[REMOVE ADS]




Results 1 to 41 of 41
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Posts
    2,411
    Rep Power
    182

    Most #1 Singles/Supremes

    so The Supremes are tied with Madonna in 5th place for most #1 singles on Billboard ever.. but it irks me that this is just the pop[[white) Billboard Hot 100 chart, not taking into account the important, influential Billboard R&B/Soul Singles Chart..the Supremes had 12 #1's on the Hot 100[[white)chart, AND 8 #1's on the R&B/Soul Singles chart in Billboard as well...ahead of The Supremes, or tied with them,for Billboard Hot 100 #1's, are such as The Beatles, Elvis, and Madonna.. how many #1's did THEY have on the R&B/Soul singles chart in Billboard?...LOL... The Supremes dominated white AND black singles charts and thereby, they bypass the others placed before them.. and that's that!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    3,647
    Rep Power
    317
    The Hot 100 Chart is not a white chart. It is an integrated chart of all kinds of music. To become number one on that chart is an accomplishment because the artist is competing with all types of music. The Hot 100 has had a variety of music at the top.

    Japanese Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto [[sp)
    Italian Nel Blu De Pinto De Blu Doninque Modunyo [[sp)
    Gospel Oh Happy Day
    Cartoons Chipmunk Song
    Sugar Sugar
    Soul Where Did Our Love Go
    and even a Singing Nun and Barking Dogs

    I've never heard of it referred to as a white chart

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Posts
    998
    Rep Power
    156
    To be honest, the Supremes only had one song number one to Billboard R&B that is not a Pop chart-topper as well - "Stoned Love". Personally, I love some of their non-no.1 songs - well, OK, post-Diana Ross ones - "Touch", "Floy Joy", "Bad Weather", "I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do The Walking", "You're My Driving Wheel", "You Are The Heart Of Me" more than their Diana Ross no.1s - but they were what they were. Also, as those times were those times in the sixties, it was still a great feat, managing twelve number ones - for African Americans and women. Even between Madonna - the Supremes scored those twelve in only five years - Madonna's was probably "few in the eighties", "few in the nineties", few in the whatever proceeding decade[[s).
    Last edited by Ngroove; 12-18-2013 at 03:15 PM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    1,903
    Rep Power
    221
    Quote Originally Posted by Ngroove View Post
    - the Supremes scored those twelve in only five years - Madonna's was probably "few in the eighties", "few in the nineties", few in the whatever proceeding decade[[s).
    And they had 5 in a row from Aug 64 to May 65,,,and another 4 in a row Aug 66 to May 67. Reflections would have made it another 5 in a row, had it not stalled at #2.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    3,647
    Rep Power
    317
    Quote Originally Posted by johnjeb View Post
    And they had 5 in a row from Aug 64 to May 65,,,and another 4 in a row Aug 66 to May 67. Reflections would have made it another 5 in a row, had it not stalled at #2.
    Maybe if Billy Joe MacAllister didn't jump off the Tallahatchie Bridge, Reflections would have made it all the way to number one

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    1,903
    Rep Power
    221
    Quote Originally Posted by milven View Post
    Maybe if Billy Joe MacAllister didn't jump off the Tallahatchie Bridge, Reflections would have made it all the way to number one
    Now that is something on which to reflect!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    4,002
    Rep Power
    262
    Did Billie Joe Jump off the bridge or throw something off the bridge ? I forget.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    21,798
    Rep Power
    460
    "And billy joe Mcallister jumped off the tallahatchie bridge."

    Earlier "she and billy joe were throwing something off the tallahatchie bridge. Was it a baby?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    4,002
    Rep Power
    262
    Oh good memory Rob - Not sure what they threw off the bridge. Perhaps a gun.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    9,279
    Rep Power
    519
    Bobbie Gentry never revealed what they threw off the bridge. The movie [[based on the song) made it a doll.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    11,552
    Rep Power
    295
    Quote Originally Posted by Jimi LaLumia View Post
    so The Supremes are tied with Madonna in 5th place for most #1 singles on Billboard ever.. but it irks me that this is just the pop[[white) Billboard Hot 100 chart, not taking into account the important, influential Billboard R&B/Soul Singles Chart..the Supremes had 12 #1's on the Hot 100[[white)chart, AND 8 #1's on the R&B/Soul Singles chart in Billboard as well...ahead of The Supremes, or tied with them,for Billboard Hot 100 #1's, are such as The Beatles, Elvis, and Madonna.. how many #1's did THEY have on the R&B/Soul singles chart in Billboard?...LOL... The Supremes dominated white AND black singles charts and thereby, they bypass the others placed before them.. and that's that!

    I hate to burst your bubble, but, according to Billboard R&B stats, The Supremes ranked #27 for the top R&B artists back in 1995, and have no doubt sunk lower in ratings since then.

    In the 60s on the R&B charts, they ranked #6. They had James Brown, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, and Aretha Franklin above them.

    As of 1995, they did not even rank above 30.

    For the most R&B top 40 hits, The Supremes did not even rank above 30. This means they did not even rank as a group with the most top 10 hits.

    They did have 8 #1 hits, but they ranked #17. Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder tied for 20 #1 hits.

    For crossover hits, your precious Supremes ranked at #20 with 40 crossover hits. The king for that is James Brown.

    You may take some comfort in knowing that Diana Ross, as a solo artist, consistently ranked a little higher. This makes sense because she has had a much longer solo career than when when was with The Supremes.

    Now, as for the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, among the top 500 artists, The Supremes ranked #19. As of 1993, Elvis Presley was #1, followed by The Beatles.

    As for the top pop artists in the 60s, The Supremes ranked #5, so they do better than the R&B charts. Can you let up on it being "white" now?

    As for the top female category of the pop charts, they did not rank in the top 10.

    The Supremes did not rank in the top 20 groups in the pop/rock category, either.

    The Supremes, nor Diana Ross solo, ranked in the most charted hits.

    The Supremes ranked at #19 with the most top pop hits. Again, Elvis Presley was #1 as on 1993.

    On the pop charts, they ranked at #20 with the most top 10 hits.

    The Supremes did not rank in the top 20 of the most #1 pop hits. They did not even have the most #2 hits.

    All this information comes directly from Joel Whitburn's Billboard Top Pop Hits and Top R&B hits books. And, since my books only go up to the mid-90s, the stats for the Supremes can only get worse later on, since other artists, including Michael Jackson and Madonna, have shattered some of those records.

    Now, can we put this silly mess about it being a Caucasian or white thing? After all, The Supremes were marketed as a pop group. There's a whole world of music you guys miss out on or ignore because of your blind obsession with the Supremes.

    Carry on...

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    11,552
    Rep Power
    295
    Quote Originally Posted by milven View Post
    I've never heard of it referred to as a white chart
    Unfortunately, a lot of Black people refer to it as the 'white" chart. There may be some truth to it because the majority of the population is still white, and the majority of radio stations are/were pop/rock or country stations, which have more white listeners than the R&B/urban/Black/whatever stations. However, since much of the music that makes it to the top is R&B/hip-hop/disco/funk/rap, one cannot reliably say that pop/rock is the type of music that is always played on them, or is consumed by those white audiences.

    I want to add that I also frequent another message board where many members dislike R&B music. I really wish people would stop segregating themselves from different types of music.
    Last edited by soulster; 12-26-2013 at 12:36 PM.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    43,221
    Rep Power
    600
    Clarence Avant is not a white guy.......

  14. #14
    smark21 Guest
    I still don't get why some fans are so pre-occupied by chart performance. There are certain fan groups that are ashamed when their favorite act does too well on the charts as it may be a sign that they might have sold out, trying to cater to the lowest common denominator of mass taste in order to make money, rather than focus on putting out good, quality music. That position has its problems and shortcomings of its own, but at least there is some concern, however superficial, with the quality of the work.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    11,552
    Rep Power
    295
    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    Clarence Avant is not a white guy.......
    My bad!

    However, I was trying to make a point.

    The main reason for my post was to show that, even in the R&B world, The Supremes were not the biggest, not by a long shot. They may have released a lot of singles, but The Temptations had more. Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye both beat them out.

    The Supremes were great for their time. Most people I know love their music. I love their music. But, they were not supreme. There were other things happening in the 60s and early 70s that grabbed the public's fancy. James Brown, Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, Elvis Presley...


    I have presented the facts. Now, for some opinion:

    I realize that there are those of you who probably wake up every morning to "When The Starlight Shines Through His Eyes", and go to bed with "Remove This Doubt", there are many reasons why The Supremes just weren't that popular.

    They didn't play any instruments or write their own songs. While I don't think that's a big deal, it was to a lot of people in the age of The Beatles and garage bands. They did not appeal to a lot of testosterone-filled teenage males. Kids wanted to rock out. They wanted to grab instruments, learn to play, and make it big so they could have money and groupies.

    The Supremes were sexy, but in a puritanical way. No man, except maybe Berry Gordy, looked at them an thought they'd want to "hit" that. Boys didn't have posters of them on their bedroom wall. The girls wanted to ohh and ahh over the mop-tops. They wanted to be with the bad boys of the Rolling Stones.

    The music may have been crafted to crossover, to appeal to the widest audience, but a lot of people, especially older people, both black and white, were more attracted to the grittier sounds of Stax and Atlantic's Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, and soul brother #1: James Brown. The house party crowd wanted to listen to "Cool Jerk" and "Shake A Tail-Feather". The Supremes' image was too refined. They weren't "down to earth". They were so packaged propped, that they were almost inhuman in a day when people wanted real people they could relate to. Blame the Motown machine for this.

    The music of The Supremes concentrated on love and romantic topics, and leaned toward teenagers. That was a far cry from the more adult concerns of Aretha Franklin's songs when she started recording for Atlantic. If Motown could have seen the light and took those girls to church like Jerry Wexler did with Aretha...if only they would have been allowed to sing about respect, want ads and urged their men to "tell mama". Maybe Gordy should have given them to Norman Whitfield, anything to update their image for the changing times.

    This was true of Motown in general: they avoided controversial topics in a time where we had serious pushes for civil rights, Viet Nam, assassinations, and the counterculture's free sex and drugs. Motown was only forced into reality in 1968 the "Cloud Nine" and "Love Child".
    Last edited by soulster; 12-26-2013 at 01:52 PM.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    11,552
    Rep Power
    295
    Quote Originally Posted by smark21 View Post
    I still don't get why some fans are so pre-occupied by chart performance.
    Well, Casey Kasem's American Top 40 was perhaps the biggest, most popular radio show on radio for at least a decade...

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    1,544
    Rep Power
    192
    Madonna's had 42 number ones on the Billboard Club Play chart

    George Strait had 44 number ones on the Billboard Country chart

    Both those artists have had 30+ years to accumulate them.

    The Supremes accumulated their 13 multi chart topping hits in a little over six years. Perhaps if the group had never broken up and instead become the open door lineup The Temptations have been they could've come close or beaten those totals. Alas, the group was disbanded by Motown in 1977 so we will never know if they could've done it. The girls left behind an impressive body of material no matter which lineup you look at so just appreciate it for what it is. I know its fun to compare chart stats but if the song tops the chart and you never listen to it or buy it it's irrelevant. The Beatles had more chart toppers but despite owning quite a bit of their music I rarely sit down to play any of it where I pull different Supremes albums out regularly. The lasting emotional impact on the individual listener is what keeps the music alive not it's chart position.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    441
    Rep Power
    171
    Quote Originally Posted by Ngroove View Post
    To be honest, the Supremes only had one song number one to Billboard R&B that is not a Pop chart-topper as well - "Stoned Love". Personally, I love some of their non-no.1 songs - well, OK, post-Diana Ross ones - "Touch", "Floy Joy", "Bad Weather", "I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do The Walking", "You're My Driving Wheel", "You Are The Heart Of Me" more than their Diana Ross no.1s - but they were what they were. Also, as those times were those times in the sixties, it was still a great feat, managing twelve number ones - for African Americans and women. Even between Madonna - the Supremes scored those twelve in only five years - Madonna's was probably "few in the eighties", "few in the nineties", few in the whatever proceeding decade[[s).
    Ngroove,

    Thank you for providing the R+B #1 that was not a Pop #1. I was racking my aging brain thinking about what if any songs they could be. Also, the fact that including Stoned Love the songs took place within an eight year window, or even more impressively the 12 took place in five years.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    10,019
    Rep Power
    314
    Quote Originally Posted by soulster View Post
    I hate to burst your bubble, but, according to Billboard R&B stats, The Supremes ranked #27 for the top R&B artists back in 1995, and have no doubt sunk lower in ratings since then.

    In the 60s on the R&B charts, they ranked #6. They had James Brown, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, and Aretha Franklin above them.

    As of 1995, they did not even rank above 30.

    For the most R&B top 40 hits, The Supremes did not even rank above 30. This means they did not even rank as a group with the most top 10 hits.

    They did have 8 #1 hits, but they ranked #17. Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder tied for 20 #1 hits.

    For crossover hits, your precious Supremes ranked at #20 with 40 crossover hits. The king for that is James Brown.

    You may take some comfort in knowing that Diana Ross, as a solo artist, consistently ranked a little higher. This makes sense because she has had a much longer solo career than when when was with The Supremes.

    Now, as for the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, among the top 500 artists, The Supremes ranked #19. As of 1993, Elvis Presley was #1, followed by The Beatles.

    As for the top pop artists in the 60s, The Supremes ranked #5, so they do better than the R&B charts. Can you let up on it being "white" now?

    As for the top female category of the pop charts, they did not rank in the top 10.

    The Supremes did not rank in the top 20 groups in the pop/rock category, either.

    The Supremes, nor Diana Ross solo, ranked in the most charted hits.

    The Supremes ranked at #19 with the most top pop hits. Again, Elvis Presley was #1 as on 1993.

    On the pop charts, they ranked at #20 with the most top 10 hits.

    The Supremes did not rank in the top 20 of the most #1 pop hits. They did not even have the most #2 hits.

    All this information comes directly from Joel Whitburn's Billboard Top Pop Hits and Top R&B hits books. And, since my books only go up to the mid-90s, the stats for the Supremes can only get worse later on, since other artists, including Michael Jackson and Madonna, have shattered some of those records.

    Now, can we put this silly mess about it being a Caucasian or white thing? After all, The Supremes were marketed as a pop group. There's a whole world of music you guys miss out on or ignore because of your blind obsession with the Supremes.

    Carry on...
    Your post just won the internet! Bow down to soulster folks! Bow down! LOL

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    11,552
    Rep Power
    295
    Quote Originally Posted by Glenpwood View Post
    The Beatles had more chart toppers but despite owning quite a bit of their music I rarely sit down to play any of it where I pull different Supremes albums out regularly. The lasting emotional impact on the individual listener is what keeps the music alive not it's chart position.
    I'm the exact opposite.

    I own exactly one Supremes album, and I can't remember the last time I played it, maybe in the 80s. I do have several Supremes comps, one I played just last week in the car. But, the Beatles? I can listen to the all the time!

    The Beatles and the classic era of The Supremes ran about the same length of time, and the Beatles still bested them.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    11,552
    Rep Power
    295
    Now: more from Joel Whitburn's Billboard Top Pop Singles from 1993:

    The Supremes were the #1 R&B group of the 60s. I thought you might like that one.

    The Supremes had more #1 singles than Madonna. This was true in 1993.

    The Supremes had more Top 40 pop hits than Madonna.

    Madonna had more top 10 pop hits than The Supremes.

    The Supremes spent one week longer at the #1 position than Madonna.

    The Supremes had more consecutive #1 pop hits than Madonna.

    Madonna had more consecutive top 10 pop hits than The Supremes.

    As of 1993, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, and Elton John, and others, beat them both in almost every category.

    Since Madonna has had more chart hits since the publication of the book that I have, Madonna has probably matched or passed The Supremes in some stats.
    Last edited by soulster; 12-27-2013 at 02:36 AM.

  22. #22
    They're always changing the rules around and some people nowadays get to have #1 hits as long as they are featured on a song. I think it's unfair that Diana is only credited with having 6 #1 singles when they should allow the 12 #1's with the Supremes to be added to her total since she is the lead singer of those songs.

    Oh and a funny thing about Madonna is she had 12 #1's in the US, but she also has 6 #2 singles [[more #2 singles than anyone else).

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    11,552
    Rep Power
    295
    Quote Originally Posted by Buttered Popcorn and so forth View Post
    They're always changing the rules around and some people nowadays get to have #1 hits as long as they are featured on a song. I think it's unfair that Diana is only credited with having 6 #1 singles when they should allow the 12 #1's with the Supremes to be added to her total since she is the lead singer of those songs.
    But, she was part of a group for a lot of those singles. An artist doesn't get to double-dip just because they are in a group as a member.

  24. #24
    supremester Guest
    I love chart & sales facts. They have just about everything to do with the quality of their product as pop music is generally made for one reason: to appeal to the masses to sell a lot of records. In pop music, sales= "quality" as that is the measure of success in the industry. Of course, huge sellers like Silly Love Songs, say Say Say, Dancing On The Ceiling, The Girl Is Mine turn my stomach, but, they are considered quality. It does not mean that I enjoy Dancing On The Ceiling because it outsold Its My Turn or Wild One, just to be clear. Also, in pop music, chart & sales figures give great insight to where public taste was at the time as tastes change. Time Capsule Baby love: without question, the greatest Supremes record in terms of impact. In 1964, to me it was sweetly soulful and quintessential pop. I have a lot of Ross fans as friends and younger ones often dismiss it & most hits by The Supremes hits as light, silly, "OK" etc but most like Reflections, Love Child & Someday.

    As a Motown fan, the charts also explain releases.
    Q: Why would Motown follow up Touch Me In The Morning with Last Time I Saw Him???
    A: Because Michael Masser did both and rather than issue a second single from Ross' best and biggest album to date, [[ignoring a promise to Deke Richards to release We Need You) Gordy dismissed what I call "quality" songs to release ........Last Time I Saw Him. All because of charts.
    Another example: Perhaps the worst single choice from Martha & the Vandellas, I Promise To Wait My Love - ONLY got released because of the success of Honey Chile.
    Ain't Too Proud To Beg was deemed not quality enough for release because of the success the had with Smokey. When Get Ready failed, all of the sudden, ATPTB was good enough.
    Charts & Sales got The Supremes to The Copa. They matter. They can't define "quality" in terms of individual artistic appreciation of course - that is solely up to people's taste but I think they are just as valid as judgements from people who feel they "know" what is "good."
    Lots of my favorite movies and songs were flops.
    Quote Originally Posted by smark21 View Post
    I still don't get why some fans are so pre-occupied by chart performance. There are certain fan groups that are ashamed when their favorite act does too well on the charts as it may be a sign that they might have sold out, trying to cater to the lowest common denominator of mass taste in order to make money, rather than focus on putting out good, quality music. That position has its problems and shortcomings of its own, but at least there is some concern, however superficial, with the quality of the work.

  25. #25
    smark21 Guest
    However there are people out there who can only equate sales [[or ratings or box office) with quality. Earlier this month Carrie Underwood turned in a spectacularily wooden performance as Maria in a live TV production of Sound of Music, but some of her most die hard fans think she turned in a great performance and the proof was in the high ratings the show received, ignoring the fact a significant number of people were watching for a trainwreck and at times the show delivered a trainwreck.

  26. #26
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    11,552
    Rep Power
    295
    Quote Originally Posted by supremester View Post
    love chart & sales facts. They have just about everything to do with the quality of their product as pop music is generally made for one reason: to appeal to the masses to sell a lot of records.
    I love stats because it's part of the the hobby of collecting, and I collect all kinds of music.


    As a Motown fan, the charts also explain releases.
    Q: Why would Motown follow up Touch Me In The Morning with Last Time I Saw Him???
    You have it backwards. "Last Time I Saw Him" was released before "Touch Me In The Morning". Remember? Look at the history.

  27. #27
    supremester Guest
    You're right Chazzy, some people use sales as the be all and end all. Take Stoned Love: A very good record that JMC-ites cling to screaming it's chart success and stretched out sales to 2 million. There's a reason it peaked at 7. They also cite those that didn't hit as lack of promotion or now, more ludicrously, "poor distribution." LOL. Stoned Love was a good record to those who liked it, like me. Touch was a good record to it's fans. My least fave Ross hits: Endless Love & Reflections were both huge and still are well regarded. We have I'm Livin' In Shame or Ross' Reach Out I'll Be solely because of chart facts.

    There I saw some of Carrie Underwood and agree that she is not an actress, but was knocked out by the production and she did bring a new generation to the musical. Because of ratings, it will be considered quality. Thankfully, ratings didn't overcome the hideousness of Bette Midler's Gypsy or she'd be playing Mame or......Eliza Doolittle.

  28. #28
    supremester Guest
    I do many things backwards - Miss Ross' single chronology - ESPECIALLY THIS sequence, is not one of them.
    Quote Originally Posted by soulster View Post
    I love stats because it's part of the the hobby of collecting, and I collect all kinds of music.




    You have it backwards. "Last Time I Saw Him" was released before "Touch Me In The Morning". Remember? Look at the history.

  29. #29
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Posts
    1,773
    Rep Power
    187
    Supremester is correct. "Touch me in the morning" was before "Last time I saw him".

  30. #30
    supremester Guest
    Yes, I recall distinctly reading Billboard in 6th Ave Records and seeing the ad for LTISW "The title single from her new album" , rolling up the magazine and beating the clerk senseless as I ranted about the bad decision [[You're A Special Part Of Me was limping to it's deservedly early demise and something told me this was another blunder.)
    Quote Originally Posted by vgalindo View Post
    Supremester is correct. "Touch me in the morning" was before "Last time I saw him".

  31. #31
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    11,552
    Rep Power
    295
    Quote Originally Posted by supremester View Post
    I do many things backwards - Miss Ross' single chronology - ESPECIALLY THIS sequence, is not one of them.
    Sonofa... i'm the one who's wrong! I distinctly remember hearing "Last Time..." on the radio during the summer of 1973! I remember that summer well because I was laid up sick with asthma after we had an extension built onto our house. Somehow, the station I listened to played that single in '73. Or, my mind is playing tricks on me.

  32. #32
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Posts
    998
    Rep Power
    156
    My two cents on Madonna, other "number one" artists; Yeah, about a fourth I'll say of her music I find "listenable" [[including "Holiday", "Lucky Star", "Borderline", "Burning Up", "Material Girl", "Dress You Up", "Angel", "Crazy For You", "Into The Groove", "Open Your Heart", "True Blue", "Cherish", "Rescue Me", "Take A Bow", "Ray Of Light" and "Sorry"), but hey, they are "Eighties Music", some are "Nineties Music" and others are "Noughties Music". Just like I can say Mariah Carey, who also topped quantities of number ones, mostly "Nineties Music", sorry, her quality despite still number one-ing in the noughties are just not the same, and even a hearty number of her ones had been from "sampling" others' [[ "Fantasy" = "Genius Of Love", "Honey" = "Body Rock" / "Hey DJ", "Dreamlover" = "Blind Alley...).

    Supremes, Motown, well, at least the general ones - Supremes, Temptations, Four Tops, Smokey, Marvin, ect - are "music" - just "music" - timeless, appealing, just as feel-good, relevant, with any generation, even ten years from now, twenty years from now, thirty, "X" years from now, just as they still are for over five decades, 2-3 generations.
    Last edited by Ngroove; 12-27-2013 at 10:16 PM.

  33. #33
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    4,207
    Rep Power
    209
    Sorry, but "Ode to Billy Joe" DESERVED to keep Reflections out the number one spot. It's a masterpiece.... just like Petula Clark's "Downtown" deserved to win the Grammy over "Stop! In The Name Of Love".

  34. #34
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Posts
    809
    Rep Power
    165
    Isn't it all just a matter of personal opinion - what one likes another won't and vice versa and who's to say who's right when it comes to quality?

    I love chart and sales statistics but why should anyone want to look down their noses at or criticise someone else's interests? It just makes THEM a small person.

    Quote Originally Posted by supremester View Post
    Yes, I recall distinctly reading Billboard in 6th Ave Records and seeing the ad for LTISW "The title single from her new album" , rolling up the magazine and beating the clerk senseless as I ranted about the bad decision [[You're A Special Part Of Me was limping to it's deservedly early demise and something told me this was another blunder.)
    I'm sure the record company didn't think it was too bad a decision! After all I'm sure the bottom line for them was the commercial outcome.

    The album certainly was a disappointment in this respect but not the single. It was top 10 in the more sales orientated Cashbox and Record World Top 100s and was a smash hit in the Adult Contemporary market emerging as the Billboard #1 record for the year in that genre the sales supposedly the biggest of any of Diana's singles in the 70s outside of her #1s.

    As to the quality? I don't mind it although it wouldn't be at the top of my Diana Ross favourites list although I presume a lot of people must have really liked it or they wouldn't have bought it.

    You pays your money and you makes your choice.

    I have a list of the estimated sales of all The Supremes' chart singles in the UK which I will post when I get time.

    Those that want to read it can and those that don't needn't!

  35. #35
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    10,019
    Rep Power
    314
    Quote Originally Posted by Buttered Popcorn and so forth View Post
    They're always changing the rules around and some people nowadays get to have #1 hits as long as they are featured on a song. I think it's unfair that Diana is only credited with having 6 #1 singles when they should allow the 12 #1's with the Supremes to be added to her total since she is the lead singer of those songs.

    Oh and a funny thing about Madonna is she had 12 #1's in the US, but she also has 6 #2 singles [[more #2 singles than anyone else).
    If that's unfair, then what about Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson? The 12 number-ones was credited to a group. Even for a female artist to have six at the time she did was actually very rare. To compare, the other big time pop diva, Barbra Streisand, had five as a solo artist. Aretha Franklin only had one in the time Diana and Barbra were breaking out.

    It was only after Madonna and Whitney Houston arrived that female artists started to get more number-ones. Same with the male solo artists [[save for Elvis). It was a different time. I don't think there was a rule to state that Diana was credited with 18 when as a solo artist by her name alone, she had six.

  36. #36
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    10,019
    Rep Power
    314
    Quote Originally Posted by Ngroove View Post
    My two cents on Madonna, other "number one" artists; Yeah, about a fourth I'll say of her music I find "listenable" [[including "Holiday", "Lucky Star", "Borderline", "Burning Up", "Material Girl", "Dress You Up", "Angel", "Crazy For You", "Into The Groove", "Open Your Heart", "True Blue", "Cherish", "Rescue Me", "Take A Bow", "Ray Of Light" and "Sorry"), but hey, they are "Eighties Music", some are "Nineties Music" and others are "Noughties Music". Just like I can say Mariah Carey, who also topped quantities of number ones, mostly "Nineties Music", sorry, her quality despite still number one-ing in the noughties are just not the same, and even a hearty number of her ones had been from "sampling" others' [[ "Fantasy" = "Genius Of Love", "Honey" = "Body Rock" / "Hey DJ", "Dreamlover" = "Blind Alley...).

    Supremes, Motown, well, at least the general ones - Supremes, Temptations, Four Tops, Smokey, Marvin, ect - are "music" - just "music" - timeless, appealing, just as feel-good, relevant, with any generation, even ten years from now, twenty years from now, thirty, "X" years from now, just as they still are for over five decades, 2-3 generations.
    I love Motown music as much as the next aficionado but in my opinion, Madonna put out some CLASSICS in the '80s and '90s. The minute you hear Lucky Star or Borderline or Like a Virgin or Material Girl or Like a Prayer or Vogue, you immediately know who it is. Mariah by comparison only had two or three [[or maybe four) "classics" of her 18 number-ones [[mainly Vision of Love, Hero, Fantasy and We Belong Together). Madonna has fallen off but there's a reason why she became a legend and it wasn't just the controversy, she had some really good music behind it.

  37. #37
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    10,019
    Rep Power
    314
    Quote Originally Posted by jillfoster View Post
    Sorry, but "Ode to Billy Joe" DESERVED to keep Reflections out the number one spot. It's a masterpiece.... just like Petula Clark's "Downtown" deserved to win the Grammy over "Stop! In The Name Of Love".
    Can't really argue with you about that. Ironically enough, the Sups covered "Ode to Billy Joe"! "Downtown" is such a classic...

  38. #38
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Posts
    809
    Rep Power
    165
    Quote Originally Posted by supremester View Post
    Q: Why would Motown follow up Touch Me In The Morning with Last Time I Saw Him???
    A: Because Michael Masser did both and rather than issue a second single from Ross' best and biggest album to date, [[ignoring a promise to Deke Richards to release We Need You) Gordy dismissed what I call "quality" songs to release ........Last Time I Saw Him. All because of charts.
    That's interesting - i didn't know this about We Need You.

    I wonder if there was something else behind it for in retrospect it would seem odd that Motown didn't release it in the UK?

    At the beginning of 1974 UK released All Of My Life from the Touch Me In The Morning album which went top 10 and also repropelled the album back there.

    During 1974/75 when there wasn't a lot of new material from Diana you'd have thought they might have picked up on this track if it had been considered as a US single. Deke had a good track record for Diana in the UK with the #1 smash I'm Still Waiting and then to keep things ticking over they went with D'oobedood'ne doobe which did well also.

    We Need You sounds as if it had all the hall marks of another smash for Diana.

  39. #39
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    11,552
    Rep Power
    295
    Guys,

    Your questions would probably be answered a bit better by joining this place and asking the questions.

  40. #40
    smark21 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by soulster View Post
    Guys,

    Your questions would probably be answered a bit better by joining this place and asking the questions.
    Interesting board...are you the owner or moderator there

  41. #41
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Posts
    11,552
    Rep Power
    295
    Quote Originally Posted by smark21 View Post
    Interesting board...are you the owner or moderator there
    No, I am not. You will find a lot of collectors and professionals there who can help with your questions about why things are ranked the way they are.

    Pat Downey is the guy who publishes the online book of what songs can be found on what CD. He restricts his data to U.S. domestic CDs, though.

    If you really want more answers, just go to the source: Record Research for your answers.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

[REMOVE ADS]

Ralph Terrana
MODERATOR

Welcome to Soulful Detroit! Kindly Consider Turning Off Your Ad BlockingX
Soulful Detroit is a free service that relies on revenue from ad display [regrettably] and donations. We notice that you are using an ad-blocking program that prevents us from earning revenue during your visit.
Ads are REMOVED for Members who donate to Soulful Detroit. [You must be logged in for ads to disappear]
DONATE HERE »
And have Ads removed.