Ain't that good news.

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09-20-2021, 12:43 PM
franjoy56

Ain't that good news.

I was stunned a few years ago that I read Betty kelley took the lead chorus on ain't that good news while cal took t lead vocals, when she sang live with the velvelettes on stage in 64 just before she left for Martha and the vandellas. I believe that show was part of the battle between the velvelettes and the supremes. With that said when the supremes started doing the Sam Cooke medley live on stage was flo ever given the lead on ain't that good news as part of the medley I never heard it on either t copa or the symphony live at the roostertail. It would have been cool to hear her live version on stage. They probably would have had t drop one of their other songs which I'm sure berry would not have allowed..
09-20-2021, 12:53 PM
sup_fan

to my knowledge, Good News was never included in the medley. the problem is you have 2 songs that are essentially ideal to wrap up a big medley. to "bring it on home" to use a pun lol

Good News and Shake. Both songs are too big and spirited to really work in the open or middle of the medley. and there's no way they would have had Flo do the ending of such a big and important part of their act. even if she hadn't been troublesome or having conflicts, Diana would always have had the ending.

it is a shame that F and M couldn't have taken a bit or two within the medley.
09-20-2021, 01:48 PM
franjoy56

Quote:

Originally Posted by sup_fan

to my knowledge, Good News was never included in the medley. the problem is you have 2 songs that are essentially ideal to wrap up a big medley. to "bring it on home" to use a pun lol

Good News and Shake. Both songs are too big and spirited to really work in the open or middle of the medley. and there's no way they would have had Flo do the ending of such a big and important part of their act. even if she hadn't been troublesome or having conflicts, Diana would always have had the ending.

it is a shame that F and M couldn't have taken a bit or two within the medley.

Well thank God flos version of ain't that good news appeared on the Sam cook tribute album even as t final track which to me was t best one and that would be her last lead on a studio lp
09-20-2021, 03:02 PM
sup_fan

i do agree that Flo's lead on Good News is excellent. frankly it's her most accomplished lead i've ever heard. far better than the Xmas tunes or the Meet The Sup stuff. and WAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY better than anything on her ABC album - some of her leads were good there but the songs just weren't as strong. Like Love Ain't Love. She delivers a very good lead here but the tune just isn't Good News.
09-21-2021, 03:31 AM
Ollie9

Quote:

Originally Posted by sup_fan

i do agree that Flo's lead on Good News is excellent. frankly it's her most accomplished lead i've ever heard. far better than the Xmas tunes or the Meet The Sup stuff. and WAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY better than anything on her ABC album - some of her leads were good there but the songs just weren't as strong. Like Love Ain't Love. She delivers a very good lead here but the tune just isn't Good News.

I agree sup, this is definitely Flo’s most compelling lead and the best track on the album as far as myself and many other Supremes fans are concerned. It allows Flo to fully unitise her vocal personality of which she had plenty of.
If only [[that word again lol) she had recorded songs in a similar vein for ABC her story might have proved very different.
I agree with franjoy in that it most probably would have been the highlight of the SC medley had it been included. Sadly as we all now know, that was never very likely to happen.
09-21-2021, 07:45 AM
blackguy69

and speaking of The Velvelettes version……

https://youtu.be/DjOMUOWDsPc
09-21-2021, 08:28 AM
Ollie9

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackguy69

and speaking of The Velvelettes version……

https://youtu.be/DjOMUOWDsPc

Quite nice, but not as compelling a vocal as Flo. The intro sounds similar to Sam’s “Twistin’ The Night Away”. Flo’s version could definitely have been a hit single.
09-22-2021, 12:41 AM
WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance

Sigh. I had kinda mentally filed away the whole "why didn't Motown give Flo more leads" thing. After awhile, I just accepted that's the was it was. But this thread, this song, DAMN! Flo really could have contributed so much more if she had been able to do more songs like this. There is just something about this song that fit her to perfection in a way I never heard on any of her other recordings. Even if she had been allowed to do this song as the closer to a medley- it just hits me again how much was lost by not allowing Florence any other songs to lead on all those albums.
09-22-2021, 11:08 AM
RanRan79

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ollie9

I agree sup, this is definitely Flo’s most compelling lead and the best track on the album as far as myself and many other Supremes fans are concerned. It allows Flo to fully unitise her vocal personality of which she had plenty of.
If only [[that word again lol) she had recorded songs in a similar vein for ABC her story might have proved very different.
I agree with franjoy in that it most probably would have been the highlight of the SC medley had it been included. Sadly as we all now know, that was never very likely to happen.

Honestly Ollie, I don't think her story would've been different at ABC with better quality material. I think she would've still run into the same issues she had with what she actually released. What I think could've been different for her story is if after ABC dropped her, she settled into motherhood for a bit and then pursued another recording contract somewhere else that fit her style of singing. Instead she got locked in on fighting Motown and her lawyer, both of which were worthy battles, but if she hadn't been consumed by anger, she could have handled both her legal issues and her career.
09-22-2021, 11:11 AM
RanRan79

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackguy69

and speaking of The Velvelettes version……

https://youtu.be/DjOMUOWDsPc

I'm not sure this was the song for Betty or for Cal. But the harmonies are great. The Supremes lost this battle because of song choice. They should have chosen more popular hit tunes, although I'm aware that their music got a lot of airplay in Detroit and would be familiar to the crowd.
09-22-2021, 11:17 AM
RanRan79

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance

Sigh. I had kinda mentally filed away the whole "why didn't Motown give Flo more leads" thing. After awhile, I just accepted that's the was it was. But this thread, this song, DAMN! Flo really could have contributed so much more if she had been able to do more songs like this. There is just something about this song that fit her to perfection in a way I never heard on any of her other recordings. Even if she had been allowed to do this song as the closer to a medley- it just hits me again how much was lost by not allowing Florence any other songs to lead on all those albums.

Well that's the sorrow of being a fan of Flo's voice. I don't give a shit about Flo being some great big superstar like Diana Ross. Most singers, no matter how talented, are not lucky enough to achieve the rank of superstar. IMO Flo didn't possess many of the qualities that would have allowed her to rise to the level of superstar as a single artist. That's no knock on her or her talent, just a personal observation. But the woman could sing her ass off and as a fan I do feel cheated that we don't have enough of her solo voice. There were definite missed opportunities for her voice as a Supreme, and of course her ABC tenure was mostly mishandled. It sucks, but it is what it is. At least we do have her leads as Supreme and her ABC stuff [[minus many of the alternates which I hope see the light of day someday). Some singers don't even have that much representation as a lead voice, so we do have to look on the bright side.