There was a recent thread about some of his solo albums being remastered.Normally,this would be a big deal for me...I love 70s soul music but I have no desire to buy those albums.Just give me a remastered 'Quiet Storm' CD and that's all the Smokey I need (of course,I already have the stuff he did with the Miracles).

Had no idea there were so many here that felt the same way as I do about Smokey Robinson. I thought I'd be the one lone "brave" voice in the wind, lol. I'm going to have to give "A Quiet Storm" a listen, may change my opinion a bit.

i like smokey's first two solo albums, 'smokey' and 'pure smokey'... those two albums, to me, showed his gifts as a songwriter. and willie hutch did a great job on the arrangements. 'the love between me and my kids' is one of smokey's best tracks, in terms of arrangement. i like some stuff he did after that, but his output after those two albums is kind of weak.

and after i saw his performance with george michael on the apollo doing 'careless whisper'... no comment, just look for yourselves:

i mean, dude is so coked up and stiff, it's not even funny. and THEN i read his autobiography, which is one of the WORST books i have ever read in my life. the book opens (and i think closes) WITH HIM BEING SO HIGH, HE HAD PUSS COMING OUT OF HIS ASS. i'm NOT joking. he was talking about being so high and asking STEVIE WONDER for money, and STEVIE said no.

i am one of thos people who give credit to mr. robinson for his songwriting skills, but ESPECIALLY after the apollo performance, came to the conclusion that he can't sing.

Timmy84 said:

TD3 said:

The Quiet Snooze. Go to Cracker Barrel . . . you'd have a nervous breakdown.

There something about Smokey that's off puttting, I don't know. Maybe it's when he says "Motown Is A Family" I wanna gagg.

The only solo songs I dug from Smoke was "Baby Come Close" and "Cruisin'". I didn't like "Quiet Storm"...for some odd reason. And everything else:

I think what turned me off on him was his defense (sometimes too much) of how Motown handled their artists. We know Motown was kinda shady (not to the point of mobs coming into the picture but they sure had their artists on leases and gave them salaries - which didn't make sense later on).

His best stuff was with the Miracles and as a songwriter and producer. They brought out the best in him and the singers who sung his songs definitely made them smashes (Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, especially the Temptations). Without them, he was just another peg in the Motown machine IMHO.

tim, you ain't neva lied.

This song gives me goosebumps!

MJJstudent said:

i like smokey's first two solo albums, 'smokey' and 'pure smokey'... those two albums, to me, showed his gifts as a songwriter. and willie hutch did a great job on the arrangements. 'the love between me and my kids' is one of smokey's best tracks, in terms of arrangement. i like some stuff he did after that, but his output after those two albums is kind of weak.

and after i saw his performance with george michael on the apollo doing 'careless whisper'... no comment, just look for yourselves:

i mean, dude is so coked up and stiff, it's not even funny. and THEN i read his autobiography, which is one of the WORST books i have ever read in my life. the book opens (and i think closes) WITH HIM BEING SO HIGH, HE HAD PUSS COMING OUT OF HIS ASS. i'm NOT joking. he was talking about being so high and asking STEVIE WONDER for money, and STEVIE said no.

i am one of thos people who give credit to mr. robinson for his songwriting skills, but ESPECIALLY after the apollo performance, came to the conclusion that he can't sing.

I don't know about you but that story Smoke gives about getting high overnight in the early 1980s I don't think is accurate. I definitely think he was using for a while and it almost got the best of him in the mid-1980s.

Timmy84 said:

MJJstudent said:

i like smokey's first two solo albums, 'smokey' and 'pure smokey'... those two albums, to me, showed his gifts as a songwriter. and willie hutch did a great job on the arrangements. 'the love between me and my kids' is one of smokey's best tracks, in terms of arrangement. i like some stuff he did after that, but his output after those two albums is kind of weak.

and after i saw his performance with george michael on the apollo doing 'careless whisper'... no comment, just look for yourselves:

i mean, dude is so coked up and stiff, it's not even funny. and THEN i read his autobiography, which is one of the WORST books i have ever read in my life. the book opens (and i think closes) WITH HIM BEING SO HIGH, HE HAD PUSS COMING OUT OF HIS ASS. i'm NOT joking. he was talking about being so high and asking STEVIE WONDER for money, and STEVIE said no.

i am one of thos people who give credit to mr. robinson for his songwriting skills, but ESPECIALLY after the apollo performance, came to the conclusion that he can't sing.

I don't know about you but that story Smoke gives about getting high overnight in the early 1980s I don't think is accurate. I definitely think he was using for a while and it almost got the best of him in the mid-1980s.

no no... when he wrote the book he wasn't high... he was just writing about his experience of when he WAS high, and how it built up. but he OPENS THE BOOK with this story. i'm like, REALLY?

the story was ridiculous. the book was about how he got high, and cheated on his wife, and how he wrote songs about it.

[Edited 2/8/11 8:52am]

MJJstudent said:

Timmy84 said:

I don't know about you but that story Smoke gives about getting high overnight in the early 1980s I don't think is accurate. I definitely think he was using for a while and it almost got the best of him in the mid-1980s.

no no... when he wrote the book he wasn't high... he was just writing about his experience of when he WAS high, and how it built up. but he OPENS THE BOOK with this story. i'm like, REALLY?

the story was ridiculous. the book was about how he got high, and cheated on his wife, and how he wrote songs about it.

[Edited 2/8/11 8:52am]

No I got what you said, I just think he didn't give a good timeline on when he got introduced to cocaine. He said he got into it around 1984 but I think it was earlier than that.

Timmy84 said:

MJJstudent said:

no no... when he wrote the book he wasn't high... he was just writing about his experience of when he WAS high, and how it built up. but he OPENS THE BOOK with this story. i'm like, REALLY?

the story was ridiculous. the book was about how he got high, and cheated on his wife, and how he wrote songs about it.

[Edited 2/8/11 8:52am]

No I got what you said, I just think he didn't give a good timeline on when he got introduced to cocaine. He said he got into it around 1984 but I think it was earlier than that.

oh! okay... it was seriously one of the worst things i have ever read though.

MJJstudent said:

Timmy84 said:

No I got what you said, I just think he didn't give a good timeline on when he got introduced to cocaine. He said he got into it around 1984 but I think it was earlier than that.

oh! okay... it was seriously one of the worst things i have ever read though.

And he got saved from going to some unknown church...

Timmy84 said:

MJJstudent said:

oh! okay... it was seriously one of the worst things i have ever read though.

And he got saved from going to some unknown church...

OH! dear lord...

PDogz said:

Had no idea there were so many here that felt the same way as I do about Smokey Robinson. I thought I'd be the one lone "brave" voice in the wind, lol. I'm going to have to give "A Quiet Storm" a listen, may change my opinion a bit.

"you are not alooooooone, i am here with youuuuuuuu..."

MJJstudent said:

...and THEN i read his autobiography, which is one of the WORST books i have ever read in my life. the book opens (and i think closes) WITH HIM BEING SO HIGH, HE HAD PUSS COMING OUT OF HIS ASS. i'm NOT joking.

I have never been that high in my entire life, nor do I ever care to be, lol.

MJJstudent said:

PDogz said:

Had no idea there were so many here that felt the same way as I do about Smokey Robinson. I thought I'd be the one lone "brave" voice in the wind, lol. I'm going to have to give "A Quiet Storm" a listen, may change my opinion a bit.

"you are not alooooooone, i am here with youuuuuuuu..."

Between You, me and MIKE...I'm feeling that, lol.

When someone says they had PUS coming out of their ass, that's really fucking high. I thought Marvin and David were the highest, but I guess Smokey got into it harder than they did. The fuck? PUS!?

[Edited 2/8/11 11:53am]

I don't know what rock I have been living under, but this my first time seeing this video.

November said:

I don't know what rock I have been living under, but this my first time seeing this video.

You didn't catch it when BET had "Midnight Love"? That's where I first saw it, at four I believe.

PDogz said:

MJJstudent said:

...and THEN i read his autobiography, which is one of the WORST books i have ever read in my life. the book opens (and i think closes) WITH HIM BEING SO HIGH, HE HAD PUSS COMING OUT OF HIS ASS. i'm NOT joking.

I have never been that high in my entire life, nor do I ever care to be, lol.

"you are not alooooooone, i am here with youuuuuuuu..."

Between You, me and MIKE...I'm feeling that, lol.

yes indeed...

Timmy84 said:

When someone says they had PUS coming out of their ass, that's really fucking high. I thought Marvin and David were the highest, but I guess Smokey got into it harder than they did. The fuck? PUS!?

[Edited 2/8/11 11:53am]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!

Timmy84 said:

November said:

I don't know what rock I have been living under, but this my first time seeing this video.

You didn't catch it when BET had "Midnight Love"? That's where I first saw it, at four I believe.

MAN! the days when BET actually stood for something. you make me feel old. when the 'E' could have stood for 'edutainment'.

November said:

I don't know what rock I have been living under, but this my first time seeing this video.

I had never seen it either (actually... still haven't, lol). I was seriously on the run when this album & video dropped, dipping here and there. I spent about 5 or 6 years in the 80's without a TV at all (...and NO, I was not locked-up, lol). Although, I found no shortage of "entertainment" to keep me occupied during that time, just not the kind that came through a television set. However I was never without my music!

I saw that video all the time,back in the day Remember 'Friday Night Videos'?

SoulAlive said:

I saw that video all the time,back in the day Remember 'Friday Night Videos'?

I remember watching this video with some friends and one of them said; "Rick and Smokey..on a desert island alone with no food, no women, no drugs, no cars, no electricity and no S-Curl activator?..unreal".

I was never crazy about this song either. A lot of sisters I knew hated this song because they knew Rick loved white women. But this song still sounds better than the mess I hear on radio today.

As much as I love Smokey, G.M whupped his ass on "Careless Whisper". He should have just stayed offstage.

SPYZFAN1 said:

I remember watching this video with some friends and one of them said; "Rick and Smokey..on a desert island alone with no food, no women, no drugs, no cars, no electricity and no S-Curl activator?..unreal".

I was never crazy about this song either. A lot of sisters I knew hated this song because they knew Rick loved white women. But this song still sounds better than the mess I hear on radio today.

As much as I love Smokey, G.M whupped his ass on "Careless Whisper". He should have just stayed offstage.

I think the song was Rick's attempt to prove he still loved the sistas... didn't work I guess.

Timmy84 said:

SPYZFAN1 said:

I remember watching this video with some friends and one of them said; "Rick and Smokey..on a desert island alone with no food, no women, no drugs, no cars, no electricity and no S-Curl activator?..unreal".

I was never crazy about this song either. A lot of sisters I knew hated this song because they knew Rick loved white women. But this song still sounds better than the mess I hear on radio today.

As much as I love Smokey, G.M whupped his ass on "Careless Whisper". He should have just stayed offstage.

I think the song was Rick's attempt to prove he still loved the sistas... didn't work I guess.

I think it was also Rick's attempt to one-up Smokey, and prove that he was to be counted among the great balladeers. Thing is; I think Rick had already accomplished that goal on previous songs (..."Fire And Desire" for one, "Hollywood" for another). I've also always felt Rick was trying too hard to blow this song out of the water, and I don't feel that this song had the structure to do so.

PDogz said:

Timmy84 said:

I think the song was Rick's attempt to prove he still loved the sistas... didn't work I guess.

I think it was also Rick's attempt to one-up Smokey, and prove that he was to be counted among the great balladeers. Thing is; I think Rick had already accomplished that goal on previous songs (..."Fire And Desire" for one, "Hollywood" for another). I've also always felt Rick was trying too hard to blow this song out of the water, and I don't feel that this song had the structure to do so.

I agree. Plus he put it out at a time when Smokey was losing it anyway lol he was hardly on the song as it was. Just coo-cooing while Rick sang his heart out.

Timmy84 said:

SPYZFAN1 said:

I remember watching this video with some friends and one of them said; "Rick and Smokey..on a desert island alone with no food, no women, no drugs, no cars, no electricity and no S-Curl activator?..unreal".

I was never crazy about this song either. A lot of sisters I knew hated this song because they knew Rick loved white women. But this song still sounds better than the mess I hear on radio today.

As much as I love Smokey, G.M whupped his ass on "Careless Whisper". He should have just stayed offstage.

I think the song was Rick's attempt to prove he still loved the sistas... didn't work I guess.

i saw an interview years ago where rick james actually said this was the reason he did the song... because black women complained he had no love for them. so there ya go.

MJJstudent said:

Timmy84 said:

I think the song was Rick's attempt to prove he still loved the sistas... didn't work I guess.

i saw an interview years ago where rick james actually said this was the reason he did the song... because black women complained he had no love for them. so there ya go.

Figures.

armpit said:

The first time I ever heard this song was on "Everybody Hates Chris", when Chris lip-sang it to some girl in a fantasy sequence.

It's a great song, Rick could sing anybody under the table.

Right!

I was listening to this song and for the first time realized that Rick could really sing. He had a nice voice. You don't notice it as much on the funky dance songs but for a ballad he can really SANG.

Fire and Desire he was good but on THIS song his voice sounded exceptionally well. Like Acapella quality.

PDogz said:

NewPowerSista said:

Lord, you sure took me back! I must have at least 20 VHS tapes on which I recorded individual videos doing just what you did!! I must have had a really boring life then---that added up to hours and hours!! LOL

That's how we spent our time BEFORE there was an Internet, lol.

right.