"Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (Come 'Round Here) I'm The One You Need" Mono/Stereo/Italian
"Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (Come 'Round Here) I'm The One You Need" Mono/Stereo/Italian
"Why this one doesn't get the accolades and attention the Four Tops' "Reach Out" receives has always bothered me. From day one of my Motown Journey as a kid, I've read tons of raves, appreciation and in-depth analysis of the woodwinds-centric arrangement of "Reach Out" and every last write-up of this Holland-Dozier-Holland masterpiece is well deserved. So when I first heard The Miracles' "(Come 'Round Here) I'm The One You Need," I was hit with the fact that I had NEVER heard of or read anything about this one. I knew just about all the other Miracles hits, but for some reason, this one has escaped the notice of music journalists.
I was in junior high school when I first got the "Away We A Go Go" LP and heard this. That intro, that intro... In our school, sometimes you'd hear our school's band practicing in the gym and you'd hear all these flutes and oboes and all the other woodwind instruments and hearing "I'm The One You Need" for the first time, I was immediately struck with the image of our school's band all sitting in the gym and playing this. That intro is glorious and atmospheric and beautiful; and it practically transported me away to a completely grown-up world of fine, classical music. What really made the bigger impression on me was how well HDH meshed this highbrow type of music with a stomping, raging Motown Sound Beat. And it worked amazingly well. Still, this seems to be a forgotten wonder among Holland-Dozier-Holland classics.
Presented here is the song in its mono/45/radio mix and the stereo LP mix. Also thrown in is the song the group recorded in Italian. Interestingly, you hear two different vocals for the mono and stereo mixes. I had only heard the stereo version for about 10 years before I got the mono 45 in one of those old mail-in record auctions! In a rare instance, instead of my ears being used to the stereo mix vocal, I immediately latched onto the mono mix vocal. Smokey's vocals for the stereo version are just a bit OTT and melodramatic for my ears, but the mono version features a vocal that strips away the dramatics and hysterics and just goes a more direct, maybe even "tougher" route. But, listen to both and chose your favorite!
(Come 'Round Here) I'm The One You Need (Brian Holland-Lamont Dozier-Edward Holland Jr) published Jobete 15-Sep-66
alt title: You Don't Need My Love
The Miracles; recorded Hitsville, completed 29-Sep-66 ; produced by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier ; [v2, 45 version]
19-Oct-66; 45 (M): Tamla T 54140 A
The Miracles; recorded Hitsville, completed 29-Sep-66 ; produced by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier ; [v2, LP version]
Dec-66; LP (S): Tamla S271 Away We A Go-Go
The Miracles; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 15-Dec-66 ; produced by Peter Ricci ; [v2, Italian lyrics, text Paolo Dossena, title "Non Sono Quello Che Tu Vuoi"]
03-Apr-67; 45 (M): Tamla Motown TM8008 A [Italy]
1998; CD (M): Motown 530 954 2 Nero Italiano [Italy]
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