Live in Japan!, from Hip-O Select

Jean Terrell, Mary Wilson and Lynda Laurence were the 'new' Supremes when the toured Japan in 1973. The group had hit the top with exciting hits like "Up The Ladder To The Roof," "Stoned Love" and "Nathan Jones," maintaining their popularity after Diana Ross had departed the original Supremes lineup for a solo career in 1970. The group was promoting its latest album, The Supremes Produced And Arranged By Jimmy Webb, while "Bad Weather," written and produced by Stevie Wonder, was their new single. A Japanese crew recorded the show on June 3, offering the fans a chance to hear the group tackle a variety of material, including live versions of the new Supremes' hits and Jean Terrell singing the sixties hits.

However, along with subsequent live "In Japan!" albums by The Temptations and the Jackson 5, the Supremes live album was never issued in the U.S. [[An edited version was issued in the U.K.) A few months after this recording, Jean and Lynda left the group, replaced by new lead singer Scherrie Payne and returning Supreme Cindy Birdsong, respectively.


Now, for the first time on CD, and available in any format for the first time outside of Japan and England, is the classic Supremes' In Japan! album. The original artwork is faithfully reproduced, down to the accompanying Japanglish lyrics and liner notes, in which these new Supremes are introduced as, um, "Mary Wilson, Linda Lorenz and Tina Duress." However they are called, Supremes fans take note: In Japan! is their only album featuring this lineup.