The Unoffical All Purpose "Stop! In The Name of Love" thread

[IMissFlo93]

Let's discuss Holland-Doizer-Holland's girl group magnum opus about a lady who begs, pleads, and needs her boyfriend to think over what he has done after fooling around and cheating with another lady, with the refrain accompanied by traffic cop gestures in live performances.


Originally released as a 45 single by the anchor Motown label, it was Diana Ross, although most say that Mary and Flo were overdubbed by the Andantes. Louvain Demps can be heard singing the additional background vocal that Mary and Flo sang and guess what, she is kicking and still alive!
The More Hits expanded edition, as well as the No. 1's complication album, has more of Mary and Flo's backing vocals audible, and speaking of the 45, it was badly mastered in the early pressings except for the promo.

The Grammys were a big upset for Supremes and Beatles fans as "Stop" and the Beatles' "Help" as well as "Wolly Bully" lost to "Flowers on the Wall". But hey, in the 90s, older kids were still smoking Joe Camel's cigarettes and youngsters were watching still Captain Kangaroo but on PBS instead of CBS, so don't tell me I've got nothing to do LOL


But in all seriousness what do you think Lamont Doizer's girlfriend's pleas into a Diana Ross song? And was Berry really giving Mary and Flo the shaft with the Andantes?

Discuss here.

[lucky2012]

Iconic. My introduction to the Supremes and Motown. Still one of my five favorite Supremes records. Saw them on the Hollywood Palace in 1965, in elegant gowns and gloves, doing the now iconic traffic cop Stop! movements. The image and impression on an elementary school kid still clear and fresh.

More Hits is a monumental album in my life. The three big hits plus not a single filler. I still listen to the album. The inner sleeve introduced me to all the other Motown artists. Opened up a whole new world.

Didn't care about the Grammys and, LOL, I still don't.

I don't care whether the Andantes are on it or not. I think HDH, and Berry Gordy, got the recording they wanted. I only see Diana, Mary and Florence whenever I hear this song.

[marybrewster]

Funny how synonymous the Supremes have become with wearing gloves, when this performance noted above was about the only time the group ever wore them.

[sup_fan]

i absolutely agree it's iconic. though personally, it's not one i play often

to me the significance lies in how HDH advance the sound that they created with WDOLG. if you listen to Come See and the early version of Baby Love, they're almost total replicas of Where. Baby Love in the released version helped to re-invent the sound a bit more. By the time they got to Stop, HDH took the core of Where and then amped it up. thicker musical track, the killer organ glissando intro. the slamming 4/4 beat.

it's the perfect lead into the next generation of Sup songs, all of which were on More Hits. Back in My Arms is a wonderful example too, although it was actually recorded prior to Stop. To me, Stop is a child of Where and Back is a child of Baby Love. in terms of their musical elements, sound and approach.

From a visual aspect, Stop cemented the Supremes as the glamour goddesses. of course they'd always had a polished image and all. and their choreography was cute and graceful. but the Stop hand motion instantly became iconic. it really is when, IMO, their onstage presence made it's first major jump. with the early, early tv clips of Where, Baby, Come, they're almost still like little girls playing grown up. So happy, bubbly, excited. But now they have a much more sophisticated song and this this defiant and deceptively simple hand gesture. with the Hollywood Palace clip and their more glamorous image, it was a significant shift in their evolution

so while it's not necessarily my most fav Supremes song, i absolutely agree with its significance

[midnightman]

If the previous three singles made them stars, Stop! In the Name of Love made them the icons they are right now. Long live Diana, Mary and Florence.

[milven]

To me the reason that STOP is iconic to the Supremes and sort of the "go to" signature song is because they sang side by side as a group, got to sing in harmony with Diana, had the unmistakable "hand stop" choreography and Flo and Mary had their own microphones. Geesh! Look! A group. Not often that we saw them looking and singing like a group.

[Motown Eddie]

Let's discuss Holland-Doizer-Holland's girl group magnum opus about a lady who begs, pleads, and needs her boyfriend to think over what he has done after fooling around and cheating with another lady, with the refrain accompanied by traffic cop gestures in live performances.


Originally released as a 45 single by the anchor Motown label, it was Diana Ross, although most say that Mary and Flo were overdubbed by the Andantes. Louvain Demps can be heard singing the additional background vocal that Mary and Flo sang and guess what, she is kicking and still alive!
The More Hits expanded edition, as well as the No. 1's complication album, has more of Mary and Flo's backing vocals audible, and speaking of the 45, it was badly mastered in the early pressings except for the promo.

The Grammys were a big upset for Supremes and Beatles fans as "Stop" and the Beatles' "Help" as well as "Wolly Bully" lost to "Flowers on the Wall". But hey, in the 90s, older kids were still smoking Joe Camel's cigarettes and youngsters were watching still Captain Kangaroo but on PBS instead of CBS, so don't tell me I've got nothing to do LOL


But in all seriousness what do you think Lamont Doizer's girlfriend's pleas into a Diana Ross song? And was Berry really giving Mary and Flo the shaft with the Andantes?

Discuss here.

I think that it was a stroke of genius for Lamont Dozier to take a tossed off comment during an argument with his girlfriend to become the basis for a career defining hit such as The Supremes' "Stop! In The Name Of Love".

And I don't believe that B.G. [[or H-D-H) were giving Flo & Mary the shaft by replacing their background vocals for The Andantes on the song. I've been listening to this song since it first came out in 1965 and I feel that The Andantes gave that song a real boost with their backgrounds [[IMHO, a boost that's missing in the alternate take featuring Mary & Flo).

[sup_fan]

i think the released version has M, F and Andantes on it. on Version 1, during the choruses the girls do the baby, baby but not the ahhh's. and then they do the Think It Over.

on the released version, during the Baby baby and Think parts, it's a very big full sound. lots of voices. but then during the ahh's it's much quieter, less voices. so i think M and F do the Baby and Think along with the Andantes while the Andantes only do the ahhh

[jobeterob]

Sure sounds like some loud Andantes at the beginning of the song

Didn’t Andy or some such person say 10 years ago that the single was the Andantes?

And then all hell broke loose because we didn’t understand the extent to which the Andantes were on everything

But that was a different time

This is one of the signature songs for Diana Ross

[vgalindo]

Sure sounds like some loud Andantes at the beginning of the song

Didn’t Andy or some such person say 10 years ago that the single was the Andantes?

And then all hell broke loose because we didn’t understand the extent to which the Andantes were on everything

But that was a different time

This is one of the signature songs for Diana Ross

Yes it was said the Andantes are the ones on the released single record.

[jim aka jtigre99]

Regardless, this is a signature song for the SUPREMES-the sound and imagery of the three Supremes performing this song is interwoven in the fabric of American Music no matter what.

[sup_fan]

Yes it was said the Andantes are the ones on the released single record.

i never heard them say that F and M were NOT on Stop. yes the andantes are on there too but like In and Out of Love or Going down for the Third Time, the CW&P releases, i think the backgrounds include both M/F and Andantes.

unlike Forever Came Today, Love Child, Any Girl In Love and many DRATS recordings which are only Andantes.

[jobeterob]

i never heard them say that F and M were NOT on Stop. yes the andantes are on there too but like In and Out of Love or Going down for the Third Time, the CW&P releases, i think the backgrounds include both M/F and Andantes.

unlike Forever Came Today, Love Child, Any Girl In Love and many DRATS recordings which are only Andantes.

If that's true, the Andantes are sure overpowering on the single, unlike on other versions.

I do agree the live performance and the stop sign became a signature performance.

Outside this forum, it has definitely been said it's the Andantes on Stop and the Supremes got wiped.

[WaitingWatchingLookingForAChance]

If that's true, the Andantes are sure overpowering on the single, unlike on other versions.

Outside this forum, it has definitely been said it's the Andantes on Stop and the Supremes got wiped.

Fingers crossed, I'm hoping this isn't taken the wrong way. It's interesting to see all the debates about which Supremes songs The Andantes are on or not on. For years, it bugged me that everyone seemed to believe only The Marvelettes were dubbed over or augmented by The Andantes. I guess it sounds odd to say, but its nice to see this sort of thing happened also to Motown's biggest group.

Through this forum, I've really had to go and re-listen to a lot of Supremes songs and it seems Motown wasn't playing favorites or even saying such-and-such group needed The Andantes more than another group.

I always thought it was 100% Supremes on "Stop!" Then I got the Motown Machine Karaoke CD featuring this song, and I never noticed there were 2 sets of voices going on- Flo and Mary and The Andantes. BUT, now I see there could be still another mix, the single, that may be only The Andantes...or maybe again...

If we all live to be a million years old, this debate will certainly keep us all going!

[vgalindo]

i never heard them say that F and M were NOT on Stop. yes the andantes are on there too but like In and Out of Love or Going down for the Third Time, the CW&P releases, i think the backgrounds include both M/F and Andantes.

unlike Forever Came Today, Love Child, Any Girl In Love and many DRATS recordings which are only Andantes.

It was said by George and Andy on this forum. They even gave examples. Also the session logs only list the Andantes on the 45 single release. I am sure it's in the archives.

[rovereab]

I find it interesting that the released version didn't have the footstomps/handclaps. I think that earlier Supremes sound was, at that point in time, past its useful stage.

I have a version of the song which is the released vocal take with footstomps/handclaps, however, like the alternate version, it sounds too "messy" to my ears.

The song is one which is etched in my mind as forever being the Supremes with the stop hand gesture.

[sup_fan]

^you're right. the released version is less "clompy" than the earlier version with either less or just less prominent handclaps and stomps. it's a bit more polished

[jobeterob]

Where can you find the version with the footstomps/handclaps?

[stingbeelee]

From the Motown Complete Singles 1965, which notes the primary sources: The Hitsville Session Logbooks, The Motown Library Tape Filing Card Index, The Motown 45 RPM Label Copy Files, The Jobete Music Company Catalog; the background singers on "Stop! In the name of love are Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard and Marlene Barrow.

[floyjoy678]

Sorry but I listened to both versions back to back and Flo is on both of them. I'm not saying the Andantes aren't there, there are certain areas of the song where it sounds like Jackie Hicks specifically beefs it up like on the chorus and "Think it over"s but Flo sticks out on the "baby baby"s.

[sup_fan]

^i agree. after listening to Version 1 and then the released version, to my ear it sounds like they added the andantes in addition to F and M.

i remember the discussions a few years back about this. i didn't think that Andy and George said that M and F are NOT on Stop. but that andantes were added on top of them

[rovereab]

I'm not that good at picking out voices on backing vocals but I do find that Flo's emphasis on vowels [[including Y) is easy to hear on the released version of this song.

Might be mistaken though

The version of the song on the Motown Box set [[the one with the remixes of many artists' songs) sounds like a remix of the released version. It is easier to pick out the backing singers so perhaps this could be a version to consider in this debate?

[Fullfillingnessfirstfinale]

I am in generall a little bit confused about the fact, that The Andantes are on the Backround together with DFM. First I thought only DRATS have the Andantes in the backround ! I can´t exactly understand the reason, because I read somewhere that Flo must go away from the micro one or two feet, because her voice was so powerful and Diana`s was very thin, pop stylish ! Why the group need The Andantes too ?

[vgalindo]

I am in generall a little bit confused about the fact, that The Andantes are on the Backround together with DFM. First I thought only DRATS have the Andantes in the backround ! I can´t exactly understand the reason, because I read somewhere that Flo must go away from the micro one or two feet, because her voice was so powerful and Diana`s was very thin, pop stylish ! Why the group need The Andantes too ?

According to Andy and George on the released 45 single Mary and Florence are not on the record and it is the Andantes. Many Supremes fans disagree and don't want to believe this. I really love the record and it doesn't make me love the Supremes any less.

[144man]

Remember that Motown records were assembled in a multi-layered process.

For instance the song "Don't Take Advantage of Me", originally intended for Kim Weston and reassigned to the Vandellas, only exists as an acetate consisting of an instrumental track and an unidentified female backing group singing the odd line. If the track had been completed, anybody - literally anybody - could have been added to the track in the form of overdubs or as lead singer. It wouldn't have been a case of need for who was on backing vocals or whether there were one or two different groups there, but more likely of chance.