The Miracles-Four Classic Albums on 2CDs [4/19/2024-Cherry Red UK]

[Motown Eddie]

That's weird, as I pre-ordered my copy way back when the option to pre-order became available. How could they have since sold out before delivering my pre-ordered copy? [[And same with your pre-ordered copy, Eddie.)

I think it means that Amazon didn't have that many copies of the set in stock thinking that it wouldn't sell that well. Anyway, I got an e-mail from them saying that my copy has shipped [and should be here by the 26th]. Hope they come through with your copy before the end of the month.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I think it means that Amazon didn't have that many copies of the set in stock thinking that it wouldn't sell that well. Anyway, I got an e-mail from them saying that my copy has shipped [and should be here by the 26th]. Hope they come through with your copy before the end of the month.

Thanks, Eddie. I just got a message from. Amazon. My copy has shipped and will arrive Monday via Amazon delivery. Here's hoping your copy will arrive soon as well.

[BritishTony]

Mine arrived last week. Inevitably out of 43 tracks some, particularly non-Motown covers, are not to my taste but on the whole I’m delighted. Some very creative reinventions such as Hunter & Livin’ Till You’re Lovin’ + reminders of shimmering half-forgotten gems eg Who’s Gonna Take The Blame, Don’t Blame You At All. All without vinyl crackle & hiss, Smokey soars over his group’s flawless harmonies on crystal clear CD. Eternal thanks to SoulMusic + Second Disc. Keep ‘em comings guys – we’ll keep buying.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Currently listening to my new CD copy of SoulMusic Records' presentation of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles' new 4-fer, 2-CD set of "What Love Has Joined Together", "A Pocketful Of Miracles", "One Dozen Roses", and "Flying High Together". I've gotta say, SoulMusic Records did an impressive job, as always. I'm listening through headphones, and the sound quality is outstanding. I take back my previous gripe that I had already invested money on the download versions of these albums which I then burned to CD, and would now have to reinvest in the CD version. One listen to the new SoulMusic CD reissue more than makes up for any duplication. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles final 4 Motown albums have never sounded so good! Now I'm wondering what SoulMusic's next Motown surprise CD will be. With any luck, the 4 remaining Motown albums by The Originals? Got my fingers crossed tight!

[Starguard4]

Soulmusic.com seriously need to get some of their CDs back into stock, particularly on Willie Hutch, Dynamic Superiors, Syreeta, G.C. Cameron and I'm sure others as well. Got my fingers crossed for this, before any new releases.

[Motown Eddie]

Thanks, Eddie. I just got a message from. Amazon. My copy has shipped and will arrive Monday via Amazon delivery. Here's hoping your copy will arrive soon as well.

I got lucky; my copy arrived yesterday. Haven't played it yet but the overall package is Great.

[snakepit]

Originals for me..please

[mysterysinger]

Originals for me..please

Must be next.

[kenneth]

As usual, Amazon doesn't seem to have the stock from its pre-orders. I ordered mine a couple months ago and they tell me I won't have it till at least May 9. You'd think a company with Amazon's clout would be able to at least fill all its pre-orders on the release date. I suppose I'll save some money as the preorder price was $21 which I think was lower than other outlets, but it's frustrating to have to wait more than 2 weeks after the release date for Amazon to fill a pre-order.

[mysterysinger]

In order to get free delivery from Amazon UK I had to order something else as well to make up a minimum order cost. As it turns out, I had to cancel the other item and naturally they then added postage to the cost of the CD set. Not only that they'd upped the price of it had I wanted to re-order. So I cancelled Amazon and ordered direct from Cherry Red - even with postage it turned out cheaper than the original Amazon CD only price - and arrived on the day of issue. Valuable lesson there for me. Amazon are a waste of time these days.

[carlo]

As usual, Amazon doesn't seem to have the stock from its pre-orders. I ordered mine a couple months ago and they tell me I won't have it till at least May 9. You'd think a company with Amazon's clout would be able to at least fill all its pre-orders on the release date. I suppose I'll save some money as the preorder price was $21 which I think was lower than other outlets, but it's frustrating to have to wait more than 2 weeks after the release date for Amazon to fill a pre-order.

It's usually not Amazon but rather the label's distributor who encounters delays with distributing the release to retailers. This seems to happen a lot these days, especially with import releases that come from overseas.

Furthermore, I've seen this even more so with Cherry Red's releases. They will usually sell-out an initial batch/run and then more copies will pop-up after a few weeks. I noticed they're currently sold out of this set on their website, so I wouldn't be surprised if they secure more stock in the coming weeks. A bunch of other UK retailers seem to have stock, so I'm sure the US and other territories will follow suit.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

In order to get free delivery from Amazon UK I had to order something else as well to make up a minimum order cost. As it turns out, I had to cancel the other item and naturally they then added postage to the cost of the CD set. Not only that they'd upped the price of it had I wanted to re-order. So I cancelled Amazon and ordered direct from Cherry Red - even with postage it turned out cheaper than the original Amazon CD only price - and arrived on the day of issue. Valuable lesson there for me. Amazon are a waste of time these days.

I understand your frustration, mystery, although I'm glad that, as an Amazon Prime member, I don't have to worry about minimum purchase orders nor anything else. My only beef regarding Amazon is that my annual Prime Membership fee just increased to $150.00. What an unexpected shock!

[kenneth]

It's usually not Amazon but rather the label's distributor who encounters delays with distributing the release to retailers. This seems to happen a lot these days, especially with import releases that come from overseas.

Furthermore, I've seen this even more so with Cherry Red's releases. They will usually sell-out an initial batch/run and then more copies will pop-up after a few weeks. I noticed they're currently sold out of this set on their website, so I wouldn't be surprised if they secure more stock in the coming weeks. A bunch of other UK retailers seem to have stock, so I'm sure the US and other territories will follow suit.

I’m trying to be patient, Carlo, but you know how it is!

[carlo]

I’m trying to be patient, Carlo, but you know how it is!

Oh yes! I definitely feel your pain, Kenneth. Being a Canadian Motown fan has not been easy in that sense, since I've almost always had to wait for both UK and US releases, well past their release dates. I've gotten used to it, including seeing other fans inevitably share spoilers on social media [ie. Pictures from booklets]. For me, it is what it is. Lol.

Kenneth, I noticed that a UK merchant that I've used in the past called Rarewaves has this set in stock for a good price. In case you're interested, here is the link...

https://www.rarewaves.com/products/5...ng-high-togeth

[kenneth]

Oh yes! I definitely feel your pain, Kenneth. Being a Canadian Motown fan has not been easy in that sense, since I've almost always had to wait for both UK and US releases, well past their release dates. I've gotten used to it, including seeing other fans inevitably share spoilers on social media [ie. Pictures from booklets]. For me, it is what it is. Lol.

Kenneth, I noticed that a UK merchant that I've used in the past called Rarewaves has this set in stock for a good price. In case you're interested, here is the link...

https://www.rarewaves.com/products/5...ng-high-togeth

Thanks Carlo. I don't buy from Rarewaves. The only overseas retailer I will generally buy from in the UK is Zoverstocks. They replace lost or missing packages promptly with hardly any questions asked. My experience with Rarewaves has not been good. I bought a Stephen King Soundtrack collection from them for [[I think it was) $60, it was 4 CDs I think. Right after I bought it they dropped the price to only $20. I'd bought so much from them in the past I tried hard to get a partial refund. They said I would have to return the set to get credit for it, then buy it again. Of course with return postage that would hardly be worth it. I felt they were being exacting as far as the process when they could have simply given me a partial refund, even if they didn't have to, for the sake of keeping a customer happy.

Thanks though for the suggestion. I'll wait [[albeit not patiently) for my copy from Amazon.

[mysterysinger]

I understand your frustration, mystery, although I'm glad that, as an Amazon Prime member, I don't have to worry about minimum purchase orders nor anything else. My only beef regarding Amazon is that my annual Prime Membership fee just increased to $150.00. What an unexpected shock!

That's a hefty fee. I'm sick of Amazon pushing Prime in your face every item you want to buy anything - which is less and less these days. Certainly wouldn't be worth my while paying that kind of money.

[carlo]

Thanks Carlo. I don't buy from Rarewaves. The only overseas retailer I will generally buy from in the UK is Zoverstocks. They replace lost or missing packages promptly with hardly any questions asked. My experience with Rarewaves has not been good. I bought a Stephen King Soundtrack collection from them for [[I think it was) $60, it was 4 CDs I think. Right after I bought it they dropped the price to only $20. I'd bought so much from them in the past I tried hard to get a partial refund. They said I would have to return the set to get credit for it, then buy it again. Of course with return postage that would hardly be worth it. I felt they were being exacting as far as the process when they could have simply given me a partial refund, even if they didn't have to, for the sake of keeping a customer happy.

Thanks though for the suggestion. I'll wait [[albeit not patiently) for my copy from Amazon.

No problem, Ken. Sorry to hear. I don't think many retailers will offer partial refunds on price reductions these days. I definitely understand your frustration though, as I've been through the same situation countless times. Amazon Canada used to be good with giving refunds on price decreases that occur within 30 days after the shipping date [ie. within the return window], but they have also stopped doing this. I usually have to re-order the item and then return the re-ordered item under the first order that has the higher price, to get the refund on the difference created by the price drop. At least with Amazon, the shipping is free, but it does put me in a tough spot, since I like to regularly support traditional independent stores as well, but their more restrictive return policies can make that difficult.

On a more related note, it seems that this Smokey & the Miracles set is back in stock on Cherry Red's website. Not sure what was going on, as the CD was showing as out of stock a minute ago, and now it is showing as in stock, after having refreshed the page.

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/smokey-r...h-together-2cd

[Philles/Motown Gary]

That's a hefty fee. I'm sick of Amazon pushing Prime in your face every item you want to buy anything - which is less and less these days. Certainly wouldn't be worth my while paying that kind of money.

Well, that's the thing, Mystery. If you order CDs and other items regularly, the $150 Prime Membership renewal will pay for itself in practically no time at all. But if you don't order often, the $150 fee would be a redundant and unnecessary waste. Even for someone who does order often, however, Amazon's mountainous increase, along with everything else that's priced sky-high these days, hurts and is financially suffocating.

[carlo]

Sharon Davis wrote a nice piece on this release...

https://soulmusic.com/motown-spotlig...Xq7GZ8TLcsvKqa

[danman869]

Disappointed that I pre-ordered my copy from Amazon [[Prime) a month ago and the release date [[via Amazon) has come and gone and there's been NO update on when it will be available and ship. I'd be three shades of purple by now if this were a Supremes Expanded Edition release I was waiting on! EEEEESH! Hopefully Amazon gets stock in soon--especially reading all the good feedback about this release.

[DWSheffer]

I ended up cancelling my Amazon order this evening and ordering one off Ebay. Seller has good feedback and appears the CD's are in stock and ready to ship.
Darin

Smokey Robinson & th - A Pocket Full Of Miracles / One Dozen Roses / Flying High | eBay

[danman869]

Disappointed that I pre-ordered my copy from Amazon [[Prime) a month ago and the release date [[via Amazon) has come and gone and there's been NO update on when it will be available and ship. I'd be three shades of purple by now if this were a Supremes Expanded Edition release I was waiting on! EEEEESH! Hopefully Amazon gets stock in soon--especially reading all the good feedback about this release.

Have to laugh because I posted this and about an hour later I got an email from Amazon telling me that my CD will come between May 13th and May 22nd. I guess I can wait. Fascinating that the CD is available from many sources around the world, but Amazon [the largest retailer in the world?] can’t get stock?! LOL

[carlo]

Hey Dan,

If you're willing to cancel your order with Amazon, I'd recommend re-ordering it from ImportCDs.com. Their product warehouse is based in the US and it looks like you'd probably have the CD delivered sometime within this coming week, or early next week at the latest.

https://www.importcds.com/a-pocket-f.../5013929091931

[kenneth]

I ended up cancelling my Amazon order this evening and ordering one off Ebay. Seller has good feedback and appears the CD's are in stock and ready to ship.
Darin

Smokey Robinson & th - A Pocket Full Of Miracles / One Dozen Roses / Flying High | eBay

Thanks for the info. I did the same. ImportCDs is a great seller. I should’ve ordered from them in the first place. If Amazon can’t fill its pre-orders, then they should expect this. Amazon wouldn’t let me cancel it online because it was part of a larger order which gave me free shipping, as I am not an Amazon prime member, but when I finally figured out how to reach them by phone they canceled it right away.

Thanks again for letting me know that it was available elsewhere for the same price.

[danman869]

Hey Dan,

If you're willing to cancel your order with Amazon, I'd recommend re-ordering it from ImportCDs.com. Their product warehouse is based in the US and it looks like you'd probably have the CD delivered sometime within this coming week, or early next week at the latest.

https://www.importcds.com/a-pocket-f.../5013929091931

Hey Carlo! Thanks for the tip! Even with having to pay for shipping through ImportCDs, it was still nearly US$2.00 cheaper. Plus, they are saying it will be here May 6-8.

I've ordered from ImportCDs several times over the years, but haven't always experienced any great savings over Amazon because of having to pay for shipping. Still, this is one of those times where I'm saving money AND getting the CD sooner. Win-win! Thanks!

[carlo]

No problem, Dan.

I didn't notice that Darin had also posted a link above to ImportCDs' eBay store in an earlier post [although it seems to be cheaper to order it via their webstore that I've linked to]. Either way, we got y'all covered.

[luckyluckyme]

My copy arrived in today's mail. I had pre-ordered it from Collector's Choice Music because they offered a 15% off coupon code and have recently instituted free shipping.
However, I have 2 questions:
When I placed cd 1 in the computer, my track-list for 'A Pocketful of Miracles reads 'Flower Child' instead of 'Flower Girl' for track 9. Do other copies list it that way.
But even worse, when I get to Track 19, it stops partway and an error message appears. It won't go any further. Has anyone else encountered this?
It looks like this copy will be returned for an exchange. I hope the next one is a good one.

[kenneth]

No problem, Dan.

I didn't notice that Darin had also posted a link above to ImportCDs' eBay store in an earlier post [although it seems to be cheaper to order it via their webstore that I've linked to]. Either way, we got y'all covered.

We’re counting on that!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Kenny, did you ever get your copy of Smokey & The Miracles CD set?

[DWSheffer]

Kenneth, mine arrived today so I bet yours will soon. Can't wait to give it a listen as soon as I can!
Darin

[kenneth]

Kenny, did you ever get your copy of Smokey & The Miracles CD set?

Gar,

Yes, my copy arrived today from ImportCDs and I’m playing it right now. It’s still more than a week from the date Amazon said it’d be available! It’s a fabulous set. I’m loving it!

I always thought “Who’s Gonna Take the Blame” one of Smokey’s most heartbreaking songs. I also love the way they superimposed Claudette’s picture over the group photo on the cover. That was a nice touch. After all, like Mary Wilson for the Supremes, Claudette has largely carried forth the legacy of the Miracles.

Thanks Darin and Carlo and all you guys who reminded me we’re not stuck always buying from the Amazon juggernaut! They make it so easy that they trap you into thinking you don’t get anything by shopping around. Not so in this case.

K