somethings you never get used to album.......

[honest man]

Hello been reading george solomon on midnite johnny show, someone mentioned an album was to be released SOMETHINGS YOU NEVER GET USED TO,i know it was a DRATS song ,was this album to be with jean or old diana led songs hopefully the latter,but either would be great anyone know tracklists,or is this just another dream speaking,cheers,

[midnight johnny]

Hello been reading george solomon on midnite johnny show, someone mentioned an album was to be released SOMETHINGS YOU NEVER GET USED TO,i know it was a DRATS song ,was this album to be with jean or old diana led songs hopefully the latter,but either would be great anyone know tracklists,or is this just another dream speaking,cheers,

honest man.... we were talking about the "Love Child" album originally to be titled "Some Things You Never Get Used To" ...nothing to do with Jean.
Thanks....
John

[honest man]

MJ thank you for that, i thought it was a big revelation, especially as loads of DRATS - JEAN LED groupings have been unearthed, thank you again.hope you well. cheers.

[George Solomon]

For those who would like to make their own CD:

* Side one
1. Some Things You Never Get Used To
2. Heaven Must Have Sent You
3. He's My Sunny Boy
4. Come On And See Me
5. Can I Get A Witness
6. You've Been Wonderful To Me

Side two
1. My Guy
2. It's Not Unusual
3. Just A Little Misunderstanding
4. Uptight [[Everything Is Alright)
5. What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted
6. Blowin' In The Wind

[midnight johnny]

George....thanks! So this intended album was nothing that "Love Child" actually replaced...eh? It was to be a separate LP altogether....?
Thanks!
John

[Jimi LaLumia]

I was shocked when "Some Things You Never Get Used To" bombed;
I bought Supremes 45's on their day of release,and this I think was the first major 'stiff' for them, so of course they weren't going to name an album after a failed single..

[randy_russi]

Although I liked the record, it didn't sound like a number one to me. I was surprised that Forever Came Today didn't chart
better, however. That was the first one that didn't go top ten or even top twenty. Also, I never understood why with
all the unreleased material Forever was backed with Time Changes Things, which had been the B side of Let Me Go The
Right Way.

[kenneth]

Although I liked the record, it didn't sound like a number one to me. I was surprised that Forever Came Today didn't chart
better, however. That was the first one that didn't go top ten or even top twenty. Also, I never understood why with
all the unreleased material Forever was backed with Time Changes Things, which had been the B side of Let Me Go The
Right Way.

I think a whole book could be written on some of the choices for Motown's B sides! I agree, the whole sound and arrangement of Time Changes Things was completely out of step with other material in the year it made the B side of Forever. Diane hadn't even really acquired her own "voice" yet. It was in that strange key also which I think was too high for her so she sounded strained, as she did on much of the first album.

I also remember when I bought The Hunter Gets Captured By the Game it was backed by I Think I Can Change You from the Playboy album, which was released 3 or 4 years earlier and wasn't even in print anymore! Completely strange choice, although I like the song it was completely dated even by then and [[stranger still) I don't think it was written by Smokey Robinson, as was Hunter.

[randy_russi]

I Think I Can Change You WAS written & produced by Smokey, however, I totally agree that it didn't fit with the sound
of the time or the A side. Same was true with the B sides of Don't Mess With Bill and You're The One. Both were
backed by Gladys-led recordings that sounded very early '60s. And over the past twenty years or so we have discovered
sooooo many unreleased recordings that could've been B sides.

[redlabs]

i liked diana's vocal on SOMETHINGS but thats it for me. it's an ok song for me but perhaps a better mix. i liked Johnnys mix of it

[luke]

Initially I loved Some Things and thought it was a smash. Diana excellent though backgrounds homogenous. Never cared for Forever.

[kenneth]

I Think I Can Change You WAS written & produced by Smokey, however, I totally agree that it didn't fit with the sound
of the time or the A side. Same was true with the B sides of Don't Mess With Bill and You're The One. Both were
backed by Gladys-led recordings that sounded very early '60s. And over the past twenty years or so we have discovered
sooooo many unreleased recordings that could've been B sides.

Thanks for that. There were some good ones. Was it When You're Young and In Love which was backed with The Day You Take One, You Have to Take the Other? That was an excellent B side, and could have been a hit on its own. Musically and lyrically it was similar to Hunter Gets Captured, I think, and I KNOW The Day You Take One was written by Smokey. It's him through and through.

[randy_russi]

Yes, the Miracles did a version that wasn't released at the time [[The Day You Take One).
The entire lp The Marvelettes [[pink cover) had excellent material--This Night Was Made For Love, When I Need You,
I Can't Turn Around, I Know Better, etc.

[carlo]

Thank you for the tracklisting, George!

[marybrewster]

Did I hear that if "Some Things" would have been the smash they were looking for, then Motown WOULD have released the album? It seems to me once "Some Things" failed to spark much interest, the whole concept was scrapped, and Berry recuited the "Clan" for "Love Child".

To me, IMO, the whole "Some Things" album was pretty weak, along the lines of "Let the Sunshine In" or "Cream of the Crop".

[chestersong]

thanks many for the track list, George! another fun album. i so much enjoy making these up for my collection and "filling in the gaps". this LP would make an excellent 2nd disc for some expanded set some day. could you please suggest a cover for the LP? a Supremes album "weak"?! NEVER!! just plain fun!

[reese]

I've always loved any work that Diana did with Ashford and Simpson, and SOME THINGS is one of my favorites. Too bad it didn't become a hit.

Of course if it had, we probably wouldn't have had LOVE CHILD. We would have ended up with the SOME THINGS album. Individually, I like most of the songs. But they don't quite gel as an album, IMO. By contrast,I think the LOVE CHILD album is one of the best Supremes albums ever, and definitely the best from the post-Flo era.

[Ramone Verona]

For those who would like to make their own CD:

* Side one
1. Some Things You Never Get Used To
2. Heaven Must Have Sent You
3. He's My Sunny Boy
4. Come On And See Me
5. Can I Get A Witness
6. You've Been Wonderful To Me

Side two
1. My Guy
2. It's Not Unusual
3. Just A Little Misunderstanding
4. Uptight [[Everything Is Alright)
5. What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted
6. Blowin' In The Wind

COOL!!
Now all I need is that peel-off front and back cover copy of the LOVE CHILD album that some of you lucky devils have!

[randy_russi]

Well, for the Supremes it wasn't a hit, but by far the record wasn't a flop. It charted to about #33 in Billboard didn't it?

[reese]

I think SOME THINGS hit #30 on the pop chart. Not bad at all. But I guess by Supremes standards, that was a big dropoff.

On THE MOTOWN STORY collection, Diana talks about how it was a long time between REFLECTIONS and LOVE CHILD. In truth, it was only a little over a year, and three single releases. But back then, of course, they released recordings year round, instead of taking years between releases like the artists of today.

[randy_russi]

Oh yes, in the '60s the big hit would be coming down the chart as the follow-up hit is traveling up the chart.

[randy_russi]

I thought several of the songs on track listing for the scrapped lp were not very strong--Heaven Must Have Sent You, Come On & See Me, Can I Get A Witness are very dull compared to the originals by the Elgins, Tammi, & Marvin. I haven't heard
Uptight but I don't doubt it's not very good compared to Stevie's. And, forget their version of My Guy--horrible in comparison
to Mary Wells' original.
This lp has quite a few recordings slated that were recorded with Florence too.

[BayouMotownMan]

There is a reason for going back to Time Changes Things as the flip to Forever. In 1965 Gordy released several new and previously recorded packages like Sing CW&P, Sam Cooke, Liverpool, etc. The public was flooded Supremes product. In the midst of this the company re-packaged and re-issued Meet The Supremes, to virtually no sales. Forever was expected to be a massive hit and putting Time Changes Things on the flip was intended to spur sales of that album.

Somethings was rush released when A&S played it at a quality control meeting. They had captured the sound of HDH fairly well and Gordy thought this would put the group back in the top 10. When it sank, Gordy knew the group was in trouble...The public and the DJs just weren't buying the new billing singling out Ross, they felt this was egotistical on her part. Change in personnel didn't help things. It took TCB, a duet lp with the Tempts and the masterpiece of Love Child to re-establish Diana Ross and the Supremes. And even that was short lived

[Ramone Verona]

So are you saying that with the DRATS name change, publicly, "some things you never get used to"?
;)

[BayouMotownMan]

Well history will show that three things adversely effected the group in 1968. 1. The name change. 2. Flo's exit. 3. The absence of HDH.

In fact the only reason HDH and Motown released Forever was because they [[HDH) had stopped production of all Motown artists while negotiating a new contract with Gordy, basically holding Motown hostage. Gordy is not the type of man to do this to. So they went into the vaults and reworked Forever instead of brainstorming something new. Forever is a nice song, but not danceable and has an odd structure. This also worked against its success. A stunning song, but an album cut only. Even when done live it was great...but it was not a single. Somethings had more potential but, again, all the other things worked against it. When Gordy's writers came up with Love Child it took the group in a new direction, now talking social issues instead of teen angst, and it paid off beautifully.

[randy_russi]

But Forever Came Today has a great hook--a singalong chorus which should have sold it. I think the industry knew HDH were
in the process of leaving and djs kind of didn't play the record as much perhaps. While the group was in somewhat of a
slump, the Temps were exploding with hits produced by Norman Whitfield.
The Supremes still sold out their concerts, however.

[RossHolloway]

I thought several of the songs on track listing for the scrapped lp were not very strong--Heaven Must Have Sent You, Come On & See Me, Can I Get A Witness are very dull compared to the originals by the Elgins, Tammi, & Marvin. I haven't heard
Uptight but I don't doubt it's not very good compared to Stevie's. And, forget their version of My Guy--horrible in comparison
to Mary Wells' original.
This lp has quite a few recordings slated that were recorded with Florence too.

Uptight sounds like it was recorded in Los Angeles around the time of the A'GoGo recordings. It lacks the Detroit feel and production to it and I don't think anyone could record that song and come close to touching Stevie's version. His famous is famous for a reason.

[randy_russi]

So I wonder why an lp was planned in '68 with so many older recordings. We now know they had a lot of newer stuff at
that time that was unreleased.

[RossHolloway]

Am I correct in seeing that three songs were put on the Love Child album: He's My Sunny Boy, STYNGUT and You've Been Wonderful to Me? But all in all I think Randy is right the tracks do seems to be rather haphazard. I just think that it must have been a really hectic time back in late 67 early 68 what with the departure of Flo, the pending departure of HDH, I think the success of the groups Greatest Hits package through off their album releases. Wasn't the Reflections album released in like March of 68 when the single of the same name had been release the year before in July? Kinda of an odd timing for the album. While the song Reflections is one of my favorite songs by the group I thought it fell a little short, especially after AGoGo and Sing HDH.

[chestersong]

what album or set was "My Guy" issued on?

[RossHolloway]

what album or set was "My Guy" issued on?

Wasn't it on their Pink Box Set?

[pj1]

Yes, on the pink box set. Disc 2 Track 15

[theboyfromxtown]

Let The Sunshine In and Cream Of The Crop also had songs featuring Florence

[chestersong]

thank you guys for the Pink Velvet set hint. all i could think of was the Sups/Tempts duet and i knew that couldn't be right. i'm getting ready to burn my STYNGUT lp fresh from the vaults!

[theboyfromxtown]

Chestersong-Will you be choosing the long version of You've Been So Wonderful To Me.

[BayouMotownMan]

Actually Sunny Boy was considered for single release. After the failure of Forever and Some Things, Gordy had all his producers competing to get a hit on Ross. Finally, when this didn't pan out, he sequestered his most inspired group in a Detroit Motel where they came up with Love Child. I love Sunny Boy. If you have a tape of the Motown Review featuring Smokey Robinson, he drops in on Diana and mentioned the songs he had written for her, one of which was Sunny Boy. That song rocks...got a lot of FM airplay when the Love Child lp came out

[Jimi LaLumia]

living in Long Island, NY, I listened religiously to 77WABC AM,the biggest Top 40 radio station in the nation,home of Cousin Brucie..WABC did play "Forever Came Today" for a few short weeks,it stiffed..but they never touched "Somethings..." and for me, as a teen diehard fan, this was a shocker..77WABC not playing a new Supremes single?..even as a teen, I instinctively knew that trouble was brewing...
this was a similar vibe in the air when "The Composer" and "No Matter What Sign You Are" got brief trial runs on WABC but quickly disappeared without racing up the chart like Supremes singles once did...
all the gossip about Ross leaving seemed to overshadow the actual records..

[kenneth]

With a less trite sounding melody, "The Composer" might have done well. The lyrics were fine, similar to "I Hear a Symphony," really, but the melody and instrumentation was somewhat insipid. "No Matter What Sign You Are" was just silly...bad lyrics and a mundane melody as well. It seemed after the "Love Child" LP, which I liked very much and agree it was one of their best, the Supremes became more or less of a lounge act.

[robbert]

IMO, the group should have called it quits after Love Child's sequel: I'm Living In Shame. Mmmm, after TCB, rather. Broadway was also a weaker sequel. Their 45's that came after ILIS were incoherent and non-Supremes sounding. Which is no wonder, with all the knowledge we have now, about the absence of Mary & Cindy's voices.

[captainjames]

Thanks George for posting this,,
I am very thankful for the "Love Child" album.


For those who would like to make their own CD:

* Side one
1. Some Things You Never Get Used To
2. Heaven Must Have Sent You
3. He's My Sunny Boy
4. Come On And See Me
5. Can I Get A Witness
6. You've Been Wonderful To Me

Side two
1. My Guy
2. It's Not Unusual
3. Just A Little Misunderstanding
4. Uptight [[Everything Is Alright)
5. What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted
6. Blowin' In The Wind

[aarondillon2011@gmail.com]

Personally I would have had "Sunny Boy" as the single. I play it way more than "Somethings". Plus we would have has Mary and Cindy on a single.

[smark21]

The song list for that proposed Some Things album is rather dismal.

[Jimi LaLumia]

agreed...what would the second single have been?..it's like a Supremes a Go Go Vol.2,all Motown covers....at that particular moment in time, they could have called it Supremes A Gone Gone...

[randy_russi]

I have to agree about the song "Sunny Boy". I loved it the first time I heard it on the Love Child lp. Didn't it end up on a
B side at some point? It would have been a better A side single than The Composer or No Matter What Sign.
I do not remember Some Things getting pop airplay here. The first time I heard it was on the R&B station in Orlando.
Smokey really tried, but never could get a hit with the Supremes, but I think Sunny Boy is the best thing he did with
Diana. Later, of course, Floy Joy!

[RossHolloway]

With the exception of the Temptations, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye the years 68-69 were tough years for the Motown Sound. The departure of HDH had a huge impact on the entire company. The Four Tops and Martha and the Vandellas were really never the same.

[reese]

I have to agree about the song "Sunny Boy". I loved it the first time I heard it on the Love Child lp. Didn't it end up on a B side at some point?

It was the flip side of SOMEDAY WE'LL BE TOGETHER.

[Glenpwood]

The whole proposed album was basically songs that had been bumped from other albums as I recall from Taraborelli's last Diana Ross book. Most of them were A Go Go and Sing HDH extras. It wouldve made for, in my opinion, the weakest Supremes album ever released. The songs don't flow together well and were dated to be used as covers by that point. Also, what on earth could they have used as a cover shot for an LP entitled Some Things You Never Get Used To? An album title should never sound negative, it ends up discouraging casual listeners from buying it. Ok, off my soapbox now LOL

[chestersong]

where did our love go-negative
love child-negative
and overall, Motown had many more. but they all sold great!

[chestersong]

Chestersong-Will you be choosing the long version of You've Been So Wonderful To Me.

i chose the longer version. and the album is sounding just fine to me! :) found a 45 tamla/motown sleeve as a picture for my masterpiece. it's pink with blue font and says in big letters "STYNGUT". this thread sure took off at George's mere mention of a tape master. i'm glad he gave us this discovery from the vaults. makes me wonder just how many more surprises they will come across! the VEGAS "live" LP from Jean sounds like fun, too!

[RossHolloway]

i chose the longer version. and the album is sounding just fine to me! :) found a 45 tamla/motown sleeve as a picture for my masterpiece. it's pink with blue font and says in big letters "STYNGUT". this thread sure took off at George's mere mention of a tape master. i'm glad he gave us this discovery from the vaults. makes me wonder just how many more surprises they will come across! the VEGAS "live" LP from Jean sounds like fun, too!

I know I should know this, but what's the time difference between the short and long versions? And where can one find each?

[tamla617]

well, with the "somethings" 7" failure we got the love child lp.thats the only album by them i'd put in my favourites list.
it was such a difference from their other stuff,dealt with more "adult" themes,they grew up on that disc imo.
i like somethings and all the tracks except i'm not keen on honey bee.
does your mama know about me,keep an eye,how longs the evening train been gone are brilliant,to me anyway.

[randy_russi]

I do remember a fullpage ad in Billboard for Some Things. A photo of them taken by Kreigsman, which was a nice shot.

[chestersong]

I know I should know this, but what's the time difference between the short and long versions? And where can one find each?

sorry it took so long for me to get back to you on this. :[[

-->on the "Love Child" CD from the 80's, "YBSWTM" is timed at 2:34
-->on the "Playlist Plus" CD set from '08, "YBSWTM" is timed at 3:19! [[an extra verse and longer fade)

"PLAYLIST PLUS" is the set that Andy spoke so highly about as it contains some wonderful alternates not found elsewhere.
another great set is the "SOUL LEGENDS" series on DRATS, which contains an unusual tracklist, alternates, and 70's supremes tracks all mixed throughout; unlike other sets that always place the 70's tracks at the end. SOUL LEGENDS on DRATS is a great example of a set to play for friends to demonstrate just how talented the supremes were at singing all types of music, as opposed to just the usual hits. Plus it has unusual photos and a booklet on GLOSSY PRINT! the orange and black sepia tone on the front is to die for!

One thing that needs to be stated for those that have the "STYNGUT" LP is that many of these tracks feature Mary and Cindy; as opposed to the Andantes. Some fans appreciate that! thank you for asking and a big thank you to boyfromxtown to hinting to me to make the switch! :)

[Ramone Verona]

Yes, both very nice sets.
I always thought the "Playlist-plus" set should have had a fourth disc on the 70's.
Sort of a "budget" Pink Velvet set.
And "Soul Legends" could have been a two-disker, too!
Such an unusual array of tracks that I would have been curious to see what a longer track list would have included.