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  1. #1
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    Mary Wilson sings Son Of A Preacher Man

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nzG...&feature=share

    I'll refrain from opinion until I hear what some of you guys and girls have to say.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BayouMotownMan View Post
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nzG...&feature=share

    I'll refrain from opinion until I hear what some of you guys and girls have to say.
    Oh dear me. Mary shouldnt have touched Dustys signature song. The speaking part is real bad.

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    The pace is way to fast and Mary sounds off key for most of it. Very odd indeed, even for a demo.
    Thankyou for posting.
    Last edited by Ollie9; 08-24-2018 at 05:13 PM.

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    I’m guessing She was still learning the song when she did the take

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    It's a demo, and it's likely she was still learning it. I think much like "In the Evening of Our Love," "Over the Rainbow," and "MacArthur Park" for Ross, if they lowered the key a bit this would have fit Mary really well. There are a few moments here that show how Mary could have made this her own. I think it's unfair to be truly critical when we're hearing a rough demo.

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    Mary is struggling to hit some notes and doesn't always succeed. I think it would have worked better if the track was slowed down, the key lowered and Mary sang it in her "sexy" voice like she did on A Heart Like Mine.

    This take was so bad they didn't even bother to finish it

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    I’ve had this for years so maybe I’m used to it, but I think it shows promise. She uses her voice in a way that keeps it from being annoying, she tries hard to keep up with the fast pace and still vocalize which I commend her for. There are a lot of problems here, but she’s light years ahead of the crap Flo was recording at the time. I think there’s something to work with here whereas after hearing Flo’s album, I just cringe. I give this two stars out of 4.

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    Quote Originally Posted by antceleb12 View Post
    It's a demo, and it's likely she was still learning it. I think much like "In the Evening of Our Love," "Over the Rainbow," and "MacArthur Park" for Ross, if they lowered the key a bit this would have fit Mary really well. There are a few moments here that show how Mary could have made this her own. I think it's unfair to be truly critical when we're hearing a rough demo.
    Those tracks weren’t even cut for Ross - she got forced into doing them so Johnny Bristol could bill an act for the production. Ridiculous bullshit to make her even attempt them - let alone bill DR&TS for the track AND forvThevAndantes!!!

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    Quote Originally Posted by TheMotownManiac View Post
    Those tracks weren’t even cut for Ross - she got forced into doing them so Johnny Bristol could bill an act for the production. Ridiculous bullshit to make her even attempt them - let alone bill DR&TS for the track AND forvThevAndantes!!!
    LOL right! Diana gave it all she could on them, but who on earth thought it was a good idea to have her go through all of that. They were great tracks, too, which is a shame. The key just should have been brought down a few steps. What's funny is that had Diana keep that 'nasal' quality she had pre-WDOLG she probably could have hit some of those a little better.

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    Quote Originally Posted by TheMotownManiac View Post
    I’ve had this for years so maybe I’m used to it, but I think it shows promise. She uses her voice in a way that keeps it from being annoying, she tries hard to keep up with the fast pace and still vocalize which I commend her for. There are a lot of problems here, but she’s light years ahead of the crap Flo was recording at the time. I think there’s something to work with here whereas after hearing Flo’s album, I just cringe. I give this two stars out of 4.
    Flo had garbage production and, for the most part, lousy material. Florence's voice was also not in the best shape, which is a shame because if she had kept her voice in shape and had the confidence to not settle for third-class material, she could have had something. I have to say "My Heart" is the stand-out track.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BayouMotownMan View Post
    Mary is struggling to hit some notes and doesn't always succeed. I think it would have worked better if the track was slowed down, the key lowered and Mary sang it in her "sexy" voice like she did on A Heart Like Mine.

    This take was so bad they didn't even bother to finish it
    I agree that they definitely needed to slow it down and lower the key. It made it virtually impossible for Mary to wrap herself around the song. I don't think this was terrible, but it certainly lacked the finesse of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You."

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    Warning: Whoever posted this better take it down because Universal will come after you.

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    This brings me back to my question in another thread regarding those German bootlegs. Who leaked this from the vaults in the first place? I hope Universal does go after the individuals that are to blame for this leak, because this track should never be heard again. The vocal is not good at all and is a disservice to Mary. She likely wouldn't want it to be heard by anyone. In fact, if this continues to spread, she will likely never receive royalties ever again lol

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    This must have been around the time that Mary recorded "Send Him to Me"

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    Quote Originally Posted by antceleb12 View Post
    Flo had garbage production and, for the most part, lousy material. Florence's voice was also not in the best shape, which is a shame because if she had kept her voice in shape and had the confidence to not settle for third-class material, she could have had something. I have to say "My Heart" is the stand-out track.
    The only vocal that works for me is Like You Babe _ But the shitty production and voice condition aside, her vocals are uninspired and amateurish like most of what she did at Motown only worse. Mary had talent as an artist - Flo - my beloved Flo, sadly, did not. Mary built that bs story to sell books - yes, Flo had a loud voice - and, on occasion, a nice quality, but that’s as far as it went. Mary, IMHO, had a much better grasp on singing, and, natch, Diana.

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    Quote Originally Posted by TheMotownManiac View Post
    The only vocal that works for me is Like You Babe _ But the shitty production and voice condition aside, her vocals are uninspired and amateurish like most of what she did at Motown only worse. Mary had talent as an artist - Flo - my beloved Flo, sadly, did not. Mary built that bs story to sell books - yes, Flo had a loud voice - and, on occasion, a nice quality, but that’s as far as it went. Mary, IMHO, had a much better grasp on singing, and, natch, Diana.
    Mary built a bs story about Flo's talent? How is that bs? She has an opinion just like everyone else. And lets not pretend like Mary is the only Motowner who has ever spoken very highly of Flo's voice. But again, all opinions. I happen to prefer Florence's singing to Scherrie or Susaye any day of the week. No knock on either lady, especially Scherrie, whose voice I love, but it's just a personal preference. Florence was a great vocalist in my book, and apparently Mary's too. No BS about that.

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    Quote Originally Posted by antceleb12 View Post
    Flo had garbage production and, for the most part, lousy material. Florence's voice was also not in the best shape, which is a shame because if she had kept her voice in shape and had the confidence to not settle for third-class material, she could have had something. I have to say "My Heart" is the stand-out track.
    Florence had no choice in the material. She was assigned a producer and was expected to sing what she was given, just like at Motown. George Kerr did great things with Linda Jones, but his songs mostly had no chemistry with Florence, which might also be a result of the fact that George and Flo didn't always get along. There was much better chemistry between Flo and Robert Bateman's productions. Yet, "My Heart" is my favorite of Flo's solo songs. Go figure.

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    We should perhaps start another thread regarding Florence because this one is about Mary.

    IMO I don't think Son of a Preacher Man was that bad, If there were any intentions of having it released they would have did multiple takes until they had a Supremely finished product. These songs were likely given to Mary to appease her at the time, but never any true intentions to include it on any DRATS album.

    Regarding Florence I will add that Marvin Gaye, Martha Reeves, Otis Williams among others have also have spoken highly on Florence's vocal skills. Having said that we must keep in mind that everyone has different taste and that everyone does not have to agree on an opinion. Emphasizing the word opinion. One must keep in mind that all will not agree and that's fine. I personally liked some of the songs on Flo's album like "Forever Faithful" and "Love Ain't Love" to name a few, but again overall the production was bad and from what I heard George Kerr was trying to pull a Gordy play and this automatically put things at a negative start. Flo was not about to endure that again. Robert Bateman knew her from early Motown and came in with a different approach, thus getting better results.

    Finally keep in mind that no one at Motown came in as professional singers [[with a few exceptions), therefore most skills were learned and cultivated. More for some than others. All one of the original Supremes had raw talent that needed cultivating. Luckily we did get to see their showmanship evolve quite a bit from the 65 Copa to the 67 Copa. But like everything else on this planet it all ends at some point.
    Last edited by CoolKatz; 08-26-2018 at 06:51 AM. Reason: additional comments

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    Quote Originally Posted by TheMotownManiac View Post
    The only vocal that works for me is Like You Babe _ But the shitty production and voice condition aside, her vocals are uninspired and amateurish like most of what she did at Motown only worse. Mary had talent as an artist - Flo - my beloved Flo, sadly, did not. Mary built that bs story to sell books - yes, Flo had a loud voice - and, on occasion, a nice quality, but thatÂ’s as far as it went. Mary, IMHO, had a much better grasp on singing, and, natch, Diana.
    Your comments sound a little harsh but if i'm being truthful this is my opinion as well.
    Flo to me sounded great as a background singer with a stronger, more interesting tone then CB but that was it. As a solo artist, even in top form for me her voice is nothing special.
    Put Scherrie Payne and Florence at their peak in a singing contest against each other and i believe Scherrie would sing Flo off the stage.
    "Aint That Good News" was by far her most convincing vocal, but again just nice.
    At the end of the day it all comes down to personal opinion and what kind of voice floats your boat but FB as an Effie White is pure fantasy. The type of fantasy that sells books and makes for hit films.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
    Mary built a bs story about Flo's talent? How is that bs? She has an opinion just like everyone else. And lets not pretend like Mary is the only Motowner who has ever spoken very highly of Flo's voice. But again, all opinions. I happen to prefer Florence's singing to Scherrie or Susaye any day of the week. No knock on either lady, especially Scherrie, whose voice I love, but it's just a personal preference. Florence was a great vocalist in my book, and apparently Mary's too. No BS about that.

    RanRan79 I somewhat agree.

    Flo and Scherrie are as different as Diana and Scherrie etc.

    Imo the Supremes ended with JMC [[and to a lesser degree JML)

    I will explain. JMC kept the Supremes image [[though it was becoming outdated. Mary's Supremes could have been updated but with similar women. Not carbon copies but similar in poise , stature. This is where Otis Williams was smart and business savvy, he knew that each replacement Temptation had to bring some element from the originals in order to keep the legacy.

    Scherrie and Susaye are powerhouse talents in their own right but they didn't quite fit the roles. The public had grown to expect a higher sharper pitched voice as lead singer [[this was accomplished with Jean)

    Scherrie IMO belonged on broadway, as she always has an Ethel Merman broadway voice [[again not very Supreme like)

    Susaye should have been solo in the Deniece Williams and Minnie Ripperton style, her riffs and solo's were off the chain but not very Supreme like)

    Again I will emphasize that the old mold was outdated but the disco Supremes were not reconizable as Supremes at all especially vocally. Perhaps they would have faired better under another name. The Tempts weathered this storm but I think it's because Otis kept the guys in the spirit of the originals
    Last edited by CoolKatz; 08-26-2018 at 07:30 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by CoolKatz View Post
    RanRan79 I somewhat agree.

    Flo and Scherrie are as different as Diana and Scherrie etc.

    Imo the Supremes ended with JMC [[and to a lesser degree JML)

    I will explain. JMC kept the Supremes image [[though it was becoming outdated. Mary's Supremes could have been updated but with similar women. Not carbon copies but similar in poise , stature. This is where Otis Williams was smart and business savvy, he knew that each replacement Temptation had to bring some element from the originals in order to keep the legacy.

    Scherrie and Susaye are powerhouse talents in their own right but they didn't quite fit the roles. The public had grown to expect a higher sharper pitched voice as lead singer [[this was accomplished with Jean)

    Scherrie IMO belonged on broadway, as she always has an Ethel Merman broadway voice [[again not very Supreme like)

    Susaye should have been solo in the Deniece Williams and Minnie Ripperton style, her riffs and solo's were off the chain but not very Supreme like)

    Again I will emphasize that the old mold was outdated but the disco Supremes were not reconizable as Supremes at all especially vocally. Perhaps they would have faired better under another name. The Tempts weathered this storm but I think it's because Otis kept the guys in the spirit of the originals
    Interesting points made, especially regarding the Tempations. Are you saying that owing to the publics perception of the Supremes sound, they could have only continued to be as successful as long as the lead voice was similar to Diana's?.
    I kind of agree, but "High Energy" did sell quite well...... so who knows?.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ollie9 View Post
    Interesting points made, especially regarding the Tempations. Are you saying that owing to the publics perception of the Supremes sound, they could have only continued to be as successful as long as the lead voice was similar to Diana's?.
    I kind of agree, but "High Energy" did sell quite well...... so who knows?.
    Ollie9

    That's not at all what I meant. Jean and Cindy sounded nothing like Diana or Florence, but they personified that carefully crafted image that was Supremes! They kept the spirit of the original group. They kept the Supremes brand image. It's all business! The later groupings did not imo. Again it wasn't due to a lack of vocal talent. The Three Degrees were able to incorporate glamour with excellent vocal skills without becoming over the top. Many times MSS were over the top, which might have been okay for a group under another name but when you see the name Supremes it meant three glamorous ladies harmonizing and swaying. That image still stands to this day!

    Otis understood the importance of the Temptations Brand and keeping the legacy tight. I noticed that even the other various groupings of Temps are still following the same template and now the Four Tops with featuring Duke are doing the same.
    Last edited by CoolKatz; 08-26-2018 at 01:27 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by CoolKatz View Post
    We should perhaps start another thread regarding Florence because this one is about Mary.

    IMO I don't think Son of a Preacher Man was that bad, If there were any intentions of having it released they would have did multiple takes until they had a Supremely finished product. These songs were likely given to Mary to appease her at the time, but never any true intentions to include it on any DRATS album.

    Regarding Florence I will add that Marvin Gaye, Martha Reeves, Otis Williams among others have also have spoken highly on Florence's vocal skills. Having said that we must keep in mind that everyone has different taste and that everyone does not have to agree on an opinion. Emphasizing the word opinion. One must keep in mind that all will not agree and that's fine. I personally liked some of the songs on Flo's album like "Forever Faithful" and "Love Ain't Love" to name a few, but again overall the production was bad and from what I heard George Kerr was trying to pull a Gordy play and this automatically put things at a negative start. Flo was not about to endure that again. Robert Bateman knew her from early Motown and came in with a different approach, thus getting better results.

    Finally keep in mind that no one at Motown came in as professional singers [[with a few exceptions), therefore most skills were learned and cultivated. More for some than others. All one of the original Supremes had raw talent that needed cultivating. Luckily we did get to see their showmanship evolve quite a bit from the 65 Copa to the 67 Copa. But like everything else on this planet it all ends at some point.
    Unfortunately I can't comment on "Son" as it's been taken down before I got a chance to listen to it.

    I agree 100 percent with your comment about opinions. That was the point I was trying to make. Different strokes for different folks, but it doesn't make anyone wrong and it can't be chalked up to BS. Each of the original trio has folks who love their voices and folks who don't. And in the case of Diana and Mary it seems like folks either love or hate their voices, not much of a group of inbetweens.

    As far as Flo and Kerr, I don't know if George was "trying to pull a Gordy" or if he had his own personal way of producing a singer and Florence was still smarting from being forced to do what some man- any man- told her. [[Unfortunately she was a fool for Tommy.)

    Agree 1000 percent about cultivating talent. People forget that talent needs to be cultivated. Diana in 1960, as talented as she was [[I even dig the nasal sound lol) would never have become Diana of 1964/1967/1970/1980/1990 if she had remained within the abilities she had in the beginning and had not had the guidance of many people who helped her learn all she could. Why people expect Florence to be able to do in her first solo go what it took Diana years to learn is beyond me.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ollie9 View Post
    Your comments sound a little harsh but if i'm being truthful this is my opinion as well.
    Flo to me sounded great as a background singer with a stronger, more interesting tone then CB but that was it. As a solo artist, even in top form for me her voice is nothing special.
    Put Scherrie Payne and Florence at their peak in a singing contest against each other and i believe Scherrie would sing Flo off the stage.
    "Aint That Good News" was by far her most convincing vocal, but again just nice.
    At the end of the day it all comes down to personal opinion and what kind of voice floats your boat but FB as an Effie White is pure fantasy. The type of fantasy that sells books and makes for hit films.
    How does one sing someone off the stage? There was a brief discussion in another thread a few weeks back about these kinds of comments, that for some of us makes no sense. Flo Ballard was Flo Ballard vocally. I don't understand what Effie White has to do with anything. Why do the vocals need to be compared? We all like who we like. Someone once told me that they thought Jennifer Holliday had a better voice than Aretha Franklin. My response was basically...okay...better, shmetter. I prefer the Queen's voice to Jennifer. Aint got nothing to do with better. Could care less about which one of them could sing the other off the stage. I know what I feel when I hear one sing vs the other. Same with Flo and Scherrie or Scherrie and Diana or Diana and Lynda, etc.

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    Quote Originally Posted by CoolKatz View Post
    RanRan79 I somewhat agree.

    Flo and Scherrie are as different as Diana and Scherrie etc.

    Imo the Supremes ended with JMC [[and to a lesser degree JML)

    I will explain. JMC kept the Supremes image [[though it was becoming outdated. Mary's Supremes could have been updated but with similar women. Not carbon copies but similar in poise , stature. This is where Otis Williams was smart and business savvy, he knew that each replacement Temptation had to bring some element from the originals in order to keep the legacy.

    Scherrie and Susaye are powerhouse talents in their own right but they didn't quite fit the roles. The public had grown to expect a higher sharper pitched voice as lead singer [[this was accomplished with Jean)

    Scherrie IMO belonged on broadway, as she always has an Ethel Merman broadway voice [[again not very Supreme like)

    Susaye should have been solo in the Deniece Williams and Minnie Ripperton style, her riffs and solo's were off the chain but not very Supreme like)

    Again I will emphasize that the old mold was outdated but the disco Supremes were not reconizable as Supremes at all especially vocally. Perhaps they would have faired better under another name. The Tempts weathered this storm but I think it's because Otis kept the guys in the spirit of the originals
    I have to agree again. There was something lost in the Supremes' evolution. Disco Supremes ultimately didn't work. Mary didn't have what Otis had. Otis knew the business and he knew what he had to do to hang on to the group [[because without the group I don't think Otis would've gone after a solo gig). I think Mary was sometimes throwing stuff at the wall to see what would stick. She was fighting for her life but in a different way than Otis. Otis had confidence. Mary did not. And she didn't leave the group until there was nothing left in it. Had she allowed Jean and Lynda to revamp the group at another label under a different name, I personally think we'd be talking about Mary Wilson's post group life in a totally different way.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
    How does one sing someone off the stage? There was a brief discussion in another thread a few weeks back about these kinds of comments, that for some of us makes no sense. Flo Ballard was Flo Ballard vocally. I don't understand what Effie White has to do with anything. Why do the vocals need to be compared? We all like who we like. Someone once told me that they thought Jennifer Holliday had a better voice than Aretha Franklin. My response was basically...okay...better, shmetter. I prefer the Queen's voice to Jennifer. Aint got nothing to do with better. Could care less about which one of them could sing the other off the stage. I know what I feel when I hear one sing vs the other. Same with Flo and Scherrie or Scherrie and Diana or Diana and Lynda, etc.
    When i said Scherrie could sing Flo of the stage, i was trying to put across that imo i believed Scherrie was a far more accomplished singer then Florence could ever be. Again, that is just my opinion. I only made that comparison in answer to your comment that you "prefer Flo's voice to Scherries anyday".
    Fans always talk about Flo having a big loud voice and the same is often said of Scherrie. It was with that in mind i gave my opinion. I mentioned Effie White because i myself really don't view Flo as this incredible singer who's talents were kept under wraps because all attention was diverted to the lead singer. I'm sure many would disagree but that is just my view. It really is an age old debate amongst fans that will no doubt continue until the end of time.
    Perhaps my comment was not the best way to put across how i feel and if it offended i am sorry.
    Jennifer over Aretha..........Never in a million years lol.

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    Quote Originally Posted by CoolKatz View Post
    Ollie9

    That's not at all what I meant. Jean and Cindy sounded nothing like Diana or Florence, but they personified that carefully crafted image that was Supremes! They kept the spirit of the original group. They kept the Supremes brand image. It's all business! The later groupings did not imo. Again it wasn't due to a lack of vocal talent. The Three Degrees were able to incorporate glamour with excellent vocal skills without becoming over the top. Many times MSS were over the top, which might have been okay for a group under another name but when you see the name Supremes it meant three glamorous ladies harmonizing and swaying. That image still stands to this day!

    Otis understood the importance of the Temptations Brand and keeping the legacy tight. I noticed that even the other various groupings of Temps are still following the same template and now the Four Tops with featuring Duke are doing the same.
    I'm a little confused coolkatz. In your earlier post you mentioned that the public had come to expect a higher pitched voice and that Scherries voice was not very Supreme.That is why i made the comment about Diana's voice.
    If it was the choreography you were referring to then yea, with MSS it was often less then what the public might expect from a group calling themselves the Supremes.

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    Mary thinks she can sing everything... lol

    She's talented obviously but her attempts of singing uptempo stuff like SOAPM leave a lot to be desired. Mary got trained to sing backup like Flo and they never were able to evolve above that.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ollie9 View Post
    When i said Scherrie could sing Flo of the stage, i was trying to put across that imo i believed Scherrie was a far more accomplished singer then Florence could ever be. Again, that is just my opinion. I only made that comparison in answer to your comment that you "prefer Flo's voice to Scherries anyday".
    Fans always talk about Flo having a big loud voice and the same is often said of Scherrie. It was with that in mind i gave my opinion. I mentioned Effie White because i myself really don't view Flo as this incredible singer who's talents were kept under wraps because all attention was diverted to the lead singer. I'm sure many would disagree but that is just my view. It really is an age old debate amongst fans that will no doubt continue until the end of time.
    Perhaps my comment was not the best way to put across how i feel and if it offended i am sorry.
    Jennifer over Aretha..........Never in a million years lol.
    Understood Ollie. Sure my opinion about Flo's voice is different than yours, but my opinion isn't any more valid than yours. We formed them off of our personal tastes and aint nothing wrong with that.

    And I'm with you on Aretha. Jennifer was great, but give me the Queen any day of the week.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
    I have to agree again. There was something lost in the Supremes' evolution. Disco Supremes ultimately didn't work. Mary didn't have what Otis had. Otis knew the business and he knew what he had to do to hang on to the group [[because without the group I don't think Otis would've gone after a solo gig). I think Mary was sometimes throwing stuff at the wall to see what would stick. She was fighting for her life but in a different way than Otis. Otis had confidence. Mary did not. And she didn't leave the group until there was nothing left in it. Had she allowed Jean and Lynda to revamp the group at another label under a different name, I personally think we'd be talking about Mary Wilson's post group life in a totally different way.
    i don't know that it was necessarily musical missteps that did in the Supremes. sure there were duds along the way - some were solid but failed to chart. some were poor concepts and poor charts. But overall their attempts at different genres was strong. Disco supremes worked well with the quality of the music and the club reactions to them. unfortunately poor group management and significant internal fighting brought about the demise of the group

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    Adding my two cents here.... I think Flo had a wonderful voice that could have been spectacular. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that she did any training relying instead on natural ability. In order to maintain, and succeed further, you need to learn how to use your voice, how to care for it, and how to strengthen it. The difference between Flo & Scherrie, for me, is that Scherrie has training. I think Scherrie's voice came at the right time for The Supremes, as they entered into the world of dance music. She had the voice that could sail over all the rhythm underneath. And I would have killed for her to star in a Broadway show. She has the chops for it!

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    Quote Originally Posted by thommg View Post
    I think Scherrie's voice came at the right time for The Supremes, as they entered into the world of dance music. She had the voice that could sail over all the rhythm underneath. And I would have killed for her to star in a Broadway show. She has the chops for it!
    In order to succeed in musical theater, other than jukebox musicals, one must be both an actor/actress and a singer/dancer, or at least a singer/actor. Dancing is often optional. While, as a singer, Scherrie had the goods, I don’t know how good an actress she might have been. In one mini-bio of her which I saw somewhere some years ago, it was mentioned that she was the first former Supreme to venture into musical theater, but that’s as much as it said. I wonder what the vehicle was, and how her performance was received.
    Last edited by BigAl; 08-27-2018 at 03:04 PM.

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    Sherrie has written a musical, [[maybe even more than one). In interviews, she always mentioned that she was writing one, but I never heard of any of them coming to frutation. However, one of my favorite songs, ANOTHER LIFE FROM NOW, was written for one of these musicals that she wrote.

    I would have thought that Mary Wilson would have been the first former Supreme to venture into theatre.

    And of course, Diana actually performed on a Broadway stage, has a Playbill Cover and received a special Tony Award for her run on Broadway


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    Quote Originally Posted by milven View Post
    Sherrie has written a musical, [[maybe even more than one). In interviews, she always mentioned that she was writing one, but I never heard of any of them coming to frutation. However, one of my favorite songs, ANOTHER LIFE FROM NOW, was written for one of these musicals that she wrote.

    I would have thought that Mary Wilson would have been the first former Supreme to venture into theatre.

    And of course, Diana actually performed on a Broadway stage, has a Playbill Cover and received a special Tony Award for her run on Broadway

    I've got that Playbill. What a legendary show and moment in Diana's career.

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    Sez video unavailable but it's hard to imagine it would be any good.

  36. #36
    It wasn't, it was awful!

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    Quote Originally Posted by copley View Post
    It wasn't, it was awful!
    Glad you said it! Covering Aretha & Dusty is not a wise choice. Back to 'Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You'. Poor Mary - she does try.
    Last edited by PeaceNHarmony; 08-27-2018 at 08:07 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ollie9 View Post
    Your comments sound a little harsh but if i'm being truthful this is my opinion as well.
    Flo to me sounded great as a background singer with a stronger, more interesting tone then CB but that was it. As a solo artist, even in top form for me her voice is nothing special.
    Put Scherrie Payne and Florence at their peak in a singing contest against each other and i believe Scherrie would sing Flo off the stage.
    "Aint That Good News" was by far her most convincing vocal, but again just nice.
    At the end of the day it all comes down to personal opinion and what kind of voice floats your boat but FB as an Effie White is pure fantasy. The type of fantasy that sells books and makes for hit films.
    I also agree. I love Flo. She was one of the greatest back ground singers ever. But I never really cared for any of her solo or lead recordings. Her voice was nothing special to me. IMO.

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    Eh to each their own. I loved Flo's voice, whether it was in the background or on lead. She had a great personality and was very charming on stage. With the right guidance and direction, she could have made it as a solo act eventually. I always thought Mary's laid back demeanor balanced out Diana and Flo's high charisma.

    Diana and Flo's voices are my favorite [[and also my two favorite Supremes overall, I didn't do too well with the 70s groupings lol).

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    As Scherries play running again in LA she may well have the stuff to act/ musical theater. Marv knew the Supremes needed to evolve and everybody almost was doing disco, Aretha included. Florence was 23!! when she left the Supremes and certainly could have grown into a superb vocalist. Diana -in a Motown 40 Interview I believe - said Florence’s voice was “great.” For the Supremes to make it to 1977 without Diana Ross -with a good seller in ‘76 says a lot.

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    Quote Originally Posted by luke View Post
    As Scherries play running again in LA she may well have the stuff to act/ musical theater. Marv knew the Supremes needed to evolve and everybody almost was doing disco, Aretha included. Florence was 23!! when she left the Supremes and certainly could have grown into a superb vocalist. Diana -in a Motown 40 Interview I believe - said Florence’s voice was “great.” For the Supremes to make it to 1977 without Diana Ross -with a good seller in ‘76 says a lot.
    Did she try singing AVA MARIA after she said it?

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    Quote Originally Posted by luke View Post
    As Scherries play running again in LA she may well have the stuff to act/ musical theater. Marv knew the Supremes needed to evolve and everybody almost was doing disco, Aretha included. Florence was 23!! when she left the Supremes and certainly could have grown into a superb vocalist. Diana -in a Motown 40 Interview I believe - said Florence’s voice was “great.” For the Supremes to make it to 1977 without Diana Ross -with a good seller in ‘76 says a lot.
    I believe she referred to Flo's voice as "incredible". High praise as far as I'm concerned.

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    I hope someone repost "Son of a Preacher Man" so I can hear it. It's unfortunate but many of the posters who chime in about it can't be trusted to be unbiased, in either direction. Would love to hear for myself and form my own opinion.

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    Ran - it most definitely sounds like a 1-take demo. i listened to it once. And was even prepared to use my youtube download software to capture the audio digitally. but frankly i'd never listen to it so figured why bother. And certainly no trying to find fault with Mary. she does an adequate job but it's clear she's just doing a quick sample vocal.

    the production and backing track isn't stellar. sort of a typical motown cover - a throw away track. i've always been perplexed with motown's approach to covers. typically they just decide to speed up the pace and add excess and unnecessary instrumentation. they usually dont make an attempt to really do something noteworthy or to find a truly new artistic interpretation of the material.

    when you think of the material Dusty was recording, so many of the songs could have been excellent choices for Mary. had they been produced with even a modicum of concern

    so to be honest - you're not missing much

  45. #45
    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    Ran - it most definitely sounds like a 1-take demo. i listened to it once. And was even prepared to use my youtube download software to capture the audio digitally. but frankly i'd never listen to it so figured why bother. And certainly no trying to find fault with Mary. she does an adequate job but it's clear she's just doing a quick sample vocal.

    the production and backing track isn't stellar. sort of a typical motown cover - a throw away track. i've always been perplexed with motown's approach to covers. typically they just decide to speed up the pace and add excess and unnecessary instrumentation. they usually dont make an attempt to really do something noteworthy or to find a truly new artistic interpretation of the material.

    when you think of the material Dusty was recording, so many of the songs could have been excellent choices for Mary. had they been produced with even a modicum of concern

    so to be honest - you're not missing much
    I sure wish Chris Clark had done it - she does too...

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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    Ran - it most definitely sounds like a 1-take demo. i listened to it once. And was even prepared to use my youtube download software to capture the audio digitally. but frankly i'd never listen to it so figured why bother. And certainly no trying to find fault with Mary. she does an adequate job but it's clear she's just doing a quick sample vocal.

    the production and backing track isn't stellar. sort of a typical motown cover - a throw away track. i've always been perplexed with motown's approach to covers. typically they just decide to speed up the pace and add excess and unnecessary instrumentation. they usually dont make an attempt to really do something noteworthy or to find a truly new artistic interpretation of the material.

    when you think of the material Dusty was recording, so many of the songs could have been excellent choices for Mary. had they been produced with even a modicum of concern

    so to be honest - you're not missing much
    Thanks for the review Sup. As for Motown's mostly unimaginative approach to covers, I think it really comes down to money. You get the artist into the studio to record as much music as possible and you charge them for it. For a group like the Supremes who were such prolific recorders and hitmakers, the label knew they could recoup the charges from the girls' royalties from the hits, thus a way to make more money. Personally I think this leads to artists being taken into the studio to record these quick sessions. The alternative is that sometimes what we might hear as unimaginative, the producers thought they were really doing something. Although it's hard for me to believe that whomever produced the Supremes' "My Guy" ever thought they were doing the original song justice. Crap like that had to be a way for the girls to get milked out of more money. Gosh I hate that version.

    As for Dusty, I've always thought both Mary and Dusty had a similar warmth to their voices and that Mary could've done justice to Dusty's songs. Regardless of how this track of "Son" ultimately sounds, no doubt in my mind that with serious attention, "Sone of a Preacher Man" would be right up Mary's alley if structured to fit her strengths.

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    Quote Originally Posted by luke View Post
    Florence was 23!! when she left the Supremes
    When criticizing Flo, many people forget this point. Some selectively. Imagine if she had the training and attention that Diana had. The "what if's" of the Supremes are endless, but I am sure Flo had much untapped talent. Was that talent realized for the ABC recordings? Certainly not. The attitude that background singers are "throw away" singers appears to be as prevalent today as it was then. And just as sad. The Andantes never got the recognition they deserved in the 60s because of this attitude.

    Many "background" singers have the potential to be as good or better than lead singers. Whether or not this is true of the Supremes, we just can't know. No matter how many threads we have here, you just can't go back and change history. But as I've maintained before, its fun guessing what might have been.

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