The heyday of at Motown produced any number of creative triumphs and commercial achievements. But there was one feat that they only managed twice during their time together, and that was to top the R&B album chart.

Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for Time Out for Smokey Robinson & the Miracles/Special Occasion - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles on. Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for Make It Happen/Special Occasion - Smokey Robinson & the Miracles on AllMusic - 2001 - Two splendid.

It happened in January 1966 with the Going To A Go-Go set, then there was a wait of nearly three years for a repeat. That sweet moment matched the title of the album,. Backpropagation Programme. The Miracles had three consecutive top three albums in the meantime, with Away We A Go-Go, Make It Happen and a Greatest Hits, Vol. 1968 had brought the group three more top ten R&B hits, 'If You Can Want,' 'Yester Love' and 'Special Occasion,' to bring their total to an awesome 16 in some eight years. So the new album was widely anticipated, especially as it included all three of those hit singles. It also contained their version of 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine,' which had been a pop and R&B smash a year earlier for Gladys Knight & the Pips (and was now doing the same for ) but had been first recorded by the Miracles. Amid a selection of other Smokey Robinson originals and co-writes, and Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong's 'Everybody Needs Love,' there was also an interpretation of & 'Yesterday.'

Special Occasion did indeed provide a great finish to the year, debuting on the R&B chart at the end of September and completing its climb to No. 1 on the chart of 7 December 1968, where it stayed for two weeks. The Billboard review that ran on the album's release was spot on when it said 'both the pop and R&B markets will make room for Smokey.' Two of the best-loved Christmas albums in Motown history are issued on vinyl by USM on 15 December.

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• • • • Past members Clarence Dawson James Grice Emerson 'Sonny' Rogers Donald 'Don' Griffin Carl Cotton David 'Dave' Finley Sydney Justin Tee Turner The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for 's, and one of the most important and influential groups in pop,, and music history. Formed in 1955 by,, and, the group started off as the Five Chimes, changing their name to the Matadors two years later.