Search - Temptations, Smokey Robinson & Miracles :: Winning Combinations

Good Buy for the price

Michelle Ann Johnston | Johnson City, New York United States | 12/08/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is a good primer on how Motown worked, with Berry Gordy, Jr. creating an atmosphere of "can you top this?". Gordy did this by forcing several different acts to record the same song, then releasing the version he considered the best. Listening to this, I'm very glad that he preferred the Temptation's version of "My Girl" to the Miracles original, which sounds not quite "right" by comparison. I guess what I mean by that, is that it's a good "song" but it took the Temptations to make it a great "record". It is fun to hear Diana Ross & The Supremes duet with the Temps on "I Second That Emotion"- it's a fine performance, as is the Temptations take on "You've Really Got A Hold On Me", which almost tops the Miracles recording- almost. Of the ten tracks, though, half of them are easily found on literally dozen of compilation albums, and that's part of what brings the disc down to 4 stars for me. (After all, they still ARE great records) Regarding the last two tracks, one is okay ("The Love I Saw In You Was Just A Mirage") and the other, the Miracles cover of The Stylistic's "Betcha By Golly, Wow" is bad. It may even be the worst Miracles record I've ever heard. The weakness of those last two tracks is the main reason this gets only the 4 stars, instead of 5. From a technical standpoint, the sound quality is very good, and is far better than most of Motown's other "bargain" discs. Having said all that, I DO recommend buying this disc, because the first three tracks I mentioned are FUN to listen to, as are the five that can be found almost anywhere. Definitely a good addition to your collection, especially if you're just starting to collect Motown material, and, of course, I think it would also make a good gift."