this is NOT meant to be a rehash of Return to Love. but fans had hoped and toyed with the idea of a reunion of all the Supremes. if you were producing this or helped D and M plan it, what would you do?
Printable View
this is NOT meant to be a rehash of Return to Love. but fans had hoped and toyed with the idea of a reunion of all the Supremes. if you were producing this or helped D and M plan it, what would you do?
my idea is to have D and M sort of act as co-hostesses of the event.
Opening - maybe the concert/TV special would start with some sort of montage medley showing amazing clips of the girls live and photos and all. sort of like how Diana was doing in her recent Greatest Hits tour. a big screen showing the various lineups, Diana solo, mary in solo and all. get the crowd all worked up. then the lights and stage go totally dark. then screen would be black and then the giant words "ARE. YOU. READY!!!!!"
then go to a Mary and Diana singing from off stage "Someday we'll be together" with the screen filled with close ups and pics of the two of them through the years. both women walk out to a thunderous standing ovation
M and D hug and kiss and cry. they do some patter about the show and all
Origins story - do a short segment of getting the Primettes started. Imagine if they say Tears of Sorry and Pretty Baby!! D and M were both leads on those!
If this was a tv special, they could have Barbara Martin join. even just for a bit. do a medley of I Want A Guy, Let me go right way, Breathtaking
Where Did our love go - full song. both D and M are on hand mics. there is also a trio of backup singers back by the orchestra [[like in Return to Love)
Flo segment - do a wonderful video montage of Flo, clips of her and maybe use her lead with D and M singing live to Good News. or Somewhere or something sentimental like that
Bring out Cindy - and start doing full version of the 60s hits.
Changes - Diana talks about going solo and does Mountain and REach out
M and C return and bring Jean out - Ladder and Stoned Love in full versions. a medley of a few other tunes and Lynda can join in and Cindy exits. I Guess I'll miss and bad weather.
MJL exit and Diana returns for some disco hits - LH and Boss, Upside down
MSC return for some tunes and then Susaye joins them for Walking and some disco numbers.
all the ladies come back onstage for a few numbers - maybe a medley of some of the hits NOT included in full length versions? Love Child, You Can't Hurry Love, Nathan Jones, Driving Wheel, I'm coming out, Red hot
then the group also closes with maybe Impossible Dream or Somewhere or Someday we'll be together or I will survive.
Didn't Barbara Martin pass away?
I think the only reunion possible would be FLOS with Mary in the audience. Then at the end Mary joins for the finale. But Diana and Mary is probably never going to happen. It would have to include Cindy, but we don't know how she's really doing. Bless her.
I think some sort of documentary would be the best option with all the surviving members being interviewed. Some together and some on their own depending on their preference. The best reunion we had was the photo of Jean, Scherrie, Susaye and Mary together a few years back.
Interesting topic Sup. So I think a reunion in 2000 was perfect. It was roughly the group's 40th anniversary, with the Primettes being formed in 1959, the Supremes naming and signing to Motown in 1961.
The show opens with a reunion of MSS with them singing "Let Yourself Go". They follow that up with "I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking". After that, Mary takes a break and Scherrie has a solo spot with "I'm Not In Love". When she finishes, Susaye comes out for her solo spot, Deniece Williams' "Free".
Mary, Jean and Lynda come out to "Bad Weather" before doing "I Guess I'll Miss the Man". Mary and Lynda exit, leaving Jean to do her show stopping solo from her Supremes days in "He Aint Heavy" and then doing "I Had To Fall In Love". Lynda and Susaye, both having worked with Stevie Wonder prior to becoming Supremes, join Jean for a medley of Stevie Wonder cuts, paying homage to what was many a fan's dream album that was never completed.
Lynda and Susaye bow out and the JMC reunion opens to "Stoned Love". Next they do "Floy Joy", "Nathan", "Medley: Your Wonderful Sweet Love/Automatically Sunshine/River Deep/Touch", full version of "Everybody's Got the Right To Love" and close with "Up the Ladder".
Cindy and Jean exit, leaving Mary to do her overdone Supremes solo spot, "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You". Diana and Cindy appear during the spot when they used to come into the song, except they do so in a more dramatic, entertaining way that elicits a huge response from the audience.
From there they perform a medley of "Forever Came Today/The Composer/Somethings You Never Get Used To/No Matter What Sign You Are". Full versions of "Reflections" and "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me". Another medley of "In and Out of Love/I'm Livin In Shame/I'll Try Something New".
A video tribute to Florence.
A reunion of the Primettes occurs, with Betty and Barbara joining Diana and Mary for a medley of any of the songs they once performed during their Primettes days. Betty exits, leaving Diana, Mary and Barbara to do a medley of "I Want A Guy/Buttered Popcorn [[with Mary on lead)/Your Heart Belongs To Me".
Barbara exits and Cindy rejoins Diana and Mary for a medley of "Let Me Go the Right Way/A Breath Taking Guy/Run, Run, Run/Nothing But Heartaches". Next they do full versions of "You Can't Hurry Love", "You Keep Me Hanging On", "My World Is Empty" and "Baby Love". A medley of "Lovelight/Come See About Me/Back In My Arms Again/Itchin In My Heart/Love Is Here/The Happening". Full versions of "I Hear A Symphony" and "Where Did Our Love Go" follow, before the show closes with "Someday We'll Be Together" and all the ladies taking the stage together.
Now, this was the "all the Supremes" reunion idea. If it were just Diana, Mary and Cindy, the lineup would be completely different because I'd add in album cuts and fan favorite live cuts.
Get the money first and run for a bomb-proof shelter.Quote:
Originally Posted by sup_fan
My idea is that no such thing is ever going to happen.
With Cindy's health, it is impossible.Quote:
Originally Posted by PeaceNHarmony
Closest we'll ever come is MSS.
If you can get Barbara Martin back on stage youll sell out everywhere. LOLQuote:
Originally Posted by sup_fan
This might be a feast for a Supremes fan, but a nightmare for a Diana Ross 's one.
At this present time, this would not be a good idea. Florence Ballard passed away in 1976,Cindy Birdsong is too ill to perform, Jean Terrell does not perform regularly anymore,Lynda Laurence does not perform regularly anymore.Mary Wilson was in every incarnation of the Supremes, so she would be performing in each grouping. Scherrie Payne and Susaye Greene perform in the FLOs. Realistically, even in wanting this we would have to realize that Flo and Cindy would not be there and that Jean and Lynda may opt out. That would leave Diana, Mary and maybe Scherrie to perform the 60's material and Mary, Scherrie & Susaye to perform the 70's material. Some of us are fans of all of the Supremes, as a group and individually. It would be lovely to have this for the fans and to pay homage to this groundbreaking group that we all love but realistically, even as a fantasy we have to realize that the options of who would be involved are dwindling rapidly.
I don't mean any disrespect, and I hope none is taken. But based on Sup's ideas for this reunion in post #2, this thread is about how an all Supremes reunion might have gone if RTL never happened. The fact that he has participation of the now deceased Barbara and the now apparently very ill Cindy should be clues #1 and #2. Hope I didn't offend anyone.
I think Lynda, Scherrie, Susaye, Barbara and Cindy would all be happy to have a reunion if RTL never happened. Mary and Diana might have been an issue and Jean in the shadow of Diana maybe too. I don't know how she would feel as Diana is no matter what going to be the star of the reunion.
Maybe end to beginning time-line show so starting with the MSS line-up and then finish the show with Diana Mary and Cindy. Not sure if Barbara would join if they asked her. When was the last time she even sang on-stage? Maybe she would join in if they were to sing a final song with all the Supremes together.
interesting! also you go backwards through the years versus starting at the beginningQuote:
Originally Posted by RanRan79
i wasn't exactly meaning a show today. i was really implying back in 2000 or so. let's assume the problems with R2L didn't happen and the show was a full Sup reunionQuote:
Originally Posted by marybrewster
had to take some time to read and reread your thread :)Quote:
Originally Posted by RanRan79
see i figured the D and M would be sort of the anchors of the show. Diana since she's, well, DIANA ROSS. and Mary since she was with each lineup and has carried the torch in the years since. I think you have to have some Diana solo moments. she songs are too big and popular to have a concert with DR and not have her sing Mountain, Upside Down and a few more. plus i think that sort of helped provide an "intermission" of sorts between Sup lineups. Give mary a chance to exit the stage, change outfits and then the next era comes out. Mary doesn't have a ton of solo mega hits of her own so it's harder to give her a spotlight. but she would be the MC and leader of each era of Sup lineups. the others would share and talk of course. But that would be where Mary would shine
exactly. if only DMC, you could practically just dust off the Farewell show. take the 60s medley they did and return them to the full versions. but that show includes their hits, their big MOR standards they always did like You're Nobody [[although i believe that was cut from the final lp), Somewhere, Impossible Dream. Diana could do My Man solo.Quote:
Originally Posted by RanRan79
Yeah, for me, in a show of Supremes lineups, MSS is an opening act. MSC a step above that. The Jean groupings are star level. And the Diana lineups the headlining act.Quote:
Originally Posted by sup_fan
Personally I would rule out solos for Diana and Mary because a great many people in the audience would have seen their live acts a gazillion times. Scherrie, Susaye and Jean got solo spots mostly to give Mary a break. Because she was in every grouping, Mary would be onstage nonstop. She might've been okay with that at 25. I think she would've found it draining at 55.;) Diana was a huge star, but I prefer a reunion concert where the focus is on her time as a Supreme, not as a solo star. She has a million other tours to display that.Quote:
Originally Posted by sup_fan
I also realize that I failed to include "Love Child" and "Stop In the Name Of Love". Complete oversight.
No way! LOL Even the original Farewell show would be completely revamped if I had anything to say about it.Quote:
Originally Posted by sup_fan
lol - ok i forgot about Sunshine. yes that segment could be skipped lolol. it was appropriate IMO for the time but we can leave it thereQuote:
Originally Posted by RanRan79
TCB - this is a great opener back then since it highlighted their super successful tv show. and i think that would have been a fun and appropriate reunion song. for big fans, they would have DEFINITELY got the reference for teh more casual concert going, it's an exciting opener
Stop - it would segue in from TCB but go ahead and do the whole song
Hits medley - agree that you can't truncate these songs into a medley. they'd have to be done in full version
Lady is tramp and falling in love - i'm ok with including these two. if they made reference during the show to the creative landmark that was the R&H album. of course that then sort of ignores the others like Sam Cooke and Funny Girl.
other hits [[love in here, IGMYLM, Reflections, LC, etc) these were done in full version in Farewell as they would in the reunion. the musicians charts would be different of course since R2L tried to better approximate the records versus the Big Band style of the 60s concerts
MOR songs - i think Diana singing My Man works, provided you are doing some of her solo work. like Mountain, Upside Down, etc. the others [[big spender, didn't we) could go
Impossible Dream & Somewhere - these are classic songs the girls sang and could still work. maybe only 1 though
You're nobody - this song is hugely important to the group's history. it helped them to make the jump to the Copa which then lead to the other big gigs. I think i real reunion does need to acknowledge this in some way.
Maybe a reunion in a slightly different way. Start with Susaye solo, then Scherrie, Lynda, Cindy, Jean, Mary and then Diana. Each member telling a very short story about their tenure with the Supremes after the have sung a song or two. Have a backing band and background singers [[not any of the Supremes members) and maybe throw in a song or two at the end with all the members together.
Probably a no for many of you but just thinking what could work. Not saying it will lol.
The whole thing sounds like a lousy idea. I hope it never happens, and I am sure it won’t. D & M have no reason to ever share a stage again without C.
Circa this thread wasn't meant to be a "it's never going to happen conversation". We all know that. Mary and Diana together is no no. But Sup-fan just wanted to know what you, I and the others would like to see in a reunion. Also not now but some 20 earlier if the RTL never happened when Cindy was still healthy and Barbara still with us. I think ran explained it somewhere in the thread.
that's an interesting idea. i keep thinking in my mind of a stage show - basically similar to the visual spectacle that was R2L.Quote:
Originally Posted by TYK1986
your idea might make for a fascinating tv special or dvd. where each woman could do some voiceover of her story, images and clips leading up to her joining.
It's a nice dream but there is no reason for the ladies still with us would want to do this. Most are in their late 70's and none of their voices will be same as has to be expected. Live concerts are on hold until at least next summer or maybe summer 2022 the way things are going. Stay safe everyone.
i was trying to pose this as more of a hypothetical for back in the early 2000s. agree that there isn't any option today [[with age, personal issues, pandemic). but thought it would be fun to simply speculate what could have been a reunion. should it only have been DMC? should the 70s groupings come in?Quote:
Originally Posted by copley
i think R2L originated simply as an expanded section of Diana's solo show where she would sing more of the songs, full versions of the songs and have the songs sound more true to the originals. it then evolved [[and devolved) from there.
So the goal here wasn't to assume they'd do a show here in 2021 and it also wasn't meant to rehash the actual problems of R2L. just sharing fan pipe dreams of a reunion
There would only be interest in a Supreme reunion if it included Diana, and Mary. Cindy if possible, would be an added bonus. Same with Jean. No interest at all for the general public for any other Supremes. Sorry to say. It’s like a Commodore reunion with that guy who sang Nightshift. Yes that song was a hit, but no one cares to see that lineup.
I got exhausted just reading your original concept,Sup, never mind sitting through it !!
So is this a TV Special , a one night Madison Square Gardens event , or a World Tour?
If it's a world tour, count me in provided I get to see it in Madrid. Oh and throw in a duet with Lionel Richie and Diana in there too please.
Myself, the only three I ever wanted to see reunite were DMC. Of course, I would have attended a show including any of the other ladies as well. But it was really wanted DMC that I wanted.
So to that end, I wouldn't have strayed far from what RTL did: full versions of all the hits. Except I would added some of their concert staples from the 60s group like SOMEWHERE and the Sam Cooke medley. I would have also added a medley of their 1961-1964 flops, and a tribute to Flo. I also would have deleted any solo material from Diana as I don't think it was needed with DMC.
But since chances for a reunion are probably nil, a nice American Masters-style documentary would be great. But Diana probably has no interest in such a thing and it would end up with largely Mary's point of view.
Why not bring back Ed Sullivan to introduce the girls?
Sad but true, and 'that guy who sang Nightshift' is a kiki-ish yet cogent statement. These reunion threads are mostly a form of fan-fiction and have merit for some posters, though.Quote:
Originally Posted by khansperac
Exactly. I don't personally have a great deal of interest in this kind of topic, but i fully respect that other members find such posts interesting and enjoyable, and there is no harm whatsoever in that.Quote:
Originally Posted by PeaceNHarmony
My idea for the Farewell album would've been to record two shows, one at the Frontier and one in an arena, and compile the best tracks into a two lp set. From the Frontier:Quote:
Originally Posted by sup_fan
I would've scrapped "The Lady Is A Tramp" because it was already on Talk Of the Town. "Big Spender" is cool, but it always struck me as the type of number that went across better visually in addition to the audio, as opposed to audio alone. So scrapped. This live version of "Falling In Love" is nearly unlistenable to me. Scrapped. Edit "Sunshine". I think the guest stars are a highlight, but it went on too long, and supposedly the Farewell version, as long as it is, is still an edited version, believe it or not!
I agree that "TCB" works as a great opener, and for a long time it was actually one of my go to Supremes tracks. I really like it. I would also keep the two Diana solos and "The Impossible Dream". I would also keep "Love Is Here" and "Reflections" and "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" for the Frontier, as I think those versions are really nice and lend themselves well to the atmosphere. Add to that full versions of "My World Is Empty" and "I Hear A Symphony". Maybe if "Falling In Love" is slowed down some, Mary might sound better on it, so I'd keep it if this could be achieved. It was good to have two Mary numbers that night, plus it represents the R&H album.
Now for the arena numbers:
Probably impossible to have all the hits in full version for even a two disk album, in addition to everything else, so some songs have to be split between full versions and medleys.
I would compile "Come See About Me", "Back In My Arms Again" and "The Happening" into a medley. Full versions of "You Can't Hurry Love", "Hangin On", "Itchin", "Symphony", "Love Child", "Stop In the Name Of Love" and "Baby Love". "Where Did Our Love Go" has to be done. To me that's a glaring omission from the final show.
Maybe a WDOLG album medley, and A Go Go album medley, since those two albums were HUGE at the time and would've been fan favorites. Also a pre hits medley with "Your Heart Belongs To Me", "Right Way", "Breathtaking Guy" and "Run". Probably have to end the medley with "Lovelight".
And then end the entire set with the Frontier recorded "Someday We'll Be Together" as is.
I'd love to see JMC also, but there's only so much that can be done with the 70s Supremes reuniting. Diana and Mary have nearly ten years worth of work that can be put together for an entire Supremes show, so them reuniting would've been something worth seeing for sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by reese
Will never happen but I thought If Diana was to fully retire...
Last show may include the Supremes...set 1 .
Diana perform all her solo hits .
Set 2.
Diana Mary and Lynda perform several 60 s hits full length.
Set 3 .jean joins m and L for 70 hits with Sherrie and susaye join for a few hits.
Finally.. some day.......
I mean absolutely no harm... but, outside of this forum... Diana Ross is recognised as one of the most successful female entertainers of the second half of the 20th century,. Of those who are still alive, she sits up there with Barbra and Cher, with Madonna and Mariah sitting patiently one rung down. They are all globally famous and loved. The other members of the Supremes are, more or less, just members of the public, who either, did backing vocals for Diana, or, worked in a tribute group after Diana left. How many hundred people, in the whole world, would be interested in looking at any of them except Diana. Who would even be able to recognise them? They are associated with Diana Ross and the Supremes in the same way that Stu Sutcliffe is associated with the Beatles. I really do not wish to diminish the pleasure that some fans have for these women, but I don’t think I would recognise or know anything about them, and I think the rest of the world feels the same way. People are interested in seeing and hearing Diana. Period.
All true but I think there was some fantasy fun being had hereQuote:
Originally Posted by Rafalle
Is indeed just some fan fiction. I, and others, mentioned earlier that people shouldn't take it too seriously. We all know it's not going to happen. Of course Diana is the star and most people associate the Supremes just with her. It's only some of the obsessed fan, me included, who know the names and all the 70's incarnations of the group. I still think that Scherrie, Susaye and Mary would be the best reunion ever possible if there was to be a reunion. Not the most famous line-up but with Diana, Jean, Lynda and even if possible Cindy in the audience there could be some semi-official reunion.
agreed that the general public would be most familiar with the classic Supremes era. that's why i had the show built mostly around Diana and Mary. they're the two surviving original members. having them co-host and lead the program would allow them to have their due place in the history of the group. the 70s eras would be briefer and secondary to the D/M era and portion of the show. but it would be a nice tribute to the overall history stillQuote:
Originally Posted by Rafalle