Supremes thread

The Supremes Sing Rodgers and Hart is one of the greatest albums ever recorded.

I love them.

I'll even go black face to be a Supreme

I love "I Hear a Symphony"

And their campiest song is "I'm Living in Shame"

I don't need blackface.

I liked the post-Diana Supremes better.

They were horrible with their songs that condemned people for having babies out of wedlock. They are socially irresponsible.

I'll never get how people deify Florence as some great lost talent. Her leads on the likes of Buttered Popcorn and People show that she was a makeweight talent at best. And her voice sounds bad on her solo ABC material. She wasn't even a Tammi Terrel level talent, never mind Gladys Knight, Brenda Hollloway etc.

I'd place her closer to someone like Wanda Young or Gladys Horton. Not particularly talented vocally nor a noteworthy interpreter.

[quote] I'll never get how people deify Florence as some great lost talent.

Where would anybody ever get that impression?

Dreamgirls isn't the cause of it, though. And it's something Supremes fans do. They're familiar with the group's output.

Refractions of the way life used to be

Refractions of the way you bend me

Refractions of the way you fuck my ass

Refractions of the way I passes gas

Even before HDH left Motown, the quality of their music declined so the stuff from late '67 until their departure was subpar and the Supremes paid the price.

Count me as another who thinks the Supremes were at their best after Miss Ross left and Jean Terrell took over lead vocals. Too bad Barry was so single minded about promoting Ross' solo career there wasn't any money left to promote the Supremes, The Four Tops, Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Spinners and other numerous groups who would leave Motown for bigger and better post-Motown careers.

How can Mary tell me what to do when she lost her love so true? And Flo, she don't know, cause the boy she loves is a Romeo.

Is there nothing sacred on DL? Not even the Supremes?

R9, Wanda and Gladys were very good singers

No, they weren't. But each to their own.

Gladys Knight & the Pips were at the height of their Motown success when they left for Buddah.

While I love much of the 70s Supremes output, I wouldn't say they were better than the Ross led group. Aside from the fact that the 70s Supremes didn't have those brilliant HDH songs - they had some great ones but not as consistently so as HDH at their height - someone thought it was a bright idea to give Mary Wilson more leads (it was Mary and her husband no doubt). Wilson was fine if given an unchallenging line here and there but she made the group seem lesser when give "too much" to do. And it had the effect that Terrell, and particularly, Sherrie Payne, had less chance of being properly established as lead singers of the group.

And watching clips of the 70s Supremes, they were increasingly a mess in life performances - particularly the last line-up. I blame Mary (and coke) for that.

People can bitch and complain and make shit up all they want. If you redact the name Diana Ross from Mary Wilson's book and interviews, there would be neither. Without the magical voice and unique presence of Diana Ross the original Supremes were nothing special. Mary and Cindy don't even sing the back ups on many of their last recordings, including the #1 Someday We'll Be Together. Here Ross, tense and skinny as she ever would be, forgets the lyric to their just released song, but makes it work in the end. They were overworked and for sure underpaid, but for 3 great years rivalled the Beatles at the top of the charts with 10 #1 hits when that kind of accomplishment really meant something. I was just born in 1965, but Motown music filled our home. Who doesn't love the sound of the super duper Supremes?

I liked them from "Where Did Our Love Go?" through "Love Child." One of their best songs, "Oowee, Baby," wasn't released until Motown put out the MORE HITS BY THE SUPREMES Deluxe Edition a few years back.

That Cat Sammy Davis Jr. introduces the confident glamorous superstars, Diana Ross and the Supremes. Reflections.

Diana has star power, there's no better way to put it. She might not have been the best vocalist in the group, she may look like a hotmess with her synthetic wigs but she just had that "IT" factor.

She made the Supremes. There is no denying this.

R3, I've always hated that episode of DW. "Ain't No Mountain" is a Diana Ross song NOT a Supremes song. I know it fit the "theme" of the episode (Charlene's battered friend, but did they honestly think we wouldn't know that little fact?

Somewhere. The ladies are on good vocal behaviour here, being all classy like Barry told them. And Yes to R22. Diana Ross had IT!

Oh, Lord No. I meant Berry.

That. Wig.

[Quote]but did they honestly think we wouldn't know that little fact?

R23 We certainly didn't know!

Clearly the biggest Mary! in the Supremes is Justice Antonin Scalia.

Here's "Where or When" from the Rodgers & Hart album. Simply divoon.

R14 I was just about to post that exact same line. GMTA, I guess (Gay Minds Think Alike!)

I was so impressed that Diana Ross had the acting chops for Lady Sings The Blues.

"My Romance"

This really was the perfect composer of the great standards for the Supremes to tackle.

Following Lady Sings the Blues, Ross recorded a beautiful album of standards called Blue that went unreleased until 2006.

A standout track was her rendition of What a Difference a Day Makes.

The last line-up had a decent disco hit in 1976 with "I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking." I always liked it.

r17 has no taste

Fabulous music, fabulous wigs, and fabulous drama.

What's not to love?

Does anyone else hear almost a slight Caribbean or British West Indies accent to Diana's singing?

This is my favorite of all youtube videos of the Supremes singing on television.

JUST LOOK at how perfectly crisp and elegant Mary Wilson's moves are, especially compared to Cindy Birdsong's awkward gesturing and Diane's hunched in shoulders. Mary cannot be beat.

That's Poise with a P as in "Professional."

"Mary cannot be beat."

There are times, however, I thought "Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Neck".

My favorite Supremes song (and one of my favorite Motown songs, period) is "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart." Few songs put me in a better mood, faster, than this song. Love this Ed Sullivan Show performance:

Diana did not have the vocal chops of Aretha or Gladys or Patti, but none of them could sing this Funny Girl Medley with such beautiful pop flourish. You always knew you were watching a black artist when Diana moved or got that electrical surge of energy, she radiated something very unique and varied. She also sang complex rhythms and phrases superbly and FRESH before there was such a term. Mary and Flo have their fans and on the theme albums the Supremes made great contributions in harmony and building the songs. But in performance there was never a doubt that Diana Ross was the STAR. Yes she wanted it and did things to get it. But it was there for anyone to see. Beautiful raw talent, refined yet young and funky, an incredibly accomplished performer. Miss Ross couldn't hide her light if she tried. She never tried, ha.

Great song R40. Very danceable.

Alright bitches! This thread is NOT about HER!!!. It's about The Supremes...

Love them. I was born the year they broke up.

They were just SO good! So ladylike! Suce gracefullness!

[quote] She also sang complex rhythms and phrases superbly and FRESH before there was such a term.

Ohreally...?

Love this one too.

Dionne Warwick's voice warbled and clipped as she went through the lyrics of a song. Not one of her records did I buy until she did the AIDS anthem.

[quote] She also sang complex rhythms and phrases superbly and FRESH before there was such a term.

Patti honey... You're only a phenomenon among gays and the Black community. Your popularity nearly stops at the borders of the USA.

[quote]Patti honey... You're only a phenomenon among gays and the Black community.

So, just all the people with taste and style, then?

[quote] Patti honey... You're only a phenomenon among gays and the Black community. Your popularity nearly stops at the borders of the USA.

[quote]So, just all the people with taste and style, then?

If you consider screaming/screaching, kicking off shoes, and rolling around all over the floor, to be "taste and style"... then okay...

Will someone bring be a glass of Krug Clos d’Ambonnay? 1998, of course...

I think a lot of people tend to view the Supremes as an actual group when in reality Mary & Flo were little more than backup singers.

The thread title should be "60's Diana Ross thread"

Check MISS R54.

[quote] I think a lot of people tend to view the Supremes as an actual group when in reality Mary & Flo were little more than backup singers.

That describes most vocal groups. Relatively few alternate lead singers (like the Sweet Inspirations, Temptations etc).

R56 I never said it wasn't common, I just said that people overlook just how little they actually contributed vocally.

Mary sounds decent here (love this song)

Why did they add/drop letters on some of the 70s Supremes songs. Jean Terrelle sings "Stone Love" not Stoned, as in "I'm Stone in Love with You". And I'd swear they sing "Floyd Joy", likely as a companion song to "Nathan Jones" in the same way that "I'm Livin' in Shame" is a companion song to "Love Child". Floyd makes more sense than Floy. I'm never heard a man called "Floy".

They are a little kid's idea of a good group.

F&F R60.

I agree, R40. That songs is a favorite of mine, also. I read that "Love is like an Itchin' in my Heart, while being a sizable and top 10 hit for the Supremes, wasn't as big of a hit as they had hoped. With its raucous, thumping beat, the song was more of a Martha Reeves and the Vandellas type of song than the softer, more lush sound that the Supremes were known for. Anyway, just my two cents.

R60 What a freak.

Here's Mary doing a cover of CCR's "Green River" sometime in the '80s. Tina Turner, she is not.

Well, Diane certainly managed to parlay that mouse-fart squeak into a career. Mostly by choking on Berry's drumstick.

Diana had a great voice. Just because it's not the typical powerhouse, gospel shriek of most black female singers doesn't mean it wasn't any good. In fact, Diana's voice is a nice counterpoint to a group of women who all wind up sounding the same after a while. Just because Diana wasn't a power vocalist does not at all mean she wasn't incredibly talented.

R65 Diane? Why are you bringing up Diane Swayer? This is a thread about the Supremes!

She has survived for over 50 years for a fuck that happened like 30 years ago, R65? Grow up! Give the woman her well-deserved props! She hasn't recorded in years but can still sell out venues and command top dollar? Get over your Patti LaBelle fixation. Miss LaBelle might be a better screamer but she is not the international star that Miss Ross is.... and never will she be.

The Supremes were more successful than Labelle & Diana's solo career shits on Patti's solo career.

Sit down bitches. Recognize a DIVA when you see one.

Mary does a bit better with this cover of "Fields of Gold."

On Soul Train near the bitter end in 1977, performing "You're My Driving Wheel."

They were just so well put together!

Is it true that Diana Ross had to wear padding in her gowns because she was so skinny?

No, skinny was in in the 60s.

r73, yes, she wore hip and boob padding to look curvier

Flo's life was so tragic and sad. Being raped as a teen before the Supremes took off broke her spirit. And that husband she had - he ruined her career.

R76 Her career as a professional backup singer? I agree that her story is very sad and I wish she got a better contract but lezbihonest.

The money ruined Flo. She realized that she was a Diana Ross prop and honestly didn't have a problem with that. But Motown should have put some type of interest into her and Mary. Unlike Flo, Mary was the bitter one fo r years. It seems as if Mary has only reconciled herself to all of this just within the last 10 ten years. It was Mary, (and her husband), that ruined The Supremes. Mary thought that it was her turn to be the next Diana Ross but most of the girls that followed after were much better singers and performers. Below is a sample of the problem:

Ok, so Flo wasn't the prodigy that the Supremes myth has made her out to be - but if not for Florence there would be no Diana Ross. Flo started the damn group.

In my opinion it was this trio that recaptured the glory days of The Supremes. Not all of that jumping around on the stage and nonsense like MARY told them to do. The choreography here is nice and sophisticated. Also, the background girls are nicely featured and you know that they are really contributing to the song.

Here's the other one:

THE SUPREMES (F.L.O.) Up The Ladder To The Roof

Do we have a Flobot on our hands?

I think the drag queens did it better, r40

This is my fave performance from the Jean Terrell era of The Supremes

Mary's best moments as a Supreme was on the group's second to last album, High Energy (1976) in which she sang lead on 3 lushly arranged ballads that perfectly showcased her sultry voice. The Holland Brothers did a fine job on these productions.

[quote]The Supremes Sing Rodgers and Hart is one of the greatest albums ever recorded.

Omg, I LOVE that album that I just want to cry!

Cindy Birdsong/75

R3 I love you!

I like Miss Ross.....but I think Jean Terrell had a better voice

I always likes "There's no stopping us now"

Everything is Good about you...

This is my favorite Scherrie Payne led performance on a Supremes recording.

R84 That was part of Motown's investment in "Pippin." They released the Original Broadway Cast album, and had several of their artists record the songs ("Corner of the Sky," for example.)

Another outstanding performance from Ed Sullivan; shows how strong a group they could be.

"Mother Dear" should have been a hit for them. Why it did not happen I'll never know.

You given me a true love

And everyday I thank you love....

Ethel Merman joins Diana, Mary and Cindy at 3:25 in this Ed Sullivan clip.

R83, the drag queens killed it.

But this movie made me dislike Bernadette Peters even more than I originally did. She's so fucking annoying this movie, stupid hats and all.

Florence looking pretty hot here!

For you, R86.

Thank you, r100!

I'm now listening to Carly Simon's version, R101. I won't post it, as it's a Supremes thread.

My name is Diane Ross...I'm the intelligent one!

I know she gets a lot of crap from DR/Supremes fans, but I worked with Mary Wilson many years ago, and I thought she was a delight. And she had so many amusing anecdotes, you could spend hours chatting away. What impressed me about her (and I think I shared this on DL some time ago) was I would book her on talk shows or press interviews and she would require no 2-hour window for hair and makeup and wardrobe like most of my female clients. She'd simply show up at our office, pull out a mirror and makeup kit from her bag and do her own makeup right then and there. Then she'd disappear into the restroom with wig and change of clothes, and come out 15 minutes later, transformed into MARY WILSON, SUPREME. Absolutely no fuss, no delays, no diva antics, just ready to get on with the show.

Not to take anything away from Mary Wilson R104, I do believe what you have written, but I think that this is the common attitude among all the Motown stars. They're "old school" and the entourage, diva, type attitudes simply don't exist among many of them. These are people that want to get on the stage and perform. They were all groomed to learn how to fend for themselves because in those early days that was all that they had.

My sister's husband worked with Mary Wilson, and said that she was very professional...never late, always on time to go on.

That's good to hear, R106.

But being a professional singer also includes an expectation of being able to carry a tune.

YIKES, R107!!!!

Oh c'mon r107, you may not like her voice but it's not like Mary Wilson is tone-deaf either. Not only can she still carry a tune but she was able, as a young teen, to hold her own with alto harmonies, which tend to be challenging to single out, atonal at times, and difficult to sustain. 80% of the times that she sang in unison with Flo (what would be considered the easy stuff), she'd have to do so in Flo's soprano range - albeit in her own sultry, smoky, husky style -outside her own comfort zone.

So she deserves some credit, perhaps not as a power soloist or vocalist, but as a solid singer. Her jazz ain't bad either.

Oh, and she was by far the most classic beauty and best dancer in the group.

Mary was indeed the prettiest Supreme (I've seen a few references to her being dubbed "the sexy one" in the media of the time). But I'd disagree about those last album ballads showcasing her sultry voice. They're a chore to get through - no personality, interesting phrasing etc. and she kills any possibility of a melody line sticking with the listener. I have the 70s Supremes boxsets and they included alternate versions. One has a Scherrie Payne lead vocal in place of what was a Mary one on the released version (I can't recall the name at the moment but it was a b-side). The track is improved immeasurably by having Scherrie on lead. I wish they'd unearted a version of "Early Morning Love" with Scherrie as well.

Speaking of Ms. Payne, I think she would have been a much better fit with Levi Stubbs than Jean Terrell, whom I like but she was too pop to mesh well with Stubbs.

[quote]The track is improved immeasurably by having Scherrie on lead.

Of course it did! Scherrie can sing! Mary can't!!!

Scherrie/70

After the Supremes disbanded in 1977, Scherrie and Susaye released an album as a duo called Partners. It's available on Spotify, surprisingly, and is interesting if nothing else.

That Partners album made it's way onto CD for the first time in the last couple of years. Only released in Japan. I'll probably pick a copy up if the price is right.

Mary Wilson a "Diva" ? umm

I try to overlook Mary Wilson's victim stance. It's as if it is the only way she can stay in the limelight. The Supremes were the "no hits Supremes" until Diana took the lead with her presence and unique voice. It sold...big. When Diana left, it was a perfect opportunity for Mary to get out front and show us her talents.

She stayed in the background, even when multiple new lead singers joined the group. I have tried to overlook her whining and seemingly duplicitous approach to her career. She simply did not have the celebrity and star power Diana had back then. There's an entitlement attitude that will keep her bitter, after all these years.

[quote]When Diana left, it was a perfect opportunity for Mary to get out front and show us her talents.

She did! That's when the shit hit the fan!

[quote] it was a perfect opportunity for Mary to get out front and show us her talents.

I do NOT do nudity!

Yes, I was just being silly - she's not so bad. But, please, she's not at this stage much able to do it except as a relic act.

I always liked her and compared to Diane (I can call her Diane because Berry's sister told me I could.) she was likable - Miss Ross's career was built on other things. But always had a coarse sound to me that couldn't quite deliver the goods in a way to make me forget how mediocre she sounded. Not bad - just someone who was out there for having been part of the Supremes, not as someone who would have had a huge solo career otherwise.

But for anyone who likes to listen, go ahead. At least while she's singing she's not whining.

[quote] The Supremes were the "no hits Supremes" until Diana took the lead with her presence and unique voice.

Not quite. Diana was safely in the role of lead singer while they were still the "No Hit Supremes"

Their first album, Meet The Supremes, features a solo by Flo (Buttered Popcorn, where she pretty much screams the song like Gladys Horton from the Marvelettes would), another one by Mary (a 50s-style triplet ballad called Baby Don't Go ), a couple of songs where you can hear a flat Barbara Martin (the fourth Supreme, post Primettes, who left to "start a family" read: got pregnant) and a bunch of "no hit" singles, including the aforementioned Let Me Go The Right Way (my favorite, with Diane on a very nasal attempt at sounding like the Marvelettes) and You Bring Back Memories (my second favorite, with Diane screeching unpolished stuff like "and then I'd like to [italic]ax[/italic] you where have you been").

[quote] Let Me Go The Right Way (my favorite, with Diane on a very nasal attempt at sounding like the Marvelettes)

Me too. It's the only pre-Breathtaking Guy single I play. I bought their complete 60s singles a while back and was shocked that anyone thought Ross' take on "Who's Loving You" was good enought to be released. It is HORRENDOUS. The very early stuff is interesting to hear how quickly she improved as a singer. Whatever some may say about her bedroom (office?) antics, Miss Ross worked at her craft as a studio/stage performer.

Who's Loving You is indeed particularly painful, especially at the end. The girls in the background fare no better. That's one of the Barbara Martin flat alto outings.

Mary said in her book that during the verse "my love (my love), my life (my life)" they all started laughing because Barb made a face after hitting a particularly sour note for her harmony part.

Smokey was producing them, and it sounded like they were torturing a cat with this song.

But, does anyone else ever wonder how Barbara McGlowan, (deceased), and Barbara Martin must have felt like given the success of The Supremes?

R123 No, never.

Except, r124, you were fired because you weren't good enough of a drummer. Betty and Barbara chose to leave the group (or their guardians did, in Betty's case).

Mary can be a bit inconsistent, I have to say (especially when doing the old Supremes hits and such).. but I love her on this..

Well, Flo was on welfare and dead by 1975/6. Cindy was on the Tammy Faye show in the late 80s talking about how she lost everything around the same mid 70s period. Martin probably didn't have long to regret her decision with those kind of comparisons to make. Mary kept making a decent living but crashed her car, killing her own son, after a one-nighter. Even superstar Miss Ross has been a drunk driver and unable to keep a marriage going. None of them had a (relative) fairytale life.

And that's just the Supremes. We could talk about Wanda Rogers (raped, mental illness) of the Marvelettes, Paul Williams (sp?) of the Temptations (shot himself in the early 70s) etc. There were lots of showbiz casualties at Motown, as early as the 1970s.

[quote]Even superstar Miss Ross has been a drunk driver and unable to keep a marriage going.

It's funny how some things are held over you for the rest of your life. She went through problems like many of us do. My goodness! When do people forgive and forget? As far as her marriages, how many last these days? At least she's been married--albeit twice, but how many haven't been married even once? Have you ever married R127?

[quote] It's funny how some things are held over you for the rest of your life. She went through problems like many of us do. My goodness! When do people forgive and forget? As far as her marriages, how many last these days? At least she's been married--albeit twice, but how many haven't been married even once? Have you ever married [R127]?

My point was each of them had problems that could have put things in perspective for the likes of Martin. Being in the Supremes wouldn't have guaranteed her a wonderful life. I mean, not to harp on Diana, but would Barbara envy her being pregnant at 71?

[quote] but would Barbara envy her being pregnant at 71?

Maybe! If there are people out there who actually believe that a woman could get pregnant at 71! If nothing else, it means that somebody is getting in there and she's still getting hers!!!

[quote] Maybe! If there are people out there who actually believe that a woman could get pregnant at 71!

Well, if Gladys Knight can become a mormon...

For the Meet the Supremes CD expanded edition reissue a few years back, Barbara Martin was interviewed for the booklet by Mary Wilson. They stayed in touch over the years.

[quote]Even superstar Miss Ross has been a drunk driver and unable to keep a marriage going.

That's all?

Miss Ross is proof that you can be beautiful rich talented and sell out venues but still be all but invisible to the industry. That's gotta hurt. She is by all accounts a great mother and very happy to have her family. She is loved. Everyone of character should have a minor middle age drinking crises for a few years. Avoid the driving part though that is pretty much part of the crises.

Diana Ross never won a single Grammy Award in her whole fucking life. So the Academy decides to give her a Grammy lifetime achievement award. It is awarded in the afternoon with a group of others. Whitney died the night before. Jennifer Hudson is given the big TV moment to honor Whitney because Clive Davis is still clutching control of what's his. Ross lived like that for many years and had her time for better and worse. Adele wins all six of the Grammys she is nominated for that night. Diana wears too silly a dress, again. Cheers Diana.

[quote] Diana wears too silly a dress, again. Cheers Diana.

Speaking of drinking...

How many of the Motown starss have grammys? Stevie, I presume. Marvin as well? Smokey? Tempts?

[quote]Everyone of character should have a minor middle age drinking crises for a few years. Avoid the driving part though that is pretty much part of the crises.

In not giving excuses, everyone should remember that she was going through a divorce; a canceled tour; records weren't selling; RCA; getting older; etc A lot of pressure.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

I get it R137. We are saying the same thing. Ditto to R138. That's not the dress she wore on Grammy night but it will do to prove my point too. I love Ms. Ross. But she got a bit silly in her presentation as did her recorded music sometime in the late1990s. I dislike that she is not paid the same respect that Aretha and Patti and Gladys receive from the "industry." Diana Ross with and without the Supremes created unforgettable and still relevant music. She also became a much better singer in her forties and fifties. But the dresses....cheers to r135, who can't enjoy a whiskey?

Patti and Gladys are not on Aretha's level when it comes to respect in the industry. It is interesting how Ross is held somewhat at arms length, but I think she has a role in that - she's given up being a recording artist and that's important to remaining relevance. Take "Aretha Slaughters the Moderna Classics" album - it served its purpose. Ross was given props with the Divas Live special circa 2000. Even on that VMAs where she "checke the merchandise" with Lil' Kim's sequined boob, there was a sense of the "Nubian Queen of Pop" and the new black girls (Mary J Blige, Lil Kim) at her side.

[quote] Patti and Gladys are not on Aretha's level when it comes to respect in the industry

That's because you have to be a pedophile(MJ), an ephebophile (EP), a rapist (BC, CB) or raped by your dad (AF) to earn that respect.

I can believe Ross had to wear fake boobs and tush when she was young. I worked at Marshall Field in the late '70s and saw her out of makeup, just in jeans and a schmatta and sunglasses and asked her for her autograph - for which I should have been fired, but I was pretty darn cute then. I couldn't believe her size, like a twig. Absolutely no shape at all. Looking at her photos these days, I don't think she has that problem anymore.

At last. Oooooh at last. My forever came today. I've always loved to listen to the backing vocals. As much as I love them, I do not like Diana Ross as a person. As a singer she fit the bill, but couldn't hold a candle to Aretha and/or Gladys.

[quote]It is interesting how Ross is held somewhat at arms length, but I think she has a role in that - she's given up being a recording artist and that's important to remaining relevance

She hasn't given up on the recording industry. I guess you can say that the recording industry gave up on her. It's all about sales now. Most of these performers are producing/investing on their own, or they have some wild type of contract where they don't make a lot of money. Ross has become a true businesswoman! She likes money and plans to die having it!!!

Yup! She has had a BIG hand in creating her image and aura. It is she who is the invited to perform at REALLY MAJOR and important events around the world. She has created this mysticism/aura of class and sophistication. It has only been further enhanced and sealed by "Motown The Musical". It's a good show and I recommend it. However, it is the Diana Ross "Reach Out And Touch" concert moment which steals the show. I've seen it three times and every single time when that part of the show is performed the audience is literally spellbound. The actresses have the schtick sooo well down you actually believe that you are at a Diana Ross concert! Hands are waving in the air and people are singing so loud...it's just amazing. At one performance that I saw, the audience was sooo into it that they had to do it again and then...the audience wanted another number. The show had to tell the people that this isn't Diana Ross...IT'S A PLAY!!!

[quote]Oooooh at last. My forever came today. I've always loved to listen to the backing vocals.

Baby baby, where did our love go. Baby baby baby baby ooooh baby baby

Don't take our love away.

Boo hoo. For you. To tears.

Stop!

Back in my arms again, right by my side. Back in my arms again. So satisfied. Woooh.

I hear a symphony. Ooooh. When you're close to me, close to me.

Keeps me crying, keeps me sighing, keeps me yearning, keeps me burning.

Look what you have done, look what you have done ...

Tenement slum!

Elaine Paige is an ephebophile? And Bryan Crantock be rapin'?

I prefer Ruth Bader Whatsersnatch.

I am a musician singer and composer too R143. My previous post did not say that Ross had the vocal prowess of Aretha or Gladys. I said that the recording industry never paid her the same respect, specifically meaning winning Grammy Awards.

But since you mention it, as much as I love Gladys Knight's voice she is not an interpreter of music. She sings every song exactly the same way, every time. Her inflections and approach to a song is completely predictable. She is naturally gifted with a resonant contralto voice and soulful quality that makes her seem more profound than she is. She is better to listen to that watch perform. The whole queen and empress of soul business. Aretha is the queen and there is no empress. I can't stand Patti but she has won Grammy awards too.

Diana Ross is a much more versatile singer and in her way a greater stylist. She is not a gospel/soul singer, but a pop singer with soul and jazz influences. She is more in the rhythmic pocket and has a truly pretty and very expressive voice. Her vocal range and fluidity is much greater than Gladys Knights. Ross is a more vulnerable, sexy and evocative performer. Gladys just delivers the goods. Good musical goods and some great songs. Ross is one of the best interpreters of song when she isn't being lazy. Knight is kind of dumb about even her own music and more of a canned performer than Diana Ross anyday. And they both phone it in sometimes. I have seen them all live a few times. Ross proved a very good actress and that never hurts when delivering a vocal and creating a full performance. Her voice has a lovely shimmer, the most pretty tone and she can belt when she wants to. There is lots she can't do. But not as much as what Gladys Knight can't do, ha.

I won't fuck with Aretha. Diana Ross has outsold Aretha by about 100 million records. So there's that.

"Her vocal range and fluidity is much greater than Gladys Knights. Ross is a more vulnerable, sexy and evocative performer. Gladys just delivers the goods. Good musical goods and some great songs. Ross is one of the best interpreters of song when she isn't being lazy. Knight is kind of dumb about even her own music and more of a canned performer than Diana Ross anyday"

None of this is true at all. Sorry, but Gladys wipes the floor with Diana and I'm a Diana fan. Listen to "If I Were Your Woman" and tell me Gladys can't interpret a lyric

"She is not a gospel/soul singer"

One my favorite Diana Ross performances: Amazing Grace.

Diane is a WHORE

I love If "I Were Your Woman." Find a good live performance of it r149. You won't. Gladys has a more powerful and resonant voice than Diana Ross but I stand with my opinion that she is not as musical or versatile a singer or performer. Knight has some all time great songs and they are great recordings, but she is a chitlin circuit casino performer. She has never improvised a note in her life. She is dumb to be honest and that bothers me in a singer. Lots of great singers are not sophisticated people, but it always shows with Gladys Knight.

So Gladys is dumb.....but Diana is apparently the Stephen Hawking of the music world.

[quote]Knight has some all time great songs and they are great recordings, but she is a chitlin circuit casino performer. She has never improvised a note in her life. She is dumb to be honest and that bothers me in a singer. Lots of great singers are not sophisticated people, but it always shows with Gladys Knight.

I think you have a point here. This is with a lot of singers. I admire and respect them all in their own right, but when it comes to Diana Ross I do think of champagne and caviar.... Dynasty is de rigueur The others? Not so much.

Beyonce could have been the one to carry on the Diana Ross torch. She's beautiful. She can sing. But then... she opens her mouth to speak... Ugh!

I tell you though, who doesn't get their deserved respect, (in my opinion), is Nancy Wilson.

Donna Summer doesn't get enough respect either. I think she was perceived as colorstruck by many black Americans so she couldn't rely on that audience to keep her stock high, unlike say Patti LaBelle who would be nowhere without her black audience.

[quote]Knight has some all time great songs and they are great recordings, but she is a chitlin circuit casino performer.

She's a saloon singer.

Speaking of being over or under appreciated, while I think Aretha is very talented and has a powerful voice, I think she has been overrated at times. She has delivered some great performances, but there are times when she can be a bit lazy and just rely on overwhelming people by how loud she can screech. Because she was Aretha you will see comments of what a great job she did when it was really just the singing equivalent of chewing the scenery.

Diana/Supremes never shoved Jesus in our faces like Aretha, Patti etc.

And I don't consider 'Amazing Grace' shoving Jesus in our faces. That performance is hardly gospel anyway,

It took me a long time to appreciate this song. Hated it initially. They look great here.

I miss the harmonies in the counter-verse "when you walk into my life..." That The Andantes sang on the Forever Came Today recording but Mary and Cindy didn't do in the Ed Sullivan Show.

And again, Mary was stuck singing most of the song in a soprano falsetto.

[quote] Diana/Supremes never shoved Jesus in our faces like Aretha, Patti etc.

No, only homemade jam.

Miss Warwick does not look kindly on alleged Miss Warwicks posting silliness without cogent shade, nuclear humor and the rough breath of a lifetime of Kool Non-Filters.

So fuck off. And if ANYONE here has a right to comment, dispassionately, about Diane, it is I. Because I am NOT someone who ever had a reason to stand behind her. You KNOW that the only reason Diane started wearing that ridiculous fucking boo-font was so she could hide most of Flo and Mary with it. She had trouble getting through the door with it. And funny thing is once she started wearing it shorter, her head STILL had trouble fitting through the doorway. Eeeeee-go is a terrible thing for a mouse-fart voice to squeak over for 60 years.

Damont, kindly give Nippy the addresses of these impostors. Thank you.

It takes a long time to get to be a diva. I mean, you gotta work at it. You can't just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream. You've got to get out there and make it happen for yourself. People don't know about the human part of me that really cares about the world. For instance, I don't know what I feel about wearing my furs anymore. I worked so hard to have a fur coat, and I don't want to wear it anymore because I'm so wrapped up in the animals. I have real deep thoughts about it because I care about the world and nature. I've been so blessed I'd like to be able to give that back.

Dionne, do you need a few dollars?

[quote] I've been so blessed I'd like to be able to give that back.

Well, recent photos suggests you are giving back. Was that a baby koala clutching your abdomen as you shielded it from the paparazzi under your top? I love you Diana but haven't got the experiential range to raise a koala as your own. Stick to helping your daughter right her googly eye.

[quote]She's a saloon singer.

I'd like to hear her take on "I'm an Old Cowhand From the Rio Grande."

R154...I want that Diana Ross doll, where can I get it?

"STOP! In the name of love. Before you break my heart"

Where can I get an Aretha doll?

Jesus wept.

Mamie Van Doren wuldn't wear that dress.

That doll is GORGEOUS!

He's My Man (extended version)

Why does Aretha wear dangerously low tops, showing too much cleavage, especially at her age?

Because she has no self awareness about what looks good on her, and that what she could wear when she was thin, she can't wear and have the same effect when she's fat.

[quote] Jesus wept with laughter.

Fixed.

Looking at these old vids of skinny, big eyed Diana mugging and making exaggerated grimaces reminds me of Cookie on Empire.

Here's a great tune, sans Miss Ross, along with my other favorite group, The FourTops.

I can't blame Diana from wanting to leave behind her slovenly "Aunt Jemima of the Trailer park" mother. How embarrassing that out of the pot she ate, never used a fork or a dinner plate. No matter how she tried, she always looked a mess. Cooked and cleaned and always in the same old dress. No surprise that in a college town, a new identity Diana found. Said she was born elite with maids and servants (Flo, Mary & Cindy) at her feet. Even though she lied and sad her mama died on a weekend trip to Spain, I would not call that insane. Even after marrying a guy and living high, it's no wonder Diana didn't want him to know her.

Diana Ross appeared on Letterman for 3 nights in a row back in the nineties. It was kind of a spontaneous thing. Dave was feeling Miss Ross. They discuss her Ed Sullivan appearances and Dave asks her to marry him several times. She came back the next night and sang I Will Survive, her light but good remake of the Gloria Gaynor song. Something about Letterman brings out the best is DR. She flirts like a modest girl and the Diva disappears. Sexy.

r179 is living in shame :-)

Ross tended to project "girlish" in interviews. Her bitch antics were off camera/backstage. She was nothing like Madonna in that respect who played into her bitch image in interviews.

God R118, Mary sounds like Isabel Sanford.

I'm familiar with their hits but know nothing about their background.

Did they know each other growing up and decide to form a group or were they picked individually by Motown and made into a group?

R184, read a book and educate yourself. They were high school friends and classmates who started a singing group called The Primettes, a sister group to The Primes, who became The Temptations. Motown didn't enter the picture until later.

I've always liked their version of Unchained Melody from the I Hear a Symphony album.

Their first single (they may have had two) wasn't even on Motown or any of its imprints. And they were still the Primettes.

I think Mary and Diana were neighbors while Mary and Florence went to high school together. Diana went to a different school for some reason or another. I read Mary's book so long ago, I guess when it came out, so I could be mixed up. Anyway, I loved them. I don't really listen to music very often anymore, but I always smile when I hear the Supremes.

He brings nothing but heartaches!

Milton Jenkins, who managed the Primes, met with Florence Ballard and told her to form a sister group to accompany the Primes for stage performances. Flo recruited Mary Wilson, her friend from high school, and they in turn recruited Betty Travis. Depending on who you believe, either Mary or Primes member Paul Williams brought in Diane Ross, a new resident of Brewster Projects.

Based strictly on physical likeness,the perfect ladies to play The Supremes would have been Rosie Pérez as Flo...

...Stacey Dash as Mary...

...and Erika Alexander as Diane

[quote]she may look like a hotmess with her synthetic wigs

The wigs were a big part of the fabulosity. And the Supremes were absolutely, tremendously fabulous.

Poor Re's tits look like cantaloupes hanging in pantyhose.

'Happy (Is a Bumpy Road') is one of their most lovely songs.

Here I am. Here I'll stay...

STOP! IN THE NAME OF LOVE, BEFORE YOU BREAK MY HEART...STOOOOOOOOOP!

Reforming to help out the Evans family:

Florence was a big woman. Rosie Perez is a hobbit.

For naughty bottoms.

And a happy new year too!

[quote]Wilson was fine if given an unchallenging line here and there

...next day heartbreaking...

...yeah...yeah...

...where we can be...

[quote]Relatively few alternate lead singers (like the Sweet Inspirations, Temptations etc).

Don't forget The Eagles, The Pointer Sisters, Fleetwood Mac, Abba, Black Eyed Peas, ...and the biggest group of them all.

I are the original comment but I'll add: the Drifters.

*made

Even in Caricatureland, Flo can't be bothered to do the choreography full out. She's had too many cartoon martinis.

Here she is doing the same thing in real life. Go to the 1:00 mark.

"Looking at these old vids of skinny, big eyed Diana mugging and making exaggerated grimaces reminds me of Cookie on Empire. "

Well, rumor has it Diana may be on EMPIRE playing Cookie's mother (with Billy Dee Williams as her father)...

Miss Florence Ballard

Will Cindy Birdsong be replacing Antonin Scalia?

Flo was a hot momma.

I listened to the 'I hear a symphony ' album the other day. I hadn't heard it years, most of it still sounded good to me. Short album though, barely more than an half an hour.

[quote] Short album though, barely more than an half an hour.

Standard length for the time period. I have the Hip-O 2 Disc edition. Hopefully, they'll put one out this year for their only number 1 album, Supremes a Go Go, which will be fifty years old in 2016.

That's always been my favorite Supremes album, r213. But, they do have an Expanded Version of the "I Hear A Symphony" album that's much longer.

r215, I was thinking about album too: We had those LP's when I was a kid.

Thanks guys. I just downloaded it from ITunes.

You're welcome, r217...enjoy!

[quote]My favorite Supremes song (and one of my favorite Motown songs, period) is "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart." Few songs put me in a better mood, faster, than this song. Love this Ed Sullivan Show performance.

That was a great clip, as the girls - and Cholly Atkins - kind of abandoned the tight gown-based blocking format in favor of a more loose a-go-go choreography (even if Flo, at her heaviest and probably somewhat drunk, decided to drop out of some of the moves). I also love the way they shifted positions at the end, so silky, so smooth. They did that a lot in their live performances.

Just saw Dream Girls again on BET. Happy ending to the story of the Supremes. Oh Hollywood!

I always thought Flo was a gorgeous woman.

Lol me too R220. So i guess in a few years a Destiny Child based story will come out.

They were teenagers when they formed, and their hits on heavy rotation today were recorded when they were in their twenties.

In spite of all her trophies and undeserved praise, Beyonce's music is forgettable upon first listen, and will not be anything worth listening to 40-50 years from now.

Shut up Rihanna R223!

The Diana dolls are one off hand repainted works by repaint-artist bigboycty1. At the link you can see his work.

Omg!! Thank you, r225!

[quote]Oh Hollywood!

Um...the story and its happy ending were already in place back on Broadway. Hollywood had nothing to do with it.

I'd kill for Diana's wig at R203

Has Diana ever sung any of the post-Diana Supremes songs?

R229, She was singing going to sing Stoned Love and planning to sing Floy Joy when the downpour started at her '83 free Central Park concert. She took that as a sign and vowed to never to sing post-her Supremes songs again.

I really like "Floy Joy"

[quote]I really like "Floy Joy"

Well, he's the man!

[quote] I've always hated that episode of DW. "Ain't No Mountain" is a Diana Ross song NOT a Supremes song. I know it fit the "theme" of the episode (Charlene's battered friend, but did they honestly think we wouldn't know that little fact?

I loved the episode for the simple reason that Kim Zimmer gets beaten by her husband. I hate that cunt.

Is Sasha gay? He looked very hot tonight with his shirt open.

Oops, wrong thread!

Shout out to R145 I don't dispute the star power of Diana Ross but credit has to be given to the Motown studio singers the Andantes who often replaced Flo,Mary or Cindy in order to smooth out or sweeten back-up tracks that had already been laid down but discarded as unusable or needing beefing up. Anonymous Motown backup musicians Jackie Hicks,Louvain Demps and Marlene Barrow-Tate,often on call 24/7 were the singers with Ross on Livin' in Shame; In and Out of Love;Love Child; I hear a Symphony and many others. In OPs link Love is Here- it sure isn' t the Supremes singing that three part stratospheric " sweetening" you hear before the Supremes start their unison response to Ross's call. They sing the simple stuff and the pros got called in to take it up a notch.

The Supremes are second to NONE when it come to singing "Siver Bells" on their Christmas album. I love the flair those ladies put into it and even in mid April I listen to it on my phone.

r236, thanks for the shout. So is the beginning of Love Is Here vocals? My entire life I've wondered whether that intro consisted of very high-pitched session singers (I KNEW it wasn't Mary working those notes) or just a clavichord-sounding keyboard.

I know the cough was all Diane...

Remember when Diana Ross pushed Flo off stage.

"Out of my way bitch."

R239 Post a video of this.

[R240] Are you FUCKING INSANE? Don't bother answering. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again. 2015 Bump Troll FUCKTARD Strikes again.