Supremes album sales to the present

[luke]

http://www.greasylake.org/the-circuit/index.php?%2Ftopic%2F116321-the-supremes-diana-ross-stevie-wonder-and-ray-charlesusa-album-sales%2F

[jobeterob]

Whats interesting is that this has been around quite a while but looks a bit updated as well.

It means Diana Ross would have significantly outsold Stevie Wonder in US album sales. And her international album sales are much higher than any other Motown artist except Michael Jackson [[if you include him).

[marv2]

Whats interesting is that this has been around quite a while but looks a bit updated as well.

It means Diana Ross would have significantly outsold Stevie Wonder in US album sales. And her international album sales are much higher than any other Motown artist except Michael Jackson [[if you include him).

It must be old. She hasn't been able to sell her songs for over 30 years now.

[BayouMotownMan]

It must be old. She hasn't been able to sell her songs for over 30 years now.

She outsells Mary Wilson by miles

[marv2]

She outsells Mary Wilson by miles

Diana Ross hasn't made a record in decades that I would buy!

[sup_fan]

marv - at least diana has made a record to sell. i personally like Mary but the fact remains she has had all of 2 or 3 complete albums, ever.

[BayouMotownMan]

Diana Ross hasn't made a record in decades that I would buy!

I don't believe that, you're too obsessed with her

[Bluebrock]

I don't believe that, you're too obsessed with her
Just ignore this person. He is just trying to stir up trouble as per usual. Bless him.

[marv2]

marv - at least diana has made a record to sell. i personally like Mary but the fact remains she has had all of 2 or 3 complete albums, ever.

Diana Ross does not make good music in my opinion. Who she makes it for is a mystery to me. Her voice is devoid of soul.

[sup_fan]

marv i do agree that her voice is one either you love or hate. It's nasal, piercing. I certainly don't think anyone here would say she's the most gifted vocalist of all time. heck she's certainly not the most vocally gifted of all of the Supremes.

voice quality aside, she is amazing when it comes to phrasing. This is something she was able to do very early on. surprisingly - considering that teenagers are not usually gifted with this. Flo wasn't. Mary wasn't. they sang their songs very well but rather straightforward. Flo really had IMO her most shining moment with Good News from the Sam Cooke set. on that record she's incredible. not simply because her voice is full and loud, but because she works the lyric, lines and phrasing Amazingly!!

Mary took longer. IMO even her later leads like Can't Take My Eyes were very nice but still very straight forward and predictable. I find her version of I Keep It Hid to be quite boring. But her live version from Mike Douglas of Don't Let my Teardrops is sensational.

Also i think the MJC Bridge Over Troubled Water is wonderful - each girl doing a distinctive lead and just glorious vocals.

So it's not that M or F couldn't sing. they were very fine singers. I just think that diana could own a song and "perform" it magically. she immerses herself into it. and always has and seems to be able to do so with nearly every genre.

You're certainly free to have your own opinion of her voice and whether or not you care for it. i do think though it's hard to argue that she's a significant artist is worthy of respect and admiration for her performance abilities and showmanship. think what you want of her personally

[marv2]

marv i do agree that her voice is one either you love or hate. It's nasal, piercing. I certainly don't think anyone here would say she's the most gifted vocalist of all time. heck she's certainly not the most vocally gifted of all of the Supremes.

voice quality aside, she is amazing when it comes to phrasing. This is something she was able to do very early on. surprisingly - considering that teenagers are not usually gifted with this. Flo wasn't. Mary wasn't. they sang their songs very well but rather straightforward. Flo really had IMO her most shining moment with Good News from the Sam Cooke set. on that record she's incredible. not simply because her voice is full and loud, but because she works the lyric, lines and phrasing Amazingly!!

Mary took longer. IMO even her later leads like Can't Take My Eyes were very nice but still very straight forward and predictable. I find her version of I Keep It Hid to be quite boring. But her live version from Mike Douglas of Don't Let my Teardrops is sensational.

Also i think the MJC Bridge Over Troubled Water is wonderful - each girl doing a distinctive lead and just glorious vocals.

So it's not that M or F couldn't sing. they were very fine singers. I just think that diana could own a song and "perform" it magically. she immerses herself into it. and always has and seems to be able to do so with nearly every genre.

You're certainly free to have your own opinion of her voice and whether or not you care for it. i do think though it's hard to argue that she's a significant artist is worthy of respect and admiration for her performance abilities and showmanship. think what you want of her personally

Her best work was with the Supremes. After that, it was hit and miss.

[sup_fan]

Her best work was with the Supremes. After that, it was hit and miss.


who's - Mary's?

[Roberta75]

I don't believe that, you're too obsessed with her

Isnt that the truth. Lol

[florence]

The Supremes/Diana Ross sales both albums and singles have always been shrouded in mystery so the problem withe these album figures is that we don't know how accurate they are.

Certainly the Sound Scan figures are but they only count for a small percentage.

I don't understand what is meant by "Motown Data".

I tried to contact the poster of these figures at one stage to find out what his source was but never received any reply.

[jobeterob]

Likely information from someone who was there until 1988 and left whoever owned it then

We like who we like but factually Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard sold fewer than 10000 solo albums and CDs between them

Lynda and scherrie sold more

[franjoy56]

U say lynda and scherrie sold more solo albums than mary and flos solo albums but were lynda and scherries album really solo albums or did they contain the name former ladies of the supremes which uses t supremes name to boost those sales.

[daviddh]

thought both Diana and Lady SIngs both sold more than this

[captainjames]

WOW interesting totals considering Right On did not do any better than Funny Girl.

[detmotownguy]

http://www.greasylake.org/the-circuit/index.php?%2Ftopic%2F116321-the-supremes-diana-ross-stevie-wonder-and-ray-charlesusa-album-sales%2F


Wow, 6.2 Mil in 1967!! Does this num seem correct?
1967....001....none....Greatest Hits [[Volumes 1 & 2)..........................................6,200, 000.....M-663, 5.97m thru 1988 [[Motown data), 85/24w

[jobeterob]

I think so; those go on selling and selling. And Vol 1 and 2 stayed on the Billboard Chart for a couple years.

[sup_fan]

yes it's not surprising that GH 1 and 2 sold that much. just like today, they continue to market "hits" compilations on the girls for the casual fan. plus the set contained 10 #1 Hits, 2 Top Ten Hits, 1 Top 15 Hit and 1 Top 30 Hit. so that's 14 "good" tracks out of a 2 lp set. for someone only interested in the basics, that's a great deal.

I'm sure it was under many a Christmas tree for years

[imakicola]

marv i do agree that her voice is one either you love orz hate. It's nasal, piercing. I certainly don't think anyone here would say she's the most gifted vocalist of all time. heck she's certainly not the most vocally gifted of all of the Supremes.

voice quality aside, she is amazing when it comes to phrasing. This is something she was able to do very early on. surprisingly - considering that teenagers are not usually gifted with this. Flo wasn't. Mary wasn't. they sang their songs very well but rather straightforward. Flo really had IMO her most shining moment with Good News from the Sam Cooke set. on that record she's incredible. not simply because her voice is full and loud, but because she works the lyric, lines and phrasing Amazingly!!

Mary took longer. IMO even her later leads like Can't Take My Eyes were very nice but still very straight forward and predictable. I find her version of I Keep It Hid to be quite boring. But her live version from Mike Douglas of Don't Let my Teardrops is sensational.

Also i think the MJC Bridge Over Troubled Water is wonderful - each girl doing a distinctive lead and just glorious vocals.

So it's not that M or F couldn't sing. they were very fine singers. I just think that diana could own a song and "perform" it magically. she immerses herself into it. and always has and seems to be able to do so with nearly every genre.

You're certainly free to have your own opinion of her voice and whether or not you care for it. i do think though it's hard to argue that she's a significant artist is worthy of respect and admiration for her performance abilities and showmanship. think what you want of her personally

Mary got a lot better. There is a YouTube video out there where she had a solo in Love the One You're With before she started singing leads on actual singles where it was clear she had improved a lot.

[luke]

I sure hope Mary and Diana get their royalties. How do they know the accounting is accurate? With the laws in other countries where the music is up for grabs after so many years ..do they still get royalties from sales on other labels?

[jobeterob]

I sure hope Mary and Diana get their royalties. How do they know the accounting is accurate? With the laws in other countries where the music is up for grabs after so many years ..do they still get royalties from sales on other labels?

I'm sure they get royalties. The royalties are just very much less than they were prior to 1990. They probably are quite insignificant now. It is one of the reasons Mary Wilson is now saying she wishes she'd handled her finances differently and one of the reasons she has to work.