"Discover Me and You'll Discover Love": Could it have been a hit?

[sup_fan]

we've had a great dialog on here about I'm In Love Again. So decided to pose another question

Clearly through most of 1969, the DRATS singles were struggling. Shame charted well but the story line of some gaseous cloud erupting from that pot of homemade jam and killing mama was a bit too much to take lolol

And Composer and Sign both didn't do much.

So im proposing that Discover Me could have been an exciting potential single in early/mid 69

thoughts?

[reese]

I agree. When I first bought the LET THE SUNSHINE IN album [[for $1.99 at Bradlee's :)), DISCOVER ME was the track that stuck out for me and quickly became a favorite.

[BayouMotownMan]

I think Discover Me could have been Top 20 but not a number one. It was indeed the prime standout from an otherwise unimpressive Let The Sunshine In lp. Great John Bristol production with no Supremes on it.

[144man]

Out of all the Supremes' songs that have ever been discussed on this site, this has been the first one that I didn't immediately remember how it went. That probably says it all.

[sup_fan]

yeah i agree it wasn't a Love Child or a You Keep Me Hangin On. But i think it would have done much better than Composer. There's an urgency to the track and Diana's vocals are strong. it's more soulful that previous Sup songs so i think it would have helped modernize their fan appeal.

[RanRan79]

My vote is yes, but it would've needed an entirely new mix to beef up the sound. But I think all of the basic elements were present for a hit single. Definitely a better choice than "Shame" and "The Composer". I still think "No Matter" had top 10 potential.

[jobeterob]

Out of all the Supremes' songs that have ever been discussed on this site, this has been the first one that I didn't immediately remember how it went. That probably says it all.

Nor me! .......

[jobeterob]

My vote is yes, but it would've needed an entirely new mix to beef up the sound. But I think all of the basic elements were present for a hit single. Definitely a better choice than "Shame" and "The Composer". I still think "No Matter" had top 10 potential.

I do too

I think it needed some tinkering and remixing

Here I thought Cindy was singing Pisces Gemini etc; little did I know that it was Louvain etc

[sup_fan]

i think the track to Sign is exciting. the sitar is a bit of an obvious ploy but overall the production is sharp. the lyrics are just too pandering to the astrological craze from the super song - Aquarius.

[gman]

Discover Me is the first song I ever heard that I was certain it was NOT the Supremes singing background. I like the song...its OK...hit single? maybe a successful top 50 one but not a hit...I'd never heard What Becomes...before [[I was 10) and that was the big song on that LP for me...I loved No Matter What Sign still do...and I'm So Glad. I was glad to have Will This Be The Day on the LP....now THAT was what the Supremes sounded like.

[daviddh]

honestly , I was disappointed in the Let The Sunshine album in, hated the cover!!! hated the title...,didn't like many songs but SIGN and Let The Music Play . I did like Im Glad I Got, kinda got a nice feel to it. Discover Me, I will have another listen but from what I remember ,No. but hey I like it better than Shame and Composer

[Circa 1824]

I always loved Discover Me. Diana is in top form.

[gman]

Hey Western Union Man was another new song to me that I liked when I got this LP....The Composer, like The Weight, grew on me after a long time...[[I actually like The Weight a lot these days...The Tempts leads are great)...The Composer sounds the most like a DR solo effort out of all the singles to me. It remains the dog IMHO of all the '63 onward singles. Everyday People should have been another duet on Together, cut back on the Motown covers on that LP...Aquarius should have been shelved...or since it is a DR solo put on Everything Is Everything.

[gman]

I do too


Here I thought Cindy was singing Pisces Gemini etc; little did I know that it was Louvain etc

Me too...and I was so young, I'd see them lip synching these songs and believed it was Mary & Cindy without a doubt.

[gordy_hunk]

Isn't it strange how we all vary so much. I really loved 'Cream of the crop' and to a slightly lesser extent 'Let the sunshine in', whereas 'More Hits' and 'Supremes sing Motown' were never my favourites. Over the course of the last 30-35 years, these two LP [[and CD) have been played more than any other Supreme [[Diana Ross led) LP.

I liked 'the composer', and of course, the US single version of 'no matter what sign you are' was, in my view, superior to the UK version. I absolutely loved 'Will this be the day' and 'I'm so glad I got somebody like you around'.

[[Cream Of The Crop was only spoiled as it was such a short LP).

[TheMotownManiac]

It wasn’t Louvaine and The Andantes On NMWSYA - That was the blackberries in LA with a vocal arrangement by Deke Richards.

[gman]

No Matter What Sign You Are is the quessential DR cat wail cut....ow!.. this seems to have replaced the earlier, threatening to be trademark hiccup that's all over TCB and Talk of The Town... she also ow!'ed her way thru some of "Together"s cuts...I personally like the ow! better than the hiccup....they were both '68 things...[[like Mary's Doris Day wig) LOL!

[CoolKatz]

I always thought that "You Gave Me Love" from Cream of the Crop had single potential as well.

[gman]

I always thought that "You Gave Me Love" from Cream of the Crop had single potential as well.I always liked Loving You Is Better Than Ever best, followed by You Gave Me Love and Till Johnny Comes.

[TomatoTom123]

I listened to this and liked it! The [[slightly) funky guitar reminds me [[slightly) of "You Keep Me Hangin' On". I still think "The Composer" is a better single though. :)

[RanRan79]

Isn't it strange how we all vary so much. I really loved 'Cream of the crop' and to a slightly lesser extent 'Let the sunshine in', whereas 'More Hits' and 'Supremes sing Motown' were never my favourites. Over the course of the last 30-35 years, these two LP [[and CD) have been played more than any other Supreme [[Diana Ross led) LP.

I wouldn't call it strange. I'd say interesting. I love that all of these different works under the name Supremes has it's fans and it's detractors. Makes for a better conversation than when everybody agrees on liking the same stuff. Lol

But I'm sort of in the same boat as you, except I do not like the Crop album at all. Even though there are some great songs on it, overall as an album it does nothing for me. I agree with the thought some fans have had that Sunshine and Crop should've been combined for the last studio album. However, I had Sunshine years before I acquired More Hits and HDH, so by the time I tracked down copies of those, Sunshine was firmly in place as a favorite. The appeal for Sunshine for me is Diana. I love her voice on so many of those cuts. A lot of More Hits, aside from the hits and probably three fillers, are a bit too pop for my personal taste. And then HDH just seems like a hodge podge of HDH tracks thrown onto an album to capitalize off of the two big hits. WDOLG is pretty much made up of tracks from 63-64 [[although Breathtaking Guy was recorded at the end of 1962), but the sound is pretty cohesive. More Hits and Symphony are all tracks from a general time frame. Same with A Go Go [[although Itchin was a bit earlier). Sing HDH went back for tracks from 64, and then re-recorded inferior covers in a couple of cases and it makes for an uneven sound. The two albums are easy for me to deem good albums, but they don't excite me to the point where I just pull them out a lot for a listen. [[I'm hoping the HDH expanded will give me a new perspective, although the More Hits expanded didn't really.) I play Let the Sunshine In frequently, skipping sometimes "Everyday People" [[I used to always skip it but it's kind of growing on me now) and skipping all the time "Livin In Shame". Everything else I play and really enjoy, including "Aquarius", which is really a song I hate by anybody. I find Diana's version listenable.

[RanRan79]

No Matter What Sign You Are is the quessential DR cat wail cut....ow!.. this seems to have replaced the earlier, threatening to be trademark hiccup that's all over TCB and Talk of The Town... she also ow!'ed her way thru some of "Together"s cuts...I personally like the ow! better than the hiccup....they were both '68 things...[[like Mary's Doris Day wig) LOL!

I agree. The hiccup was annoying. And then Flo turned around and started doing it on some of her solo stuff. I guess they thought that crap was cute. It wasn't. Diana's "ow"s though are cute and makes more sense.

[RanRan79]

I always thought that "You Gave Me Love" from Cream of the Crop had single potential as well.


I always liked Loving You Is Better Than Ever best, followed by You Gave Me Love

I love "Loving You Is Better Than Ever" best, but I think "You Gave Me Love" would've made the better single. I must admit though that around this time the Andantes vocals were becoming waaayyy to formulaic. In previous years the group seemed to add a bit of personality to some of their stuff, but by 1968 thru 69, their backing on Supremes, Vandellas and Marvelettes tracks for the most part sound so bland and boring. Contrast the Andantes to what the Blackberries did on "No Matter" or the Waters on "Someday". World of difference. So I said all of that to say that I think "You Gave Me Love" would've been even more of a good choice of single had the Andantes been replaced with either other background vocalist or even Mary and Cindy themselves.

[RanRan79]

I listened to this and liked it! The [[slightly) funky guitar reminds me [[slightly) of "You Keep Me Hangin' On". I still think "The Composer" is a better single though. :)

I don't know how you could think "The Composer" is a better single than anything that could be put up for discussion. It's a great song. I really, really love it. But nothing about it sounds like something radio djs would've been playing like crazy or that people would've run out to purchase. I suspect you would've been the only one.:p

[daviddh]

I always liked Loving You Is Better Than Ever best, followed by You Gave Me Love and Till Johnny Comes.
totally agree ,i really like this album, has a lush sound to me.

[lucky2012]

I always liked Loving You Is Better Than Ever best, followed by You Gave Me Love and Till Johnny Comes.
These are the three I listen to from Cream of the Crop. Like you, I like Loving You Is Better best, but like RanRan, I think You Gave Me Love would have been the better single choice, followed by Till Johnny Comes. Loving You and Till Johnny Comes are Smokey songs and complement The Composer. You Gave Me Love and Discover Me [[and Someday We'll Be Together) are Johnny Bristol songs. Let The Sunshine In and Cream of the Crop really should have been just combined for the one final DRATS studio album.

[daviddh]

These are the three I listen to from Cream of the Crop. Like you, I like Loving You Is Better best, but like RanRan, I think You Gave Me Love would have been the better single choice, followed by Till Johnny Comes. Loving You and Till Johnny Comes are Smokey songs and complement The Composer. You Gave Me Love and Discover Me [[and Someday We'll Be Together) are Johnny Bristol songs. Let The Sunshine In and Cream of the Crop really should have been just combined for the one final DRATS studio album.

agree with combining these two albums into one. Discover Me is a good album track but not a single for me. I would go with You Gave Me love

[lucky2012]

https://soulfuldetroit.com/images/misc/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by gman https://soulfuldetroit.com/images/buttons/viewpost-right.png [[https://soulfuldetroit.com/showthread.php?p=510406#post510406)



No Matter What Sign You Are is the quessential DR cat wail cut....ow!.. this seems to have replaced the earlier, threatening to be trademark hiccup that's all over TCB and Talk of The Town... she also ow!'ed her way thru some of "Together"s cuts...I personally like the ow! better than the hiccup....they were both '68 things...[[like Mary's Doris Day wig) LOL!



I agree. The hiccup was annoying. And then Flo turned around and started doing it on some of her solo stuff. I guess they thought that crap was cute. It wasn't. Diana's "ow"s though are cute and makes more sense.

Hiccups and Ows! Lol. I'm so glad they were both temporary.

[TheMotownManiac]

Hit records need hooks, catchy melodies and/or innovation. If you look st the hits of 68-69, the unrealeased product does not measure up. I don’t hear any missed singles in any 68-69 DRATS product with the possible exceptions of You Gave Me Love or Let The Music Play - neither of which are surefire hits, but I can kind of hear them on the radio back in the day - especially the latter.
Tempts duets that I do think would have hit are Why Must we fall in love and The Impossible Dream - TCB version - both of which would have been definite top 5 follow ups to IGMYLM.
‘I rarely play Let The Sun Shine In because she’s hoarse on several tracks and I hate that she was disrespected so much to crank out sub par material just to get it done. Exquisite care should’ve been taken to make certain that these albums were the best that it could be…… She’s also not in great voice on some of the duets with the Temptations.

I don’t care at all who is singing behind her, if we took away all the cuts that didn’t have Mary Cindy or Flo on them, there would be a lot less Supremes product out there - some of it great. Mary and Cindy are not on much of the post Ross tracks as well. Cindy’s bland voice offered little brightness to Mary’s rich, husky foundation on a pop record for radio.

[johnjeb]

I like "Discover Me" and always thought it would have been a good single. But of course that's comparing it to what was released post-Reflections. For my money several of the songs from the Love Child album would have charted as well or better than any of the singles post-Reflections, except LC and Someday, of course.

I enjoyed the Sunshine album at the time. It was a Pop album, similar to the Reflections album [[which I like) from the year before, but certainly not as good. I hate Cream of the Crap. Some of the songs are okay but overall a big disappointment, for me, as a final DRATS album. [[In addition other DRATS product from 1969 was disappointing, as well: GIT and Together both with the Temptations and GH Vol 3, album cover and content.)

I think the LC album should have been the final DRATS studio album and Someday could have been featured on GH Vol. 3. I don't think fans would have missed too much if Sunshine, Crop and Together were not released. [[I actually like several of the songs on Never-Before-Released Masters over what we got in 1969.)

[daviddh]

i think Crop could have been far better if songs such as Stormy, The Beginning Of The End Of Love were mixed in with the other highlights to make one album.
Love Child was really good and think they could have mined few singles out of it.
the Nitty Gritty could have been beefed up a bit.
agree with the duet Why Must We Fall In Love. love diana's vocal on that

[TomatoTom123]

I don't know how you could think "The Composer" is a better single than anything that could be put up for discussion. It's a great song. I really, really love it. But nothing about it sounds like something radio djs would've been playing like crazy or that people would've run out to purchase. I suspect you would've been the only one.:p

Well RanRan, I wasn't saying "The Composer" was an amazing single, it was just a better single than "Discover Me". It's all relative. :p

Quite frankly I don't really hear any hit singles on Let The Sunshine In at all. "I'm Livin' In Shame" is the closest thing to one IMO, but even that is quite silly.

Also, the single mix of "The Composer" is better than the album version. :)

[RanRan79]

I don’t care at all who is singing behind her, if we took away all the cuts that didn’t have Mary Cindy or Flo on them, there would be a lot less Supremes product out there - some of it great. Mary and Cindy are not on much of the post Ross tracks as well. Cindy’s bland voice offered little brightness to Mary’s rich, husky foundation on a pop record for radio.

I figure some people are like that. Background vocals, lyrics, even certain instrumentation don't make or break a record for them. That's not me. There are some songs that I love because of the backing vocals. Some songs the background is as important as the lead IMO, and some of the Supremes' biggest hits fall into that category for me [["Come See About Me", "You Keep Me Hangin On" for examples). I dig the Andantes sound. I really love some of their work during most of the 60s, but that 68/69 time period they were not exciting on a lot of that stuff. Again, listen to the Blackberries on "No Matter" or the Waters on "Someday". The Andantes weren't cutting it for me. So as a result "You Gave Me Love" suffers a bit. I even think Mary and Cindy would've done a better job on that one.

[RanRan79]

Well RanRan, I wasn't saying "The Composer" was an amazing single, it was just a better single than "Discover Me". It's all relative. :p

Quite frankly I don't really hear any hit singles on Let The Sunshine In at all. "I'm Livin' In Shame" is the closest thing to one IMO, but even that is quite silly.

Also, the single mix of "The Composer" is better than the album version. :)

It's hard to keep up with which version is which. Where can the single mix of "Composer" be found?

[gman]

that brief cheerleader roll in the background vocals of Composer? NNNNo.

[Fullfillingnessfirstfinale]

IMHO, Discover me was a favorite recording of mine, when I was young and not so familiar with all those Motown things I thought really, The Supremes did the backrounds. First it was a music scam for me, to use the name not the vocals. Now it is difficult for me to find the right way, because I like the productions like NMWSYA or STYNGUT and I am no Diana Ross fan, I like only her first 3 or 4 solo albums, contains a lot of A&S tracks. I think for an real DR fan is easier to accept all those things then for a Supremes Fan, the group disbanded when Flo left. It was clear that Diana became a solo star. What are the right definition of these songs, it sad for me personally that we had not much more productions with both "I´ll set you free" ist one. What we can say about the 68/69 years DRATS-Years or Diana Ross & The Andantes years or the early solo years ???? Well I think that "Discover me" had become a top 10 Hit !

[Fourtopsbiggestfan]

The strongest song is I'M SO GLAD [[ I HAVE SOMEBODY LIKE YOU AROUND). Criminally underrated production team. Love George Gordy and Lawrence Brown, Allen Story and Anna Gordy Gaye. That team also gave us the unreleased SAME SAME O on the Four Tops. Similar horn type STAX sound.

[gman]

In 1980 I was working one day a week bartending in a very slow business aging hippy bar with a horrible current schlocky jukebox. I put a lot of my own records [[mostly pre '75 hard rock/psych to fit the clientele more) in the juke box....I included both Love Child and I'm Living In Shame. I was amazed at how often I'm So Glad got played. it was a fav of mine, but I tend to like DRATS harder RnB cuts a lot..[[.e.:Bah Bah, Beginning of the End, I'm Giving You Your Freedom, Keep an Eye and Always In My Heart)

[daviddh]

Discover Me is good but not a single, to me.

[RanRan79]

In 1980 I was working one day a week bartending in a very slow business aging hippy bar with a horrible current schlocky jukebox. I put a lot of my own records [[mostly pre '75 hard rock/psych to fit the clientele more) in the juke box....I included both Love Child and I'm Living In Shame. I was amazed at how often I'm So Glad got played. it was a fav of mine, but I tend to like DRATS harder RnB cuts a lot..[[.e.:Bah Bah, Beginning of the End, I'm Giving You Your Freedom, Keep an Eye and Always In My Heart)

You put "I'm Livin In Shame" in the jukebox. I should block you for that reason alone.:p

I'm of the same taste as you. I prefer the Supremes on more r&b leaning songs as opposed to the more pop ones.

[TomatoTom123]

It's hard to keep up with which version is which. Where can the single mix of "Composer" be found?

It's on The Ultimate Collection from 1997 I believe. And I would assume the Complete Motown Singles set from 1969 too! :)

[Boogiedown]

It's OK. great intro. Very wordy. I wonder how many takes it took for Diana to rattle that off?? Kind of low key , even-keeled. She tries to amp it up at the end but neither the music nor the "Supremes" support her effort.


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

Does it sound like a Jackson Five song? Could that be them backing her up? I swear I can hear Tito !! lol!

[RanRan79]

It's on The Ultimate Collection from 1997 I believe. And I would assume the Complete Motown Singles set from 1969 too! :)

Oh okay. I have neither of those. I wonder which version was on Anthology [[1974)?

[sup_fan]

It's hard to keep up with which version is which. Where can the single mix of "Composer" be found?

the 50th anniversary set is all of the DRATS singles [[A and B sides) and the single versions.

[RanRan79]

the 50th anniversary set is all of the DRATS singles [[A and B sides) and the single versions.

Okay, thanks.

[johnjeb]

The Composer from Singles Collection:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whSTHtGl2Cs&list=PLLffhz0EuXMkALT7Sr80Ut3fWWuYA3A72&index=74

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I hate to be a "yes" man to Motown or to anybody, but I love both "Let The Sunshine In" and "Cream Of The Crop" including Shame, The Composer [[with its gorgeous harmonies), No Matter What Sign, Everyday People, I'm So Glad I Got Somebody, Discover Me, You Gave Me Love, When It's To The Top, etc. If I had to choose a least favorite, it would be Can't You See It's Me and When Johnny Comes, but I could NEVER dislike them as much as some of you seem to hate Shame, Composer, and No Matter What Sign.

[RanRan79]

The Composer from Singles Collection:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whSTHtGl2Cs&list=PLLffhz0EuXMkALT7Sr80Ut3fWWuYA3A72&index=74

Thanks John! Okay, now this makes a bit more sense as a single than the album version. It's an interesting mix. Sounds like it's sped up a bit and Diana kinda has a chipmunk sound going. I still don't think it sounds like a hit though.

[RanRan79]

I hate to be a "yes" man to Motown or to anybody, but I love both "Let The Sunshine In" and "Cream Of The Crop" including Shame, The Composer [[with its gorgeous harmonies), No Matter What Sign, Everyday People, I'm So Glad I Got Somebody, Discover Me, You Gave Me Love, When It's To The Top, etc. If I had to choose a least favorite, it would be Can't You See It's Me and When Johnny Comes, but I could NEVER dislike them as much as some of you seem to hate Shame, Composer, and No Matter What Sign.

And that's quite alright. The truth is that I can probably listen to just about any song the Supremes recorded whether I like it or not simply because it's the Supremes and I can usually find at least one semi appealing thing about pretty much all of their songs [[During the Diana and Jean years). Of course aside from the Supremes' version of "My Guy". I'd rather open a vein and bleed out than listen to that horrible excuse for a song. Everyone involved, from Smokey to Pete to Diana to Flo to Mary to the band, should've been ashamed of themselves. ASHAMED!!!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

And that's quite alright. The truth is that I can probably listen to just about any song the Supremes recorded whether I like it or not simply because it's the Supremes and I can usually find at least one semi appealing thing about pretty much all of their songs [[During the Diana and Jean years). Of course aside from the Supremes' version of "My Guy". I'd rather open a vein and bleed out than listen to that horrible excuse for a song. Everyone involved, from Smokey to Pete to Diana to Flo to Mary to the band, should've been ashamed of themselves. ASHAMED!!!

I couldn't agree more, RanRan. When I first got that previously-unreleased track, I had high expectations and couldn't wait to hear it. But once it started playing, I couldn't wait for it to end. Way too fast, far too cutesy, and the overlapping back-up vocals are horrible! It doesn't even sound like Motown. If Motown had released an album titled "How To Duplicate The Motown Sound", this version of "My Guy" would be the track titled, "Don't Let This Happen To You"!!! [[If I've offended anyone here who loves this version, I apologize. I just had to agree with RanRan on this one. That's how strongly I dislike it -- to the point of embarrassment!)

[RanRan79]

I couldn't agree more, RanRan. When I first got that previously-unreleased track, I had high expectations and couldn't wait to hear it. But once it started playing, I couldn't wait for it to end. Way too fast, far too cutesy, and the overlapping back-up vocals are horrible! It doesn't even sound like Motown. If Motown had released an album titled "How To Duplicate The Motown Sound", this version of "My Guy" would be the track titled, "Don't Let This Happen To You"!!! [[If I've offended anyone here who loves this version, I apologize. I just had to agree with RanRan on this one. That's how strongly I dislike it -- to the point of embarrassment!)

What surprises me most is that the production is a Smokey production. I would've expected him to take the Supremes into the studio and try to "out do" what he had done with Mary Wells on the song. Maybe not "out do" [[that song is classic) but perhaps take it up a notch from what he did in 1964 to what was current in 1966. That entire arrangement is horrible. Flo and Mary sound like they'd rather be somewhere else.

[johnjeb]

What surprises me most is that the production is a Smokey production. I would've expected him to take the Supremes into the studio and try to "out do" what he had done with Mary Wells on the song. Maybe not "out do" [[that song is classic) but perhaps take it up a notch from what he did in 1964 to what was current in 1966. That entire arrangement is horrible. Flo and Mary sound like they'd rather be somewhere else.

Haven't heard this is years, nor have I wanted to, so I just listened on youtube. [[Fortunately WDOLG and LC played right after which took the edge off!)

When I first heard this version of My Guy I thought that maybe it was recorded to use [[maybe lip-synch to) on a TV Show, something light and bouncy MOR, especially with those busy background vocals which is so atypical for a Supremes album track. Maybe this was going to be used for a Special Products release that never came to be. Checking DFTMC I see it was recorded in October 1966 when A' Go-Go was topping the charts. Maybe Smokey tried a light approach in the style of A' Go-Go or in the style of Heatwave and Same Old Song recorded in June 1966 and used on HDH in 1967.

[144man]

The strongest song is I'M SO GLAD [[ I HAVE SOMEBODY LIKE YOU AROUND). Criminally underrated production team. Love George Gordy and Lawrence Brown, Allen Story and Anna Gordy Gaye. That team also gave us the unreleased SAME SAME O on the Four Tops. Similar horn type STAX sound.

I'm So Glad [[to find out that I'm not the only one who thinks the Gordy/Story/Brown team are criminally underrated).

[kenneth]

Haven't heard this is years, nor have I wanted to, so I just listened on youtube. [[Fortunately WDOLG and LC played right after which took the edge off!)

When I first heard this version of My Guy I thought that maybe it was recorded to use [[maybe lip-synch to) on a TV Show, something light and bouncy MOR, especially with those busy background vocals which is so atypical for a Supremes album track. Maybe this was going to be used for a Special Products release that never came to be. Checking DFTMC I see it was recorded in October 1966 when A' Go-Go was topping the charts. Maybe Smokey tried a light approach in the style of A' Go-Go or in the style of Heatwave and Same Old Song recorded in June 1966 and used on HDH in 1967.

Diane's voice seemed to always be recorded in a way which made it sound thin and without much resonance during the last year or two with the Supremes. This seems very apparent in this version of "My Guy," which I don't think I've listened to in a very long time. Ross' vocal qualities seem to have been under utilized in many songs around this time, and although she's never had a big voice, to me the thin quality of her voice was very apparent around this time in other songs such as "Take Me Where You Go" and much of the tracks on the last two DRATS albums.

In the "My Guy, My Girl" medley that the girls did later with the Temptations, the arrangement is much better and Diane's vocals much richer, in my opinion.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

144man and Fourtopsbiggestfan - I, too, love George Gordy's compositions with Story and Brown, as well as his productions. George was a hell of a nice guy, too. When I took my tour of Motown's Donovan building back in October '71, George took me into his office and played me his newly-recorded production of Martha's "In And Out Of My Life" which Quality Control hadn't even heard yet. Of course, I loved it! And I've since discovered that I love everything else that he produced and wrote with Story/Brown. You're right -- Gordy/Story/Brown were sorely under-rated.

[sup_fan]

Diane's voice seemed to always be recorded in a way which made it sound thin and without much resonance during the last year or two with the Supremes. This seems very apparent in this version of "My Guy," which I don't think I've listened to in a very long time. Ross' vocal qualities seem to have been under utilized in many songs around this time, and although she's never had a big voice, to me the thin quality of her voice was very apparent around this time in other songs such as "Take Me Where You Go" and much of the tracks on the last two DRATS albums.

In the "My Guy, My Girl" medley that the girls did later with the Temptations, the arrangement is much better and Diane's vocals much richer, in my opinion.

i wonder if this is more a result of overuse and just being plain tired. At this point she alone was doing the recording - M and C are barely on any tracks. Gordy was also having her explore tons of material with various producers to keep testing out sounds and concepts. then there were all of the interviews, rehearsals, preparing for TCB and GIT, endless tv show appearances, stage shows, etc, etc, etc. Plus all of the frustrations of dealing with post-Florence stress, intergroup dynamics, the fact that she had been pretty much ostracized from the rest of the motown "family."