Just got a copy Of We Remember Sam Cooke...

[nomis]

..The girls sound great,Very mature,Flo founds great in the backgrounds and Diana has lost that whiney sound from Meet the Supremes era [[my hip o cd of that has arrived to but Im scared to listen to it yet!)..I havent picked my favourite from the sam Cooke sessions yet..they all sound so great - a big thanks for Miss Lish for sending me a copy these early Supremes are getting too damned pricey on Amazon..Im really impressed with the quality of these tracks..

[miss_lish]

How nice to hear that they are there! xo

And, yes, let's get back to the music..

Oh, but nomis, you must listen to MTS, and with open ears. It is very entertaining on many levels. The Girls developing as singers and performers being the most interesting. But also, you will see and hear why Miss Ross was singled out. Although errthang didn't work; there was a spark of something that makes listeners listen. I have Ian Phillips to thank for the inspiration to go back and listen to all things Supreme from MTS on. I am now on More Hits. I wish my ears were fine tuned enough to hear a difference between Mono and Stereo; maybe my ass needs a tighter system too. ;oP I will come back later with very detailed thoughts about these projects; especially MTS. Mary and Florence show out too on all of this work. Those were such fun, exciting, and colorful times; everything seemed possible. MTS has its moments, quite a few actually; MTS is festive.

[nomis]

..I will listen to Meet over the xmas break [[hurry up and get here!) look forward to a thread about it..thanks again for the music ur a doll x

[Koach]

I wish The Supremes had done Another Saturday Night on We Remember Sam Cooke.

[randy_russi]

I liked this lp, We Remember Sam Cooke, as it is definitely The Supremes on these sessions. The Sam Cooke Medley
they did in the "live" shows came from doing this lp and they performed the medley for years, even after Cindy
joined the group.

[marybrewster]

nomis; what a rare treat miss_lish has sent.

Hip-O selece needs to release some of these "specialty" albums, maybe as a boxed set? "Sam Cooke", "Country, Western and Pop" and "A Bit of Liverpool" would make a great double CD.

[randy_russi]

Years ago they were all issued on CD; some as double disc collections.

[RossHolloway]

I too love the We Remember Sam Cooke album. Before it was finally put on cd back in the 90's[[?), I paid $50 for a clean mint conditioned copy of this album from a record collector. I can still remember being in my college dormroom and opening that package and staring at the album cover and record itself and committing to memory everything about this album. It was so visually beautiful. I think the producers on this album really stayed true to Sam's music, and while it has the Supreme voices, the music itself doesn't have the classic Motown production and the music doesn't sound like it was recorded in Detroit. I also love the Sam Cooke medley they did in concert - lots of energy.

With respect to MTS, I enjoy this album because it's really the start of not just the Supremes progression, but the Motown sound as well. To be labeled the no-hit Supremes, they sure did record a lot of material early on, so someone saw something special about the group. The songs represent a mix of blues, soul and pop and the Supremes pouring their heart into all of it. I'm also reminded every time I listen to this album of just how young they were-with them being between the ages of 16 and 19 years old when these songs were recorded. I hear a lot of joy in this album and on the expanded edition, I really like the live tracks as well. Those tracks really put you in the theater as the Supremes were performing. It's a really nice collection.

[topdiva1]

Ain't That Good News - says it all. The Supremes We Remember Sam Cooke is often over looked - but it is in fact pure early Diana, Mary, and Flo.

[Kamasu_Jr]

Years ago they were all issued on CD; some as double disc collections.

Frankly, I'd rather hear Sam Cooke sing Sam Cooke. He was the best. But I understand why this LP was done. Supposedly the Supremes met Sam Cooke once. More interesting to me is what HE thought of them. He was still alive when Where Did Our Love Go topped the charts.

[randy_russi]

Most of the early Motown artists had met Sam Cooke. And, although not a Motown group, the Crystals were among
his favorites. He had them tour with him several times. Even today his daughter Linda, married to Cecil Womack,
talks fondly of how Dee Dee and La La [[Crystals) were like big sisters to her.

[Kamasu_Jr]

Most of the early Motown artists had met Sam Cooke. And, although not a Motown group, the Crystals were among
his favorites. He had them tour with him several times. Even today his daughter Linda, married to Cecil Womack,
talks fondly of how Dee Dee and La La [[Crystals) were like big sisters to her.


Sam Cooke definitely had an eye for the ladies and vice versa. It's possible he might have crossed paths more often with the Supremes had he lived. Hehhehheh

.

[topdiva1]

Frankly, I'd rather hear Sam Cooke sing Sam Cooke. He was the best. But I understand why this LP was done. Supposedly the Supremes met Sam Cooke once. More interesting to me is what HE thought of them. He was still alive when Where Did Our Love Go topped the charts.

Likely this album was done, because Berry Gordy was smart.

[rovereab]

I have never heard this album so I wonder......

Was the album recorded at Detroit? Just wondered if it has the 60s Motown sound in any way?

Thanks and Seasons Greetings to all.

Eamonn

[mysterysinger]

Here's one I prepared earlier......
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookephotography/4592845299/

[nomis]

...I stayed away from ever purchasing Cooke,Liverpool or Country and Western because theyve gone down in Motown lore a rush-job fillers...certainly Cooke dosent have a weak track for me..I think its a very loving tribute of course I had heard the odd track on anthology complitaions over the years but hearing the set as a whole Im just struck by how mature they sound..as for Liverpool -"bits and Pieces" is awful..still listening and learning..cheers x

[johnjeb]

Same Cooke album was just OK, for me. Every song sounds the same except the vocal by Florence, which is the highlight of the album. I don't sense any emotion in Diana's vocals. I never play this album and only "Good News" is on my iPod.

I purchased Meet, Sam Cooke, Liverpool and Country,Western in 1966 between the releases of Symphony and A' Go-Go, completing my collection to that point.

These four non-hit albums made me love The Supremes even more. The highlights of these albums were the occasional leads by Mary & Flo. Although at that time I didn't know who was who vocally.

I liked Meet as I knew it contained many of their pre-hit singles. I like every song except "Never Again" [[ugh!). On my iPod I replaced that song with "The Boy That Got Away".

Liverpool was a disappointment in sound but it is consistent with the sound of some garage-rock and British bands having hits at the time. There are at least a half-dozen gems on Liverpool, in my opinion. I appreciate that album even more today. I play it a couple of times a year and have my favorites on my iPod.

Country, Western & Pop has always been a big favorite of mine. I love the shared leads and the variety of songs. Yes, a couple are duds but the album, as a whole, has aged well.

I would recommend Supremes' fans adding these albums to their collections. I don't think they are any more a rush-job than some other albums like HDH, Cream Of The Crap, or Together [[w/Temptations).

[topdiva1]

Johnjeb - nicely put I enjoyed your views and agree with you. Even though they where non hit albums - Gordy was smart in using The Supremes to broaden their own fan base and that of his company.

Berry Gordy was a genius - even though his contracts were not even remotely fair. He did Gordy, never the less.

[jobeterob]

To show how popular the Supremes and those character albums were, here are their peak R & B Chart positions from Billboard:

Hit Albums

Where Did Our Love Go - #1
More Hits - #2
At the Copa - #2
I Hear A Symphony - #1
A Go Go - #1
HDH - #1
Greatest Hits - #1
Reflections - #1


Character Albums

Liverpool - #5
Sam Cooke - #5
Rogers & Hart - #3
Funny Girl - #45
On Broadway - #4


As opposed to some new Supremes Albums:

New Ways - #12
Magnificent 7 - #18
Return of Magnificent 7 - #18
Dynamite #21
Supremes 72 - #27
Supremes 75 - #25

When they were hot, they were very hot.

Their 5 biggest albums were Greatest Hits, TCB, A Go Go, Join the Temptations, and Sing HDH.

Diana's 5 biggest R & B Albums were diana 1980, Touch Me in the Morning, Diana Ross 1976, Lady Sings the Blues and Diana! TV Special.

[topdiva1]

Thanks Jobeterob for that info - I am always surprised about the Diana Ross and The Supremes Sing and Perform Funny Girl album. I thought that vocally the ladies did an amazing job with a very difficult score. Miss Ross was at her best - especially on Funny Girl, Greatest Star, and the unforgettable Don't Rain On My Parade. All delivered with great feeling. She worked her butt off, for she was going up against Barbara Striesand - and Ross served her. LOL

I personally would rank this up there with Rogers and Hart. Could the fan reaction to Funny Girl be based somewhat on Flo's departure? I just cannot understand why this album did not do better.

Any thoughts???

[nomis]

I think part of the reason Funny Girl failed because it was a relativley new musical and didnt have the fan base of say a Rogers and Hammerstien show..it was at the time a hip show for Broadway..but theres a large American audience not tuned in to what is a must [[to quote Tony) to see in New York add to the pot there was no hit single in the album and the Supremes moving to a much more upper class 'White" fan base at this time [[and I use that term loosely they still had a black fan base but not to the level when say We remember sam cooke was released) but by all accounts Diana never sounded better than she did on the funny Girl set..

[uptight]

I believe all of the We Remember Sam Cooke backing tracks were recorded by Motown producers in Los Angeles, like parts of Supremes A Go-Go. But you got the vocals recorded in Detroit, all mixed in Detroit with the reverb chambers characteristic of the Motown Sound. Great arrangements and performances overall.

The thing I dislike is the distortion in the backing tracks. I wouldn't doubt the backing tracks were recorded distorted, in an attempt to give it that gritty "Motown Sound" but taking it a bit too far. You can't fix distortion once it's in the original multi's.

Still distorted, I listen to my mono LP as a refreshing alternative to the stereo CD.

[smark21]

I think part of the reason Funny Girl failed because it was a relativley new musical and didnt have the fan base of say a Rogers and Hammerstien show..it was at the time a hip show for Broadway..but theres a large American audience not tuned in to what is a must [[to quote Tony) to see in New York add to the pot there was no hit single in the album and the Supremes moving to a much more upper class 'White" fan base at this time [[and I use that term loosely they still had a black fan base but not to the level when say We remember sam cooke was released) but by all accounts Diana never sounded better than she did on the funny Girl set..

But back in the 50's and well into the 60's, Broadway cast albums were big sellers and did very well on the album market. But it had to be a cast album, not a knock-off. The Supremes Funny Girl album can be regarded as the audio equivalent of the cheap knock off of a famous fast food chain. In New York City, at least, there is a local Fried Chicken chain called Kennedy Fried Chicken [[KFC), an obvious rip of the more famous and successful Kentucky Fried Chicken. I think Motown went a step too far in their pandering to the adult market with the Funny Girl album and so blatantly imitative and creatively uninspired.

[marybrewster]

To show how popular the Supremes and those character albums were, here are their peak R & B Chart positions from Billboard:

Hit Albums

Where Did Our Love Go - #1
More Hits - #2
At the Copa - #2
I Hear A Symphony - #1
A Go Go - #1
HDH - #1
Greatest Hits - #1
Reflections - #1


Character Albums

Liverpool - #5
Sam Cooke - #5
Rogers & Hart - #3
Funny Girl - #45
On Broadway - #4


As opposed to some new Supremes Albums:

New Ways - #12
Magnificent 7 - #18
Return of Magnificent 7 - #18
Dynamite #21
Supremes 72 - #27
Supremes 75 - #25

When they were hot, they were very hot.

Their 5 biggest albums were Greatest Hits, TCB, A Go Go, Join the Temptations, and Sing HDH.

Diana's 5 biggest R & B Albums were diana 1980, Touch Me in the Morning, Diana Ross 1976, Lady Sings the Blues and Diana! TV Special.


Where did "Cream of the Crop" or "LTSI" chart?

[roger]

Where did "Cream of the Crop" or "LTSI" chart?

From Joel Whitburn's "Top R&B Albums - 1965-1998"

"Let The Sun Shine In" - #7
"Cream Of The Crop" - #3

Roger

[topdiva1]

I think part of the reason Funny Girl failed because it was a relativley new musical and didnt have the fan base of say a Rogers and Hammerstien show..it was at the time a hip show for Broadway..but theres a large American audience not tuned in to what is a must [[to quote Tony) to see in New York add to the pot there was no hit single in the album and the Supremes moving to a much more upper class 'White" fan base at this time [[and I use that term loosely they still had a black fan base but not to the level when say We remember sam cooke was released) but by all accounts Diana never sounded better than she did on the funny Girl set..


Thank you very much for your observations on Diana Ross and The Supremes Sing and Perform Funny Girl - Diana Ross was indeed at her best on this set - as were Mary and Cindy. I guess, "in it's day, it was a must". [[to quote Tony Turner, also) for any Supremes fan and collector.

The fact that Diana Ross then went on to use Don't Rain On My Parade from this play as her opening number speaks volumes of what she and Motown thought of her rendition at the time. A sensational song, well suited for the Diva Ross, as she moved forward and away from The Supremes.

Back to Supremes We Remember Sam Cooke - for me - and many, the standout was Flo Ballards vocal style on of Ain't That Good News, in and of itself - "it is a must". LOL Thanks Nomis.

[johnjeb]

Funny Girl was released to coincide with the movie's release. The DRATS album charted one week after the film soundtrack charted. The Broadway play had been around for over 4 years with several of the songs already considered standards, such as People and Parade. The title song Funny Girl was new to the film. In a similar thread on the old board it was said that BG had high hopes for this album. I have also heard it said that Streisand was not too happy that Motown was trying to compete with the release of the film soundtrack, including the new songs and using her producer. The DRATS album only made it to 150 on the Pop Chart, while the film soundtrack went to #12.

I enjoyed the album at the time because it was The Supremes but it hasn't stood the test of time for me. It has an empty and flat quality, much the same as what I feel for their Sam Cooke album. I burned FG onto CD-R about 10 years ago and probably have played it twice. [[Although I would buy the CD if it should ever be released.) I much prefer the warmth and soul of their Rodgers & Hart album [[as originally released).

From Joel Whitburn's Billboard Top Pop Albums 1955-2001:

WDOLG #2 [[4 weeks)/89 weeks on chart
Liverpool #21/21 wks
CW&P #79/8wks
Cooke #75/19 wks
MH #6/37 wks
Copa #11/54wks
Symphony #8/55 wks
A Go-Go #1 [[2 wks)/60 wks
HDH #6/29 wks
R&H #20/19 wks
GH #1 [[5 wks)/89 wks
Reflections #18/29 wks
TOTT #57/18 wks
FG #150/12 wks
Join #2 [[1 wk)/32 wks
LC #14/21 wks
TCB #1 [[1wk)/34 wks
LTSI #24/18 wks
Together #28/18 wks
COTC #33/20 wks
GIT #38/12 wks
GH3 #31/25 wks
Farewell #46/18 wks

Right On #25/19 wks

[Koach]

I'm afraid I didn't like Flo's version of Ain't That Good News... and I didn't care for Buttered Popcorn, either. I did, however, love her version of Silent Night.

[captainjames]

Excellent thread and I have loved all the show albums by the Supremes. It proved just how versatile they could be with a song. The Sam Cooke album is one of the finest next to CW&P and I loved hearing and watching how they grew in song. However, it is my opinion that the Funny Girl album is by far Ross at her peak in style with an arrangement. I remember seeing the girls perform Cornet Man and I thought at the time how odd of a song for them to perform but, yet it had class and it was still Supreme [[somewhat).

It is my opinion that the album cross overed a bit too much and that was some of the down fall. Gone was the rhythm or soul in the song and some of the buying public felt somwhat lost at where their favorite group was headed. I think that is why BG came back with pairing the group up with the Temps and giving us Love Child and Living in Shame and the look changed a bit.

As for me I still loved the girls because they could do no wrong by me.

[nomis]

thanks johnjeb I will give Country and Western another listen..I cant tell you all how touched I was to get those cds from Miss Lish I had a quick listen to them in my shop but when I finally get some new headphones I will be listening to them with the volume up [[as Motown music is meant to be played)...Didnt think much of The Copa on first listen..

[stephanie]

Aint that Good News was the highlight on this album for me and that was it. I also liked Shake but I prefer to listen to them live. CWP the harmonies were much better but the cover work on Sam Cooke was a great artist rendering of the girls. I used to look at it thinking they would come alive or jump out of the picture. Funny Girl was another album I liked because Cindy and Mary had their own picture and Ross and the heavy eyeliner looked so cheesy I was afraid to show it to anyone. Vocally Diana was at her best her I can remember thinking I didnt know she could sing this well.

[jobeterob]

Good News and Shake were definitely the highlights.

[nomis]

Shake on Ready Steady Go Motown special was so much better than the recorded version..Diana was on top form at that tv taping..

[nabob]

but the cover work on Sam Cooke was a great artist rendering of the girls. I used to look at it thinking they would come alive or jump out of the picture.

The cover had a "textured" mat finish as opposed to the "glossy" finish on most LP covers. I always enjoyed the feel of this album jacket whenever it was picked up for playing.

[topdiva1]

Good News and Shake were definitely the highlights.

I agree with you on this one, jobeterob. Don't be so surprised. LOL - and Happy New Year to ya!!!!

[marv2]

I have this album [[yep picked it up right outta my parents album collection LOL!). I always liked "Ain't That Good News", Cupid and "Shake" from this record.