Quote Originally Posted by Jimi LaLumia View Post
the group was never regarded as over,and having lived through the era, Flo's ouster [[which we were told at the time was a chosen solo career on another label) wasn't an issue until the following decade, and eventually Mary's book.. The Supremes as an entity remained on top in most minds from 1964 until 1972/73 , whenever Jean left.. Anyone who says elsewise just has an axe to grind..there was no group except The Beatles where every single was a huge hit..although the 60's and early 70's Supremes came very close to that spot
I was speaking primarily from my own point of view, and from that of many fellow fans. [[I was sixteen at the time.) For us, the magic ended abruptly when DRATS supplanted The Supremes at the same time that the HDH/Flo-firing/Diane-as-star shakeup occurred. To the general public, however, the group was still bigger-than-big, in concert and on TV if not on the charts consistently, but, to so many of us, it just wasn’t The Supremes anymore by a long shot, and, as I mentioned, they became a parody in the eyes of so many. The days of their being “America’s sweethearts” was most definitely over. Youthful exuberance was replaced by exaggerated glamour, resulting in a kind of “rococo” version of the original group — lots of glitz and “curlicues,” but lacking in real substance.