The Supremes "The Loving Country"

[marybrewster]

A mystery to me:

Who is singing from :08 to 0:15. Mary? Cindy?

What are they singing? "Come with me?" "Pretty Baby?"

[mowest]

A mystery to me:

Who is singing from :08 to 0:15. Mary? Cindy?

What are they singing? "Come with me?" "Pretty Baby?"

I've read that it is Cindy singing "Come with me."

[westgrandboulevard]

So have I, and on this forum.

I was surprised but, as I wasn't present at the recording, will accept that as truth. A real pity she didn't have more opportunities to let her voice soar like that.....

[marybrewster]

Thank you mowest and westGB.

I knew it wasn't Jean and I couldn't imagine it being Mary, but one never knows. Such a beautiful voice. Cindy certainly had chops.

I wonder if Cindy would have found success [[much like Michelle Williams did from Destiny's Child) if she would have "gone gospel?"

[westgrandboulevard]

I wonder if Cindy ever found herself thinking just that....

[soulballad]

It's Cindy using her high Bluebelles voice! I say "Bluebelles voice because she really held her own along with Sara on those older songs and live.She def had the ability but imo some of those Supremes productions just didn't warrant the full use of her voice nor that of most of the other ladies until the last line up. The Supremes were all softness and gloss which is cool too btw!

[danman869]

I always thought Cindy was singing "come GO with me...!" which is echoed by the three together and then by Jean opening with "come AND go with me...!"

[reese]

I used to think it was Mary. She did have a high falsetto that she used at times, like on FALLING IN LOVE WITH LOVE or THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM.

[westgrandboulevard]

Or "I'm The Greatest Star"......at the part "she's the greatest, greatest.....star....." - it certainly sounds like Mary singing the word "star"....

[blackguy69]

I've heard that Motown was planning on releasing this as a single. Does anyone have knowledge of this?

[bradsupremes]

I don't know who posted it, but I heard a story years ago on here about Ivy Jo Hunter originally writing the song for Diana, Mary & Florence or something about including it in their live act. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

[reese]

I don't know who posted it, but I heard a story years ago on here about Ivy Jo Hunter originally writing the song for Diana, Mary & Florence or something about including it in their live act. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

I remember hearing that as well. I think it was supposed to be performed at the Copa or something like that.

[theboyfromxtown]

Ivy Jo Hunter told that to Harry Weinger, myself and a few others. He said it started off as an instrumental for the Supremes' Copa performance.

[thommg]

This was one of my favorite songs off of the Right On lp. I still think it's fantastic.

[sup_fan]

an excellent track. this should have been the follow up to Ladder. the theme of Everybody is great but the track and mix is awful, IMO. the alt version on Greatest Hits and Rare Classics is better. the live version definitely is the best though still not wonderful.

[franjoy56]

an excellent track. this should have been the follow up to Ladder. the theme of Everybody is great but the track and mix is awful, IMO. the alt version on Greatest Hits and Rare Classics is better. the live version definitely is the best though still not wonderful.

I totally agree lovin country had the right groove for the follow up to ladder. Btw midnight johnny has been playing an extended version of iup the ladder to the roof on his radio show flawless has anyone heard it.

[longtimefan]

"The Loving Country" was included in a medley sung live by the girls during this period.

[Methuselah2]

Thank you mowest and westGB.

I knew it wasn't Jean and I couldn't imagine it being Mary, but one never knows. Such a beautiful voice. Cindy certainly had chops.

I wonder if Cindy would have found success [[much like Michelle Williams did from Destiny's Child) if she would have "gone gospel?"

MB - I thought Cindy had 'gone gospel' at one point:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKNKb0apCJ8

Thanks to MOTOWNJIM37 for this YouTube posting of Cindy being interviewed and also singing.

[144man]

I totally agree lovin country had the right groove for the follow up to ladder. Btw midnight johnny has been playing an extended version of iup the ladder to the roof on his radio show flawless has anyone heard it.

He's played it a few times recently. It's brilliant.

[smark21]

Thank you mowest and westGB.

I knew it wasn't Jean and I couldn't imagine it being Mary, but one never knows. Such a beautiful voice. Cindy certainly had chops.

I wonder if Cindy would have found success [[much like Michelle Williams did from Destiny's Child) if she would have "gone gospel?"

She did make an appearance on PTL Club [[Jim and Tammy Bakker) in the 80s and sang a gospel song. Sounded pretty good and later she became a full time minister.

[LuvHangOva]

I seem to remember at the time critics weren't too fond of the song. that wasn't the first or last time I realized some critics are unabashedly IGNUNT. I know a great melody and arrangement when I hear em. With its grande, majestic flowing sound The Lovin Country even then remindeded me of something Diana Ross could have done. "Runnin blind thru your mind to the Lovin Country..." I loved it! Great job by Ivy Joe, Smokey, and The Ladiies.

[midnight johnny]

I disagree with the folks that think that it's Cindy on that initial phrase "Come go with me....". Cindy had a nice voice, but it was light with an irregular vibrato, but it wasn't powerful and smooth like that initial voice. When I interviewed Jean on my show, I asked her what her recollection was about who may have sung that line. She thought it was herself at first, but I challenged her on it [[gently). She was certain it wasn't Mary [[and I am too). My feeling about it for a long while is that the Andantes were used in a number of tracks on "Right On"....including parts [[only a very few) on "Up The Ladder To The Roof". The soprano intro on "The Loving Country", I think, is Louvain Demps. One clip that shows Cindy is my youtube clip that has the actual background vocals by Mary and Cindy from the Andy WIlliams Show, and a bit of Cindy solo from "Everybody's Go The Right To Love". Just my own feeling about the whole thing. http://youtu.be/7D8oswRtYJU

[milven]

This is the perfect time to thank you for all your great extended Motown songs. They are appreciated by me. And the sound quality is even better. You can hear the segment in question better on this version

[rod_rick]

I disagree with the folks that think that it's Cindy on that initial phrase "Come go with me....". Cindy had a nice voice, but it was light with an irregular vibrato, but it wasn't powerful and smooth like that initial voice. When I interviewed Jean on my show, I asked her what her recollection was about who may have sung that line. She thought it was herself at first, but I challenged her on it [[gently). She was certain it wasn't Mary [[and I am too). My feeling about it for a long while is that the Andantes were used in a number of tracks on "Right On"....including parts [[only a very few) on "Up The Ladder To The Roof". The soprano intro on "The Loving Country", I think, is Louvain Demps. One clip that shows Cindy is my youtube clip that has the actual background vocals by Mary and Cindy from the Andy WIlliams Show, and a bit of Cindy solo from "Everybody's Go The Right To Love". Just my own feeling about the whole thing. http://youtu.be/7D8oswRtYJU

It is very possible that it's Cindy n the intro. On the gospel song that CIndy sang on PTL she hit a not higher the the Loving Country and it was pretty strong. I think I also read on this forum sometime back that it was confirmed by Louvan Demps of the Andantes that it was Cindy on that note. As far as Jean is concerned love her but her account of some of the activities were not always accurate. That part of the recording could have been produced without Jean in the studio. Never thought it was Jean on the intro

[midnight johnny]

This is the perfect time to thank you for all your great extended Motown songs. They are appreciated by me. And the sound quality is even better. You can hear the segment in question better on this version

Milven....thanks so much. I really appreciate your very kind comments! John

[midnight johnny]

It is very possible that it's Cindy n the intro. On the gospel song that CIndy sang on PTL she hit a not higher the the Loving Country and it was pretty strong. I think I also read on this forum sometime back that it was confirmed by Louvan Demps of the Andantes that it was Cindy on that note. As far as Jean is concerned love her but her account of some of the activities were not always accurate. That part of the recording could have been produced without Jean in the studio. Never thought it was Jean on the intro

Rod...I'll tell you...sometimes it takes listening more than 4000 times to hear something a little differently than you thought you heard it. I read your post. And my extended version was just above. So I figured...listen to it 4001 times and just see what I hear. So I clicked on it. You know, I will agree with you....it very well could be Cindy. And I'll tell you...my heart really wants it to be Cindy.

[sup_fan]

midnight - you might be right. i'm sure that Andantes so a few "insertions" in songs like the "yeahs" on the bridge of Shine on Me. or bits here and there in stone love. i do also think that the Sups did multi-layered vocals with Frank. i've always wondered if after the Sups did their vocals and the producer[[s) were finalizing the songs they thought "hmmmm we need a bit more here and there of vocals. let's add something to these measures or those measures" and since the Sups were most likely touring, they'd grab the Andantes and fill in

just a theory