Quote:
Originally Posted by
RanRan79
Keep in mind the public's perception of the groups. I think the public probably already considered the Miracles "Smokey Robinson and...". Smokey was a well known songwriter and producer. He even had his name and photo on someone else's album [[the Tempts) two years before the name change. Although history is occasionally re-written around here, pretty much up until Flo's exit, the public and the industry considered the Supremes a true group, with three identifiable singers. I wasn't around back then, but it's hard for me to believe that anyone outside of some of the most diehard fans would've batted an eye if Pete or Ronnie or Bobby were replaced. Renaming a true group had to come with some backlash. Of course all is forgiven when the music is great, as proven when the Supremes teamed up with the Tempts, as well as the release of "Love Child" and "Someday".
I have a differing view:
It was my experience that
”the public” didn’t think any different between the two groups. Diana did 99% of the leads, only one regular studio album had a non-ross lead on it, and that was the very weak, in my opinion, come and get these memories. I didn’t know one person that liked it I just about everyone hated it. I don’t think the public ever thought about the Supremes being a “true group”or anything like that at all. I don’t think people even went there. It’s not like the Beatles or the stones or even the Beach boys or the mamas and the Papas…… The Supremes were a lead singer with two background singers and they were always that way from the time they hit. Most people never heard mary or Florence on anything but a few words here and there - if they were paying attention that closely, which I don’t think they were. I didn’t know many who were. I didn’t know one person that dissected whether or not this was a true group or a lead and a background group or anything like that they were just the Supremes that was just all there was to it. I don’t think anybody went the for and I don’t think many gave much of a damn about Smokey Robinson and the miracles either. They just played the records and that was that.
no one I knew thought negatively about the name change and I never experienced any backlash or heard of anything until decades later. However, in the 90’s, I did meet a fan who had a catatonic fit because diana ross’ name appeared separately from the Supremes on the TCB titles. I didn’t witness any industry backlash and I don’t believe there was any. I can think of no examples I can provide proof that there wasn’t: the first single, reflections, radio was on it like a duck on a June bug and it had adds similar to the previous four #1’s. On the black chart, it far out performed its predecessor before thename change. I don’t think anyone gave a damn one way or another - fans or industry. They were a mega-group that moved a ton of product - “ the industry” was not emotionally invested at all in the group, or any group for that matter beyond what they sold because that’s what the industry cared about: sales. I never read one thing in the trades that was even slightly questionable about the name change The first single was a smash, the first album was the biggest Album Motown ever had for years…There was no apparent hesitation from radio from its chart performance at all. Ditto in my opinion, the weak follow up in an out of love. Of course when it Failed to perform like the previous singles, radio grew soft on it but that is normal for every record. A month after the name change, the greatest hits album came out and sold like crazy and was in just about everyone’s home that I knew and I never heard one casual fan say anything whatsoever about the name change.
All this scrutiny happened after Dreamgirl when we were given a villainess. There WAS discussion among the supremes nutcase fans [[of which I was one) but there certainly was no backlash. Everybody just kept buying everything. Casual fans stopped buying the albums eventually because they weren’t enjoying the newer ones or a lot of the singles as the casual fan, even the mid-level fans, became fans because of the HDH Ross-led classic records that were coming out every 2 1/2 to 3 months. Those same people had absolutely no interest in some things you never get used to or forever came today or the composer all the albums that contained them.
I was devastated when Flo disappeared and the non-Flo showed up everywhere on TV like she belonged or something. I didn’t really accept that Flo was gone until the reflections album came out And Cindy’s name appeared in the liner notes as it always been there. The die hards had lots to say initially and most of it wasn’t good, but the general public didn’t even notice. The general public didn’t know any of their names until the name change. I don’t even think their names were mentioned on a gogo or HDH. The public learned who diana ross was only after the name change.
now there was plenty of backlash when Diana left the group and some of it continues 51 years later. The name change? Nothing basically.
Oh I forgot, that same TCB friend was fit to be tied because the greatest hits album featured the name change even though all of the songs on it were recorded as just The Supremes. He likes everything to be tidy and “correct “and this did not fit that description at all. I doubt very much, that to this very day, he will wear white shoes after Labor Day because “ you aren’t supposed to.”