The most dissed Miracles track and their best - A Miracles rant!
Dear SD friends:
Granted I came along later - - my love of Motown came from Oldies stations in New Jersey/Philly/New York/Pittsburgh and South Florida.
For oldies stations airplay and specialty shows in these markets - outside of "Tears Of A Clown," "OOO Baby Baby," "You've Really Got A Hold Me" and "I Second That Emotion" - the number one song for oldies stations airplay in these markets - the "go to" Miracles record was always "Would I Love You", and still is to this day [[on oldies specialty shows in these markets).
Back when I first consulted on a Motown project [[Hittsville USA where I'm credited for Box 2 and The 35th Anniversary Collection) I helped with A/B comparisons for the proper single versions of various Miracles songs. When I asked how this track was left, I was told by then Motown friends - the track list for the disc was already too long, something had to go [[for the 35th).
Later I worked with Tom Moulton and we did the Stereo Motown Box [[both versions) and my own licensed collections like Motown" Big Hits and More - 6 cd set" for various tie-ins to my PBS tv specials - the number one Miracles song of all the dj's we surveyed [[Cousin Brucie, Jerry Blavat, Harvey Holiday, Art LaBoe, RD Summers, Porky Chedwick and Ken Held was "Would I Love You" - the stereo version. Though I've always been partial to the single [[for the yea yea yea missing in the stereo version). I've been doing radio request shows for over 20 years years and many local and national tv shows - the song everyone always asks me for is "Would I Love You" - especially the Philly/Jersey crowd where it was in regular rotation 2 or 3 times a day on WOGL 98.1. Every legendary jock from Jocko to Blavat to Harvey Holiday to Bob Pantano always played "Would I Love You" on their radio shows, specialty shows, and at their live club gigs.
...and yet.....it always seems to have been left off or forgotten on so many cd sets and lp reissues - off everything but "From the Beginning"which to my knwledge never made it to CD in the U.S legitimately......As I always say thank God for Harry and Andy who did a masterful job of giving it it's full love and respect on the "OOO Baby Baby collection" and the Lost and Found sets - - but prior to this the song seemed truly lost on CD. Even on the "Best Of The Rest" Rhino CD - which was all he had for a long time, no one thought to include this track - - and yet it remained so popular in airplay and in clubs in these regions. Maybe it's a Jersey/Pennsylvania thing?
Anyone who sees my tv presentations know I'm biased for anything and all things Miracles, and in full disclosure it is the song I married my bride to - - but it's only because it was so exposed in all the radio/oldies markets we grew up in to hear it in the first place - it was as commonly played in Jersey & Philly as the Tops, "I Can't Help Myself" and/or The Isleys, "This Old Heart Of Mine"...in clubs at the Jersey shore and in Philly, outside of "Mickey's Monkey" and "Going To A Go-Go" - this is the song we all danced too - every bit as big as doo wop ballads like "You Belong To Me" or "Since I Don't Have You" or "In The Still Of The Night"....
I've talked to Smokey and Bobby and Pete and Claudette many times about the track - they all seemed to have really liked it too - - but somehow, it truly seems lost to time on older and early cd reissues [[other than the ones we license and release through our magnificent friends at UME).
So - - to all my friends here, why was "Would I Love You" - adored in several big markets oldies radio airplay/clubs forgotten?
The consultant in Texas didn't test it? It didn't make any early cd compilations for music directors and program directors to hear? People from Jersey are just oddly nuts for this track?
Honestly, I never once heard its flip on the radio - but did I just happen to land in markets that felt the same passion for this tune as I did- - or maybe I helped sell the passion for this tune [[along with the great boss jocks before me and my time who set the foundations for all oldies) "sold it" to listeners and viewers on-air. There's no footage of the group performing it on tv - like Bad Girl, it seems lost to time for any hopes of seeing the group perform it in 1964. [[Though "That's What Love Is Made Of" made it to T.A.M.I.)
Just a fun little question I'm well - a little passionate about. What's your opinion, I'd really like to know!
"just like a flower loves the rain, I'd never cause you Pain" - The Mighty Mighty Miracles!
your friend - tj
