No. 271: Going to a Go-Go

Band: Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
Album: Going to a Go-Go
Why Rolling Stone gets it right: "Going to a Go-Go" is the first Miracles album to give Smokey top billing. His pretty voice paints heartbreak perfectly on "The Tracks Of My Tears" and love triumphing on "Since You Won My Heart."
Why Rolling Stone gets it wrong: Like most music by black artists on this list, this record is probably lower than it should be.
Best song: "The Tracks Of My Tears," "From Head to Toe" and "Ooo Baby Baby" are classics.
Worst song: "Let Me Have Some" isn't great.
Is it awesome?: Absolutely.

One of the problems with this list is the lack of Motown records on here. Sure, "What's Going On" is up there pretty high, but the Supremes, Smokey and the Jacksons are mostly absent, despite being a huge part of the 1960s.

Nevertheless, the beauty of "Going To A Go-Go" rests entirely in the vocal stylings of Smokey and the Miracles. The Motown house band plays well on the album, but compared to Robinson's almost-falsetto, they're nothing.

While this is no revelation, "Tracks Of My Tears" is the exemplification of this. Robinson's honey-sweet voice milks the sadness for all it's worth while he croons.

It's easy to forget how great Smokey was, considering he now looks like an old lesbian. But, this album can remind you of his talent and then some.