DRATS "No Matter What Sign You Are"; the Supremes "swan song"?

[marybrewster]

Correct me if I am wrong; but did I once hear that "No Matter What Sign You Are" was supposed to be the DRATS final release [[their "swan song"), had it charted better than #31 US?

A couple of questions; thoughts:

* Had the song done better, do you think the DRATS truly would have disbanded?
* Had Jean Terrell already been "discovered" by the time this song had been released in May of 1969?
* Had "Someday We'll Be Together" already been recorded by Diana as a solo for her "debut" during this time frame?
* What about tour dates? Were there tour dates booked after May of 1969? Knowing that tickets for concerts are sold well in advance, would these dates have been cancelled? Would these dates have become Diana's solo debut dates? Or Supremes without Diana dates? Were the DRATS not performing live during this time period, just in case something "hit"?

[Glenpwood]

Don't forget, would the "On Broadway" TV Special been a Diana solo vehicle for NBC since I'm sure it was filmed later than the release of NMWSYA....

[roger]

Correct me if I am wrong; but did I once hear that "No Matter What Sign You Are" was supposed to be the DRATS final release [[their "swan song"), had it charted better than #31 US?

A couple of questions; thoughts:

* Had the song done better, do you think the DRATS truly would have disbanded?
* Had "Someday We'll Be Together" already been recorded by Diana as a solo for her "debut" during this time frame?


According to the notes with TCMS9 the track for "Someday We'll Be Together" was recorded on June 13th 1969, which was over a month after "No Matter What Sign You Are" was released as a 45 in the U.S. The notes don't say when Miss Ross recorded her vocals, but they do state that it was originally intended to be the debut 45 by a solo DIANA ROSS, and that Motown decided to release it instead as a "DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES" record after Shelly Berger pointed out to Berry Gordy that it would be a good idea to have a smash hit as the final DRATS 45.

Also .. no doubt an additional consideration was that by the time "Someday We'll Be Together" came out it was widely known that Miss Ross was going solo, so the song's lyrics had a topical flavour that they would never have had had the tune been totally credited to her. Hinting at some future re-union which has yet to materialise!!

So .. I would imagine that if "No Matter What Sign You Are" had been a Top 10 hit then DIANA ROSS would still have left the group and "Someday We'll Be Together" would still have been their "final" 45.


Roger

[ejluther]

Also .. no doubt an additional consideration was that by the time "Someday We'll Be Together" came out it was widely known that Miss Ross was going solo, so the song's lyrics had a topical flavour that they would never have had had the tune been totally credited to her. Hinting at some future re-union which has yet to materialise!!

In some ways, "Someday We'll Be Together" could make just as much sense as Diana's first solo record since the lyrics are in the past tense - as if she's singing to her former singing partners after she's already left. Of course, she talks about it being "a big mistake" so I always thought it was odd to be saying that already on her first [[proposed) single without them. Of course, I do realize that the song is a love song to a person [[perhaps even to a dead lover?) but it's impossible not to think of it as relating to the group itself, at least symbolically. Then when you add on the fact that it was the last #1 song in 1969 and therefore served as a swan song to the entire decade it takes on another bigger meaning...

[marv2]

Correct me if I am wrong; but did I once hear that "No Matter What Sign You Are" was supposed to be the DRATS final release [[their "swan song"), had it charted better than #31 US?

A couple of questions; thoughts:

* Had the song done better, do you think the DRATS truly would have disbanded?
* Had Jean Terrell already been "discovered" by the time this song had been released in May of 1969?
* Had "Someday We'll Be Together" already been recorded by Diana as a solo for her "debut" during this time frame?
* What about tour dates? Were there tour dates booked after May of 1969? Knowing that tickets for concerts are sold well in advance, would these dates have been cancelled? Would these dates have become Diana's solo debut dates? Or Supremes without Diana dates? Were the DRATS not performing live during this time period, just in case something "hit"?

I am sorry , you are wrong. You did not hear that [[from Motown's management).