City of Angels (album)
Encyclopedia
City of Angels is an album by the Motown soul group The Miracles
, released on Motown Records' Tamla label in September 1975. The group's fourth album recorded after replacing lead singer Smokey Robinson
with Billy Griffin
in 1972, City of Angels is a concept album
, depicting of a man from "Anytown, U.S.A." who follows his estranged girlfriend Charlotte to Los Angeles
, where she has gone in hopes of becoming a star. All of the tracks on the album were written by Billy Griffin and Miracles bass singer Pete Moore
. Freddie Perren
and Moore served as the album's producers.
The album's first single, "Love Machine
", peaked at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100
on March 6, 1976, and was a multi-million-selling Platinum single,http://www.gbelv.com/pete_moore_awards.html becoming the most successful single of The Miracles' career. Its success conicided with the rise of the disco
craze of the late 1970s. Another song on City of Angels, "Ain't Nobody Straight in L.A.", caused controversy due to addressing the subject of homosexuality
: "Ain't nobody straight in L.A./It seems that everybody there is gay
"
City of Angels reached 33 on the Billboard 200
albums chart in the United States, and peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Black Albums chart. The Miracles' City Of Angels was also a Platinum album with over 1 million records sold.
The song "Overture" from that album, co-written by Moore and Billy Griffin, was used as the official theme on Radio Monte Carlo in France from 1978 to 1979.
While never available on CD in the U.S.its original form,(until recently), the "City of Angels" album is available in its entirety on the Motown import release, "The Miracles - The Essential Collection".
In 2010, Motown finally released the Miracles' Platinum-selling City Of Angels album on CD in the U.S. for the first time-on Hip-O Select's "Motown Select" website . with the extended 12 inch version of "Love Machine" as a bonus track. along with a never-before released new essay by writer David Nathan and commentary by Miracles Pete Moore and Billy Griffin, the album's composers on the making of the now-classic album.
and Warren Moore
.
Personnel The Miracles
The Miracles
The Miracles are an American rhythm and blues group from Detroit, Michigan, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy's Motown Record Corporation . Their single "Shop Around" was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature...
, released on Motown Records' Tamla label in September 1975. The group's fourth album recorded after replacing lead singer Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
with Billy Griffin
Billy Griffin
Billy Griffin is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for replacing Smokey Robinson as lead singer of The Miracles in 1972.-Biography:...
in 1972, City of Angels is a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
, depicting of a man from "Anytown, U.S.A." who follows his estranged girlfriend Charlotte to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where she has gone in hopes of becoming a star. All of the tracks on the album were written by Billy Griffin and Miracles bass singer Pete Moore
Pete Moore
Pete Moore is an African American soul singer, record producer, and songwriter, notable as the bass singer for Motown group The Miracles from 1955 onwards, and is one of the group's original members...
. Freddie Perren
Freddie Perren
Frederick "Freddie" Perren was an American songwriter, record producer, arranger, and orchestra conductor best known for as a co-songwriter and co-producer of such mega-hits as "Boogie Fever" by the Sylvers, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, and "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Peaches &...
and Moore served as the album's producers.
The album's first single, "Love Machine
Love Machine (The Miracles song)
"Love Machine" is a 1976 number-one single recorded by Motown group The Miracles, taken from their album City of Angels. This single was one of two Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits recorded by The Miracles with Billy Griffin as lead vocalist; the other is 1973's "Do It Baby". Griffin had replaced...
", peaked at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
on March 6, 1976, and was a multi-million-selling Platinum single,http://www.gbelv.com/pete_moore_awards.html becoming the most successful single of The Miracles' career. Its success conicided with the rise of the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
craze of the late 1970s. Another song on City of Angels, "Ain't Nobody Straight in L.A.", caused controversy due to addressing the subject of homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
: "Ain't nobody straight in L.A./It seems that everybody there is gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
"
Life Imitates Art
Interestingly, although this album's cover depicted The Miracles'"star" on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, the group didn't, at the time, have such a star back in 1976. However, life eventually did imitate art, as The Miracles were so honored with just such a star in Hollywood on March 20, 2009.City of Angels reached 33 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums chart in the United States, and peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Black Albums chart. The Miracles' City Of Angels was also a Platinum album with over 1 million records sold.
The song "Overture" from that album, co-written by Moore and Billy Griffin, was used as the official theme on Radio Monte Carlo in France from 1978 to 1979.
While never available on CD in the U.S.its original form,(until recently), the "City of Angels" album is available in its entirety on the Motown import release, "The Miracles - The Essential Collection".
In 2010, Motown finally released the Miracles' Platinum-selling City Of Angels album on CD in the U.S. for the first time-on Hip-O Select's "Motown Select" website . with the extended 12 inch version of "Love Machine" as a bonus track. along with a never-before released new essay by writer David Nathan and commentary by Miracles Pete Moore and Billy Griffin, the album's composers on the making of the now-classic album.
Track listing
All songs written by William GriffinBilly Griffin
Billy Griffin is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for replacing Smokey Robinson as lead singer of The Miracles in 1972.-Biography:...
and Warren Moore
Pete Moore
Pete Moore is an African American soul singer, record producer, and songwriter, notable as the bass singer for Motown group The Miracles from 1955 onwards, and is one of the group's original members...
.
- "Overture" - 3:10
- "City Of Angels" - 4:50
- "Free Press" - 3:15
- "Ain't Nobody Straight In L.A." - 3:48
- "Night Life" - 4:27
- "Love MachineLove Machine (The Miracles song)"Love Machine" is a 1976 number-one single recorded by Motown group The Miracles, taken from their album City of Angels. This single was one of two Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits recorded by The Miracles with Billy Griffin as lead vocalist; the other is 1973's "Do It Baby". Griffin had replaced...
" - 6:52 - "My Name is Michael" - 3:00
- "Poor Charlotte" - 6:05
- "Waldo Roderick DeHammersmith" - 3:06
- "Smog" - 5:16
Personnel The MiraclesThe MiraclesThe Miracles are an American rhythm and blues group from Detroit, Michigan, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy's Motown Record Corporation . Their single "Shop Around" was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature...
- Billy GriffinBilly GriffinBilly Griffin is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for replacing Smokey Robinson as lead singer of The Miracles in 1972.-Biography:...
- Lead Vocals, Guitar, Co-Composer - Bobby RogersBobby RogersBobby Rogers is an American soul singer and songwriter, notable as a member of Motown Records' first signed act and first million selling group The Miracles from 1956 to present. He is also the grandfather of R&B singer Brandi Williams from R&B girl group Blaque-Life:Rogers is the son of the late...
- Backing Vocals - Pete MoorePete MoorePete Moore is an African American soul singer, record producer, and songwriter, notable as the bass singer for Motown group The Miracles from 1955 onwards, and is one of the group's original members...
-Backing Vocals, Producer, Co-Composer - Ronnie White-Backing Vocals
Other Credits
- Pete MoorePete MoorePete Moore is an African American soul singer, record producer, and songwriter, notable as the bass singer for Motown group The Miracles from 1955 onwards, and is one of the group's original members...
and Freddie PerrenFreddie PerrenFrederick "Freddie" Perren was an American songwriter, record producer, arranger, and orchestra conductor best known for as a co-songwriter and co-producer of such mega-hits as "Boogie Fever" by the Sylvers, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, and "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Peaches &...
- Producers
- Freddie PerrenFreddie PerrenFrederick "Freddie" Perren was an American songwriter, record producer, arranger, and orchestra conductor best known for as a co-songwriter and co-producer of such mega-hits as "Boogie Fever" by the Sylvers, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, and "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Peaches &...
- Synthesizer (Arp & String Ensemble), Vibraphone - Donald Griffin, Greg Poree, Jay GraydonJay GraydonJay Graydon is a Los Angeles songwriter, recording artist, guitarist, singer, producer, arranger, and recording engineer. He is the winner of two Grammy Awards with twelve Grammy nominations, among them the title "Producer of the Year" and "Best Engineered Recording". Jay Graydon has mastered many...
- Guitar - John Barnes - Keyboards, Synthesizer
- Ed Greene, James GadsonJames GadsonJames Gadson is an American drummer and session musician. Beginning his career in the late 1960s, Gadson has since become one of the most-recorded drummers in the history of R&B music....
- Drums - Scott Edwards - Bass
- Eddie "Bongo" Brown - Congas, Bongos
- Paulinho da CostaPaulinho Da CostaPaulinho da Costa is a Brazilian percussionist born in Rio de Janeiro, considered one of the most recorded musicians of modern times. Playing over two hundred percussion instruments, he has participated in thousands of recording sessions, Grammy Award-winning albums, hit songs, soundtracks, radio...
- Percussion - Victor FeldmanVictor FeldmanVictor Stanley Feldman was a British jazz musician, best known as a pianist.-Early history:...
- Vibraphone - Carolyn Willis, Julia Tillman - Female Vocals
Charts
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
||
| 1975 | City Of Angels | 33 (1976) | 29 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US Dance |
||
| 1976 | "Love Machine" | 1 | 5 | 1 (1975) |
