Going to a Go-Go  

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

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Going to a Go-Go is a 1965 album by The Miracles, the first to bill the group as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. It includes four of the Miracles' Top 20 hits: "Ooo Baby Baby", "The Tracks of My Tears", "Going to a Go-Go", and "My Girl Has Gone". Primarily produced by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson, Going to a Go-Go features compositions co-written by Miracles members Robinson, Ronald White, Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin. In fact, with the sole exception of the song, My Baby Changes Like The Weather, this entire album was written by The Miracles.

The album also features two important Miracles b-sides, "Choosey Beggar" and "A Fork in the Road". "Choosey Beggar" charted on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart at number 35. "A Fork in the Road", on the other hand, did not chart nationally, but proved to be a strong regional hit in several areas of the country and was regularly performed as part of the Miracles' live show.

Going To A Go-Go was the only Miracles studio LP to chart within the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 albums chart, where it peaked at number-eight. The LP peaked at number-one on Billboard's R&B albums chart. Going to a Go-Go was reissued on CD in 2002, coupled with the Miracles' Away We a Go-Go. A never-before-released live version of "A Fork in the Road" is included as a bonus track. In 2003, the Miracles' Going To A Go-Go album achieved Gold Record status and was ranked number 271 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Tracklisting

Side one

1. "The Tracks of My Tears" (Warren Moore, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Tarplin) – 2:55
2. "Going to a Go-Go" (Moore, Robinson, Robert Rogers, Tarplin) – 2:46
3. "Ooo Baby Baby" (Moore, Robinson) – 2:45
4. "My Girl Has Gone" (Moore, Robinson, Tarplin, Ronald White) – 2:50
5. "In Case You Need Love" (Robinson) – 2:47
6. "Choosey Beggar" (Moore, Robinson) – 2:33

Side two

1. "Since You Won My Heart" (Robinson, William "Mickey" Stevenson) – 2:16
2. "From Head to Toe" (Robinson) – 2:25
3. "All That's Good" (Moore, Robinson) – 3:12
4. "My Baby Changes Like the Weather" (Hal Davis, Frank Wilson) – 2:47
5. "Let Me Have Some" - (Robinson, Rogers) – 3:07
6. "A Fork in the Road" (Moore, Robinson, White) – 3:26

Personnel-The Miracles

• Smokey Robinson: lead vocals
• Ronnie White, Bobby Rogers, Warren "Pete" Moore, Claudette Robinson: background vocals
• Marv Tarplin: guitarist

Other Credits

• The Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra: instrumentation

Producers

• Smokey Robinson, producer, Album executive producer
• Frank Wilson, producer
• William "Mickey" Stevenson, producer

Cover versions

Phil Collins recorded a version of the song for his album of soul covers, Going Back.

The Rolling Stones released a live version of the song on their 1982 live album "Still Life".