genre: Soul

Recorded: Hitsville USA, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Released: November, 1965

My age at release: 4 months

How familiar was I with it before this week: A Couple Tracks

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, At #412, dropping 139 spots since 2012

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Going To A Go-Go

"When Smokey sings, I hear violins,
When Smokey sings, I forget everything"

Those are lyrics taken from the song When Smokey Sings by the British band ABC – an homage to R&B artist Smokey Robinson. The track hit #2 on the charts here in Canada and was ubiquitous on local radio stations in the summer of 1987. ABC eschewed their usual new wave/synth-pop sound to record this song in the style of Blue Eyed Soul, a term coined to describe R&B music performed by white artists -- Tom Jones, Steve Winwood and Boz Scaggs are a few well known artists from the genre.

Album cover for the 12" single to When Smokey Sings by ABC

Whenever I hear the name Smokey Robinson, I am reminded of this catchy ditty. Sure, I'd heard of Robinson before 1987, his hits were staples on pop music or oldies radio stations and frequently used in movie soundtracks (The music of the ‘60s enjoyed a cultural renaissance in the ‘80s). However, I wasn't deeply familiar with his history until recently. I'd assumed he was just a crooner, singing hits that the factory of songwriters at Motown Records provided for him. It turns out that this was just one of several things I didn't have right.

William Robinson Jr. was born in Detroit, Michigan, on February 19, 1940. He was given the nickname "Smokey Joe" by his Uncle Claude who regularly took young William to “shoot-’em-up” cowboy movies. Eventually dropping the "Joe", "Smokey" attended Northern High School in the mid- ‘50s, at the same time of Motown legend Aretha Franklin – The Queen of Soul. In fact, the pair had known each other since they were five and, for a time, lived a few houses apart.

Aretha "The Queen of Soul" Franklin

Robinson was an above average academic student and a capable athlete, but his real passion was music and he formed the doo-wop group The Five Chimes while attending high school. Two years later, Claudette Rogers joined the band and they rebranded as The Matadors. The quintet finally settled on The Miracles in 1959, around the same time Robinson and Rogers became husband and wife.

The Miracles (l-r) Robinson, Rogers, Ronald White, Pete Moore, 
and Bobby Rogers

Going To A Go-Go was released in 1965 and became the first to credit the group as Smokey Robinson and The Miracles -- capitalizing on Smokey's growing fame as the group's front-man. All The Miracles performers were vocalists, but were accompanied on this record by The Funk Brothers – a collective of Detroit-based session musicians who performed on dozens of Motown hits from 1959-1972.

One iteration of The Funk Brothers in studio with Stevie Wonder

Going To A Go-Go contained some new material, but was marketed with four previously released hits from The Miracles -- Oooh Baby Baby, Tracks Of My Tears, Going To A Go-Go and My Girl Has Gone. Curiously, Claudette Robinson (nee White) does not appear on the record cover, despite performing on it. Instead, The Miracles are depicted as Smokey and three men. It was suggested at the time that she had "retired" from touring with the band in 1964.

However, in a 2022 UDiscover Music magazine interview, Claudette said she wanted to stay on the road and be promoted as a member of the band. She says "I didn't retire, I was retired", based on a decision by Smokey and Motown Records' head executive Berry Gordy Jr. Claudette continued to record with the group until 1972 and remained married to Smokey until 1986. There is an upcoming biofilm entitled The First Lady Of Motown - The Claudette Robinson Story. It is scheduled for release this year. I expect the pic will shed more light on her "retirement" from The Miracles.

Becoming aware that The Miracles had a female member was not the only thing I learned in the process of writing this blog. It turns out that Smokey, and his band mates were prolific songwriters. Bob Dylan once called him  "America's Greatest Poet".  All but one track on Going To A Go-Go was penned by Robinson. In fact, he authored more than 4,000 tracks, including legendary hits often made famous by other artists such as My Girl, (You better) Shop Around, I Second That Emotion, My Guy and You Really Got A Hold On Me. Robinson was inducted into The Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 1989.

Robinson with Whitney Houston, receiving his recognition
from The Songwriter's Hall Of Fame

In that Brit-pop hit I mentioned, When Smokey Sings, there was another “musical Easter-egg” waiting for me to discover. Beyond the rich lyrics, songwriters Martin Fry and Mark White left another clever homage. The bassline for the 1987 track, around which the entire song is built, is a close interpretation (often called an interpolation) of the bassline from The Tears Of A Clown.

This week’s featured album, Going To A Go-Go,  provided a delightful musical interlude; the music is compelling, the harmonies are rich and the lyrics capture love, celebration and heartbreak sublimely. It is one of those records you can play anywhere, at any time and it will be well received. ABC's Fry and White explained it far more eloquently when they sang:

"Debonair lullabies
In melodies revealed
In deep despair on lonely nights
He knows just how you feel
The slyest rhymes, the sharpest suits
In miracles made real

Like a bird in flight on a hot sweet night
You know you're right just to hold her tight
He soothes it right, makes it out of sight
And everything's good in the world tonight

When Smokey sings, I hear violins
When Smokey sings, I forget everything."

 

The 500 - #274 - Nightbirds - Labelle

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

---

Album: #274

Album Title: Nightbirds

Artist: Labelle

Genre: R&B, Proto-disco, Funk

Recorded: Sea Saint Studios, New Orleans, Louisiana

Released: September, 1974

My age at release: 9

How familiar was I with it before this week: One Song

Is it on the 2020 list? No

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Are You Lonely?

Although I was not familiar with Labelle, an all-female Philadelphia-based vocal group formed in 1962 I do remember hearing the music of one of its members, Patti LaBelle, in the ‘80s. Her songs, New Attitude and Stir It Up, were featured in the massively successful film and soundtrack to Beverly Hills Cop in 1984.

LaBelle (born Patricia Holte) also had a number one hit with Michael McDonald of Doobie Brothers fame with the duet, On My Own -- written by legendary songwriters Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager.

At the time, I was working jobs where Top 40 radio was constant, ensuring all three songs reached my ears, despite not being a fan. In the spring of 1985, I was 18 and deeply invested in hard and progressive rock. Like many insufferable teens, I felt I owned the "corner on the truth" when it came to quality music and dismissed Patti LaBelle's songs as simplistic pop-music or cheesy, easy-listening schlock.

Classic album cover iconography from many Prog-Rock artists I loved

Nightbirds was released a decade earlier and was the fourth record by the trio under the name Labelles. Recording and touring since 1962, they have been dubbed The Blue Belles (aka: Patti LaBelle and her Blue Belles, Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles) the names distinguished by the spellings The 1974 line-up included founding members LaBelle, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash.

Labelle (l-r) Hendryx, LaBelle and Dash

The earliest incarnation of the group, which included soprano Cindy Birdsong, found success singing ballads and doo-wop songs on the Chitlin' Circuit. The Chitlin' Circuit was a collection of performance venues spread across the eastern half of the United States that provided commercial and cultural acceptance of African-American entertainers during the era of racial segregation.

Map showing venues on the Chitlin' Circuit

I sometimes forget that racial segregation and the Civil Rights Movement took place in my lifetime. Recently, my current cohort of Grade 7 students and I explored a wonderful CBC podcast series called Portraits of Black Canadians as part of our Black History Month studies. These 12-year-olds were, understandably, aghast when we discussed the Slave Trade. However, they were stunned to realize that segregation continued well into the 1960s, in Canada.

The disheartening story of Africville generated some powerful discussions on human rights and equity. Africville was a small community of African-Canadians in Halifax, Nova Scotia who were denied city services (sidewalks, water, garbage collection) despite paying municipal taxes. Their community was later unceremoniously bulldozed to make way for city expansion. To learn more, you can see all the work of the students at this link.

Birdsong left the Blue Belles in 1967 to join Diana Ross and The Supremes. Around the same time, Blue Belles performed in Europe (mainly in the UK) where black artists found more acceptance with white audiences in pubs and concert halls. On a 2015 episode of The Meredith Vieira Talk Show, LaBelle shared stories of her time in England, performing shows and cooking meals for The Rolling Stones and The Who. At the time, the trio were supported by the group Bluesology, featuring a teenage Reg Dwight (later known as Elton John) on piano. LaBelle humourously recounts taking Dwight for a lot of money playing cards, but never let him head home on an empty stomach or without plenty of leftovers in Tupperware containers. "He didn't return those containers, but made up for it years later with a beautiful diamond ring."

LaBelle with Elton John (Reg Dwight) 2002

During their time in England the Blue Belles transformed their musical direction, sound and style. By 1970, they had changed their name, for the final time, to LaBelle. They also began recording and performing their funky interpretations of contemporary rock and roll and pop standards, including Wild Horses (Rolling Stones), Won't Get Fooled Again (The Who), Moonshadow (Cat Stevens), and You've Got A Friend (Carole King).

Labelle's second record, Moon Shadow (1972)

In 1974, when Nightbirds was released, the group explored glam rock, wearing outlandish, funky, space-age costumes. They also began playing songs that were the prototype for the disco genre, which would dominate the late ‘70s. Their biggest hit, and the only song I knew from the album, was Lady Marmalade.

Labelle in their space-age, glam-rock outfits (1974)

Lady Marmalade was penned by the songwriting team of Bob Crewe (Walk Like A Man, Can't Take My Eyes Off You) and Kenny Nolan (My Eyes Adored You, I Like Dreamin'). The song was originally written for Nolan's disco group, The Eleventh Hour, and is most famous for the risque lyric in the chorus, " voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?" which translates to "would you like to sleep with me tonight?" Shocking stuff in 1974. So much so, that broadcasting standards on American television insisted they change the lyrics to "voulez-vous danser avec moi, ce soir?" -- "Do you want to dance with me tonight?"

Lady Marmalade became a hit again in 2001 when it was featured in the Baz Luhrmann film Moulin Rouge!. The updated version featured vocals from contemporary singing stars L'il Kim, Christina Aguilara, Pink and Mýa.

Labelle disbanded in 1976 with all three members continuing their musical careers as solo or studio artists. They reunited in 2005, releasing their final album, Back To Now, in 2008. Sarah Dash passed away in September, 2021, two days after a performance with LaBelle in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She was 76.

For this blog post, I  re-listened to those "cheesy", "schlocky", "easy-listening" Patti LaBelle songs from my youth. Sure, they are still not  my cup of tea, but I now recognize how good Ms. Labelle's voice is and how much those songs, despite my teenage protestations, are weaved deeply into the soundtrack of my life.

The 500 - #275 = The Slim Shady LP - Eminem

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

---

Album: #275

Album Title: The Slim Shady LP

Artist: Eminem

Genre: Hip Hop, Horrorcore

Recorded: Studio 8, Ferndale, Michigan

Released: February, 1999

My age at release: 33

How familiar was I with it before this week: A little

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #352 (dropping 77 places since 2012)

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Brain Damage

In my last post, I wrote about my first year of full-time employment as a teacher. I had been hired as a music educator for Grade 4 - 8 students. To connect with my young charges, I would play music as each class entered or exited my music room. Posters of musicians from different eras plastered the walls diverse genres (Mozart, Miles Davis, Pink Floyd, Dave Matthews Band and Run DMC, to name a few).

The Miles Davis Poster I had in the music room

Additionally, I invited students to bring in compact discs to be played during the next period. Many of them came from challenging socio-economic situations and others were "street-smart" beyond their years. This was 2000, just as Eminem exploded into popular hip-hop culture with the release of his second studio album, The Slim Shady LP. Among the different grade cohorts were fans of the hip-hop and rap genre, and some even sported Eminem's closely-cropped "Caesar haircut".

Eminem (Marshall Mathers)

As you might have guessed, it wasn't long before a student produced a compact disc copy of Eminem's album and asked if we could play it in class.

"It's got a couple bad words though." he said in earnest.

"Let me give it a listen tonight," I replied.

If you are familiar with The Slim Shady LP, you already know where this story is going.  If you don't, check out  the lyrics to the first two tracks – My Name Is or Guilty Conscience – for a dose of anger, violence and misogyny. However, neither prepares you for the song '97 Bonnie & Clyde -- a fantasy scenario, complete with sound effects, where Eminem disposes of the corpse of his ex-wife, Kim Mathers, in a lake while their infant daughter is strapped into the car seat. He speaks as one might talk to a toddler:

Needless to say, I was aghast. However, I reminded myself that "every generation is shocked by the music of the next". 

After all, my mom wouldn't let me purchase KISS or Meat Loaf records because of the album covers, and I distinctly remember how horrified my grandfather was when the Sex Pistols and punk rock hit the scene while I was visiting England in 1977.

Article on Sex Pistols in U.K.'s Daily Mirror

Still, I determined this wasn't going to be played in music class and I returned the CD the next day with a few cautionary words.

"It's not the swear words," I said. "It's more the violence toward women that concerns me."

"He's just kidding about that, he doesn't mean it," came the reply.

I have since learned that this student wasn't entirely wrong with his assessment. The "Slim Shady character" is an alter-ego that represents Eminem's hyper-masculine, dark, troubled and evil side. The character is used within the confines of a sub-genre of hip-hop called “horrorcore”, which intentionally leverages dark, violent and transgressive lyrical content to court controversy. It is to music what slasher-flicks are to film and, much like the aggressive, over-the-top violence in Friday The 13th or Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It is not meant to be taken seriously.

A collection of horrorcore hip-hop artists including Eminem (top left)

There is good reason that Eminem, born Marshall Bruce Mathers III, has a dark, troubled persona lurking within him. Like many students I have worked with over the years, his early life was shaped by abandonment, poverty, physical and mental abuse, as well as frequent housing insecurity.

Born in 1972 in St. Joseph, Missouri, to Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. and Deborah Rae "Debbie" Nelson, Eminem’s father, soon abandoned the family in order to return to California and his other two children. Debbie, shuttled her son between Missouri and Detroit, Michigan, trailer parks and low-income homes for most of his childhood. Among the places they lived was the Continental Mobile Village near 8 Mile Road in Warren, Michigan -- the setting for his 2002 semi-autobiographical film.

Growing up in predominantly black communities he was treated as an outsider and badly bullied including an assault in elementary school that hospitalized him. He recounts the events in the song Brain Damage from The Slim Shady LP.

Social service investigators were regularly involved in his unstable and traumatic life, with one social worker describing his mother, Debbie, as having addiction issues and a "suspicious, almost paranoid personality". In his song, Cleaning Out My Closet, Eminem reveals that his mother put prescription medications in his food to make him feel ill, ostensibly to keep him home where she could protect him. Often dubbed Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy -- this condition is a mental illness and form of child abuse where a care-giver causes symptoms that make a child feel unwell, often to isolate the victim from the outside world.

As Oscar Wilde famously said: "There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and this is not being talked about." The polarizing Eminem has certainly been talked about over his 25-year career. He is loved and loathed by many.

Eminem has courted controversy for decades while simultaneously rising to fame as one of the greatest rappers of all-time. Sometimes dubbed "The King Of Hip-Hop", he is the best-selling solo-rapper ever. His 2002 record, The Marshall Mathers LP (#244 on The 500) sold 11 million copies in the U.S. alone.

I'm at a bit of a crossroads here.

• My exploration into the world of hip-hop has led me to recognize that Eminem is a gifted wordsmith who deeply understands the interplay between beats and bars. I intend to explore his clever use of multi-syllabic, internal rhyme in a future blog.
• I also understand that, like a blood-soaked gun battle in a Tarantino film, his horrorcore lyrics are not to be taken seriously.
• I also know he suffered mightily in his childhood, which led to addiction issues and mental health struggles, exacerbated by an autism diagnosis that was missed until adulthood..

However, I continue to think back to that 12-year-old in my Grade 8 music class who first brought me The Slim Shady LP. He was a bright chap and, clearly, he could separate the messages on this record from reality. Is that the case for the millions of young boys, with their Caesar haircuts, who worshipped and emulated either Eminem or the Slim Shady character who has...

• Elevated verbal abuse and degradation, particularly of women, to an art form?
• Amplified and glorified the image of a hyper-masculine male, who casually drops homophobic slurs, while perpetuating the notion that women are attracted to insensitive men who do not respect them?
• Portrayed a semi-fictional version of themselves as a sympathetic underdog who rebelled against impossible odds? One who not only should be forgiven, but lionized for offensive and warped utterances?

Which takes me back to the same spot I was at when I first listened to this record in 2000. With one exception (I’ve put a track on my Spotify 500 Playlist) I've heard enough to know I’m not going to play it anymore.

This week I talked to several twenty and thirty-somethings who reported that they liked or even loved this record – some admitting they memorized every word while in elementary school.

I thought back to my teenage fascination with Black Sabbath, Dio or the aforementioned Sex Pistols. The music did not make me a satanist or an anarchist. I too understood that "they didn't mean it". So, in the words of The Who: “The Kids Are All Right”.

As my friend’s 30-year-old son put it: “I don’t listen to the Slim Shady LP often, although revisiting it is a guilty pleasure – his later material is far superior, after he got off the drugs”.

We’ll find out soon enough, I get to The Marshall Mathers album in 30 weeks.