Another question from my bucket list re: 70s Supremes

[jobucats]

When I first purchased this "The Supremes" album in 1975, I did many visual takes of the front and back covers which didn't seem to match with the personnel. Yes, on the front, there's Mary, Scherrie, and who appears to be Cindy. On the back cover, however, I could not figure out who in the world was that lady on the left. It couldn't be Cindy [[unless there was a heck of photoshopping and make-up artists involved.) Who is it. Is it Susaye? If so, that's quite a stunning shot. Thanks to all for clearing up these trivial-to-some questions I've always wondered about. [[I ended that sentence in a preposition!)
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[marv2]

When I first purchased this "The Supremes" album in 1975, I did many visual takes of the front and back covers which didn't seem to match with the personnel. Yes, on the front, there's Mary, Scherrie, and who appears to be Cindy. On the back cover, however, I could not figure out who in the world was that lady on the left. It couldn't be Cindy [[unless there was a heck of photoshopping and make-up artists involved.) Who is it. Is it Susaye? If so, that's quite a stunning shot. Thanks to all for clearing up these trivial-to-some questions I've always wondered about. [[I ended that sentence in a preposition!)
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That woman is Cindy Birdsong.

[jobucats]

That woman is Cindy Birdsong.

All I can say is, "Wow!" Thanks, Marv.

[marv2]

All I can say is, "Wow!" Thanks, Marv.

When I first saw that photo, I too thought they almost air-brushed Cindy to an unrecognizable state.

[sansradio]

I've always felt the same way. She doesn't even look like herself on the front cover, either.

[lakeside]

I think I read awhile back even Cindy was rather shocked by the picture. Can't remember where I read that, but, it was an interesting comment.

[marybrewster]

I always had the hardest time with the front cover; I've never thought Cindy and Scherrie looked alike but they could almost pass for twins.

[jobucats]

Here's the front cover for those who might not have it handy. 11672

[Bluebrock]

When I first purchased this "The Supremes" album in 1975, I did many visual takes of the front and back covers which didn't seem to match with the personnel. Yes, on the front, there's Mary, Scherrie, and who appears to be Cindy. On the back cover, however, I could not figure out who in the world was that lady on the left. It couldn't be Cindy [[unless there was a heck of photoshopping and make-up artists involved.) Who is it. Is it Susaye? If so, that's quite a stunning shot. Thanks to all for clearing up these trivial-to-some questions I've always wondered about. [[I ended that sentence in a preposition!)
11670
I agree with you. Cindy looks unrecognisable in both shots. She had lost a lot of weight [[perhaps too much?) and did not look herself. I know her weight was one of the reasons why she was asked to leave the group not that long after, but i think that was because she had put on a lot of weight? I loved this album and was devastated when it flopped. Some great outtakes too.

[honest man]

Cindy Birdsong,Diana Ross and Florence Ballard were the beauty of The Supremes in my opinion,cheers

[sup_fan]

i think the problem with the back photo is excessive airbrushing. they certainly gave her some amazing cheek bones!

i know that the strategy here was to put out a little of this, a little of that and see if there was a market for the Sups. I do like the more pop oriented songs here like It's All Been Said Before, you Can't Stop A Girl In Love. I think the lyric to Where Is It I Belong and Early Morning Love are silly and ridiculous. maybe not as bad as Momma and her homemade jam back in Living in Shame but they do not strike me as the caliber of songs the Sups deserved. And the disco, IMO, was generic. fun songs but could have been sung by any girls group or female solo artistic. it just wasn't special

[Bluebrock]

Cindy Birdsong,Diana Ross and Florence Ballard were the beauty of The Supremes in my opinion,cheers
Whatever you may think of Mary Wilson one cannot deny she was a stunning beauty. Ditto Lynda Lawrence. They along with Diana and Scherrie would be my personal choices.

[Bluebrock]

i think the problem with the back photo is excessive airbrushing. they certainly gave her some amazing cheek bones!

i know that the strategy here was to put out a little of this, a little of that and see if there was a market for the Sups. I do like the more pop oriented songs here like It's All Been Said Before, you Can't Stop A Girl In Love. I think the lyric to Where Is It I Belong and Early Morning Love are silly and ridiculous. maybe not as bad as Momma and her homemade jam back in Living in Shame but they do not strike me as the caliber of songs the Sups deserved. And the disco, IMO, was generic. fun songs but could have been sung by any girls group or female solo artistic. it just wasn't special
I thought HE'S MY MAN, COLOUR MY WORLD BLUE, WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE, IT'S ALL BEEN SAID BEFORE, YOU CAN'T STOP A GIRL IN LOVE were all little gems. Not too keen on the rather weary WHERE IS IT I BELONG and i think Scherrie would have been a better choice for lead vocals on EARLY MORNING LOVE but i did love this album and still do.

[honest man]

Whatever you may think of Mary Wilson one cannot deny she was a stunning beauty. Ditto Lynda Lawrence. They along with Diana and Scherrie would be my personal choices. whatever i think of Mary Wilson meaning.................. yes she was a beautiful woman but like you have a choice my 3choices are mine,nothing whatsever to do with what i think of people,stop putting words into peoples mouths,thank you.

[marybrewster]

I love this album; it's probably my most favorite of the post-Jean Supremes.

jobucats original question makes me laugh and think of my own experience of "who is who"?

I've told this story before; please forgive me if I am repeating myself: In the mid-80's I picked up a copy of "New Ways but Love Stays". Now remember, this was a time well before internet, and there were only a handful of books that talked about the Supremes; even less mention was made of the 70's Supremes. I bought it and marveled at this find. What was perplexing to me was: based on all of the other Supremes records I had, I could easily pick out Mary, but had the hardest time figuring out which Supreme was Cindy. And which Supreme was.....Diana. LOL. I had no idea that the Supremes had continued after Diana left the group; this one LP fueled a passion to find out anything and everything I could about the group. And thus my love for the 70's Supremes [[and the Supremes in general) was born.

[marv2]

I love this album; it's probably my most favorite of the post-Jean Supremes.

jobucats original question makes me laugh and think of my own experience of "who is who"?

I've told this story before; please forgive me if I am repeating myself: In the mid-80's I picked up a copy of "New Ways but Love Stays". Now remember, this was a time well before internet, and there were only a handful of books that talked about the Supremes; even less mention was made of the 70's Supremes. I bought it and marveled at this find. What was perplexing to me was: based on all of the other Supremes records I had, I could easily pick out Mary, but had the hardest time figuring out which Supreme was Cindy. And which Supreme was.....Diana. LOL. I had no idea that the Supremes had continued after Diana left the group; this one LP fueled a passion to find out anything and everything I could about the group. And thus my love for the 70's Supremes [[and the Supremes in general) was born.

You never heard the Supremes songs on the radio in the 70's in Minnesota?

[imakicola]

That front cover drives me nuts. Mary is looking at the camera but Scherrie and cindy are looking to our right. Whyyyyyy

[BayouMotownMan]

Yes, I remember the photos of this lp when it hit the street in May 1975. The front cover was so blurred that I thought I needed glasses. And those white virgin nightgowns. Motown was obviously trying to cut some years off the ladies, who were now in their 30s, Cindy at 35. In pop music, that is considered OLD. Motown has resistance to Cindy coming back for that very reason, her age and the weight she put on while out of the group. Scherrie to me was the prettiest on the cover. The back cover, Cindy had indeed dropped about 15 lbs and was sucking her cheeks in to give her self a more angular face. LOL. As far as the music on here goes, I was overall disappointed in this lp. It just didn't gel, the differences in all the producers was too great. Scherrie was supposed to do the lead on Early Morning Love. It's a great track but Mary's voice is just too thin for that. Also on This Is Why I Believe In You, Scherrie blew Mary off the record, she was no match for Scherrie. After the failure of He's My Man I just didn't hear any other hits on the album. Mary was in great voice on the ballads but Where Is It I Belong, a song about a woman having an affair a la If I Were Your Woman just simply didn't fit in with the group's image.

When High Energy came out I fell back in love with group. It had a cohesion and remains an excellent set.

[Bluebrock]

whatever i think of Mary Wilson meaning.................. yes she was a beautiful woman but like you have a choice my 3choices are mine,nothing whatsever to do with what i think of people,stop putting words into peoples mouths,thank you.
Sorry for that. I didn't mean to put it that way. Sincere apologies again.

[honest man]

Sorry for that. I didn't mean to put it that way. Sincere apologies again.No Problems here mate,i did not mean my comment to sound so harsh but could not write it, how i wanted to,hope you get the gist,no worries you are a gentleman,cheers.

[smallworld]

It's strange to me how Bend a Little didn't make the album but other tracks did. I guess TPTB might have wanted to give Bend a Little to another group/artist rather than "throw it away" on an album. I guess if a Scherrie-led Early Morning Love existed, it would be on the Let Yourself Go set.

[Bluebrock]

No Problems here mate,i did not mean my comment to sound so harsh but could not write it, how i wanted to,hope you get the gist,no worries you are a gentleman,cheers.
Cheers Brother! I had exactly the same problem attempting [[and failing) to get my point across. Glad we are on solid ground again.

[Bluebrock]

Yes, I remember the photos of this lp when it hit the street in May 1975. The front cover was so blurred that I thought I needed glasses. And those white virgin nightgowns. Motown was obviously trying to cut some years off the ladies, who were now in their 30s, Cindy at 35. In pop music, that is considered OLD. Motown has resistance to Cindy coming back for that very reason, her age and the weight she put on while out of the group. Scherrie to me was the prettiest on the cover. The back cover, Cindy had indeed dropped about 15 lbs and was sucking her cheeks in to give her self a more angular face. LOL. As far as the music on here goes, I was overall disappointed in this lp. It just didn't gel, the differences in all the producers was too great. Scherrie was supposed to do the lead on Early Morning Love. It's a great track but Mary's voice is just too thin for that. Also on This Is Why I Believe In You, Scherrie blew Mary off the record, she was no match for Scherrie. After the failure of He's My Man I just didn't hear any other hits on the album. Mary was in great voice on the ballads but Where Is It I Belong, a song about a woman having an affair a la If I Were Your Woman just simply didn't fit in with the group's image.

When High Energy came out I fell back in love with group. It had a cohesion and remains an excellent set.
Scherrie was excellent on this album. Mary probably demanded a lot of leads due to her status within the group but she really should have left the more uptempo stuff to Scherrie who was clearly a superior voice on that kind of material. Mary was fine on the ballads but less so on the faster paced songs.

[daviddh]

I thought this was a good album, I think Bend A Little, Sha La Bandit and Can We Love Again were really good out takes.

[marv2]

One of my favorite cuts from this album, "You Turn Me Around":


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbD1luidBD0

[luke]

I thought Mary was superb on Hes My Man and very sexy and loved the interplay with Scherrie . It didn't sound like typical disco to me..very Motown and exciting. Never understood why it wansnt a smash loved the harmonies Agree about Early Morning Love ..not good for Mary's voice.

[marv2]

I thought Mary was superb on Hes My Man and very sexy and loved the interplay with Scherrie . It didn't sound like typical disco to me..very Motown and exciting. Never understood why it wansnt a smash loved the harmonies Agree about Early Morning Love ..not good for Mary's voice.

She was excellent on "He's My Man". She and Scherrie Payne make a great duet, almost as great as Mary and Jean Terrell.
It was a number one Disco/Dance Hit. It is one of my favorite cuts on the album.

[marv2]

and here we go.....................


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jboIluemj8U

[honest man]

She was excellent on "He's My Man". She and Scherrie Payne make a great duet, almost as great as Mary and Jean Terrell.
It was a number one Disco/Dance Hit. It is one of my favorite cuts on the album. I never really cared for this song it was so CAMP. and GIRLIE There where better songs on the album that should have been singled out.It's All Been Said Before2Color My World Blue3Give Out, But Don't Give Up and a few more in my opinion.

[marv2]

I never really cared for this song it was so CAMP. and GIRLIE There where better songs on the album that should have been singled out.It's All Been Said Before2Color My World Blue3Give Out, But Don't Give Up and a few more in my opinion.

It was the most Soulful cut, followed by Early Morning Love on the album. I liked it!

[honest man]

hmmm even now days i forward these 2 songs in case i embarrass myself and my neighbours,but whatever floats your boat.The whole album project i reckon was their best for mid-late seventies though.

[Bluebrock]

I thought Mary was superb on Hes My Man and very sexy and loved the interplay with Scherrie . It didn't sound like typical disco to me..very Motown and exciting. Never understood why it wansnt a smash loved the harmonies Agree about Early Morning Love ..not good for Mary's voice.
I agree Luke. Mary and Scherrie sounded great together on HE'S MY MAN. I just adore this tune and have done so for over 40 years. It was such a great song and should have stormed the pop charts on both sides of the pond. I was devastated when EARLY MORNING LOVE became the UK follow up. It was at best an average album track with Mary sounding most unconvincing. Scherrie could and would have nailed that song and made it much better.

[Thornton]

This is my dream thread. "The Supremes" 75 is my favorite album in terms of individual songs, but I agree that there isn't a great flow to it. After the 2011 "Let Yourself Go" boxed set came out I made an alternate album mix using some of the outtakes, and managed to create album for my personal playlist that sounds pretty cohesive.

As far as leads, I always thought Scherrie should have sung the entire lead on "This Is Why I Believe In You", but "Early Morning Love" seems perfect for Mary. It's interesting that so many people have a different opinion. I guess that's what makes these threads so much fun.

[franjoy56]

After waiting f 25 yrs i foundt this album in bondys in lower manhatan. I ran it home and could not waitto play it. I eagerly waited to cut 4 to hear scherries vocals on its all been said before. She blew everybody she was t spark the supremes should have utilized more.

[franjoy56]

After waiting 2.5 years for a new supremes album.

[Bluebrock]

After waiting f 25 yrs i foundt this album in bondys in lower manhatan. I ran it home and could not waitto play it. I eagerly waited to cut 4 to hear scherries vocals on its all been said before. She blew everybody she was t spark the supremes should have utilized more.
Scherrie was indeed in a class of her own on this album. She was on fire and breathed new life into the group. She should have been given more lead vocals on the faster songs leaving Mary to concentrate on the ballads.

[sup_fan]

i think many of the tracks at this time were just not of the caliber of the girls. especially the lyric. Scherrie was and is an amazing singer and i do agree she added an amazing element to the group. As much as i love Jean and her tracks, i equally love Scherrie and her lead capabilities. frankly IGLMHDTW and Let Yourself Go couldn't have been done by anyone but Scherrie. IMO those are signature Supreme songs like Nathan Jones, Up the Ladder, Love Child, You Can't Hurry love. it's unfortunate that they weren't bigger hits.

So i'll repeat my comment about the tracks on Sup 75 being too generic. No one but Scherrie could do Walking. but frankly anyone could have done Where Do I Go from Here. He's My Man is catchy but just 1 degree away from being so silly that it was a novelty tune.

i think a strong Sup 75 lp would have had the following tracks. still not as strong as HE or MSS but better

He's My Man
I Can Never Recover
Can We Love Again
Seed Of Love
Where Do I Go from Here
This Is Why I Believe in You

it's All Been Said Before
Color My World Blue
Give out
you Turn Me Around
You Can't Stop a Girl In Love
Dance fever

[sup_fan]

also interestingly, in a Sup Fan Club magazine from this time, the author [[was it you Tom??) previewed several of the tracks and made recommendations. The magazine had mini reviews of the recordings - from Sha La Bandit to Shoop Shoop to Dance Fever, Color My World, etc.

The ladies were really hot on Color My World Blue and thought it was a great one. They did NOT like Shoop. and they thought It's All been Said Before was nice but lacking.

[Bluebrock]

also interestingly, in a Sup Fan Club magazine from this time, the author [[was it you Tom??) previewed several of the tracks and made recommendations. The magazine had mini reviews of the recordings - from Sha La Bandit to Shoop Shoop to Dance Fever, Color My World, etc.

The ladies were really hot on Color My World Blue and thought it was a great one. They did NOT like Shoop. and they thought It's All been Said Before was nice but lacking.
The problem with IT'S ALL BEEN SAID is it's length or lack of length. It fades out around 30 seconds earlier than it should have done. Same with HE'S MY MAN. I know there is a longer version of that but that goes on for a little too long in my opinion. With better running times these could have been sizeable hits particularly in the UK. COLOUR MY WORLD BLUE is another absolute gem but probably not hit single material.

[daviddh]

I always have been fond of Color My World Blue and Sha La Bandit. gems in my book. Bend A Little should of never been vaulted.

[sup_fan]

from a "pop" perspective i think It's All Been Said and You Can't stop A Girl are the strongest.

from a disco perspective i think I Can Never Recover was the best one

He's My Man is a great track but better lyrics would have helped it

Where Do I Go From Here is another great track but the vocals aren't exciting enough. If they had something on them like the "whoo hoo" part of IGLMHDTW it would have made things better

[REDHOT]

I loved everything about this album,Mary sound great singing Early Morning Love,they put it in the show,Can We Love Again should have been included,Mary Wilson Cindy Birdsong and new Supreme Scherrie Payne,at that time ,sound great,but He's My Man should have been a Big Hit,again loved everything about this album.i must say Mary Wilson did leads,on half the album,and sounding great.