Mary, Scherrie and Susaye [The Diana Ross Project]

[sansradio]

https://dianarossproject.wordpress.com/

[marv2]

Nice review with just a few minor mistakes like "Although Greene doesn’t have any solo parts on “Sweet Dream Machine,”. Susaye did have a nice solo part on that song. This album was a Christmas gift to me in 1976. It contains my all time favorite Supremes song, "You Are the Heart of Me".Motown must have been crazy at the time to not really promote it heavily. It has so much good music on it that more people should have heard it.

[blkfrost]

Nice review with just a few minor mistakes like "Although Greene doesn’t have any solo parts on “Sweet Dream Machine,”. Susaye did have a nice solo part on that song. This album was a Christmas gift to me in 1976. It contains my all time favorite Supremes song, "You Are the Heart of Me".Motown must have been crazy at the time to not really promote it heavily. It has so much good music on it that more people should have heard it.

I was going to make the same comment that all 3 had solo verses on "Sweet Dream Machine". It and "Love I Never Knew You Could Feel So Good" are my favorites.

[marv2]

I was going to make the same comment that all 3 had solo verses on "Sweet Dream Machine". It and "Love I Never Knew You Could Feel So Good" are my favorites.

I really liked those two songs too. "Sweet Dream Machine" was about 20 years ahead of it's time. "We Should Be Closer Together"[[ what I refer to as The Supremes sing the Blues. LOL) was just as good, if not better than the Emotions "Don't Ask My Neighbors" that was released about a year later.

[marv2]

Check this great video out:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQFjBAH5YOo

[kenneth]

I think the reviewer is spot on with his analysis of "Come Into My Life," which is, after "High Energy", my favorite ever Supremes track [[of any lineup). What Susaye does with the lead vocal on this is just incredible. I always thought the song and arrangement evoked a George Clinton/Parlet type vibe. The reviewer compares it to a Rick James production which of course is in that same vein as well.

For some reason, I wanted to read what he thought of this track. I'm glad he appreciated how unique "Come Into My Life" was.

[daviddh]

I thought the album was great and it good a lot of airplay in my house.great vocals.
I loved Sweet Dream Machine Love I Never Knew.

[PeaceNHarmony]

Yup, a superb LP all around. The best of everything about sophisticated orchestral dance music of the times and perfectly sung and arranged.

[daviddh]

I am surprised it wasn't a big disco hit album. but perhaps that's marketing. I think sometimes a song or album is not pushed into the right market. ?? so a good album like this gets lost

[detmotownguy]

You know Marv it just hit me that Mary was only in her early 30's at this point in her career and kept things going as best she could wo any sort of formal business education, little or no support from the Motown power brokers. And to think these last two albums were so diff from the their earlier work. Much of their last 2 albums still hold up today. MSS were the best! So much potential with the right support.

[marv2]

I remember a one page ad in Ebony Magazine, but that was about all that the company put out for the general public. Most people do not read Billboard as it is an industry publication.

[luke]

One of the reasons this album didn't do as well as High Energy was that it wasn't as good. Weak/vacuous lyrics and overproduced disco. It's the only Supremes album that overall really bores me, except for the ballads. What is a sweet dream machine and You're my driving wheel. Really?

[marv2]

One of the reasons this album didn't do as well as High Energy was that it wasn't as good. Weak/vacuous lyrics and overproduced disco. It's the only Supremes album that overall really bores me, except for the ballads. What is a sweet dream machine and You're my driving wheel. Really?

I think that they released it at the wrong time. It was released in September 1976. They either should have released it in Nov/Dec during the holiday shopping season or waited until after the New Year and released it in 1977. This was the 70s, not the 60s and the Lp was released just months after "High Energy".

[kenneth]

One thing I think is true about all the last 3 Supremes albums, much of which fall into Disco territory, is that they hold up far better than much of the perhaps more popular output from that time frame, such as Donna Summer's albums. While I love Summer's "Once Upon a Time" and "Bad Girls," certainly, her earlier stuff, at least to me, is pretty tedious to listen to nowadays. The Supremes last 3 albums I think all hold up well and are immensely listenable, even if they do contain a few formulaic tracks as pointed out by the reviewer of "Mary, Scherrie and Susaye."

[detmotownguy]

One of the reasons this album didn't do as well as High Energy was that it wasn't as good. Weak/vacuous lyrics and overproduced disco. It's the only Supremes album that overall really bores me, except for the ballads. What is a sweet dream machine and You're my driving wheel. Really?
Blasphemy Luke, blasphemy!!!!!

[DJMoch]

One thing I think is true about all the last 3 Supremes albums, much of which fall into Disco territory, is that they hold up far better than much of the perhaps more popular output from that time frame, such as Donna Summer's albums. While I love Summer's "Once Upon a Time" and "Bad Girls," certainly, her earlier stuff, at least to me, is pretty tedious to listen to nowadays.

Speaking as a fan of the lovely Donna, I find *that* pretty blasphemic! :D LOL, I'm joking, naturally, but I can definitely understand, given that some of her earlier album tracks ran 15+ minutes in length, they can get pretty tedious. But one can say that about disco in general, given that songs started getting longer and longer and longer for the dancefloor. For me, though, no song can be too long, especially if there are enough interesting twists and turns in the music to keep it from becoming boring or repetitive.

All that said, I definitely don't mind formulaic disco. I'm very easy to please, and songs like "Love I Never Knew..." and "Let Yourself Go" make me very very happy indeed.

[Bluebrock]

Yup, a superb LP all around. The best of everything about sophisticated orchestral dance music of the times and perfectly sung and arranged.
I agree it was a fine follow up to "high energy". The girls looked and sounded good, and the majority of the songs were good if a little overproduced, but Motown made a real error in making "driving wheel" the lead single. It was without doubt the weakest track on the album. Whatever were those silly lyrics about? There was no way this ridiculous song could become a major hit . Scherrie did her best , but she was ultimately defeated as indeed were the Supremes as soon as this single was announced. I knew then it was all over.

[marv2]

Blasphemy Luke, blasphemy!!!!!

I was a teenager when I got this album and I remember at first listen I did not like some of the faster songs. Now, years later, I really do like hearing them. At the time I was more into funk and bands.

[luke]

For all you non-blasphemers I still wanna know what a sweet dream machine is!???

[daviddh]

I think you may be correct Marv. it was released to soon after High Energy. I would have waited until 1977 and perhaps releasing it in January possibly. I think they should have still been promoting HE.

[Bluebrock]

For all you non-blasphemers I still wanna know what a sweet dream machine is!???
Heaven knows! These weird lyrics and the equally ridiculous lyrics on "driving wheel" do not warrant close scrutiny. Best to concentrate on the music rather than the lyrics!

[marv2]

For all you non-blasphemers I still wanna know what a sweet dream machine is!???

It is about a fantasy lover.

[jim aka jtigre99]

A decent review, even if I don't totally agree with everything. I also think hindsight is 20/20. I think after IGLMHDTW hitting top 40, the group probably wanted to strike while the iron was hot and wanted new material with Susaye fully on the album. I agree they should have waited but nothing on High Energy would have been as big a hit as a follow up so they thought to try something better. In the last 3 albums, they should have released Early Morning Love and Color My World Blue as followups to He's My Man. On High Energy, both the title track and You're What's Missing in My Life would have been great followups especially if Motown had really pushed Heart Do the Walkin. On MSS, they should have led with Let yourself Go as the first single-I would have preferred Sweet Dream Machine and Come Into My Life as followups although I am sure many fans would disagree and put I Don't Want To Be Tied Down. Mary never sounded better and either ballad would have been nice to finally be released. Still, like I say hindsight is 20/20. Berry Gordy had been over the group since January 20,1970-there was nothing they could do to change that.

[jim aka jtigre99]

A decent review, even if I don't totally agree with everything. I also think hindsight is 20/20. I think after IGLMHDTW hitting top 40, the group probably wanted to strike while the iron was hot and wanted new material with Susaye fully on the album. I agree they should have waited but nothing on High Energy would have been as big a hit as a follow up so they thought to try something better. In the last 3 albums, they should have released Early Morning Love and Color My World Blue as followups to He's My Man. On High Energy, both the title track and You're What's Missing in My Life would have been great followups especially if Motown had really pushed Heart Do the Walkin. On MSS, they should have led with Let yourself Go as the first single-I would have preferred Sweet Dream Machine and Come Into My Life as followups although I am sure many fans would disagree and put I Don't Want To Be Tied Down. Mary never sounded better and either ballad would have been nice to finally be released. Still, like I say hindsight is 20/20. Berry Gordy had been over the group since January 20,1970-there was nothing they could do to change that.

Too bad High Energy was a Holland brothers Production because Bend a Little would have fit nicely on that album, much more so than Room at the Top, which seemed like a disco-fied continuation of social message songs like Love Child and I'm Living in Shame-much like You Keep Me Movin On is a disco-fied emanicipated homage to You Keep Me Hangin On. It seems they tried in a quiet way to pay homage and update the Supremes at the same time.

[sup_fan]

i think the review has some valid points but don't agree with the 3 "typical disco" reviews.

Driving Wheel - i don't find these lyrics any more ridiculous than Dancing Machine or Love Machine. sure they're not the most poetic every composed lol but i don't think they're that off base. And i don't agree that the track never lets up. The dance break at 2:18 drops the track down considerably. then adds horns, vocals and more until the song restarts. I do think there was more they could do with the track. at 1:18 when they restart the chorus, there's more guitar. It's actually pretty hot and they could have brought it more forward. given it even more edge

Let yourself go - now i'll admit i'm biased lol. this is one of my all time fav Sup songs of any lineup. so i love it. yes it's heavy and powerful. as it should be. Scherrie is great on it, although she's not very challenged with the melody which is pretty simple

Love I Never Knew - this one is bordering on a runaway train. it's full speed ahead and i think as a single it might have struggled. although the "whooo - ooo - ooo - LOVE" background is catchy. similar to the "whoo ooo" on IGLMHDTW. it's catchy and you sing along with it

In hindsight, when we look at disco as a whole, its easy to lump things together. but remember MS&S was released A YEAR PRIOR to Saturday Night Fever. If you think about how that album pushed the disco genre forward, then MS&S is really ahead of its time. I definitely appreciate the cutting-edge tracks like Dream Machine, Come Into my Life and We Should be closer.

Also it's interesting to listen to the alt tracks from the Let yourself Go set to see overall creative process

[daviddh]

Jim.....I agree with most of your assessment of the songs and albums.
I liked the album myself.
I thought this album was a nice ending.solid all around

[daviddh]

Wouldn't Sweet Dream Machine be the 70s version of a baby love

[Boogiedown]

One of the reasons this album didn't do as well as High Energy was that it wasn't as good. Weak/vacuous lyrics and overproduced disco. It's the only Supremes album that overall really bores me, except for the ballads. What is a sweet dream machine and You're my driving wheel. Really?
but I've never heard of "overproduced" disco ...? ... just as in the same way that I've never heard of "overproduced" Motown ....:p:rolleyes::confused:


daviddh [[https://soulfuldetroit.com/member.php?1135-daviddh)
Wouldn't Sweet Dream Machine be the 70s version of a baby love





perfect!!



kenneth
I think the reviewer is spot on with his analysis of "Come Into My Life," which is, after "High Energy", my favorite ever Supremes track [[of any lineup). What Susaye does with the lead vocal on this is just incredible. I always thought the song and arrangement evoked a George Clinton/Parlet type vibe. The reviewer compares it to a Rick James production which of course is in that same vein as well.

For some reason, I wanted to read what he thought of this track. I'm glad he appreciated how unique "Come Into My Life" was.




Curiously, I didn't know this song until now but I can see why you're taken by it . It's an amazing Supremes presentation , who'd ever guess 'Supremes' on hearing this one?? I might've guessed Stephanie Mills on first listen.
I don't hear Rick James or George Clinton in this though. I'll go with Isaac Hayes . Isaac Hayes meets space disco. Biggest criticism: The eerie space sound is more of a distraction than an addition at times [[although occasionally it sounds like its trying to supply those high sultry Donna Summer notes that for some reason Susaye can't quite??) Also , the way Susaye's initial singing in this song is just sort of dropped into the orchestration seems unresolved. But never mind , this is really good listening . I'm liking it more and more each time , the most forward sounding , progressive, Supremes song of them all , and a pleasure to hear The Supremes go "there".... ! A 3AM floor pleaser for sure.:cool:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGHgbLi0s18

[TomatoTom123]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGHgbLi0s18

Holy moly that song is weird in places...

It kinda sounds like something Mandre might have recorded!!!