RELEASED IN MAY, 1971, MARVIN GAYE‘S ‘WHAT’S GOING ON‘was the 11th album he recorded for the Tamla label. It was also his very first LP he was credited in having solely produced — in its entirety. The album’s origin centered when Gaye began work on the single, “What’s Going On” (Pop #2; R&B #1), (released in January 1971; album titled as same) in June, 1970. Three other tracks from the LP would be released as singles. “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) (Pop#4; R&B #1),”“Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler) (Pop #9; R&B #1),” and“Save The Children (UK only; #41).” The album would become Gaye’s biggest of his career at the time, until 1973. It was also Gaye’s first album having cracked Top 10 (#6) in the Billboard Top LP chart, and, having charted there for almost a year. The British music publication New Musical Expressranked the LP #1 in their ‘All-Times Top 100 Albums’ in 1985. According to Wikipedia, “Gaye was the first male solo artist to place three top ten singles on the Hot 100 off one album, as well as the first artist to place three singles at number-one on any Billboard chart (in this case, R&B), off one single album.” In a 1999 poll conducted by The Guardian, it named the LP the “Greatest Album of the 20th Century”.MARVIN GAYEApril 1971(photo credit: Jim Hendin)
‘GOING TO A GO-GO,’ was the 8th album the Miraclesrecorded for the Tamla label. Released in November 1965, the album was the first LP headlining the group’s new billing, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. The album produced four Top 20 singles.“OOO Baby Baby” (Pop; #16), “The Tracks Of My Tears” (Pop; #16), “My Girl Has Gone” (Pop; #14) and “Going To A Go-Go” (Pop; #11), their biggest selling single from the album. All four singles released were produced by Smokey Robinson. All songs (except one track in the LP) were written by Smokey Robinson and credited named members of the Miracles. All four singles off the album were released in 1965. ‘Going To A Go-Go,’ the LP, became the only album in their career to break Top 10 (#8) and would remain on the Billboard LP chart for 40 weeks before dropping off the album chart, September 1966. The LP was produced by Smokey Robinson, Frank Wilson and William “Mickey” Stevenson. SMOKEY ROBINSON and the MIRACLES, performing on stage in the U.K., in Motown’s first European Tamla-Motown tour, 1965.
IN JULY 1967 THE FOUR TOPS released their 6th LP, ‘Reach Out,’ for the Motown label. It would become the group’s most successful album of their career. The album produced 7 singles, including “Standing In The Shadows Of Love,”“Bernadette,”“Walk Away Renee,”“7-Rooms Of Gloom,”“I’ll Turn To Stone,”“If I Were A Carpenter,” (1968) and the album’s self-titled #1 single, “Reach Out.” It was also their last album produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland. The song-writing trio having left Motown in late-1967. The album was recorded at Hitsville Studio A between 1966 and 1967. ‘Reach Out,’ the album, peaked #11 on the Billboard LP chart, 1967.THE FOUR TOPS performing live at the Detroit Roostertail Supper Club‘The Upper Deck,’ 1966.
