#A quiet storm bt movie#
#A quiet storm bt full#

The band then had Marv Tauplin centre stage, with a cast of other magical musicians and some incredible backing singers too. I was lucky enough to see Smokey in the UK a couple of times touring in the late 70вЂ™s and he was magnificent performing this live.

#A quiet storm bt full#

The lyric was a joy too, clever, playful and full of beautiful imagery, and the pleasure to be had in his delivery is just something that still stays with me. SmokeyвЂ™s voice has always been a thing of beauty, and this track reveals all its art and power. I too can remember that glorious opening track that gave the album itвЂ™s name and being deeply moved by its sensual sound and itвЂ™s joyous celebration of love. ItвЂ™s kind of wonderful to read such a fine review of an album that meant so much to me in my younger years, and has without doubt stood the test of time.

Soulful, absorbing, life-affirming, and every bit as moving as the best of his work with The Miracles and beyond, A Quiet Storm is one of the landmark soul albums of its era вЂ“ and its innovations continue to resonate. Smokey Robinson evokes this convincingly because he does it with utter conviction. The storm of the title is not only romantic passion but the difficulties of romance amid lifeвЂ™s struggles. This is love for adults, not starry-eyed, smitten teens. If this is love, itвЂ™s not a gooey, cloying one, but the flawed one all relationships have to endure.

Like most great albums, A Quiet Storm occupies a world of its own making: a warm, sometimes steamy world, but not a world without its drawbacks. The album ends with a brief reprise of the title track over the synthesizer that has filled the gaps between each song. The uptempo closer, вЂњCoincidentally,вЂќ a tale of romantic dissatisfaction which would have perfectly suited the late-60s Miracles, is far more accomplished, with burbling, boiling clavinet and buoyant electric piano supporting SmokeyвЂ™s irritated, dismissive, even vengeful lyric. Tarplin hits a rare snagged note in the intro, a sure sign that this was not as finished as it might have been, though we are far more used to sophisticated synth music now than the world was in вЂ™75 when вЂњLove LettersвЂќ represented something fresh and intriguing. вЂњLove Letters,вЂќ dripping with synth from bass to the piccolo-like trebly whistle, is the albumвЂ™s least-satisfying cut, a muted funk that sounds like it was assembled as much as written, despite SmokeyвЂ™s apparently confessional lyric that declares his life has been a love letter вЂ“ which, in terms of his writing career, was correct. No matter Michael Jackson recorded it, and the song found the perfect home on A Quiet Storm, where it had space to spread out over seven minutes.

#A quiet storm bt movie#

Smokey Robinson could have been accused of over-optimism when he wrote К»Happy (Love Theme From Lady Sings The Blues),вЂќ basing it on Michel LegrandвЂ™s theme from the movie вЂ“ but not until after the movie had been completed, reputedly to Berry GordyвЂ™s chagrin as he was highly impressed with the song. вЂњWedding Song,вЂќ written for the 1973 nuptials of Jermaine Jackson and Hazel, the daughter of Motown boss Berry Gordy, mostly sidesteps sickly sentiment, telling of the most important day of many peopleвЂ™s lives with sincere optimism. JonesвЂќ-type tale of infidelity, but with a more thoughtful lyric, boasts ringing guitar parts from former Miracle Marv Tarplin and a lush, languid feel as Smokey endures what fellow adult soulsters would later simply term вЂњJoy And Pain.вЂќ вЂњBaby ThatвЂ™s BackatchaвЂќ focuses more on a funky sound, but this US Top 30 single is hardly grits and growling: threaded with a strand of flute, this is as sweet as club funk ever got mellow-mellow, right on. вЂњThe Agony And The Ecstasy,вЂќ a вЂњMe And Mrs. Getting on for eight minutes later, you are still lost in its intimate life. The beat of the song is barely apparent вЂ“ we are miles from MotownвЂ™s original trademark crashing snare here вЂ“ but still, you find yourself rocking to its subtle groove. Opening with an arresting synthesized storm effect and an irresistible bassline, the title track is close-miked, and the breathy quality of his voice was never caught better on record.

The mature singer-songwriter chiefly concerned with relationship issues was a successful musical trope of the first half of the 70s, and while Motown had tried to nurture such a figure before, particularly in the two Valerie Simpson albums they released, Smokey Robinson was the artist equipped for the role. The first two were not without their moments, but it seemed as if Smokey was reaching for a style that only really coalesced here. A Quiet Storm was SmokeyвЂ™s third solo album, released on March 26, 1975, and by far and away his best to that point.