The Supremes - Soft Days Demo Mix

[kje71]

Produced by Stevie Wonder, never released. Know a few bootlegs have been going around but was able to get hold of the session and make a mix of the song. Cut it down just a little, take a listen

https://soundcloud.com/imaginationmi...-days-demo-mix

[DJMoch]

Wow, that's amazing to finally hear this in pristine quality. How on earth did you manage to get hold of the sessions? I've been lucky to stumble on multitracks of various Motown songs, but released ones. This is the kind of stuff I dream of finding.

What an awesome mix! Love it!

[marv2]

The sound quality is excellent. Thank you kje71

[marv2]

This song, recording would have fit in perfectly with what was on the radio in 1973-74.

[carlo]

Fantastic clear quality...what a treat! Thank you for sharing.

[carlo]

It's been a while since I've listened to this. I forgot about how Mary slows it down at the end. Great!

[jobucats]

Thank you, thank you so much. This has always been a favorite seldom heard treasure, and I am finally glad to hear it in such fantastic quality. Your award will be in the mail.

[marv2]

I always loved the Mary Wilson/Jean Terrell combination.

[Levi Stubbs Tears]

Great quality - thanks

[TomatoTom123]

Ooooooh yes this sounds great... mmmmm... thanks kje

[aarondillon2011@gmail.com]

Maybe if we are lucky enough he might do the other 70's Supremes bootleg recordings ;-) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.

[franjoy56]

Maybe if we are lucky enough he might do the other 70's Supremes bootleg recordings ;-) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.

it would be a crime not to put this on and upcoming supremes lost and found the 70's we've been hearing the distorted version for years and now we have a pristine copy sitting and we cant add it to our collection. kje thank you for sharing it with us.

[marv2]

it would be a crime not to put this on and upcoming supremes lost and found the 70's we've been hearing the distorted version for years and now we have a pristine copy sitting and we cant add it to our collection. kje thank you for sharing it with us.

i agree Fran. "Soft Days" easily ranks with most of the Supremes output in the 70s. This is a perfect "summertime" song that I can listen to over and over and over......

[marv2]

I love the line Jean sings " He likes what he loves ......" Can't you imagine hearing this on the radio say around early 1974?

[marv2]

Kje71 could you please upload this to Youtube for others to enjoy?

[gordy_hunk]

I really love this track, and simply can't understand why it was considered 'unfinished' or that Motown [[or Stevie) decided not to issue it. It's such a beautiful track, so perfectly sung by Jean and Mary.

I don't know how many other tracks were produced by Stevie on the Supremes, but if there are similar to this one, they need to be unearthed and issued.

Thank you so much KJE71 - you've made my weekend.

[daviddh]

always liked this song,beautiful, thanks for posting,
when you get the session, just this one track????

[longtimefan]

Kje71 could you please upload this to Youtube for others to enjoy?

...or post as an MP3? The fans would be so appreciative!!! Thanks in advance.

[Motownfan1971uk]

I'm really grateful you shared this. It sounds stunning. Apart from the wonderful vocals I really love the instrumentation on this track, and to hear it all so crystal clear. .....wow.

[aarondillon2011@gmail.com]

I'd really love kje71 to tackle Loneliness Is A Lonely Feeling, Stepping On A Dream, You Only Miss Me When You See Me, Remote Control, and Can't You Hear Me Knocking.

[Boogiedown]

Ha ha here we go again. The Supremes singing about the weather!! lol!

Seems like a rough attempt at a work still in its early stages. Is Jean even making it up some as she goes? Lyrics all over the place, very incohesive.
I like Mary's attempt at it better , the little piece we get to hear at the end. She's taking on the song's subject from the first person perspective instead of it being about the man's as Jean sings it. Still .... "soft days" ?? .... what??
As I'm learning to understand Mary's voice , I'm really warming up to it . Based on this demo , I'd give this song to her.

[blackguy69]

The first time I heard this song, Mary does the introduction as well as the outro

[sup_fan]

I’m guessing that as he was writing and developing the various songs for the girls BW emerged as what they felt was the most exciting and likely to hit. Then they waited on the producing or finishing the others to see how BW fared. If it hit they’d continue w the sessions. Floy Joy was similar. Smokey did that track first and then the girls came back in Jan to do the lp.

Here’s a question - what would have happened to the group if J and L hadn’t quit? What might they have done next?

[sup_fan]

Also I wonder if part of the reason of the lack to BW promotion was just that things had gotten so bad and tense between M and J. Maybe Motown figures jean was already on the verge of quitting

[marv2]

Also I wonder if part of the reason of the lack to BW promotion was just that things had gotten so bad and tense between M and J. Maybe Motown figures jean was already on the verge of quitting

No. None that had anything to do with it. Motown had made making movies a priority at that time. Most of their established acts were being neglected and some left the label.

[RanRan79]

Thanks for posting! So good to hear this great song so much more clearer than before. And Jean sounds fantastic as usual. Such a gem. And Mary and Lynda's harmony is beautiful. Perfect example of why Jimmy Webb's use of others in addition to Mary and Lynda seems so unnecessary.

[RanRan79]

Also I wonder if part of the reason of the lack to BW promotion was just that things had gotten so bad and tense between M and J. Maybe Motown figures jean was already on the verge of quitting

Contrary to popular belief, I think after Diana left, the Supremes were still a priority at Motown, right up through the Floy Joy album. I think the JW album knocked them back and Motown had already proven with various other acts that it definitely could view an act within the question of "what have you done for me lately?". If your last project was hot, they might stick behind you for the followup. If not, they were subject to move on to the next thing. The Supremes had definitely fallen off with the JW production, and not only did Motown seem to move on but, as others around the forum have opined, the radio djs even moved on, which effected radio play and record sales for "Bad Weather". Mary mentions in her second book that around this time Jean was rubbing a lot of people the wrong way, so it's not impossible to believe that she stepped on some toes at Motown that she may not have been able to recover from. Berry Gordy was into movies, but Motown was still in the music making business. Stevie Wonder was killin the game at the time and it's crazy to think that Motown would not have given a full push to one of his products even as a producer at this time unless there was something funky going on with the group. I think all of this resulted in "Bad Weather"s death and put an end to the proposed album and an end to JML.

[sup_fan]

Contrary to popular belief, I think after Diana left, the Supremes were still a priority at Motown, right up through the Floy Joy album. I think the JW album knocked them back and Motown had already proven with various other acts that it definitely could view an act within the question of "what have you done for me lately?". If your last project was hot, they might stick behind you for the followup. If not, they were subject to move on to the next thing. The Supremes had definitely fallen off with the JW production, and not only did Motown seem to move on but, as others around the forum have opined, the radio djs even moved on, which effected radio play and record sales for "Bad Weather". Mary mentions in her second book that around this time Jean was rubbing a lot of people the wrong way, so it's not impossible to believe that she stepped on some toes at Motown that she may not have been able to recover from. Berry Gordy was into movies, but Motown was still in the music making business. Stevie Wonder was killin the game at the time and it's crazy to think that Motown would not have given a full push to one of his products even as a producer at this time unless there was something funky going on with the group. I think all of this resulted in "Bad Weather"s death and put an end to the proposed album and an end to JML.

I agree with your assessment. Motown was in the business of making money. So long as an act was hot or viewed as an absolutely essential corporate focus, then they got support. One could argue that DRATS fell off their pedestal to some degree with djs and the public in the late 60s. The group was viewed as too plastic and "white" with singles and lps not really tapping into the feelings of the era.

[marv2]

Contrary to popular belief, I think after Diana left, the Supremes were still a priority at Motown, right up through the Floy Joy album. I think the JW album knocked them back and Motown had already proven with various other acts that it definitely could view an act within the question of "what have you done for me lately?". If your last project was hot, they might stick behind you for the followup. If not, they were subject to move on to the next thing. The Supremes had definitely fallen off with the JW production, and not only did Motown seem to move on but, as others around the forum have opined, the radio djs even moved on, which effected radio play and record sales for "Bad Weather". Mary mentions in her second book that around this time Jean was rubbing a lot of people the wrong way, so it's not impossible to believe that she stepped on some toes at Motown that she may not have been able to recover from. Berry Gordy was into movies, but Motown was still in the music making business. Stevie Wonder was killin the game at the time and it's crazy to think that Motown would not have given a full push to one of his products even as a producer at this time unless there was something funky going on with the group. I think all of this resulted in "Bad Weather"s death and put an end to the proposed album and an end to JML.

It was Lynda Laurence that was pissing people off at that time. Not Jean Terrell. Jean was frustrated and became withdrawn. They all were frustrated.

[Thornton]

This is incredible. I wish there was a way to clean up the MSC version of "All I Want". "Soft Days" had tremendous hit potential. I remember reading that there was supposed to be a solo for Mary following her closing lines. No idea if the song ever was recorded, or even written. One of the many missed opportunities with the JML lineup. So glad to have this cleaned up mix.

[RanRan79]

I agree with your assessment. Motown was in the business of making money. So long as an act was hot or viewed as an absolutely essential corporate focus, then they got support. One could argue that DRATS fell off their pedestal to some degree with djs and the public in the late 60s. The group was viewed as too plastic and "white" with singles and lps not really tapping into the feelings of the era.

The difference between DRATS and the DRless Supremes was that Motown knew what it had in Diana Ross. Like Marvin, Stevie and Gladys, Motown knew with the right song DRATS could be back on top, so sometimes the last poor charting/selling single/album didn't really matter. And to be fair, DRATS' singles and albums had better showings than Jimmy Webb and Bad Weather. [[Plus DRATS was merely Gordy's way of segueing Ross out of the group, so there would have never been a lack of support for them until she left.)

[RanRan79]

It was Lynda Laurence that was pissing people off at that time. Not Jean Terrell. Jean was frustrated and became withdrawn. They all were frustrated.

According to Mary Wilson, in her second book, beginning around page 90, she talks about Jean's nasty attitude, including anecdotes regarding Jean's rude behavior at a Tempts concert and at a party thrown in the Tempts honor. Even a potential manager whom Mary thought had great ideas for the group decided to drop out because he wasn't willing to deal with Jean's attitude. It was at that point that even Mary stopped talking to Jean. Mary makes no mention of Lynda having the same attitude issues. And no doubt that if Jean was trippin that hard, Motown knew about it, and they would not have been happy.

[sup_fan]

for better or worse, jean was NOT a puppet. she was a strong-minded adult when she came into the group. I believe that's why Berry wanted her out. he probably started to see that she was more challenging to work with and figured that, personality-wise, she wouldn't fit in with the group or the motown system. I agree that his timing couldn't have been worse - trying to ditch her after the Farewell concert.

from what i understand, Jean was also salaried for the first part of her tenure. So the biggest hits [[Ladder, Stoned, Nathan) did not provide her with royalties. and then by 72 they were cutting all of her hits from the show or squeezing them into medleys, then brought back a bunch of the DRATS concert pieces, etc. she didn't agree with the direction management was taking the group and she spoke out. She stated she would no longer agree to record whatever was presented to her.

There is a LONG history of rebels getting the cold shoulder at motown. Martha, David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Flo, Jean and eventually even Mary.

I definitely think that both Jean and Mary's internal problems and their external problems with motown absolutely contributed to the problems.

[longtimefan]

Thanks for posting! So good to hear this great song so much more clearer than before. And Jean sounds fantastic as usual. Such a gem. And Mary and Lynda's harmony is beautiful. Perfect example of why Jimmy Webb's use of others in addition to Mary and Lynda seems so unnecessary.

Has anybody been able to turn this version into an MP3 or post it on FaceBook?

[blackguy69]

According to Mary Wilson, in her second book, beginning around page 90, she talks about Jean's nasty attitude, including anecdotes regarding Jean's rude behavior at a Tempts concert and at a party thrown in the Tempts honor. Even a potential manager whom Mary thought had great ideas for the group decided to drop out because he wasn't willing to deal with Jean's attitude. It was at that point that even Mary stopped talking to Jean. Mary makes no mention of Lynda having the same attitude issues. And no doubt that if Jean was trippin that hard, Motown knew about it, and they would not have been happy.

Mary was warned about Lynda but nothing compared to Jean.

[marv2]

This is incredible. I wish there was a way to clean up the MSC version of "All I Want". "Soft Days" had tremendous hit potential. I remember reading that there was supposed to be a solo for Mary following her closing lines. No idea if the song ever was recorded, or even written. One of the many missed opportunities with the JML lineup. So glad to have this cleaned up mix.

I did hear a version of "Soft Days" with Mary singing the complete lead.

[marv2]

Mary was warned about Lynda but nothing compared to Jean.

I have met all of them and Jean is very misunderstood by people. She is a sweetheart........that just happens to get moody sometimes. LOL!

[marv2]

I would love to test this song, this recording on today's market. Let people hear it without them knowing it is the Supremes from 1973 and see what the reaction would be.

[marv2]

According to Mary Wilson, in her second book, beginning around page 90, she talks about Jean's nasty attitude, including anecdotes regarding Jean's rude behavior at a Tempts concert and at a party thrown in the Tempts honor. Even a potential manager whom Mary thought had great ideas for the group decided to drop out because he wasn't willing to deal with Jean's attitude. It was at that point that even Mary stopped talking to Jean. Mary makes no mention of Lynda having the same attitude issues. And no doubt that if Jean was trippin that hard, Motown knew about it, and they would not have been happy.

Lynda was a problem and that's all I am going to say. We have discussed this plenty over the years. Mary discussed the surface problems with her in her book which was enough. As I said, they all were frustrated at that time. The fans were very frustrated too.

[marv2]

According to Mary Wilson, in her second book, beginning around page 90, she talks about Jean's nasty attitude, including anecdotes regarding Jean's rude behavior at a Tempts concert and at a party thrown in the Tempts honor. Even a potential manager whom Mary thought had great ideas for the group decided to drop out because he wasn't willing to deal with Jean's attitude. It was at that point that even Mary stopped talking to Jean. Mary makes no mention of Lynda having the same attitude issues. And no doubt that if Jean was trippin that hard, Motown knew about it, and they would not have been happy.

It wasn't Jean that threw one of her shoes as hard as she could at one of the Temptations before a show............LOL!

[RanRan79]

I did hear a version of "Soft Days" with Mary singing the complete lead.

Oh I bet that was great. I can't stress enough how much I love Mary's tone and it was really shining around this time.

[RanRan79]

Lynda was a problem and that's all I am going to say. We have discussed this plenty over the years. Mary discussed the surface problems with her in her book which was enough. As I said, they all were frustrated at that time. The fans were very frustrated too.

Lynda may have been a problem, but according to Mary, Jean was one of the major problems. I'm sure there was frustration to go around, but it appears that Jean, like Florence and Diana before her, didn't always handle her issues in a mature and professional manner, and lashing out- either at the company or the other members of the group- always leads to a horrible situation. So sad.

[RanRan79]

Has anybody been able to turn this version into an MP3 or post it on FaceBook?

I haven't. Hopefully Kje71 will upload it to Youtube so I can rip it from there.

[Weslley Francisco]

Love this song, thank you Kje71!
I wish we could have a chance hear "I'll Wait A Lifetime" from the Stevie Wonder sessions. Has anybody here ever heard that song?

[TheMotownManiac]

Lynda may have been a problem, but according to Mary, Jean was one of the major problems. I'm sure there was frustration to go around, but it appears that Jean, like Florence and Diana before her, didn't always handle her issues in a mature and professional manner, and lashing out- either at the company or the other members of the group- always leads to a horrible situation. So sad.

to even suggest Lynda was the problem is ludicrous. Not only has Mary stated how bad Jean became, but I witnessed first hand the tensions between Jean and Mary before Lynda joined and Cindy was thrilled to not be in the middle of ANOTHER power struggle. In Chicago in 1972, Jean seemed to be trying to piss Mary off and I know Lynda was surprised at the acrimony when she joined. Mary was trying hard to advance her position in the group and Jean wasn’t having it. She had not signed on to share leads with anyone. I’m not casting blame here as both ladies had their agendas, but Jean was very bitchy and unprofessional to Mary and no amount of spin or revisionism can change that. Leaving NYC without telling Mary was enough to show what a problem Jean was. Not enough? Stepping all over Mary on Model Of The Year is another. Jean was always nice to the fans, but she could be hellish otherwise. And was. Mary was always a trouble maker with her trying to get group members “on her side” which began in fall 1967, but she was never as rude and unprofessional as Jean could be. And, like Mary, it’s always someone else’s fault - Motown, Jean, Lynda, Cindy, Diana, Flo, Berry, Susaye......... see the pattern? There are no innocents here .......but that more than includes Mary.

[TheMotownManiac]

I did hear a version of "Soft Days" with Mary singing the complete lead.

‘I would love to hear that as this track seems well suited to Mary, although Jean is fine on it. I disagree that this is a radio gem of any era, it goes nowhere and the chorus is mundane. Could be a nice album track, but single? NFW. Have you ever heard a Jean or Mary track that wasn’t fantastic and a lost hit? Ever?

[jobucats]

‘I would love to hear that as this track seems well suited to Mary, although Jean is fine on it. I disagree that this is a radio gem of any era, it goes nowhere and the chorus is mundane. Could be a nice album track, but single? NFW. Have you ever heard a Jean or Mary track that wasn’t fantastic and a lost hit? Ever?

Great observation. What does NFW mean?

[TheMotownManiac]

Great observation. What does NFW mean?

No f#cking way

[RanRan79]

It wasn't Jean that threw one of her shoes as hard as she could at one of the Temptations before a show............LOL!

Knowing their Casanova reputations, I imagine that most- if not all- of the 60s Tempts were more than familiar with flying objects hurling in their direction, especially by women.

[Circa 1824]

Musically it is gentle and sweet, but the lyrics go nowhere. The lyrics are nonsensical. Vocals are laid back and a tad dull.