| The Miracles Doin' Mickey's Monkey | |
| Type: | Album |
| Artist: | The Miracles |
| Cover: | Mickey-monkey-miracles.jpg |
| Released: | November 11, 1963 |
| Recorded: | 1963 at Hitsville USA |
| Genre: | Soul, pop |
| Length: | 28:42 |
| Label: | Tamla[1] |
| Producer: | Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Smokey Robinson |
| Prev Title: | Christmas with The Miracles |
| Prev Year: | 1963 |
| Next Title: | I Like It Like That |
| Next Year: | 1964 |
The Miracles Doin' Mickey's Monkey is an album by The Miracles, released in 1963 by Tamla Records. It includes the group's Top 10 smash single "Mickey's Monkey", written and produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland, which was later recorded by several other artists. "Mickey's Monkey" popularized "The Monkey" as a novelty dance.[2] Also included is another H-D-H dance-oriented single, "I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying", a Billboard Top 40 hit. The album peaked at No. 113 on the Billboard 200.[3]
Much of the rest of the album is made up of popular dance songs, including "The Twist", "Twist and Shout" and The Contours' Motown hit "Do You Love Me". Miracles member Bobby Rogers co-wrote a song, "Dancin' Holiday", for the album. Miracle Claudette Robinson takes the lead on the Miracles' remake of The Orlons hit, "The Wah-Watusi".
The Miracles Doin' Mickey's Monkey was released on CD by Motown Records in 1986, in a two-for-one set with their Away We A Go-Go album, and again by itself in a 1992 release.
The album cover art is by Stanley Mouse; it was the artist's first album assignment.[4] Berry Gordy often chose not to use pictures of his performers on the album covers of Motown's early releases, in order that the label not be defined strictly as a "black" record company.[5]
Production