FEATURE:
A Buyer’s Guide
IN THIS PHOTO: The Supremes (from left to right): Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and Diana Ross/PHOTO CREDIT: Fremantle Media Ltd/REX/Shutterstock
Part Twenty-Five: The Supremes
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I was going to cover…
IN THIS PHOTO: Mary Wilson (right) with Cindy Birdsong and Diana Ross in 1968/PHOTO CREDIT: Mary Wilson (from the book, Supreme Glamour, by Mary Wilson and Mark Bego)
Carole King in this edition, but I have been looking back at The Supremes’ music and felt compelled to go into more depth. The Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and are, to date, America's most successful vocal group. Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, Diana Ross, and Betty McGlown were the original group and, during the mid-1960s, The Supremes achieved mainstream success with Ross as lead singer and Holland-Dozier-Holland as its songwriting and production team. In 1967, Motown President Berry Gordy renamed the group Diana Ross & The Supremes and replaced Ballard with Cindy Birdsong. In 1970, Ross left to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Jean Terrell - and the group reverted to being The Supremes again. The number of hits the group achieved is staggering, and they are one of the most revered and recognisable groups in history. To honour them, I have selected the four essential albums from The Supremes, the underrated gem and their final album – in addition to a useful book. If you need some guidance as to where to start with The Supremes, then have a look…
IN THIS PHOTO: The Supremes in 1965/PHOTO CREDIT: Mary Wilson (from the book, Supreme Glamour, by Mary Wilson and Mark Bego)
AT the recommendations below.
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The Four Essential Albums
Where Did Our Love Go
Release Date: 31st August, 1964
Label: Motown
Producers: Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier/Smokey Robinson/Norman Whitfield/Robert Gordy
Standout Tracks: Where Did Our Love Go/When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes/Come See About Me
Buy: https://www.discogs.com/The-Supremes-Where-Did-Our-Love-Go/master/212735
Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/05pI1Rx1HQ4KA0a0e3PJlV
Review:
“Equally as impressive is that the Supremes were among the handful of domestic acts countering the initial onslaught of the mid-'60s British Invasion with a rapid succession of four Top 40 sides. Better still, "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love" and "Come See About Me" made it all the way to the top, while "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" (number 23), "Run, Run, Run" (number 93) and "A Breath Taking Guy" (number 75) were able to garner enough airplay and sales to make it into the Top 100 Pop Singles survey. HDH weren't the only contributors to the effort, as William "Smokey" Robinson supplied the catchy doo wop influenced "Long Gone Lover," as well as the aforementioned "Breath Taking Guy." Norman Whitfield penned the mid-tempo ballad "He Means The World to Me," and former Moonglow Harvey Fuqua co-wrote "Your Kiss of Fire." With such a considerable track list, it is no wonder Where Did Our Love Go landed in the penultimate spot on the Pop Album chart for four consecutive weeks in September of '64 -- making it the best received LP from Motown to date. In 2004, the internet-based Hip-O Select issued the double-disc Where Did Our Love Go [Expanded 40th Anniversary Edition] in a limited pressing of 10,000 copies. The package included the monaural and stereo mixes, plus a never before available seven-song vintage live set from the Twenty Grand Club in Detroit and another 17 unreleased studio cuts documented around the same time” – AllMusic
Choice Cut: Baby Love
More Hits by The Supremes
Release Date: 23rd July, 1965
Label: Motown
Producers: Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier
Standout Tracks: Nothing But Heartaches/Mother Dear/Back in My Arms Again
Buy: https://www.discogs.com/The-Supremes-More-Hits-By-The-Supremes/release/6028969
Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/2maj3yWtoFnr0g7TlNao7A?si=e-QrcCKHRUWwZ4RWqSMSAQ
Review:
“"Stop! In the Name of Love" and "Back in My Arms Again" helped drive the sales, but those singles had been out six and three months earlier at the time this album surfaced -- listeners were delighted to find those singles surrounded by their ethereal rendition of the ballad "Whisper You Love Me Boy" with its exquisitely harmonized middle chorus; the gently soulful, sing-song-y "The Only Time I'm Happy"; and the sweetly dramatic "He Holds His Own" (with a gorgeous and very prominent piano accompaniment). The material dated across six months of work, from late 1964 through the spring of 1965 (apart from "Ask Any Girl," the B-side of "Baby Love," which was cut in the spring of 1964), and showed that Motown could put a Supremes album together piecemeal around the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team and place the trio right up at the top reaches of the charts, in the company of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, et al. Its release also opened a floodgate of killer albums by the trio -- overlooking their 1965 LP of Christmas songs, they were destined to issue three more long-players that delighted audiences a dozen songs at a time over the next two years, which was a lot of good work” – AllMusic
Choice Cut: Stop! In the Name of Love
I Hear a Symphony
Release Date: 18th February, 1966
Label: Motown
Producers: Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier/Norman Whitfield
Standout Tracks: Yesterday/Without a Song/My World Is Empty Without You
Buy: https://www.discogs.com/The-Supremes-I-Hear-A-Symphony/master/100590
Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/7vNmiLEdMqJYUlPxSx2zgg?si=JAB0ym8QTHaCivqyQa1Vww
Review:
“I Hear a Symphony has some great soul numbers on it, mostly by the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team, including not only the title track but also "Any Girl in Love (Knows What I'm Going Through)," "My World Is Empty Without You," and "He's All I Got" -- the latter is one of the greatest album tracks the group ever recorded, with stunning vocals by Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard behind Diana Ross, showing the trio in just about its peak form. Other parts of I Hear a Symphony seem to take its title track almost literally, with the inclusion of the majestic "Unchained Melody" and the Bach-based "A Lover's Concerto"; the latter, in particular, is a Diana Ross tour de force, with very sweetly understated accompaniment by Wilson and Ballard. And elsewhere, Berry Gordy was pushing his vision of the Supremes as a mainstream pop trio, covering "A Stranger in Paradise," "With a Song in My Heart," "Without a Song," and "Wonderful, Wonderful." None of these are bad, but neither are they terribly distinguished -- the group even adds a certain fresh sparkle to "Wonderful, Wonderful," but realistically, people were paying their money for the Holland-Dozier-Holland and Eddie Holland-authored songs, any of which would have made about as fine singles as anything the trio ever put out, and all of which are still a chunk of the best part of the group's legacy” – AllMusic
Choice Cut: I Hear a Symphony
Love Child (as Diana Ross & The Supremes)
Release Date: 13th November, 1968
Label: Motown
Producers: Berry Gordy/Frank Wilson/R. Dean Taylor/Deke Richards/Henry Cosby/Smokey Robinson/Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson/Marv Johnson/George Gordy/Harvey Fuqua/Johnny Bristol
Standout Tracks: Does Your Mama Know About Me/Some Things You Never Get Used To/He’s My Sunny Boy
Buy: https://www.discogs.com/Diana-Ross-And-The-Supremes-Love-Child/master/200414
Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/4NPWsDBl993nz9ia6k8qAK?si=I7tcJsvOQeWWCcOVwf07Kg
Review:
“Through 1964 to 1967 the Supremes were Motown's biggest act. Singles like "Where Did Our Love Go," "Back in My Arms Again," and "You Keep Me Hanging On" defined the label's pop prowess and the quirky appeal of talented lead singer Diana Ross. By 1968, the group not only lost member Florence Ballard, but also Holland-Dozier-Holland who had written and produced all of their big singles. Cindy Birdsong joins Mary Wilson and Ross for this 1968 effort and the group name was officially changed. Although it's always fun to hear Ross and the Supremes, the most interesting thing about this effort is its production. With a lack of consistently great songs, Love Child had to rely on hooks, choruses, and production values rather than magical songs. The well-produced and controversial title track proved how good Ross is with melodrama. "How Long Has That Evening Train Been Gone" has a great bassline from James Jamerson and Ross oddly having a lot of fun with her supposedly dire romantic prospects. The warm cover of Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers' classic "Does Your Mamma Know About Me" sticks close to the original with good results. Ashford and Simpson offer two of their early tracks, the album's first single "Some Things You Never Get Used To," and the graceful "You Ain't Livin' Until You're Lovin'." For the most part, Love Child's tracks seem to run together but this offers the late-'60s Motown sound without gimmicks and is more than recommended” – AllMusic
Choice Cut: Love Child
The Underrated Gem
The Supremes A' Go-Go
Release Date: 25th August, 1966
Label: Motown
Producers: Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier/Hal Davis/Frank Wilson
Standout Tracks: Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart/Baby I Need Your Loving/Put Yourself in My Place
Buy: https://www.discogs.com/The-Supremes-A-Go-Go/master/100585
Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/5fpOmAuZaVyEXPlQ4oOqJ6?si=cWKhDk6YQGOZS5WPCAQahg
Review:
“In the sixties, the hits that Hitsville USA churned out were intended to be spun at 45 RPMs. Motown brass was a lot less interested in making high-quality long players, though that didn’t stop quite a few from slipping out anyway. The label’s biggest stars, The Supremes, had some of the best with rock-solid LPs such as Where Did Our Love Go, More Hits by The Supremes, The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland, and Reflections. 1966’s The Supremes A’ Go-Go was not one of these, as it leaned way too hard on remakes of past hits. Not only are The Supremes’ versions of “This Old Heart of Mine”, “Shake Me, Wake Me”, “Baby, I Need Your Loving”, and “Get Ready” redundant by their very nature, but Diana Ross’s reserved vocals also pale in comparison to The Isley Brothers, Four Tops, and Temptations’ blood-letting performances. Mary Wilson does a more convincing job of holding her own against performances past with her lead on “Come and Get These Memories”, but it still doesn’t quite measure up to Martha Reeves.
Nevertheless, The Supremes A’ Go-Go was a milestone album because it has the distinction of being the first album by an all-female group to top the Billboard chart, and it did so on the strength of two of The Supremes’ very best hits: the joyful “You Can’t Hurry Love” and the grinding “Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart”. There are also a couple of interesting covers that don’t invite unflattering comparisons with past Motown hits. Ross still sounds like she’s checking her watch on a version of “These Boots Are Made for Walking”, but the arrangement is very cool with a sort of Twilight Zone guitar riff running underneath the whole thing, and she rouses herself sufficiently for a set-closing take on “Hang on Sloopy”. A chunky version of Barrett Strong’s “Money”is the one Motown remake that gets sufficiently imaginative with the arrangement and on which Ross gets herself sufficiently worked up” – Psychobable
Choice Cut: You Can’t Hurry Love
The Final Album
Mary, Scherrie & Susaye
Release Date: October 1976
Label: Motown
Producers: Brian Holland/Edward Holland, Jr.
Standout Tracks: You're My Driving Wheel/Let Yourself Go/You Are the Heart of Me
Buy: https://www.discogs.com/The-Supremes-Mary-Scherrie-Susaye/master/100662
Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/2HoLIM5wpZH7AVz5rUTBPH
Review:
“Side One closes with song number four, "Come Into My Life," or as I'd like to call it "I just can't believe it's the Supremes." Possibly one of the most out-of-left-field, adventurous things ever recorded by the Supremes. Led by that hypnotizing bassline, seductive congas, those horns in hypnotic unison with the bass, right along side those crazy, out-of-this-world synth effects, "Come.." is simply a masterpiece of pure, propulsive, dark disco-funk. To me, one of the best passages on this track is when Susaye Greene's soaring Minnie Riperton-esque vocals get phased and blended seamlessly with that pseudo-psychedelic synth coloured backing. The result is nothing less than mesmerizing. Listening to the album for the first time, just when you the trip would end with "Let Yourself Go," this track kicks in and takes it even further. While "Let Yourself Go" is a climb to new heights, "Come Into My Life," is, to paraphrase the lyrics, like a "magic ride..off to lands of mystery.." Beckoning and seductive right from the first few bars, it's pretty clear right from the beginning, that this thing definitely ain't gonna be no "Baby Love." Personally, I'd like to describe this song as "psychedelic disco-funk," so take that however you may.. In my opinion though, the fact that this track was so overlooked is possibly one of the great injustices in The Supremes' history..
Side Two, on the other hand is slightly more low-key, opening with a sensual Mary Wilson-led ballad "We Should Be Closer Together" and ending with another disco stormer "Love I Never Knew You Could Feel So Good" led, once again, by Scherrie Payne, closing things on a high note. One interesting thing about the album is that by this time all three ladies were taking a turn at lead vocals, where most of the previous albums going back to the Miss Ross days were dominated by a single lead vocalist. By now their primary lead was Scherrie Payne, a vocal dynamo if there ever was one. Along with Scherrie the group now included the equally dynamic, multi-octave voice of Susaye Greene, formerly of Stevie Wonder's Wonderlove and Ray Charles' Raelettes and last but not least, original Supreme Mary Wilson herself. By this time Wilson was stepping out a little more as a vocalist and rightfully so; by this time Wilson was the undisputed heart and soul of the Supremes by virtue of being the only remaining original member.. Perhaps not as dynamic a voice as the other two ladies, but certainly an underrated one, in my opinion. Vocally I'd describe her voice as something of a cross between Gwen McCrae and Roberta Flack; the natural, unpretentious quality of Gwen with the warmth of Roberta and a sensuality and sexiness all her own.. Although she wasn't the lead on many of the disco tracks, her turns on this album (and the other late '70s Supremes albums) displayed a strong, warm, blossoming sensual voice that was unique in it's own right..
Sadly, the Supremes would break up the following year with Mary Wilson announcing her departure at their 1977 farewell show at London's Drury Lane Theatre. Who knows what could have been had they soldiered on, but evidently things just didn't seem to be working in their favour by this point. Wilson herself has spoken at length about the frustration during this period: records and concerts not selling, personal relationships breaking down, lack of record company support. Amidst all of that, the ladies with the help of the Holland brothers managed to deliver an amazing swan song which, though underrated, overlooked and overshadowed, remains an undiminished classic” – Disco Delivery
Choice Cut: Love I Never Knew You Could Feel So Good
The Supremes Book
The Supremes: A Saga of Motown Dreams, Success, and Betrayal
Author: Mark Ribowsky
Publication Date: 27th April, 2010
Publisher: INGRAM PUBLISHER SERVICES US
Synopsis:
“The Supremes is a sprawling tale of unforgettable music, cutthroat ambition, and heartbreaking betrayal. Mark Ribowsky explodes Dreamgirl fantasies by taking the reader behind the closed doors of Motown to witness the rise of group leader Diana Ross, the creation of timeless classics like Where Did Our Love Go?," and the dramatic power struggles within Detroit's fabled music factory. Drawing on firsthand, intimate recollections from knowledgeable sources such as the Temptations's Otis Williams and other Motown contemporaries,many never before interviewed, The Supremes is a comprehensive look at the tumultuous relationships within the Supremes as well as among others at the Motown label" (Library Journal)” – Waterstones
Order: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Supremes-Motown-Dreams-Success-Betrayal/dp/0306818736