Special Occasion (The Miracles album)

For the album's title song, see Special Occasion (Miracles song). For other uses, see Special occasion (disambiguation).

Special Occasion

Studio album by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

Released

August 26, 1968

Recorded

1967–1968

Studio

Hitsville USA, Detroit

Genre

R&B, pop soul

Length

32:23

Label

Tamla
TS-290

Producer

Smokey Robinson
Norman Whitfield

Smokey Robinson & the Miracles chronology

Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
(1968)

Special Occasion
(1968)

Live!
(1969)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[1]

Special Occasion is an album by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles released in 1968. It contains three Top 40 hits: "If You Can Want", "Yester Love", and "Special Occasion". Also included are versions of the Motown hits "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Everybody Needs Love" (both made popular by Gladys Knight & The Pips) and The Beatles' "Yesterday". The album's biggest hit was the uptempo "If You Can Want", which just missed the Billboard Pop Top 10, peaking at # 11,and was performed by the group on their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1968 . The Miracles were actually the first group to record "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", before the later hit versions by Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight & the Pips were done, although the master used on this album is a re-recorded version prepared following the release of the Pips' version.This album also includes the popular Miracles regional hit "B" sides, Much Better Off (which inspired a cover version by late rapper J Dilla), and Give Her Up. Give Her Up first appeared on Martha & The Vandellas 1963 album Come And Get These Memories as Give Him Up.

Track listing

Side one

"Yester Love" (Smokey Robinson, Al Cleveland)
"If You Can Want" (Robinson)
"Special Occasion" (Robinson, Cleveland)
"Everybody Needs Love" (Norman Whitfield, Edward Holland, Jr.)
"Just Losing You" (Robinson)
"Give Her Up" (Robinson)

Side two

"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (Whitfield, Barrett Strong)
"Yesterday" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney)
"Your Mother's Only Daughter" (Robinson, Cleveland)
"Much Better Off" (Smokey Robinson, Warren Moore)
"You Only Build Me Up To Tear Me Down" (Robinson)

Personnel

The Miracles

Smokey Robinson – lead vocals, producer, executive producer
Ronnie White – background vocals
Bobby Rogers – background vocals
Warren "Pete" Moore – background vocals
Claudette Robinson – background vocals
Marv Tarplin – guitarist

Other Credits

Norman Whitfield, producer ("Everybody Needs Love", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine")
The Funk Brothers: instrumentation

References

↑ Special Occasion at AllMusic

The Miracles

Smokey Robinson Ronnie White Pete Moore Bobby Rogers Claudette Robinson Marv Tarplin Billy Griffin Donald Griffin Carl Cotton Mark Scott Dave Finley Sydney Justin Alphonse Franklin Tee Turner Pre-Miracles: Emerson "Sonny" Rogers James Grice Clarence Dawson

Production	Berry Gordy Smokey Robinson Pete Moore

Studio albums	Hi... We're The Miracles (1961) Cookin' with The Miracles (1961) I'll Try Something New (1962) The Fabulous Miracles (1963) The Miracles Doin' Mickey's Monkey (1963) I Like It Like That (1964) Going to a Go-Go (1965) Away We a Go-Go (1966) Make It Happen (The Tears of a Clown) (1967) Special Occasion (1968) Time Out For Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (1969) Four in Blue (1969) What Love Has Joined Together (1970) A Pocket Full Of Miracles (1970) One Dozen Roses (1971) Flying High Together (1972) Renaissance (1973) Do It Baby (1974) City of Angels (1975)

Live albums	The Miracles Recorded Live on Stage (1963) Smokey Robinson & The Miracles LIVE! (1969) Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: 1957-1972 (1972)

Other albums	Christmas with The Miracles (1963)

Compilations	Greatest Hits: From the Beginning (1965) Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (1968) Anthology (1974) Anthology '86 (1986) Anthology: The Best of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (1995) The Ultimate Collection (1998) Ooo Baby Baby: The Anthology (2002) Depend On Me: The Early Albums (2009)

Singles (US/UK Top Twenty singles)	"Shop Around" "You've Really Got a Hold on Me"/"Happy Landing" "Mickey's Monkey" "Ooo Baby Baby" "The Tracks of My Tears" "My Girl Has Gone" "Going to a Go-Go" "(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need" "The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage" "I Second That Emotion" "If You Can Want" "Baby, Baby Don't Cry" "The Tears of a Clown" "I Don't Blame You At All" "Do It Baby" "Love Machine"

Videography	The Definitive Performances (1963–1987) (2006)

Discography	Albums Songs

Related articles	Motown Records List of cover versions of The Miracles songs

Book:The Miracles

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