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    50 Years Ago Today! March 7, 1970!

    The Supremes debut at #57 on the Billboard Hot 100 with a record that was one of the best they had ever recorded........"Up the Ladder to the Roof"!


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    50 years ago today. OMG. Can’t believe it!! They were amazing and the audience went crazy for them. Thanks Marv!

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    Quote Originally Posted by luke View Post
    50 years ago today. OMG. Can’t believe it!! They were amazing and the audience went crazy for them. Thanks Marv!
    You're most welcome Luke! I was just about to ask.....can you believe it? LOL! It was an incredible time that I can't believe it's been 50 years since. The audience and the public in general loved them.

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    Love this song, and I always play it LOUD!!
    Darin

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    Quote Originally Posted by DWSheffer View Post
    Love this song, and I always play it LOUD!!
    Darin
    Agree. I always pump up the volume on this one. Lead and backing vocals compliment each other perfectly. A classic indeed.

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    Wasn't it great back then when we all heard a song like this at the same time? How we all pretty much watched some of the same programs because there only being three major networks? Far more people saw artists appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show than on any outlet since.

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    Definitely a Top 10 for me and I'm not crazy about Jean's voice [[I prefer Scherrie as lead post-1970).

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    I adore this song. Only three Post Diana singles would make my top 10, and this is one of them. Jean sounds wonderful, and Mary and Cindy provide beautiful support. I will never tire of hearing this song. It could have been a UK no.1 had the girls been over here to promote it. It got to no.6 without any major promotion, and that is no mean feat. Glorious tune.

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    I also never get tired of this classic. Very few songs have remained fresh for 50 years like this one has. The quintessential launch for The New Supremes. Diana must have wet her pantalets when she first heard this - especially after losing Someday as her quintessential solo launch. I much prefer the single to the stereo mix on both.

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    This is a good song. I doubt Diana was worried about anything. She had recorded her fantastic solo debut album produced by Ashford &Simpson. Including the classic song Reach out and touch. Also the Grammy nominated number 1 smash Ain’t no mountain high enough.

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    Berry was wise to assign Frank Wilson to JMC - he was arguably Motown’s hottest producer with a full understanding of The Supremes and what makes their records tick. I don’t know if having Jean sound Diana-esque was his idea or Berry’s, but it was a brilliant choice to help make a seamless transition and , still sound traditional Supreme-y , yet fresh. An amazing feat by anyone’s standards. I don’t think it performed to expectations as I’m certain one week at #10 pop and #5 R&B were a substantial comedown from Someday, BUT it laid the ideal foundation for the new group as JMC became established immediately as a worthy successor to DR&TS and, with absolutely nothing to pick at, silenced all doubters of which there were many. To me, it’s Grammy hall of fame worthy.

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    One of the best Supremes singles ever.
    It has held up really well. A classic

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    Quote Originally Posted by daviddh View Post
    One of the best Supremes singles ever.
    It has held up really well. A classic
    Even though it's 50 years old now, it doesn't sound dated. Frank Wilson was a genius and the Jean, Mary, and Cindy were just all kinds of awesomeness...........hehehehehehehe!

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    i agree that this is a stellar song. one of my favs and i hit the repeat button often when it plays

    another testimony of its greatness is that many non-sup fans tend to really like it too. roommates and friends have often picked it as a song they really liked, after being inundated by me with hours of Sup music lol

    The song did only hit #10 for 1 week. but it had a solid chart run. 11 weeks. which is the same as My World, Love is here and Reflections. Someday was a mega hit - much, much bigger than pretty much any Sup song prior. except perhaps Love Child. So any follow up would struggle to match it's chart performance.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    i agree that this is a stellar song. one of my favs and i hit the repeat button often when it plays

    another testimony of its greatness is that many non-sup fans tend to really like it too. roommates and friends have often picked it as a song they really liked, after being inundated by me with hours of Sup music lol

    The song did only hit #10 for 1 week. but it had a solid chart run. 11 weeks. which is the same as My World, Love is here and Reflections. Someday was a mega hit - much, much bigger than pretty much any Sup song prior. except perhaps Love Child. So any follow up would struggle to match it's chart performance.
    It made no 6 in the UK and was a bigger hit here than Someday. It received lots of airplay and i still maintain it could have gone all the way to no.1 had the girls been here to promote it.

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    the DRATS singles did relatively poorly in the UK

    Reflections 5
    In and out 13
    Forever 28
    Some things 34
    Love child 15
    I'm gonna 3
    Shame 14
    composer -- was this released in the UK? i can't find a release date or chart ranking
    Sign 38
    second that emotion 18
    someday 13
    Why must we fall 13

    It's also surprising that the girls didn't do at least a quick trip to UK in 70. their first tour was fall of 71!!! which is very late IMO. they could have easily gone over for a few promotional appearances. done TOTP, a few quick shows rather than a whole tour.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    the DRATS singles did relatively poorly in the UK

    Reflections 5
    In and out 13
    Forever 28
    Some things 34
    Love child 15
    I'm gonna 3
    Shame 14
    composer -- was this released in the UK? i can't find a release date or chart ranking
    Sign 38
    second that emotion 18
    someday 13
    Why must we fall 13

    It's also surprising that the girls didn't do at least a quick trip to UK in 70. their first tour was fall of 71!!! which is very late IMO. they could have easily gone over for a few promotional appearances. done TOTP, a few quick shows rather than a whole tour.
    Totally agree. They had already peaked by the time they toured in 71. Had they been over here when Ladder and Stoned Love had been released they would have achieved even greater success.
    The Composer did not get a single release in the UK thankfully.

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    the 71 tour met up with the Four Tops too. not sure how planned ahead that was but they also used the tour to promote the duets. again, seems like priorities were a bit out of whack. sure the Tops were hot in the UK and so the idea of the duets should have soared. but with the lackluster material, it's no wonder the songs didn't really register. And when you think they could have gone over to promote Ladder and Stoned but didn't, such a wasted opportunity

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    Maybe the tour was booked in 71 was because they were already fully booked and that was their first opening.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    the 71 tour met up with the Four Tops too. not sure how planned ahead that was but they also used the tour to promote the duets. again, seems like priorities were a bit out of whack. sure the Tops were hot in the UK and so the idea of the duets should have soared. but with the lackluster material, it's no wonder the songs didn't really register. And when you think they could have gone over to promote Ladder and Stoned but didn't, such a wasted opportunity
    The Supremes after 1969 just couldn't do anything right, huh? Maybe you should have been their manager........

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    "Up the Ladder to the Roof" is pretty much an American Standard now. It is performed in schools and colleges all over the country. Vincent DiMirco and Frank Wilson wrote an outstanding song and definitely made a LOT of money from it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by blackguy69 View Post
    Maybe the tour was booked in 71 was because they were already fully booked and that was their first opening.
    Perhaps the Supremes success in the UK came as something of a surprise to Motown, but i still find it hard to believe that a 2 or 3 week slot could not have been found earlier than the fall of 71. The Supremes had no presence whatsoever on UK tv at that time which surely hampered their sales, and i suppose you could say the same for a solo Diana.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    The Supremes after 1969 just couldn't do anything right, huh? Maybe you should have been their manager........
    you're a moron marv

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bluebrock View Post
    Perhaps the Supremes success in the UK came as something of a surprise to Motown, but i still find it hard to believe that a 2 or 3 week slot could not have been found earlier than the fall of 71. The Supremes had no presence whatsoever on UK tv at that time which surely hampered their sales, and i suppose you could say the same for a solo Diana.
    they'd done annual, if not 2x a year tours of Europe in the 60s. so to go 18 months with the new group was a bit off. i agree that there should have been some windows of time SOMEWHERE to fit in a few gigs or mini tours

    the 71 tour was a big one. they were there nearly a month.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    you're a moron marv
    If I am one, then you are just a mere germ on this Earth. Sorry, but you called me out of my name! I had to clock you and it was all based on what you post over and over and over..... If the Supremes had just done 45-50 years ago what you're suggesting now, they might have amounted to something! Do you see how ridiculous that sounds?
    Last edited by marv2; 03-10-2020 at 01:50 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    they'd done annual, if not 2x a year tours of Europe in the 60s. so to go 18 months with the new group was a bit off. i agree that there should have been some windows of time SOMEWHERE to fit in a few gigs or mini tours

    the 71 tour was a big one. they were there nearly a month.
    Yes they did tour regularly in the 60's. Maybe there was more money to be made back home for the 70's Supremes in those early days when they seemed to be in greater demand. Who knows, but it seemed to be an ill thought out situation

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    as we've all discussed, it seems clear that motown didn't really attempt to coordinate the touring and the releases until later. they didn't seem to focus on when things would be released and how to best incorporate that into the act. Almost like these were two totally separate initiatives.

    Diana's HBO show from 79 is clearly branded The Boss and the album art and songs are heavily promoted. but in the 60s and early 70s, it doesn't seem that was the case.

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    There was such high anticipation for this. We all wanted to see who was replacing Diana Ross and what she sounded like. It was just magical. They looked fantastic, the song was as near perfection as they could get and passed all expectations. They won us all over. The audience clearly accepted them by the enormous applause. It was time. Diana had clearly outgrew The Supremes and could surely do it solo and did. The Supremes in 1970 and 1971 were the best with Jean.
    Last edited by nathanj06; 03-11-2020 at 02:45 PM.

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    it was definitely a refreshing development with the Supremes. the new sound was sensational

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    Quote Originally Posted by nathanj06 View Post
    There was such high anticipation for this. We all wanted to see who was replacing Diana Ross and what she sounded like. It was just magical. They looked fantastic, the song was as near perfection as they could get and passed all expectations. They won us all over. The audience clearly accepted them by the enormous applause. It was time. Diana had clearly outgrew The Supremes and could surely do it solo and did. The Supremes in 1970 and 1971 were the best with Jean.
    I agree. They were quite wonderful for a couple of years, but i thought it began to go downhill after the Touch album. Internal conflicts, weaker material and the downturn in bookings all played a part in the downward spiral, but for a couple of years they were immense.

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    Motown really flubbed up after HDH left, didn't it?

    Frank Wilson did the best he could though and this is one of his best songs with the Supremes [[of course, secondary to Stone Love).

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    ladder is a sensational song. Seems so odd that they so quickly dumped it into the medleys. but then again, that was always another peculiarity with motown. greatest hits medleys lol

    in the live shows bootlegs i have, Stoned Love is [[almost) always performed and in full. oddly enough, in the live show at the Carter Baron with the Tops, they didn't perform it. they did do full versions of Everybody, Nathan and River Deep

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    IT WAS HOT! my fellow fan 5th grade classmate got it immediately at the closest record store. I go 2 days later, sold out....go to the shopping center to Singer and Kresgees, sold out....this went on for 3 more weeks....I was too far to walk to these stores, and they got the new stuff on Tuesdays. By Thurs or Fri when my Mom could give me a lift, they'd be gone. I was SUFFERING!

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    Quote Originally Posted by gman View Post
    IT WAS HOT! my fellow fan 5th grade classmate got it immediately at the closest record store. I go 2 days later, sold out....go to the shopping center to Singer and Kresgees, sold out....this went on for 3 more weeks....I was too far to walk to these stores, and they got the new stuff on Tuesdays. By Thurs or Fri when my Mom could give me a lift, they'd be gone. I was SUFFERING!
    "Kresge's"? "Singers"? OMG! I haven't heard those names in years. Where did you grow up Gman?

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    Quote Originally Posted by gman View Post
    IT WAS HOT! my fellow fan 5th grade classmate got it immediately at the closest record store. I go 2 days later, sold out....go to the shopping center to Singer and Kresgees, sold out....this went on for 3 more weeks....I was too far to walk to these stores, and they got the new stuff on Tuesdays. By Thurs or Fri when my Mom could give me a lift, they'd be gone. I was SUFFERING!
    My mother bought the 45 at Clark's Record Shop and the album at Montgomery Wards. That album poster hung on the wall in her basement all the way up to the early 90s.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    My mother bought the 45 at Clark's Record Shop and the album at Montgomery Wards. That album poster hung on the wall in her basement all the way up to the early 90s.
    Album purchased at Crowleys [[the last one) in Dearborn on Michigan Ave. and my hip grandmother bought the 45 either Kresges or J L Hudsons. We would meet her at the bus stop to help take our loot home ie. the latest 45's, cookies and other trinkets from Hudsons.

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    Quote Originally Posted by detmotownguy View Post
    Album purchased at Crowleys [[the last one) in Dearborn on Michigan Ave. and my hip grandmother bought the 45 either Kresges or J L Hudsons. We would meet her at the bus stop to help take our loot home ie. the latest 45's, cookies and other trinkets from Hudsons.
    Darn it, you're bringing back some memories by mentioning Crowleys. Next you'll mention Farmer Jack's or Meijer's Thrify Acres and I'll be done! LOL! Loved and miss Hudson's big time now.

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    Cunninghams Drug Store and Rexall Drug Store! [[Wiki has a nice history of the chains). Neither carried records though.

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    Quote Originally Posted by detmotownguy View Post
    Cunninghams Drug Store and Rexall Drug Store! [[Wiki has a nice history of the chains). Neither carried records though.
    Now you've done it! I so remember Cunninghams 21drug stores and my neighborhood drug store growing up was Rexall's! I even knew the pharmacist by name, he was Larryl LOL! No they did't sell records. I do remember a popular record store on the East side of Detroit, Famous Coachman's Record Store.

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    Shays House of Music in Melvidale/Allen Park always carried a lot of Motown/R&B. He was great guy.

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    Quote Originally Posted by detmotownguy View Post
    Shays House of Music in Melvidale/Allen Park always carried a lot of Motown/R&B. He was great guy.
    That's one I wasn't familiar with. Strange as much as I have been to Allen Park. There was Kendricks records in the city. Another one on Linwood that I can't remember the name of now, but I think it was owned by Donnie Simpson's family. Donnie "The Luv Bug" from radio and from Video Soul on BET.

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    "Up the Ladder to the Roof" got a lot of radio airplay in early 1970. Locally, some DJ's flipped it over and started playing "Bill, When Are You Coming Back" after a number of weeks.

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    He would display the new albums on the walls so that the record buyer knew immediately what artist had a new release out. He was very personable and could spend hours talking to him about various artists.

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    Quote Originally Posted by detmotownguy View Post
    He would display the new albums on the walls so that the record buyer knew immediately what artist had a new release out. He was very personable and could spend hours talking to him about various artists.
    Then the malls became popular and the big box record stores like Peaches, Coconuts,Tower etc, etc. At the mall you'd find Camelot, The Wiz, Record Town, Sam Goody, Strawberries Music etc. It was never the same when those places opened up.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    Then the malls became popular and the big box record stores like Peaches, Coconuts,Tower etc, etc. At the mall you'd find Camelot, The Wiz, Record Town, Sam Goody, Strawberries Music etc. It was never the same when those places opened up.
    Cunningham’s, Crowley’s, Kresge, this thread has brought back so many Detroit memories. My favorites came a little later; does anyone remember The Detroit Audio System and Bad Records?

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    Quote Originally Posted by JohnnyB View Post
    Cunningham’s, Crowley’s, Kresge, this thread has brought back so many Detroit memories. My favorites came a little later; does anyone remember The Detroit Audio System and Bad Records?
    I remember Detroit Audio Systems ads and commercials.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    Then the malls became popular and the big box record stores like Peaches, Coconuts,Tower etc, etc. At the mall you'd find Camelot, The Wiz, Record Town, Sam Goody, Strawberries Music etc. It was never the same when those places opened up.
    And Crazy Eddie and Disco Mat and others that got big too fast, over extended themselves with credit and then shriveled up and disappeared. They never really were competition to the efficiently run little record store where everyone knew your name and when the person behind the counter was the human equivalent of Shazam. The big box stores could never compete with that. And their "sales" were fake too. They had a limited amount of sale product, so if someone really wanted to get their music the day it dropped, after being burned once or twice by the big box stores by wasting gas money to get there only to find out that they were out of it; they came back to their little mama papa store. As a kid, my best times was time spent in one of these stores. And when those big box stores kept on expanding only to eventually fail and go out of business, we used to smile and sing ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST.

    Of course, eventually, downloading and digital music also made the little store extinct, but none of them will be forgotten. I am sure that all of us have fond memories of our favorite little store.

    The big box store was never the competition of the little store.

    There was a little store in NYC that had everything. It was called King Karol. Paraphrasing , there motto was "What competition? We are the competition"

    And we used to test the knowledge of the salespeople in King Karol. Once we asked a clerk if he had any albums by Sonja Henie , an ice skater who also appeared in movies. He recommended a soundtrack and said "If you listen carefully, you can hear her skating in the background". Can't get that kind of feedback in a big box store.

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    Remember Harmony House? I never cared for that place other than buying concert tix.

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    Quote Originally Posted by detmotownguy View Post
    Remember Harmony House? I never cared for that place other than buying concert tix.
    Yes I remember Harmony House and their commercials. I also remember the Head Shed in Toledo where you could buy music and all kinds of drug paraphernalia LOL!!!

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