SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES VINTAGE TV & LIVE PERFORMANCES
NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME ON DVD
ORIGINAL MEMBERS REUNITE FOR BONUS IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW!To celebrate Smokey Robinson’s 50th anniversary as a recording artist, Reelin’ In The Years Productions and Universal Music Enterprises are proud to announce the November 21, 2006 release of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – Definitive Performances 1963 - 1987on DVD. Featured for the first time on DVD are 14 classic full-length performances from Motown’s pioneering vocal group taken from television appearances spanning their entire career. Also included are three performances of top-ten hits from Smokey Robinson’s solo years.
Issued with the full cooperation of the Miracles and their estates, this is the first official DVD anthology of classic archival television performances by the group. Continuing in the tradition of Marvin Gaye – The Real Thing In Performance 1964 – 1981 and The Temptations – Get Ready! The Definitive Performances 1965 – 1972, released earlier this year, the Smokey Robinson & The Miracles DVD includes a wealth of classic performances with re-mastered sound and video plus as an extra-special bonus, Smokey Robinson and original Miracles Pete Moore and Bobby Rogers reunite to give their first-ever in-depth interview about the history of the group – more than 70 minutes of stories about the Miracles, Motown, and their incredible songs!
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – Definitive Performances 1963 – 1987begins with a staggering performance of their 1962-63 hit, “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me” filmed at the Apollo Theatre during the famous 1963 Motortown Review. The DVD then progresses through the group’s entire career with Smokey leading the Miracles through classic performances of “Shop Around,” “Mickey’s Monkey,” “Ooo Baby Baby,” “The Tracks Of My Tears” and “Going To A Go-Go.” Also featured is a performance of “I Second That Emotion” from The Mike Douglas Show in 1968 and the #1, million-selling hit “The Tears Of A Clown” filmed in 1970 when the song was just beginning its climb up the charts.
Also featured on the DVD are performances by the Miracles after Smokey left the group and featuring Billy Griffin on lead vocals. Included from the Griffin-era Miracles are performances of “Do It Baby” and their #1 hit, the multi-million-seller “Love Machine”, both from 1976. Rounding out the DVD are three classics performances from Smokey’s solo years: “Cruisin’,” “Being With You” and the Grammy® award winning “Just To See Her”.
Interspersed between the performances are segments from the historic Smokey Robinson & The Miracles reunion interview, conducted exclusively for this DVD. Featured for the first time anywhere are over 70 minutes of interviews where Smokey and original Miracles Pete Moore and Bobby Rogers recount the history of the group from their early childhood days as friends through the early years of the Miracles and the formation of Motown, all the way up to the present. Also included are the stories behind each song on the DVD as well as other amazing reminiscences including stories about their first performance at the Apollo Theatre and Motown’s legendary studio band “The Funk Brothers.”
In addition to the television performances, the bonus section of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – Definitive Performances 1963 – 1987DVD includes a host of unique bonus content including an audio only feature of eight original a cappella (lead and background vocals only) performances of The Miracles’ classic hits discovered in the Motown vaults, and now available on this DVD for the first time anywhere. Fans will feel as if they’re in the original Motown recording booth with the group when they hear the Miracles’ original vocal masters for “Ooo Baby Baby,” “My Girl Has Gone,” “The Tears Of A Clown” and five more.
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – Definitive Performances 1963 – 1987also features
a 24-page booklet with an extensive essay by GRAMMY®-award winning writer, Rob Bowman, including rare photographs and memorabilia. Also part of the bonus features section are additional interview segments from the historic Smokey Robinson & The Miracles reunion interview as well as a picture-in-picture section where the viewer can experience the reunited Miracles watching the 1963 performance of “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me” for the first time in over 40 years.
For Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – Definitive Performances 1963 – 1987every effort has been made to locate the best possible sound and video; each of the performances, has been re-transferred and re-mastered from the best-quality, original masters (some resting in the television vaults for over 40 years). In the case of lip-sync performances, the original Motown stereo master recordings have been used, replacing the original mono broadcast sound and making for a much more enjoyable viewing and listening experience.
Reelin’ In The Years Productions LLC is the largest music footage library in the world, housing over 10,000 hours of performances from all genres of music covering the last 50 years. Most of the footage in their library has never been seen or heard by the world at large. Reelin’ In The Years Productions’ The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1969 three volume DVD serieshas received critical acclaim, commercial success and numerous industry awards. Volume One was nominated for a GRAMMY award in the category of "Best Long Form Music Video," and Volume One and Two received The Blues Foundation's prestigious 2004 Keeping The Blues Alive (KBA) Award as well as Honorable Mention in Mojo Magazine's Honors List for best DVD of 2003. Other DVD releases include Marvin Gaye – The Real Thing In Performance 1962 – 1981, The Temptations – Get Ready! The Definitive Performances 1965 – 1972, Marvin Gaye – Live In Belgium 1981, and Muddy Waters Classic Concerts (all released with Universal International). September, 2006 saw the release of the first nine DVDs in the Jazz Icons series featuring full length concerts and in-studio performances by the greatest legends of jazz, filmed all over the world from the 1950s through the 1970s. Artists selected for the first nine releases include Quincy Jones (live in ’60), Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers (live in ’58), Thelonious Monk (live in ’66), Dizzy Gillespie (live in ’58 & ’70), Buddy Rich (live in ’78), Chet Baker (live in ’64 & ’79), Ella Fitzgerald (live in ’57 & ’63), Louis Armstrong (live in ’59) and Count Basie (live in ’62). For further information please visit
www.reelinintheyears.com and
www.jazzicons.com.
Music Footage Press Room________________________________________________________________________
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Definitive Performances 1963-1987
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles-Definitive Performances 1963-1987 features for the first time on DVD, 14 full-length performances from classic archival television appearances spanning three decades. This 2 1/2 hour DVD is the first official video anthology by one of the most successful singing groups of all-time. Highlights include a powerful performance of “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me” filmed at the famed Apollo Theatre in 1963, a moving performance of “Ooo Baby Baby” filmed in concert in 1965 and a 1976 performance of the Miracles’ “Love Machine” featuring lead singer Billy Griffin. The disc concludes with three solo performances by Smokey Robinson including his Grammy-winning hit, “Just To See Her” filmed in 1987. Interspersed between the performances and filmed exclusively for this DVD, is the first ever in-depth interview with Smokey and original Miracles Pete Moore and Bobby Rogers. Throughout the insightful 75-minute interview, the three Miracles reminisce about the history of the group, Motown, the Apollo and the inspiration behind many of their classic hits.
Released: Nov 21 2006
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