Scary Supremes

[luke]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QAWdZipt9CU&itct=CA8QpDAYAiITCMet5aGo_M4CFQXdqgodKD8KSTIHcmVsY XRlZEiM4rKakO7bsYQB What were they thinking?

[vgalindo]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QAWdZipt9CU&itct=CA8QpDAYAiITCMet5aGo_M4CFQXdqgodKD8KSTIHcmVsY XRlZEiM4rKakO7bsYQB What were they thinking?
This was my favorite lineup but this performance is embarrassing.

[mysterysinger]

Oh dear!!!

[luke]

And from the same show...https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4bKtou3yECA&itct=CAoQpDAYAyITCMuWoryO_c4CFQLlvgod00oP3DIHcmVsY XRlZEil6LfT4qzngkA%3D This totally tops the previous one. Were all their live shows like this??

[lakeside]

I saw this same show at Bachelor's III in Ft. Lauderdale a few weeks before this was filmed in Montreux. Honestly, I don't remember [[at the time) it being this phrenic. I was young and I guess caught up in the moment. At the time it seemed OK....looking back now....hmmmm. I do remember being bothered that the Supremes Medley was so rushed. Looking back now everything looks on speed and the choreography was all over the place.
But, I still have very fond memories of the show and that time and place in my life. Florence had recently passed and Mary dedicated a segment to her, which was touching.

[westgrandboulevard]

It's much too frenetic. They're working it too hard, and less would have been more...but at least they're trying to give it everything they have.

I think the ladies look lovely, and I enjoy their unrestrained enthusiasm.....even if it IS all over the place.....LOL

'High Energy' meets 'Let Yourself Go' - !

[luke]

Yes they look great and put everything into it and seem to be frying to forge a new identity for the group but they lost some of their magic. And I guess the disco frenzy at the time helped create some of this. [[I think there's a reason Scherrie had trouble getting that guy to smile!)

[westgrandboulevard]

Perhaps it was just a different kind of magic?

The Supremes ,with Diana, had controlled, svelte movements and allure which drew the viewer's attention to them on-stage.

The later Supremes [[with Mary, Scherrie and Susaye) had big, soaring voices, and expansive movements of energy and immediacy, which then reached out to the viewer.

There's really nothing too much wrong with their stage routine shown here, for those times.

It just would probably have worked best played to a disco audience, which would have been on its feet dancing, moving around free space, or sometimes just standing to watch and listen.

Not so effective when played to a seated audience [[either in a theatre, or at home) watching passively, and unable to participate in the moment, instead of going with the mood onstage.

Instead of feeling drawn towards the artistry, there's a sense of needing to step back from it all, just a little.....

[marv2]

I think, they thought they were obligated to sing the past hits even if they really did not want to. I hate medleys when they are this fast. This may have been the way they presented the hits at MSG in March '77 that got them into trouble with the audience.

[Motown Eddie]

Perhaps it was just a different kind of magic?

The Supremes ,with Diana, had controlled, svelte movements and allure which drew the viewer's attention to them on-stage.

The later Supremes [[with Mary, Scherrie and Susaye) had big, soaring voices, and expansive movements of energy and immediacy, which then reached out to the viewer.

There's really nothing too much wrong with their stage routine shown here, for those times.

It just would probably have worked best played to a disco audience, which would have been on its feet dancing, moving around free space, or sometimes just standing to watch and listen.

Not so effective when played to a seated audience [[either in a theatre, or at home) watching passively, and unable to participate in the moment, instead of going with the mood onstage.

Instead of feeling drawn towards the artistry, there's a sense of needing to step back from it all, just a little.....

Agreed! I think that what was needed is a good manager who could tell the group what kind of performance works best for a certain type of audience. Indeed, the performance on the clip would work best at a disco with most of the crowd on their feet.

[marybrewster]

Mary, Scherrie, and Susaye are a delight on the ears.....in the studio. Live? Hot mess. Three lead singers each competing to be the supreme Supreme. I LOVE MSS, but most performances you'll see are simply MESS.

Frantic arrangements, over-the-top choreography, and a 12 foot Mary towering over 3 feet Scherrie and Susaye.

[Bluebrock]

Mary, Scherrie, and Susaye are a delight on the ears.....in the studio. Live? Hot mess. Three lead singers each competing to be the supreme Supreme. I LOVE MSS, but most performances you'll see are simply MESS.

Frantic arrangements, over-the-top choreography, and a 12 foot Mary towering over 3 feet Scherrie and Susaye.
I totally agree with all that you say Mary. This final line up of the group is the only one that i actually caught live at the time. I later saw Jean in the FLOS, and of course i saw Diana well over 50 times, and Mary a couple of times, but this concert was a big deal to me at the time. I enjoyed the show but i concede they came across far better in the studio. Their 60's medley would have been an absolute necessity for any promoter to take them on, and it still gets Mary gigs all around the world to this very day. Whether that be a good thing or bad thing is a matter of opinion of course.

[Ollie9]

They really don't look like they are trying to please an audience, they look desperate to please an audience. Not good even for 76/77. Their last two albums were slick and sophisticated. Everything these performances are not. A simple presentation in the vein of Love Unlimited would have served them much better.... me thinks.

[vgalindo]

Mary, Scherrie, and Susaye are a delight on the ears.....in the studio. Live? Hot mess. Three lead singers each competing to be the supreme Supreme. I LOVE MSS, but most performances you'll see are simply MESS.

Frantic arrangements, over-the-top choreography, and a 12 foot Mary towering over 3 feet Scherrie and Susaye.
I agree 100%. Couldn't have said it any better!

[marv2]

Mary, Scherrie, and Susaye are a delight on the ears.....in the studio. Live? Hot mess. Three lead singers each competing to be the supreme Supreme. I LOVE MSS, but most performances you'll see are simply MESS.

Frantic arrangements, over-the-top choreography, and a 12 foot Mary towering over 3 feet Scherrie and Susaye.

Ironically, Mary Wilson at 5'4", was the shortest of the 3 Original Supremes.

[luke]

Well said Ollie and Marv I wondered same thing per MSG. Even Mary said their show was not going over in Vegas and people were walking out. Who was putting show together ? Pedro?? Someone must have noticed it was mess.

[sup_fan]

The Vegas show where people were leaving was the "3-in-1 dress fiasco" show. given how little their overall show really changed, i'd assume they sang Stone Love [[full version), I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do The Walking, Mary probably solo'ed on The Way We Were and then Maybe This Time. Another Mary solo on How Lucky Can You Get. Susaye probably did He Ain't Heavy. They probably opened with either Tonight or Everybody Gets To Go To the Moon.

As much as people criticize Diana, she's not only a talented performer but also understands showmanship. Mary - i'm not so sure about. IMO once Flo left, she started getting overly animated. Appears to be trying too hard. Like on Sullivan when the did the Irving Berlin medley with Merm. Mary comes across to me as forced. and in the 70s this became more so. she was dancing too fast, overly energetic. frankly sort of a spaz.

starting around the MJL lineup, it appears that no one could really figure out how to appropriately present the Supremes on stage. They reverted back too much to old arrangements and repertoire. lack of creativity. occasionally there were some interesting new additions - like the Monroe/Baker/Bessie medley. but 1 medley is hardly a revamped show.

With every Diana tour, you knew it would be a totally new show. Whereas the Sups just kept doing the same old thing.

[marv2]

The Vegas show where people were leaving was the "3-in-1 dress fiasco" show. given how little their overall show really changed, i'd assume they sang Stone Love [[full version), I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do The Walking, Mary probably solo'ed on The Way We Were and then Maybe This Time. Another Mary solo on How Lucky Can You Get. Susaye probably did He Ain't Heavy. They probably opened with either Tonight or Everybody Gets To Go To the Moon.

As much as people criticize Diana, she's not only a talented performer but also understands showmanship. Mary - i'm not so sure about. IMO once Flo left, she started getting overly animated. Appears to be trying too hard. Like on Sullivan when the did the Irving Berlin medley with Merm. Mary comes across to me as forced. and in the 70s this became more so. she was dancing too fast, overly energetic. frankly sort of a spaz.

starting around the MJL lineup, it appears that no one could really figure out how to appropriately present the Supremes on stage. They reverted back too much to old arrangements and repertoire. lack of creativity. occasionally there were some interesting new additions - like the Monroe/Baker/Bessie medley. but 1 medley is hardly a revamped show.

With every Diana tour, you knew it would be a totally new show. Whereas the Sups just kept doing the same old thing.

Scherrie Payne sang "Maybe This Time" in their concerts.

[captainjames]

oh my
horrific

[Jimi LaLumia]

my cousin saw the MSG show and I had the pleasure of meeting the late Richard Nader many years after.. the girls were determined to sell their new material at the Garden and were holding off on the hits medley till the later part of their set.. I guess the size of the crowd got them excited about everone being potential record buyers..but it was an oldies crowd, screaming for the hits from the moment they hit the stage, and with each new material song the crowd became more, shall we say, displeased? they should have thought this gig out for what it was, they would have won more new fans by giving them what they wanted first and then saying 'we have a new record out'' that didn't happen.. the girls getting the bronx cheers was all the talk at my Aunt Josie's house in Corona the following weekend

[marv2]

my cousin saw the MSG show and I had the pleasure of meeting the late Richard Nader many years after.. the girls were determined to sell their new material at the Garden and were holding off on the hits medley till the later part of their set.. I guess the size of the crowd got them excited about everone being potential record buyers..but it was an oldies crowd, screaming for the hits from the moment they hit the stage, and with each new material song the crowd became more, shall we say, displeased? they should have thought this gig out for what it was, they would have won more new fans by giving them what they wanted first and then saying 'we have a new record out'' that didn't happen.. the girls getting the bronx cheers was all the talk at my Aunt Josie's house in Corona the following weekend

We told them not to do that show! But.................

[Jimi LaLumia]

well there ya go

[marybrewster]

The Vegas show where people were leaving was the "3-in-1 dress fiasco" show. given how little their overall show really changed, i'd assume they sang Stone Love [[full version), I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do The Walking, Mary probably solo'ed on The Way We Were and then Maybe This Time. Another Mary solo on How Lucky Can You Get. Susaye probably did He Ain't Heavy. They probably opened with either Tonight or Everybody Gets To Go To the Moon.

The interesting take-away from this is that by 1976/1977, "the Supremes" had a catalog of hits that could have filled a 4 or 5 hour concert. Yet, generally speaking, all that was performed was a "60's Hit Medley", a "70's Hit Medley", and one or two others from the archives. The show tunes that worked for the Diana-lead Supremes in the 60's just didn't translate into the 70's. Even as far back as 1973's "Live in Japan", you've got "For Once In My Life", "I'll Take You There", "Cabaret", "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars", "Cherry Pie", "Tossin' and Turnin'", and "Somewhere". It's easy to assume that when people see the Supremes, they want to hear Supremes songs.

[sup_fan]

It's expensive to work a new song into the act. arrangements, charts for the musicians, choreography, new lighting cues, etc. I'm guessing that as the group became less and less financially successful, there were limited resources for adding new material to the show. Heck even Diana did the basic Sup medley from TCB in her Caesar's Palace show.

So the group had already invested tons of money in an established songbook. also from 70 - early 72, they were not really using much of the DRATS material. as things started to fall apart, perhaps someone [[wrongly) thought "well we've been trying this new approach and it's waning. let's see about going back to more of what worked before"

I personally thought they should stop doing as many medleys, stop doing so much non Sup hits like Love Train, Lean On Me, Love The One You're With and do more of their lp material. Sure Love Train is well know and popular and made a fun "gospel" ending to their show. I think they could have done that with Thank Him For Today. that would have combined fine with O Happy Day and they could be promoting their own content more.

They jammed Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music into a corny medley with too many other songs. it had the strength to be on its own within their show. Mary should have canned that damn Quiet Nights and sung I Keep It Hid and her other own material.

[Jimi LaLumia]

a rushed 'medley' of hits did not go down well with the MSG 'oldies' crowd

[captainjames]

they should have just canceled

[Jimi LaLumia]

or done the set properly for that venue which was expecting Supremes hits...

[marv2]

a rushed 'medley' of hits did not go down well with the MSG 'oldies' crowd

It would not have went down well with me sitting in my living room. LOL!

[rod_rick]

That was bad management that let them do their regular show for that crowd. You have to know your audience and they were there to hear Maybe this Time or Let Yourself go.They should started off with "UP The Ladder and went right You Can't Hurry love, My World is Empty and then maybe a new song or two. You have to grab your audience attention first with what they are familiar before giving the unknown to accept but that was almost 40 years ago.

[luke]

Did they do their frenzy show at a million miles an hour?

[Jimi LaLumia]

I never asked that question but that seemed to be the mode they were in, which I didn't get..the elegance that was the appeal of The Supremes into the Jean era was gone and that was a suicidal move.. you don't take away what the people like and then decide that the people still have to like you anyway.. I think the disco era helped make people crazy in the first place