Record Review: "Going to a Go Go" By Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

“So take a good look at my face. You'll see my smile looks out of place. If you look closer, it's easy to trace. The tracks of my tears” - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

Title: Going to a Go Go

Artist: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

Release Year: 1965

Genre: R&B

Status: Platinum (About 1 million sold)

Number of Tracks: 12 ( 6 Side One, 6 Side Two)

Record Label: Tamla

Number Album Released: 7th

What I Think

    This is one of The Miracles’ most iconic albums. This is a must have for any Smokey Robinson fan, Motown fan or R&B fan. My favorite song on this album is “The Tracks of my Tears”. The 1st track is “The Tracks of my Tears”. The group’s singing is smooth and strong. The band is playing a somewhat complicated beat and rhythm at a slow tempo. The message is about a guy missing his girlfriend and him being always sad and crying. The 2nd track is “Going to a Go Go”. The group’s singing is strong and smooth. The band is playing a somewhat complicated beat and rhythm at a fast tempo with a saxophone solo. The message is about a guy going to a party and explaining how fun it is and how many people should go. The 3rd track is “Ooo Baby Baby”. The group’s singing is smooth. The band is playing a somewhat complicated beat and rhythm at a slow tempo. The message is about a guy who did a girl wrong and he is trying to come back and apologize. The 4th track is “My Girl Has Gone”. The group’s singing is smooth. The band is playing a somewhat complicated beat and rhythm at a mid tempo. The message is about a guy realizing that his girl has left him and him trying to stay positive about it. The 5th track is “In Case You Need Love”. The group’s singing is smooth and strong. The band is playing a somewhat complicated beat and rhythm at a fast tempo. The message is about a guy telling a girl that if she needs love she can call him. The 6th track is “Choosey Beggar”. The group’s singing is smooth. The band is playing a somewhat complicated beat and rhythm. The message is about a guy who is a choosey beggar when it comes to love. The 7th track is “Since You Won My Heart”. The group’s singing is smooth. The band is playing a somewhat simple beat and rhythm at a slow tempo. The message is about a girl who won a guy’s heart. The 8th track is “From Head to Toe”. The group’s singing is smooth. The band is playing a somewhat simple beat and rhythm. The message is about a guy describing how he loves a girl from head to toe. The 9th track is “All That’s Good”. The group’s singing is smooth. The band is playing a somewhat simple beat and rhythm at a mid tempo. The message is about a guy singing about how a girl is doing all she can to prove her love to him. The 10th track is “My Baby Changes Like the Weather”. The group’s singing is smooth. The band is playing a somewhat simple beat and rhythm at a mid tempo. The message is about a guy talking about how his girl’s attitude changes constantly like the weather. The 11th track is “Let Me Have Some”. The group’s singing is strong and smooth. The band is playing a somewhat simple beat and rhythm at a mid tempo. The message is about a guy telling his girl that she should share her kisses, hugs, etc… with him. The 12th track is “A Fork in the Road”. The group’s singing is smooth. The band is playing a somewhat simple beat and rhythm at a slow tempo. The message is about a couple reaching a fork in the road with their relationship.

Scoring (Out of 10)

• How well the album did (Diamond 10/10, Platinum 8/10, Gold 6/10): 8/10

• How well is the singing: 7.5/10
• How well is the band: 7.5/10
• How impactful the messages of the songs are: 6.5/10
• How appealing is the cover: 6/10
• How creative is the cover: 5/10
• How relevant is the album after 10+ years since release: 7/10
• How much did it revolutionize its genre of music: 4.5/10
• How creative are the instruments: 6/10
• How creative are the lyrics: 8/10

Total Score: 6.6/10

Percentage: 66%

My Favorite Songs

1. The Tracks of my Tears
2. Going to a Go Go
3. Ooo Baby Baby
4. Choosey Beggar
5. My Baby Changes Like the Weather
6. From Head to Toe
7. All That’s Good
8. Let Me Have Some
9. In Case You Need Love
10. My Girl Has Gone
11. Since You Won My Heart
12. A Fork in the Road

Videos of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles performing songs from the album

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCwkZrj2VT4  “Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Tracks Of My Tears”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0aFccufx-o  “Smokey Robinson and The Miracles:Going to a Go Go”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RDUYOSpH9w  “Smokey Robinson and The Miracles - Ooo Baby Baby (Ready Steady Go - 1965)”

Comment what you think of this album and if you agree with me or not and stay tuned for my next record review which will be “Second Album” by The Four Tops.