MSC into the 80s

[sup_fan]

if the group had managed to hold on, whether at motown or another label, how should they have handled moving past disco and into the 80s? would they have maybe been tapped to do a movie theme song? guest appearances on tv shows? the days of Variety shows were gone by now. of course they would have been going out to do some oldies shows. maybe an act along with the temps in VEgas?

[1382hitsville]

Interesting thought,
They could have gone 2 ways, the Four Tops way and the Temptations way. With that I mean, become an oldies act, like the Four Tops or a legacy act, oldies combined with new music, like the Temptations.

I'm sure, at least in Europe there would have been some interest in the act, either way.

[sup_fan]

i believe Scherrie's role in the FLOs still allows her to do occasional outside projects. the FLO commitment isn't so rigid or constrictive that she can't do other things. and this might have been a valuable approach.

i think the Tops and Sups could have held a residency at a vegas showroom. maybe not the main hall at Caesars but still a large hotel. with the launch of movies like The Big Chill Stand By Me and Dirty Dancing, there was a huge resurgence in 60s music. the full Sups name would have given them more ability to draw a crowd versus what mary sometimes struggled with on her own. this would also have probably been something still associated with motown and allowing them to keep using the name. IMO the real hassles mary had were due to her lawsuit in 77 and the ongoing bad blood between her and the label. while they wouldn't have been able to sign with a totally new label since motown owned the name, there could have been general things they did.

[marybrewster]

I've wondered if the Supremes could have been what the Pointer Sisters were in the 80's.

If the Supremes, after the MSS album in 1977, had hooked up with Richard Perry, could the result have been 1978's "Energy"?

[sup_fan]

exactly! i think they could have easily fallen into that role. the PS seemed to have been a relatively strong radio act plus in the more MOR arena too. the Supremes had become an institution and could have just been like those "professor emeritus" roles that people assume later in their careers. they could be frequent guests on the daytime talk shows, tv specials, record songs for tv and movies, oldies tours

and just like how the FLOs had motowns blessing for using the name, i think [[had there not been so much legal bad blood with Mary) the MSC lineup would have been given similar.

if pedro hadn't been there poisoning things within the group and with motown, the group could have kept going. motown would have probably NOT 'dropped' the group even if they were selling less because of the bad PR "how could motown be so cold and selfish!" especially with both M and C still in the act

[RanRan79]

For me, this question is like asking "What if Diana had never left the Supremes, what would the 70s Supremes look like?". [[Actually, I think we did do that topic a couple years back.:o) It's interesting to ponder, but in reality it just wasn't doable.

First, I'll answer the question posed. I think MSC/MSS in the 80s could have been something like the Pointer Sisters, if Motown was invested and hooking them up with quality music. The stuff Rick did with the Mary Jane Girls mostly wouldn't fit MSC/MSS, but I think songs like "You Are My Heaven" and "Musical Love" could have fit them. Maybe have Lionel producing some stuff. Since the group had moved into disco, perhaps their 80s stuff would have been more club oriented, rather than radio hits. Other than that, the only other hope the group had was to basically do the FLOS act, touring as an oldies set.

Now that's pondering the what if. In reality, and I think the part you all are missing, is that for Mary to remain in the group, she would have been unhappy. The group had outlived its purpose for her. It was time to stretch her wings. Keeping a group together is difficult, hence why it appears more groups break up than stay together. Mary never did believe that anyone was as invested in the Supremes as she was, other than Flo, who was dead, and Diana, who had gone on to great solo success and never ever was coming back. And let's be real: no one would have been as invested. The Supremes was Mary, Flo and Diana's baby. As loyal as Cindy was, as dependable as she was, she too had left the group on her own once. Yes, no one can fault her for the reasons she left in 72, but she left. Mary was the most consistent thing about the Supremes, with the exception of the one night she wasn't there. So moving forward from 1977 and into the 80s, what reason did Mary have to believe that the Supremes would stay together, regardless of which members were present: Scherrie, Susaye or Cindy? And why be bothered by the aggravation when you can go out alone and only have to concern yourself with yourself?

I think it was only a matter of time before Mary left, whether 1977 or sticking it out for another year or two, she was bound to want out. I don't think it's out of the question to ponder what if Mary left and Cindy took her place? What could the Cindy, Scherrie, Susaye grouping do? Would it have worked?

[sup_fan]

For me, this question is like asking "What if Diana had never left the Supremes, what would the 70s Supremes look like?". [[Actually, I think we did do that topic a couple years back.:o) It's interesting to ponder, but in reality it just wasn't doable.

First, I'll answer the question posed. I think MSC/MSS in the 80s could have been something like the Pointer Sisters, if Motown was invested and hooking them up with quality music. The stuff Rick did with the Mary Jane Girls mostly wouldn't fit MSC/MSS, but I think songs like "You Are My Heaven" and "Musical Love" could have fit them. Maybe have Lionel producing some stuff. Since the group had moved into disco, perhaps their 80s stuff would have been more club oriented, rather than radio hits. Other than that, the only other hope the group had was to basically do the FLOS act, touring as an oldies set.

Now that's pondering the what if. In reality, and I think the part you all are missing, is that for Mary to remain in the group, she would have been unhappy. The group had outlived its purpose for her. It was time to stretch her wings. Keeping a group together is difficult, hence why it appears more groups break up than stay together. Mary never did believe that anyone was as invested in the Supremes as she was, other than Flo, who was dead, and Diana, who had gone on to great solo success and never ever was coming back. And let's be real: no one would have been as invested. The Supremes was Mary, Flo and Diana's baby. As loyal as Cindy was, as dependable as she was, she too had left the group on her own once. Yes, no one can fault her for the reasons she left in 72, but she left. Mary was the most consistent thing about the Supremes, with the exception of the one night she wasn't there. So moving forward from 1977 and into the 80s, what reason did Mary have to believe that the Supremes would stay together, regardless of which members were present: Scherrie, Susaye or Cindy? And why be bothered by the aggravation when you can go out alone and only have to concern yourself with yourself?

I think it was only a matter of time before Mary left, whether 1977 or sticking it out for another year or two, she was bound to want out. I don't think it's out of the question to ponder what if Mary left and Cindy took her place? What could the Cindy, Scherrie, Susaye grouping do? Would it have worked?

see i think it could have worked with mary still there. actually i think mary would HAVE to be there for it to work. and while i love Susaye and the MS&S album, i think Cindy was easily recognized as a long time Supreme. and so while Scherrie wasn't Diana Ross i think the lineup would have been accepted.

i absolutely do not think the 80s would have been like the years 64 - 67. oh no. not even suggesting the group try to be hitting #1 w every song. but i think they could have maybe been a stable presence in the entertainment industry, popular guest stars on programs and sitcoms, part of the oldies circuit but maybe a bit higher or classier than how some of those end up being, certainly regular acts on Motown 25 or Motown at the Apollo, a guest appareance at a Diana show - like maybe the Forum in 80 when she was doing the tv special. they join in a line of Reach out and touch and then come onstage briefly for the Sup song [[sort of like how MJ came onstage briefly).

[marybrewster]

I think this might have been discussed at one point, but "The Love Boat" would have been a perfect vehicle for the Supremes. EVERYONE was on that show, including, I think, The Pointer Sisters. Perhaps they could have sung a song in "the lounge", then had individual stories of falling in love. There certainly were other opportunities for them outside of recording and touring.

[telekin]

Interesting thought,
They could have gone 2 ways, the Four Tops way and the Temptations way. With that I mean, become an oldies act, like the Four Tops or a legacy act, oldies combined with new music, like the Temptations.

I'm sure, at least in Europe there would have been some interest in the act, either way.

Both instructive examples and possibilities. Both those acts continued to straddle that line to some degree. Had The Supremes re-constituted under the MSC lineup and had that lineup remained stable, I think The Supremes would have followed a similar trajectory. There would have been more albums of new material, perhaps some hits among them but probably little that would have eclipsed those of their golden years.

It all depended on finding the right song and producer, as Mary often stated in the 70s. Now this isn't exactly from the 80s but I was listening recently to Odyssey's "Native New Yorker," and thinking to myself what a lovely vehicle that would have been for The Supremes with Mary on lead, had they been around to land a song like that. That probably also depended on Mary having full control of the Supremes name and not being exclusively tied to Motown.

However, the longevity of a group like the Temptations is, to me, a mixed blessing. Had the lineup not stabilized, then The Supremes would be competing with not just one but perhaps multiple FLOS-type groups with former members in various Supremes revues. While I lament the fact that Mary perhaps didn't take as many opportunities to put out material, the fact that The Supremes officially ended in 1977 limited the dilution of the brand, to some degree.