Its the season for O Holy Night and The Florence Ballard voice.

[franjoy56]

My goodness I was on the subway this morning going to work and all of a sudden O Holy Night by the Supremes or should I say Florence Ballard played and I had to put on my dark glasses because the tears started to flow, my goodnes the conviction and power of her voice in that performance was enough to make any one's hair to stand up and say well done. That is one of the best vocal Christmas performance ever done by the Supremes however there are no Supremes on it but Flo. If any new fans have not heard it please hear it Marvin are you near by.

[marv2]

I heard this for the first time one cold, dark snowy night near the 59th Street Bridge [[aka the Queensboro Bridge) in Queens. It was in December of 2002 and Mary Wilson played it on her nationally syndicated radio show,"The Motown Show". I pulled over my car to listen. I was stunned at how beautiful this recording was. Florence Ballard sounded like an angel to me. I never forget where I was and when I first heard it........

[marv2]

My goodness I was on the subway this morning going to work and all of a sudden O Holy Night by the Supremes or should I say Florence Ballard played and I had to put on my dark glasses because the tears started to flow, my goodnes the conviction and power of her voice in that performance was enough to make any one's hair to stand up and say well done. That is one of the best vocal Christmas performance ever done by the Supremes however there are no Supremes on it but Flo. If any new fans have not heard it please hear it Marvin are you near by.

Fran, I am out of town right now. I am going to play this song for some that have not heard it.

[marv2]

This is really gets me in the mood for the season.......

[franjoy56]

Thank you Marvin you can always be counted on matter what others say you are the Motown go to person in my book.

[soulballad]

GREAT song and Flo at her best! I heard it was being released [[I think on the old Motown board) so as soon as A Motown Christmas Vol 2 was released on 11/07/01 I was there!. I rushed home to play it and have loved it ever since. The entire cd is great!

[antceleb12]

I love Flo on "Oh Holy Night." Really strong vocal with conviction. However, probably my all-time favorite vocal of hers is "Silent Night." For the life of me, I can't figure out why this wasn't included on the original release. There's something about her performance that reminds me of Mahalia Jackson.

[marv2]

I love Flo on "Oh Holy Night." Really strong vocal with conviction. However, probably my all-time favorite vocal of hers is "Silent Night." For the life of me, I can't figure out why this wasn't included on the original release. There's something about her performance that reminds me of Mahalia Jackson.

Oh when I first heard Florence singing "Silent Night" [[I believe it was Christmas 1995) some 30 years after the "Merry Christmas" album had been released. I just stood in the middle of my living room again, stunned at how perfectly angelic Florence sounded. After the song ended, I can remember becoming angry at the thought that something must have been REALLY wrong at Motown back in '65!

If you could have heard the way Mary Wilson introduced "Oh Holy Night" on the radio the night I first heard it, you'd never forget it. Sounding very solemn, Mary simply said......"thinking about my dear friend Florence tonight......." then she played the song. It was very heavy........

[marv2]

Thank you Marvin you can always be counted on matter what others say you are the Motown go to person in my book.

No, thank you Fran. Thanks for being here. All the best Holiday wishes to you this year and in the coming years!

[franjoy56]

Now that is range, she did not exclusively belong in the background with a voice like that.l

[soulballad]

My opinion is, I think the Supremes sound was geared towards "young popish sound" In most cases.whereas Flo's two songs sounded more mature and serious and Church like. I have to say that I believe the Black culture would have embraced Flo's songs back then because they are reminiscent of the black Church sound. Looking back it could have broadened their appeal but that was not the direction or image that Motown wanted.

[detmotownguy]

My goodness I was on the subway this morning going to work and all of a sudden O Holy Night by the Supremes or should I say Florence Ballard played and I had to put on my dark glasses because the tears started to flow, my goodnes the conviction and power of her voice in that performance was enough to make any one's hair to stand up and say well done. That is one of the best vocal Christmas performance ever done by the Supremes however there are no Supremes on it but Flo. If any new fans have not heard it please hear it Marvin are you near by.

Thanks for sharing your experience; it is pretty easy to get sentimental when hearing Flo's version. She certainly had a voice that should have
been heard. And Marv thanks for sharing your story about Mary's radio show! Yeah you are a pretty darn good "Motown go to guy"! I appreciate all your input here. Have a great holiday season!

[Ollie9]

I know it's coming up to christmas & all but i have to say i never really liked Florences voice. Diana and Mary yes. Listening to her solo album, i find her voice quite harsh with a limited range. I am sure she was a very nice person, but i have always thought she sounded better in the background........Just my own humble opinion and personal taste in music.

[luke]

The purity and strength of her voice are amazing.

[Roberta75]

I know it's coming up to christmas & all but i have to say i never really liked Florences voice. Diana and Mary yes. Listening to her solo album, i find her voice quite harsh with a limited range. I am sure she was a very nice person, but i have always thought she sounded better in the background........Just my own humble opinion and personal taste in music.

Flos solo album wasnt good but her Christmas songs leave may of us stunned in the middle of our living rooms just stunned at how perfectly angelic Flo sound. Her Christmas songs give so may of us the chills on bridges and elevators and freeways and departtment stores and we never ever forget where we first hear Flos beautiful angelic christmas songs.

Roberta

[floyjoy678]

I loved Florence's Christmas tracks. I think I like "O Holy Night" a little better than "Silent Night". I always wondered if they were going to have the Andantes lay down backing vocals for the former track and they just never got around to it or if they were just gonna leave it as a solo for Flo.

Ollie I think it's unfair to judge Florence as a singer by going by her solo album which was trash. She wasn't in a good state mentally and physically at the time it was recorded. Diana, Mary, Marvin, Smokey and Martha have all complimented and praised Florence's voice especially her singing partners. They obviously heard something that unfortunately most of us will never be able to hear.

[Ollie9]

I do not wish to sound unfair, but to me Florence never had that great a voice. There were fantastic soul singers a plenty in the the Sixties who would have sung rings around Florence. She did have a bigger/louder voice than Diana or Mary, but louder does not neccesarily mean better. For me her voice lacked that commercial quality that seperates you from the pack. I think she sounded wonderful harmonising in the the background with Mary, but even with decent promo i dont she would have ever made it as a solo. Her passing was a tragedy, but i think there is a tendency to get a little over sentimental, especially at this time of year

[blue_whippet]

Could anyone help me locate a mp3 version of this song in the UK? It's available on the US Amazon website which we cannot download from in the UK and it is not available on iTunes or the UK Amazon site. I'd prefer not to buy the whole Christmas cd but I shall if there is no alternative.
Many thanks.

[luke]

Florence would have been superb singing opera as well as soul and standards.

[floyjoy678]

I gotcha Ollie. To each his own. I love Diana and Florence's voices and I can't stand Mary's voice lol.

[Roberta75]

Florence would have been superb singing opera as well as soul and standards.

Flo certainly could have given Maria Callass a run for her money. If only. poor Florence.

Roberta

[kenneth]

I think Flo's voice on "O Holy Night" is superb but I find the arrangement a bit too slow and ponderous. It takes the whole record to get through just the first verse. I think it needed a little more verve in the arrangement.

That being said, I think Flo's voice is well suited to this kind of material. She is pitch perfect throughout the song. I bet she would have sounded great on Broadway type material. I think her success with the Supremes, and likely the whole world of pop music at the time, kept her and many other talented singers in the "soul singer" box. And we all know how myopic the record industry has always been, averse to taking risks, creating "soundalike" songs based on past hits rather than branching out, etc.

[Ollie9]

Flo could have been one of the greatest opera singers that ever lived!!!! Hmmm. I know tis the season to be jolly, but pleeeeeze.

[antceleb12]

Flo could have been one of the greatest opera singers that ever lived!!!! Hmmm. I know tis the season to be jolly, but pleeeeeze.

I wouldn't say the greatest, and certainly not Maria Callas, but she had great potentail - and some training in - classical music.

[detmotownguy]

I think Flo's voice on "O Holy Night" is superb but I find the arrangement a bit too slow and ponderous. It takes the whole record to get through just the first verse. I think it needed a little more verve in the arrangement.

That being said, I think Flo's voice is well suited to this kind of material. She is pitch perfect throughout the song. I bet she would have sounded great on Broadway type material. I think her success with the Supremes, and likely the whole world of pop music at the time, kept her and many other talented singers in the "soul singer" box. And we all know how myopic the record industry has always been, averse to taking risks, creating "soundalike" songs based on past hits rather than branching out, etc.

Maybe Flo was the one who should have gone solo. With her comedic abilities and being down to earth she might have had a strong chance on Broadway etc.

[antceleb12]

Maybe Flo was the one who should have gone solo. With her comedic abilities and being down to earth she might have had a strong chance on Broadway etc.

I know a lot of people compared her to Pearl Bailey.

[Roberta75]

Maybe Flo was the one who should have gone solo. With her comedic abilities and being down to earth she might have had a strong chance on Broadway etc.

If Flo had more confidence and the drive and no personall problems then I think shed have been bigger than Barbara Streisand imo.

Heartbreaking really.

Roberta

[franjoy56]

Your quite welcome Marvin you always have a track to back up points that need to be made

[franjoy56]

Well if you listen to O Holy Night it is clear Florence Ballard was a lead singer inspite of what you think, that woman had a voice on her and if it is the soul element in her voice that makes you feel otherwise well you are entitled to that but this forum is soulful Detroit and Florence Ballard certainly was a soulful Detroit singer.d

[franjoy56]

Thank you Roberta for that lovely comment on our first supreme Floence Ballard

[midnightman]

If Flo had more confidence and the drive and no personall problems then I think shed have been bigger than Barbara Streisand imo.

Heartbreaking really.

Roberta

I don't know about her being like Streisand but I do think she would've had a career if she had the same drive and confidence. It's clear she was too affected by personal problems to do anything that really called out for her talent. You can tell she was uninterested in her own solo album. It's a shame.

[Roberta75]

Thank you Roberta for that lovely comment on our first supreme Floence Ballard

You are so welcome dear Frances. Have a safe and blessed Holliday season.

Fondly.

Roberta

[stephanie]

Florence Ballard at Christmas is delightful!

[sup_fan]

i agree with some of the comments here. i'm not overwhelmed by her renditions of O Holy Night or Silent Night. from a technical perspective she has some pitch problems and poor pronunciation. it should not be sung "Round yon Veeeeeergin Mother and Child." i do realize they were all of 21 when they recorded this. but at this point they were also working with vocal coach Maurice King, who should have been helping them with things like this.

and i DEFINITELY agree that these arrangements are WAY too slow. O Holy Night could frankly be taken at twice the speed and still sound beautiful and solemn. that's definitely not flo's fault and it would certainly impact her tone and intonation.

basically i give these records a C+. there are some good points but some not so good. Whereas a Aint' That Good News is just 100% perfect. she's great there, production is strong, track is rocking. when all of the elements are in place and the style/genre is right, Flo sounds great.