Back in my arms again ........high inergy

[captainjames]

What happen to these girls ? They are the only ones that I know who were brave enough to tackle this song and did a good job of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LVHP4tRbqo

[tomato tom]

AH..love this group. Have all their albums. Started a thread on them too. They did a, not too bad job on this Supremes classic. Maybe if we keep on tryin, we can persuad Universal to put a Best Of CD. Cheers..Paulo xxx

[mowest]

Good rendition from the group once called "New Supremes" by Motown while the "old" Supremes were still around! "He's A Pretender" was my favorite by H.I.

[captainjames]

I remember them being good dancers and singers. Motown was never at a lost for talent.

[smark21]

Good vocals, but I don't care for the production and arrangment. Back in My Arms is a song that needs horns.

[miss_lish]

Horns, Miss Ross, Mary, and Flo.

[captainjames]

I have heard Barbara and Vernessa are still singing singing but I wonder what ever happen to the other two ladies. I think their names were Linda and Michelle.

[theboyfromxtown]

James

Isn't it Linda that takes the place in "Flo, she don't know.."

[jobeterob]

I heard the word "Lynda" in this song; this certainly is a forgotten Supremes song; even on Youtube, it doesn't get much play. I prefer the Supremes version;it was the original; this one didn't stray far from it. The difference between this one and the Supremes was this one cut out any background and I enjoyed the Supremes behind Diana; although one of the live versions of the Supremes has a background so different, I wondered if the record had been colored with heavy Andantes.

[randy_russi]

I don't think the Andantes were on the Supremes recording. High Inergy had become a trio long before they disbanded.
Gwen Gordy was responsible for them and had them down here in Florida working when their first lp was out. Did anyone
ever see the Carol Burnett Show where she did a spoof of You Can't Turn Me Off?
I thought it was very bad PR from Motown to promote these girls as the "new Supremes" regardless of the actual
Supremes still being a part of Motown.

[theboyfromxtown]

I agree with Randy's point about PR.....I thought it was well harsh on the ladies to expect them to live up to that standard. But I guess that is what PR machines are meant to do.....

[marv2]

I don't think the Andantes were on the Supremes recording. High Inergy had become a trio long before they disbanded.
Gwen Gordy was responsible for them and had them down here in Florida working when their first lp was out. Did anyone
ever see the Carol Burnett Show where she did a spoof of You Can't Turn Me Off?
I thought it was very bad PR from Motown to promote these girls as the "new Supremes" regardless of the actual
Supremes still being a part of Motown.

Mary Wilson's lawyer, Mr. Turk thought it was bad PR too, hehehehehehe.........!

I saw that Carol Burnett episode you are referring to.

[theboyfromxtown]

I felt bad for Mary Wilson too. That PR was not nice for her.

[marv2]

I felt bad for Mary Wilson too. That PR was not nice for her.

Nor for Scherrie Payne or Susaye Greene who were the Supremes at that time.

[blueskies]

Don't know much about his group. I think I had one of their LP's. Guess I was still into the real deal Supremes. I thought I had read where really only one girl could/did sing [[leads)....the other two were basically dancers. Not sure if the other two were even on the recordings? Maybe someone here could clarify that. Then, were the Andantes still singing then and would they have been on their recordings? Thanks for any clarification.

[theboyfromxtown]

Nor for Scherrie Payne or Susaye Greene who were the Supremes at that time.

Absolutely! It must have been very hurtful...it was so unnecessary too.

[1382hitsville]

Blueskies, the Andantes stopped singing for Motown when Motown moved to LA so it would be unlikely the girls are on the High Inergy songs.

[topdiva1]

Calling High Energy The NEW Supremes - was just another example of how expendable you could be at Motown if you were not in favor.

Certainly this was hurtful to The Supremes at the time. and did nothing for High Energyu

[theboyfromxtown]

Topdiva1

Agreed.....it wasn't good for both groups.

We all know you have to be tough to be in business but it seems you have to be even tougher if it's the music business.

[jobeterob]

The High Energy version sounds like a complete solo with some background singers; the Supremes version sounds like more of a group.

[marv2]

Calling High Energy The NEW Supremes - was just another example of how expendable you could be at Motown if you were not in favor.

Certainly this was hurtful to The Supremes at the time. and did nothing for High Energyu


What made it a really rotten thing to do was naming the group "High Inergy" after one of the Supremes recent albums at that time. They just changed the E to and I in energy!

[smark21]

In the late 80's, Motown promoted The Good Girls as the "New Supremes" and had them cover "Love is Like an Itching in My Heart". However The Good Girls enjoyed nowhere near the success of other girl groups of that era like Expose and The Cover Girls, let alone The Supremes.

[marv2]

In the late 80's, Motown promoted The Good Girls as the "New Supremes" and had them cover "Love is Like an Itching in My Heart". However The Good Girls enjoyed nowhere near the success of other girl groups of that era like Expose and The Cover Girls, let alone The Supremes.

They couldn't even come close to En Vogue!

[captainjames]

In the late 80's, Motown promoted The Good Girls as the "New Supremes" and had them cover "Love is Like an Itching in My Heart". However The Good Girls enjoyed nowhere near the success of other girl groups of that era like Expose and The Cover Girls, let alone The Supremes.

The Good Girls ----I remember them well and how pretty they were. However, I always felt it was odd to name them THE GOOD GIRLS. "Your Sweetness Is My Weakness" use to be the jam at the club.

No the one group that came close to surpassing the Supremes were the Honey Cone. However they were not on the Motown label.

[theboyfromxtown]

Very true James...and I can remember a time when Honey Cone beat the Supremes in one of those US popularity polls.

And the fact that Honey Cone were HDH's replacement was a hard pill to swallow.

[topdiva1]

What made it a really rotten thing to do was naming the group "High Inergy" after one of the Supremes recent albums at that time. They just changed the E to and I in energy!


Motown could be rotten, and at times acting more like a spoiled child than a corporation.

[smark21]

Very true James...and I can remember a time when Honey Cone beat the Supremes in one of those US popularity polls.

And the fact that Honey Cone were HDH's replacement was a hard pill to swallow.

But how long did Honey Cone last? Not as long as the Supremes and though they may have beaten them out in a popularity poll, they didn't have as many hits as The Supremes. Or Expose for that matter.

[miss_lish]

Didn't TLC surpass The Supremes?

[captainjames]

Very true James...and I can remember a time when Honey Cone beat the Supremes in one of those US popularity polls.

And the fact that Honey Cone were HDH's replacement was a hard pill to swallow.

Your absolutely right John
and I remember when I first heard "Want Ads" and then came "Stick Up", "One Monkey", and "The Day I Found Myself." These girls had found the right formula and the best writers and then Bamn they were gone

[detmotownguy]

Yes that really suked for the MSS. Not really relating to this thread, but I thought maybe, just maybe, MSS might take off. I really liked the title song. MSS [[can't for Cindy!) was so much much better than High Inergy. I remember that the record store set up a special display rack outside the store to promote High Energy.

[smark21]

Didn't TLC surpass The Supremes?

In total sales [[singles and albums) though not in terms of number of charted singles and #1 singles as TLC took years between album projects. Then Destiny's Child overtook TLC. Also have to take into account that the pop music marketplace of the 90's and early 00's was a lot different than the one in the 60's and 70's. In terms of top ten singles, The Supremes far outpace any other group. Others who did well on that chart include TLC, Destiny's Child, and Expose.

[theboyfromxtown]

smark21

Spot on...you're right, it wasn't very long that the Honey Cone were at the top but at the time, I thought it WOULD last as long as it did for the Supremes.

I soon learnt my lesson though!

[elegant_soul]

Aah yes, I remember giving you that spanking! :)

[jobeterob]

And he enjoyed it right?

Elegant again! This will be fun; welcome back.

For a while, a brief while, Honey Cone looked like they would be hitmakers, like the old Supremes, especially after Want Ads was #1 Pop. The were funkier and more soulful than the female Motown groups and the glitz of the Supremes had grown tired. But Honey Cone didn't last very long ~ basically, the 3 hits starting with Want Ads and they started to slip just like the 70's Supremes.

Looking back, I think I agree with what has been written by music historians which was it was the beginning of a singer/songwriter time and vocalists on their own ~ especially Carole King, James Taylor, Jim Croce but also Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye as well as vocalists like Diana, Aretha and Dionne. The singing group concept went into remission.

[theboyfromxtown]

Elegant... I have missed you baby!

Everything has been fine here whilst you've been away....no problems whatsoever.

Isn't that right Rob?

[ExGuyParis]

Thanks for posting this! I had their first album [[Turnin' On) but had never heard this.

[markdtiller]

Scherrie Payne recorded Want Ads [[with The Supremes) but Honey Cone's version got released first. Things could have been so different.

[smark21]

Scherrie Payne recorded Want Ads [[with The Supremes) but Honey Cone's version got released first. Things could have been so different.

Want Ads by Honey Cone came out in 1970. Scherrie didn't join the Supremes until late 1973. Maybe Scherrie recorded Want Ads with Glass House?

[cozmic]

After Hi Inergy's last album, Barbara Mitchell recorded a solo-album on Capitol around 1984 :


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzBavvSc6Z8



Second album around 1986, with Cameo's soul army and released by their label on Polygram :


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_mwuxo2R3I



Lately into gospel [[ edit : thought it was Barbara from Hi Inergy ... my bad :cool: )


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxVG9JjkG0Y

[marv2]

That clip of the woman singing gospel is not the Barbara Mitchell of High Inergy.

[cozmic]

Ah i see, thanks for the heads up !
So that's Barbara Rogers Mitchell : http://www.discogs.com/artist/Barbara+Mitchell+%283%29

Also found a brief update from a family member :

"...Vernessa Mitchell and Barbara Mitchell are in Atlanta and Michell Rumph and Linda Howard
are in Pasadena. Michelle Rumph is my mother..."

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_are_the_members_of_High_Inergy_specifically_ Barbara_Mitchell_the_lead_singer_well_who_sang_mos t_of_the_time_Thanks

[lady soulfyre]

:)
Ah i see, thanks for the heads up !
So that's Barbara Rogers Mitchell : http://www.discogs.com/artist/Barbara+Mitchell+%283%29

Also found a brief update from a family member :

"...Vernessa Mitchell and Barbara Mitchell are in Atlanta and Michell Rumph and Linda Howard
are in Pasadena. Michelle Rumph is my mother..."

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_are_the_members_of_High_Inergy_specifically_ Barbara_Mitchell_the_lead_singer_well_who_sang_mos t_of_the_time_Thanks

Thanks for posting the link about the update of these ladies. :cool:

[theboyfromxtown]

I used to love their version too. I didn't think the reference to Linda [[when it would normally be Flo) fitted well into the song. So I still used to sing FLO! LOL