There’s a reason The Miracles spent their biggest years billed as “Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.” Smokey’s voice was and is the very definition of angelic, and under his leadership The Miracles became one of the crown jewels of the Motown catalogue.

Less remembered is the music The Miracles released in the 1970s, after Robinson left the group and Billy Griffin took his place. There were still hits to be had, though, notably the chugging disco classic “Love Machine (Part 1)” – and now, the Hip-o Select label have released City of Angels, the LP that spawned that chart-topper, for the first time on CD. What was the hold-up? Chalk it up to plain dumb luck, maybe (the tracks were included on an import compilation some time ago) – but it’s out now, and while it may not stand up to other albums of its time, it’s certainly worth a second look.

One of the most striking things about City of Angels is that it’s a Motown concept record. By this point, Marvin Gaye had already turned out two of the best song cycles of his career (What’s Going On and Let’s Get It On) and Stevie Wonder was in the middle of recording Songs in the Key of Life. It’s clear that The Miracles were looking for a similar kind of success, but they elected to tell an out-and-out story, instead of wax poetic on a theme.

In City of Angels: a young small-town boy follows a dream and a girl to swinging Los Angeles, ascends to fame and fortune but never quite gets the love he desired. (Motown historians might be quick to point out the parallels, however unintended, between this album and the label’s own move to L.A. during the 1970s.) Not a groundbreaking tale, sure, but the music sure fits the mood. The album plays like a bullet train, with lush strings and urgent wah-wah guitars complementing Billy Griffin’s sweet voice through the mix – until suddenly the party ends, and the album gets pensive, angry and winsome over the last few songs.

Some of these songs will make your head spin not just for their polish (“Love Machine” being the shining example), but their lyrical content as well. The controversial “Ain’t Nobody Straight in L.A.” deals with frank homosexuality in a way that the pre-Proposition 8 West Coast may not have been ready for. And the main character’s narrative piece, “My Name is Michael,” eerily mirrors the life of Motown’s most famous Michael (Billy Griffin in fact reveals in newly-published liner notes that the song was written with the future King of Pop in mind).

Those who are looking for scores of radio hits will not find them on City of Angels. But if you’re looking for a creative record that wears its disco inhibitions on its sleeve, this disc won’t work for anybody but you.