A Pocket Full of Miracles
Encyclopedia
A Pocket Full Of Miracles (TS306) is a 1970 album by Motown Records R&B group The Miracles
(AKA "Smokey Robinson & The Miracles"), issued on its Tamla subsidiary label, one of three albums the group released that year. This album charted at #56 on the Billboard
pop albums chart, and reached the top ten of the magazine's R&B albums chart, peaking at #10. It was released on September 30 of that year. Hit singles on the album included "Point It Out
" and the topical Ashford & Simpson
written-and-produced song "Who's Gonna Take The Blame", a sad, dark song about a girl that is turned out as a prostitute (unusually serious lyric content for The Miracles). Also included is the charting flip side "Darling Dear", B-side of "Point It Out", which reached # 100 on the Billboard pop chart, and spawned a cover version by The Jackson Five.
The album's name takes its title from the 1961 Frank Capra
comedy film Pocketful of Miracles
. However, that is where the similarities end. Its cover depicts four of The Miracles, Smokey Robinson
, Bobby Rogers
, Pete Moore
,and Ronnie White, sitting inside a huge cartoon "pocket", (thus the name "Pocket Full Of Miracles").
Other original songs in the collection included "Flower Girl", the potential hit "Backfire" (that was not released as a single), and the melancholy "The Reel Of Time". Miracles members Marv Tarplin
and Claudette Robinson are featured on the songs "You've Got The Love I Need" (a ballad with rock overtones) and "Don't Take It So Hard", respectively. However, they are not featured on the album's cover (apparently because the "pocket" would then have too many Miracles). Covers include versions of Simon and Garfunkel's
"Bridge over Troubled Water
", Chuck Jackson
and Maxine Brown
's "Something You Got", included in a medley with The Beatles' "Something
", and Smokey's composition for The Temptations
, "Get Ready", which features an arrangement borrowed from the Cream
hit "Sunshine of Your Love
". Motown staff songwriters contributing to this project included Ashford & Simpson, William "Mickey" Stevenson, H. Gordy, R Gordy, R. Jones, and Miracles members Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin.
This album, like several of The Miracles' post-1969 albums, has never been released in the CD format. It was re-released in edited form a few years later, by the defunct independent label Pickwick International
, under license from Motown, with a different cover, and the modified name Pocketful.
Other Instruments: The Funk Brothers
The Miracles
The Miracles are an American rhythm and blues group from Detroit, Michigan, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy's Motown Record Corporation . Their single "Shop Around" was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature...
(AKA "Smokey Robinson & The Miracles"), issued on its Tamla subsidiary label, one of three albums the group released that year. This album charted at #56 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
pop albums chart, and reached the top ten of the magazine's R&B albums chart, peaking at #10. It was released on September 30 of that year. Hit singles on the album included "Point It Out
Point It Out
"Point It Out" was a 1969 recording by Motown Records R&B group The Miracles on that label's Tamla subsidiary . This mid-tempo song was a national Billboard Top 40 Pop hit,reaching #37 on that chart, and a Top 10 R&B hit was well, reaching #4...
" and the topical Ashford & Simpson
Ashford & Simpson
Nickolas Ashford , and Valerie Simpson , were a husband and wife songwriting/production team and recording artists....
written-and-produced song "Who's Gonna Take The Blame", a sad, dark song about a girl that is turned out as a prostitute (unusually serious lyric content for The Miracles). Also included is the charting flip side "Darling Dear", B-side of "Point It Out", which reached # 100 on the Billboard pop chart, and spawned a cover version by The Jackson Five.
The album's name takes its title from the 1961 Frank Capra
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...
comedy film Pocketful of Miracles
Pocketful of Miracles
Pocketful of Miracles is a 1961 American comedy film that stars Bette Davis and Glenn Ford, directed by Frank Capra. The screenplay by Hal Kanter and Harry Tugend is based on the screenplay Lady for a Day by Robert Riskin, which was adapted from the Damon Runyon short story "Madame La Gimp".The...
. However, that is where the similarities end. Its cover depicts four of The Miracles, Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
, Bobby Rogers
Bobby Rogers
Bobby Rogers is an American soul singer and songwriter, notable as a member of Motown Records' first signed act and first million selling group The Miracles from 1956 to present. He is also the grandfather of R&B singer Brandi Williams from R&B girl group Blaque-Life:Rogers is the son of the late...
, Pete Moore
Pete Moore
Pete Moore is an African American soul singer, record producer, and songwriter, notable as the bass singer for Motown group The Miracles from 1955 onwards, and is one of the group's original members...
,and Ronnie White, sitting inside a huge cartoon "pocket", (thus the name "Pocket Full Of Miracles").
Other original songs in the collection included "Flower Girl", the potential hit "Backfire" (that was not released as a single), and the melancholy "The Reel Of Time". Miracles members Marv Tarplin
Marv Tarplin
Marvin "Marv" Tarplin was an American guitarist and songwriter, best known as the guitarist for The Miracles from the 1950s through the early 1970s. He was one of the group's original members and co-wrote several of their biggest hits, including the 2007 Grammy Hall Of Fame inducted "The Tracks...
and Claudette Robinson are featured on the songs "You've Got The Love I Need" (a ballad with rock overtones) and "Don't Take It So Hard", respectively. However, they are not featured on the album's cover (apparently because the "pocket" would then have too many Miracles). Covers include versions of Simon and Garfunkel's
Simon and Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...
"Bridge over Troubled Water
Bridge over Troubled Water (song)
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" is the title song of Simon & Garfunkel's album of the same name. The single was released on January 26, 1970, though it also appears on the live album Live 1969, released in 2008. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1970, and stayed at...
", Chuck Jackson
Chuck Jackson
Chuck Jackson is an R&B singer who was one of the first artists to record material by Burt Bacharach and Hal David successfully. He has performed with moderate success since 1961...
and Maxine Brown
Maxine Brown (soul singer)
Maxine Ella Brown is an American soul and R&B singer.-Background and career:Maxine Brown began singing as a child, performing with two New York based gospel groups called the Angelairs and the Royaltones when she was a teenager...
's "Something You Got", included in a medley with The Beatles' "Something
Something
"Something" is a song by The Beatles, written by lead guitarist George Harrison in 1969. It was featured on the album Abbey Road, and was also the first song written by Harrison to appear on the A-side of a Beatles' single...
", and Smokey's composition for The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, "Get Ready", which features an arrangement borrowed from the Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
hit "Sunshine of Your Love
Sunshine of Your Love
"Sunshine of Your Love" is a 1967 song by the British supergroup Cream. The song was originally released on the album Disraeli Gears in November 1967, and was later released as a single in January 1968. It is Cream's only gold-selling single in the United States. It features a distinctive...
". Motown staff songwriters contributing to this project included Ashford & Simpson, William "Mickey" Stevenson, H. Gordy, R Gordy, R. Jones, and Miracles members Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin.
This album, like several of The Miracles' post-1969 albums, has never been released in the CD format. It was re-released in edited form a few years later, by the defunct independent label Pickwick International
Pickwick Records
Pickwick Records was an American record label and distributor known for its budget album releases of sound-alike recordings, bargain bin reissues and repackagings under the brands Design, Bravo , Hurrah, Grand Prix, and children's records on the Cricket and Happy Time labels.The label is also...
, under license from Motown, with a different cover, and the modified name Pocketful.
Side one
- "Flower Girl"
- "Who's Gonna Take The Blame"
- "Darling Dear"
- "You've Got The Love I Need"
- "Get Ready"
- "Bridge Over Troubled Water"*
Side two
- "Something/Something You Got"*
- "Point It Out"
- "Don't Take It So Hard"
- "Backfire"
- "The Reel Of Time"*
- "Wishful Thinking"
- *(deleted from the Pickwick re-release).
The Miracles
- Bill "Smokey" RobinsonSmokey RobinsonWilliam "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
- Claudette Rodgers Robinson
- Warren "Pete" MoorePete MoorePete Moore is an African American soul singer, record producer, and songwriter, notable as the bass singer for Motown group The Miracles from 1955 onwards, and is one of the group's original members...
- Robert "Bobby" RodgersBobby RogersBobby Rogers is an American soul singer and songwriter, notable as a member of Motown Records' first signed act and first million selling group The Miracles from 1956 to present. He is also the grandfather of R&B singer Brandi Williams from R&B girl group Blaque-Life:Rogers is the son of the late...
- Ronald "Ronnie" WhiteRonald WhiteRonald "Ronnie" White was an African American soul singer and songwriter, notable as a founding member of The Miracles, and the only member to survive all of that group's line-up changes...
- Marvin "Marv" TarplinMarv TarplinMarvin "Marv" Tarplin was an American guitarist and songwriter, best known as the guitarist for The Miracles from the 1950s through the early 1970s. He was one of the group's original members and co-wrote several of their biggest hits, including the 2007 Grammy Hall Of Fame inducted "The Tracks...
Other Instruments: The Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers was the nickname of Detroit, Michigan, session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown Records recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972...
External links
- [ All Music Guide Review]
- http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img13.shop-pro.jp/PA01090/670/product/21162093.jpg&imgrefurl=http://mwrecords.jp/%3Fpid%3D21162093&usg=__ewrd6SACRKgNWV4YLq8_RKqknKE=&h=389&w=400&sz=52&hl=en&start=14&zoom=1&tbnid=FdKe3uHdbHYHpM:&tbnh=143&tbnw=147&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsmokey%2Ba%2Bpocket%2Bfull%2Bof%2Bmiracles%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26biw%3D800%26bih%3D483%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10,531&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=531&vpy=114&dur=640&hovh=221&hovw=228&tx=173&ty=153&ei=N2-ATOjaHpS-sAObsq3WBA&oei=1m6ATKT2GpC8sAOly6jWBA&esq=4&page=2&ndsp=7&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:14&biw=800&bih=483A Pocket Full Of Miracles (Original Motown cover image)]
- A review of Get Ready From The Miracles' album, A Pocketful Of Miracles
- From the "Rate Your Music" website,
