https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m1GmQJPOY4
agreed. you have the age-old problem of the Sups simply not being respected as artists. That they were a contrived vehicle for Diana. and while they were a platform for her launch into superstardom, it's unfortunate that the industry refuses to recognize their contribution. frankly even DR is slighted to some degree with this. If it wasn't for her massive number of hits, i bet the industry would poopoo her too. The fact that she and the group weren't "black enough" or didn't write their own content.
Absolutely...no doubt about it. But when it comes to the Supremes, we have been treated pretty well overall. I keep wondering what a deep dive into some of the other artists' catalogs would result in. The girl groups have been mined pretty thoroughly. We've had the two Marvelettes box sets which supposedly encompassed all their previously unreleased tracks. Martha and the Vandellas, too, have had several releases which included vault tracks [["Spellbound," the 3rd disk of the "50th Anniversary Singles"), but we really haven't had any expanded editions for the Temptations, the 4 Tops and even Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, although they've each had a "Lost and Found" and other tracks which have come out on several various artists packages. But I'd love to see some of the guys get the kind of attention the Supremes have got.
Maybe, after all, this goes to show that the Supremes truly were the flagship act at Motown, and the girl groups in general seem to typify the "Motown Sound." But it'd be great to see some of the guys get some equal time!
Mary writing that book and her TV interviews did much harm to the credibility of the Supremes.
I agree that much is appreciated. The fact remains that the market for these expanded releases is not going to multiply as the years pass.. It’s just unfortunate that their fate remains in the seemingly disinterested hands of Universal execs.
With the release of Funny Girl, there is a chink of light that waiting times may start to decrease.....Forever the optimist.
i think it's also a matter of the Supremes [[while Diana was in the group) was not only the flagship but also Berry's key focus. he was looking for any and every outlet in which to promote and highlight them. And also constantly searching for any sound, style or song with could be a big hit. When you have a mega hit, it only makes sense to quickly push an album out to accompany it, so you'll need another 10 or so songs.
I'd guess that for every tune MRATV or the Tops or Miracles recorded, the Sups recorded 10. Plus they had so many concept albums being developed or considered. no one else had such a varied discography at motown. also i'm excluding the Christmas albums since EVERYONE in the world has one of those:
Tops - 1 specialty album
Temps - 1 specialty album not counting the tv specials
stevie - 2, tribute to uncle ray and with a song in my heart
Marvin - 3, soulful moods, hello broadway, nat king cole
Miracles - none
MRATV - none
Marvelettes - none
Supremes - 5 that were released
@sup_fan, Nice to consider the various specialty albums recorded by the other groups. It's funny, but nowadays I listen more to the specialty albums than I do the hit albums, probably because I've heard the well known songs so many times.
I really love Gaye's "Hello Broadway" and "Tribute to Nat King Cole," and often listen to them together. I think Gaye's "When I'm Alone I Cry" nearly counts as a specialty album because it's so Sinatra-influenced. "Soulful Moods", IMHO, is still a little rough around the edges but "Alone" I think is a great piece.
For the Tempts, I'm assuming "In a Mellow Mood," and for the Tops "On Broadway." Both are excellent albums as well, and I should definitely play them more often.
I love Stevie's "Uncle Ray," but someone on the forum pointed out to me that what I probably don't like about his almost falsetto on "With a Song in My Heart" was because his voice was changing!
Interesting list!
the fact that Motown was pushing this music is stunning, shocking and spectacular. it was so against the pop mentality at the time but it really did add significant career longevity for many of these artists.
i do think though that this added to the problem of why motown artists lack the industry respect. mary referred to something similar in Dreamgirl about a sort of reverse discrimination. That by that later 60s, blacks had to sound like Aretha or sing heavy r&b or gospel. and if they didn't, they were true black artists.
people see Diana Ross or the Supremes as "black women" but with a sound that differs from Patti or Aretha. therefore they much have sold out to the white powers that be within the industry.
I ordered 2 copies from Real Gone. I also have a question for anyone who has ordered from them before. Do they ship with the USP? With the recent postal service issues/delays was wondering if I should contact them and see if they would be able to use Fedex or UPS?
Good question. If they ship with USPS, you can expect delays, especially if you're an international customer. All of my packages from the States to Canada have taken at least a month or two. My latest package arrived this week and took three weeks, so the delays might be getting better? It may also depend where they ship from. I've noticed anything that has come through LAX has taken the longest. I've read that there are huge backlogs. Unfortunately our Canadian mail system has been falling apart for some time now too, even pre-pandemic. Anything being ordered and delivered through the mail right now will require some patience.
Is there a stereo version of the extended version of People on either disc?
Just ordered from Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Now finally available to order through Amazon Canada as well...
https://www.amazon.ca/Sing-Perform-F...7254917&sr=8-3
Got a shipping notice from RG yesterday!
This set is going to be amazing and deserves our full support - while it may not be my first choice in an expanded edition it is at least something to 'keep the lights on' and will appeal to the girls fans as well as Broadway fans so will have a good chance of being very successful. I can't wait to hear it all - let alone look at that sumptuous booklet.
Since I already have the digital version and it's not one of my obsessive favorites, I very well may leave it sealed for posterity [[or my posterior, not sure which!).
Amazon pre-sell $27.99? Real Gone $19.99? Maybe amazon is free shipping and Real Gone has shipping.
With my Real Gone order for 2 CDs I was charged $6.00 for shipping for a total of $46.00.
I have Amazon Prime so even with free shipping my order would have been $59.50, including tax, unless the price goes down to match Real Gone.
Now we'll see how USPS can handle the delivery vs. how Amazon would have shipped, either direct or with USPS.
Edit: Just received my shipping confirmation.
Got my notification and tracking number from Real Gone. So exciting. So glad I didn’t order from Amazon. My shipments from Amazon take forever. I pre ordered Diana Ross’ Supertonic as soon as it was available. Didn’t receive until 3 weeks after the release date.
Got my notice.on it's way
Got my notice too ! It's on the way, I can't wait :). I hope it won't take too long to reach France.
I know it's not the case for many of you but this album is one of the favorite of mine and I'm really glad it's released on CD, and with extra versions... [[sure it was worth the wait:)).
I got my tracking information from the postal service. Will be delivered on Tuesday the 8th. Would have been Monday the 7th but because of the holiday. I can hardly wait. Love this album.
I'm a little confused about the bonus tracks on Disc 2. The 2014 LP remix featured alternate vocals on the same three tracks [[Cornet Man, His Love Makes Me and Sadie Sadie) that are marked as unreleased here [[tracks 11-13, disc 2). Are these the same alternate vocals from 2014 with a new remix, or yet more alternate vocals from the vault? Regardless, I'm so excited to see this have a proper CD release. I just got the shipping notification yesterday.
The remastered album was originally released digitally back in 2014. Along with the original stereo LP, they remixed all the LP tracks to feature Cindy and Mary's backing vocals without the Andantes.
The alternate vocals on Cornet Man, His Love Makes Me Beautiful and Sadie Sadie are the same alternates that were on the 2014 digital release. New to this Ultimate Edition are tracks 7, 8 and 9 on Disc 2 which uses for the first time a new mix of the 1968 released Diana vocal with Mary and Cindy on background vocals. We placed those released vocals back in their proper place on the album and used the 2014 alternates as bonus tracks 11, 12 and 13. Apologies if the press release is confusing. I hope that clears it up and we’re happy you’re excited about this release. We are so happy with the positive response and grateful to the fans who support these releases.
Thank you for clearing that up for me, George. Much appreciated.
Arrived today and listening now. Love the packaging. It is just fantastic to finally have this on CD. Thank you all involved in making this happen. Just one more album to go to get a official CD release.
Got mine today. Skipped disc one and went immediately to disc two so I could
finally hear Mary and Cindy. Fond memories of a different time. Great booklet.
Mine arrived today as well. I can hardly believe it, Funny Girl finally on CD! Top to bottom it's a beautiful package. Thank you to everyone involved, with special thanks to Real Gone for picking up the mantle. And hopefully getting us back on track for more Diana Ross/Supremes releases.
There is a lovely and much deserved tribute to John Perrone [[Midnight Johnny) in the booklet. Awesome.