Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

小简介
Smokey Robinson ＆ The Miracles
Smokey Robinson和他领军的组合The Miracles是6、70年代重要的黑人灵歌，他们的作品都已收录在这套《环球大师珍藏系列》里。
忘了是哪一年，伟大的民谣歌手Bob Dylan曾经这样评价Smokey Robinson：美国活着的最伟大的诗人。的确，作为美国当代最有影响力的诗人，Robinson为整个流行音乐创作了一系列相当精制的歌词和旋律。同时，他也是这些作品最有表现力的歌手之一，并且他还是一位非常出色的制作人。作为一名60年代最有影响力的灵歌音乐家之一，Smokey Robinson将40年代和50年代黑人演唱组特有的甜美假声唱法进行了精练，同The Miracles（奇迹）演唱组一道，他将这一演唱风格演变为流行音乐一个特有的派别，比如他与奇迹演唱组的代表歌曲之一“I Don't Blame You At All（不全怪你）”。
Smokey Robinson 1940年2月出生于底特律，15岁的时候和几个伙伴儿组成了The Miracles演唱组，演唱组的第一首重要的热门歌曲就是下面我们听到的这首“Shop Around（四处购物）”，这是一首快节奏的作品，同时也体现出Robinson越来越出色的驾驭文字的技巧。这首歌曲1960年在美国排行榜上获得了第2名，随后他们便迎来了黄金时代，推出了一系列的热门歌曲。
下面这首歌曲“Tracks Of My Tears（泪痕）”被看作是Smokey Robinson ＆ The Miracles最伟大的一首单曲，是Robinson缓慢华丽和柔和的爱情歌曲的代表作品，其中吉他手Marvin Tarplin舒缓流畅的演奏和Robinson忧郁忏悔的演唱以及深思熟虑的措词完美的结合在一起。其实作为吉他手，Marvin Tarplin对The Miracles的贡献一直被忽视了，除了他令人难以忘怀的吉他间奏和节奏演奏之外，他还为The Miracles创作了很多出色的歌曲，在Robinson清新热情的制作处理下，The Miracles在60年代中期获得了事业上的一次飞跃，而此时Smokey Robinson的演唱风格也完全成熟了。
到了1967年，也许是年龄上的缘故，Smokey Robinson的作品丧失了青春的朝气，但具有了一种新的深度，在纯真的格调消逝后，Smokey Robinson ＆ The Miracles并未从此一蹶不振。他们1967年录制的这首歌曲“The Tears Of A Clown（小丑的眼泪）”1970年在英国获得了成功，这一成功促使他们在美国发行了这首歌，并最终成为The Miracles第一首排行榜的冠军歌曲。仔细聆听这首歌，Robinson大部分歌词的风格也展现在你眼前，由于专注于微笑背后的忧伤，他大部分动人的歌曲都着眼于内心的痛苦。
1972年，经过一系列的告别演出，Smokey Robinson离开了The Miracles开始个人的发展，他独特的演唱风格被70年代那些“蓝眼睛的白人灵歌歌手”广泛模仿，当他成为一位个人音乐家之初，Robinson继续发展着这一风格，树立起了亲切热情的男子汉形象。作为一位具有影响力的作曲家和表演者，Smokey Robinson完善了黑人灵歌的流行风格，尤其是他的歌词，充满了令人信服的比喻以及精制的双关语，一直被评论家们广为称赞。在他的制作技巧方面，Robinson培养起了自己浪漫的印象主义风格，也为自己的歌曲大大增色。
by Joslyn LayneScoring over 40 hits in the R&B Top 40 charts, the Miracles started out as the Five Chimes in the mid-'50s while the members were still in high school. The Detroit vocal group consisted of William "Smokey" Robinson, Warren "Pete" Moore, Clarence "Humble" Dawson, Donald Wicker, and James "Rat" Grice. Not too long after the group formed, Wicker and Grice left and were replaced by cousins Emerson "Sonny" Rogers and Bobby Rogers, who both sang tenor, and baritonist Ronnie White was in Dawson's place. The vocal quintet then changed their name to the Matadors, and in 1956 Claudette Rogers joined the band after her brother Sonny Rogers was drafted. The Matadors auditioned for Jackie Wilson's manager, Nat Tarnapol, in 1956. Although Tarnapol wasn't interested, finding the group too similar to the Platters, Jackie Wilson's songwriter Berry Gordy Jr. was, and he soon began producing the band, who now went by the name the Miracles. Gordy produced their first single, "Get a Job," which was issued by the NY label End Records in 1958. After one more release on this label, the Miracles recorded their first song for Gordy's new Motown/Tamla label, 1959's "Bad Girl" (which was issued nationally on the Chess label). Next came the first hit for both the group and the label, 1960's "Shop Around," which reached number one on the R&B charts and number two pop. The next song by the Miracles to hit the number one R&B spot and reach the pop Top Ten came two years later with "You've Really Got a Hold on Me." Smokey and Claudette got married in 1963, and she retired from the group a year later. The band's last big hit before they changed their name from the Miracles was "Going to a Go-Go" (1966), which climbed into the Top Five on the R&B charts, and the pop Top 20. Later that year, "I'm the One You Need" reached the Top 20. After this, the group's name changed to Smokey Robinson & the Miracles and they scored two more number one songs: "I Second That Emotion" (1967) and "The Tears of a Clown" (1970). Smokey left the group to pursue a solo career in 1972 and 20-year-old Billy Griffin was brought in to replace the lead singer. Once again the Miracles, the band scored several more hits, including "Do It Baby" and "Don't Cha Love It," which both reached the R&B Top Ten. The Miracles experienced a big success in early 1976 with "Love Machine (Part 1)," which reached number one on the pop charts. The multi-million selling single came off of their second album without Smokey, 1975's City of Angels, and stayed on the charts for over six months, making it the longest-running hit the band ever had. Their final album on the Motown label, Power to the Music, followed. After this, the Miracles added a new member, Billy Griffin's brother Don, and the band switched over to Columbia Records. Their first CBS release was Love Crazy (1977), which contained a single, "Spy for the Brotherhood," that was pulled off the record after complaints from the FBI. The group's last charting single, "Mean Machine," made the R&B Top 100 in 1978. Billy Griffin pursued a solo career, and Warren "Pete" Moore became a record producer in Detroit. In the late '80s, Bobby Rogers started the New Miracles, and in 1990 the Miracles (including Billy Griffin and Claudette Robinson) reunited to re-record "Love Machine" for the U.K. Motorcity label.