Greatest Hits, Vol. 2

AMG Review of Greatest Hits, Vol. 2

Andrew Hamilton
All Music Guide

Scrumptious! All hits, except for two excellent B-sides: the exquisite "Choosey Beggar," a marvelous ballad with an Asiatic feel, and the poignant "Save Me," which rode shotgun on "(Come Round Here) I'm the One You Need," a Holland-Dozier-Holland production that wasn't quite right for the Miracles. "My Girl Has Gone" was the follow-up to "Tracks of My Tears" and consequently never got the props it should have; it's an exquisite, midtempo confession that benefits from Smokey Robinson's unique phrasing; it's a difficult song for some to sing, ask Bobby Taylor, he did a nondescript version on his Taylor Made Soul album. The rhythm driven "Come on Do the Jerk" is one of the Miracles' great minor hits, but failed to generate the attention of "Cool Jerk" by the Capitols, or "The Jerk" by the Larks; the explosive dancer has a rapid hand jive beat and some snappy vocals from the Miracles. "Whole Lot of Shakin' in My Heart" has Smokey doing an intense vocal to a runaway track. The big hits are known to all, "Ooh Baby, Baby," "Going to a Go-Go," "I Second That Emotion," with its hesitating beat, "More Love," and more.