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Thread: MCL lineup

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    MCL lineup

    This might have been discussed before, but I wonder how well a permanent MCL lineup would have worked.

    There's evidence that this grouping appeared together on at least one occasion; in Hawaii. But did they also perform at the Copa as well?

    I was looking at "Supreme Faith" this evening and came across a passage I must have missed before: after the Supremes disbanded in 1977, Mary was left to fulfill some dates. She asked Scherrie and Susaye to return, but they both declined. Interestingly, Mary then reached out to Lynda, who apparently wanted too much money.

    But I wonder if she had said yes, and assuming Cindy would have returned as well, how they would have fared? Might they have stayed together as the reformed Supremes? There was still talk at this time that S and S would carry on with a third member, assumably Joyce. But that never came to fruition. Mary might have forged on with her solo career, but one has to wonder.

    As it ended up, Mary did tour with Cindy and Debbie Sharpe.

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    No, they would not have stayed together as the reformed Supremes. Motown would have never allowed that even if Mary and Cindy were agreeable to it. I can't even imagine Mary being even somewhat agreeable to something like that.

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    overall i think the lineup would have worked quite well for a couple of reasons:

    1. lynda has a unique voice that IMO is better suited to lead versus background. I never though she and Mary achieved a blend anywhere as perfect as M and C.
    2. lynda was a 1st soprano and Cindy a 2nd. and of course Mary was an alto. like the JMC and MSC lineups. and UNLIKE the DMC lineup. in the DRATS, Cindy was the 1st soprano and frankly she can't pull off their very high and very powerful notes. not in her range. But J, L and Scherrie could which allowed Cindy to assume the proper role of middle note and do her perfect blending
    3. Lynda could handle the politics and 'crap' of show business unlike Jean. From so many accounts on here, Jean really wasn't happy with lots of the role of a Supreme. Lynda seems to fit better with that.

    Personally i do prefer Jean's or Scherrie's voice but i'm only speaking in matters of degrees. Lynda was and is an outstanding singer

    So would this lineup have worked - yes

    would this lineup have been successful - don't know. It's possible that had Jean left and the lineup became MLC, perhaps some of the group's internal problems would have lessened. Not that jean was the sole root of those but she and mary struggled. and that might have given motown some degree of faith in the group that it would work. but that's assuming a lot

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    There's no denying Lynda had looks, and brought a new in-your-face sexiness to the group. She also brought youthfulness; in her early 20's when she joined, Mary and Jean were pushing 30. One might think 5 years doesn't make much difference, but it does.

    I really wonder how much influence Jean had on Lynda. Here's the opportunity of a lifetime, and you leave just a short 18 months later?

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    Quote Originally Posted by marybrewster View Post
    There's no denying Lynda had looks, and brought a new in-your-face sexiness to the group. She also brought youthfulness; in her early 20's when she joined, Mary and Jean were pushing 30. One might think 5 years doesn't make much difference, but it does.

    I really wonder how much influence Jean had on Lynda. Here's the opportunity of a lifetime, and you leave just a short 18 months later?
    Also remember, there were a number of people at Motown that did not care for Miss Laurence. They were warning Mary Wilson about her at that time.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marybrewster View Post
    There's no denying Lynda had looks, and brought a new in-your-face sexiness to the group. She also brought youthfulness; in her early 20's when she joined, Mary and Jean were pushing 30. One might think 5 years doesn't make much difference, but it does.

    I really wonder how much influence Jean had on Lynda. Here's the opportunity of a lifetime, and you leave just a short 18 months later?
    i'm guessing here but I would think that Lynda viewed the situation kind of like how i'm guessing Susaye viewed it. It was sort of decided for them rather than leaving like Diana of Cindy did in 72. Jean and Lynda probably both thought the group was pretty much done, as far as motown was concerned. and they were both partially right. Motown did nothing with Mary's reconstituted group for 2 years. I think motown figured - "aright, Jean is leaving, Mary is getting married, Lynda is pregnant. the group has run it's course and so it's over."

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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    i'm guessing here but I would think that Lynda viewed the situation kind of like how i'm guessing Susaye viewed it. It was sort of decided for them rather than leaving like Diana of Cindy did in 72. Jean and Lynda probably both thought the group was pretty much done, as far as motown was concerned. and they were both partially right. Motown did nothing with Mary's reconstituted group for 2 years. I think motown figured - "aright, Jean is leaving, Mary is getting married, Lynda is pregnant. the group has run it's course and so it's over."
    If Motown thought that, they were wrong. The fact that they did not heavily support the Supremes from 1973 onward does not change the fact that the group had legions of fans and just as importantly, they had the potential to be huge record sellers. It was ironic that a little over 10 years later both Jean and Lynda went back to performing under a derivative of the name "The Supremes"! Mary Wilson continues to this day as a soloist.

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    I also thought that Jean probably got into Lynda's ear a bit much. It's too much a coincidence she left right after Jean did. A Mary, Cindy, Lynda lineup? That would have been awesome! Although I would have had a hard time telling Cindy and Lynda apart, as when Lynda first joined I thought it was still Cindy! Now imagine Lynda and Cindy with Flo? It'd be like triplets.

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    Quote Originally Posted by floyjoy678 View Post
    I also thought that Jean probably got into Lynda's ear a bit much. It's too much a coincidence she left right after Jean did. A Mary, Cindy, Lynda lineup? That would have been awesome! Although I would have had a hard time telling Cindy and Lynda apart, as when Lynda first joined I thought it was still Cindy! Now imagine Lynda and Cindy with Flo? It'd be like triplets.
    Triplets, hehehehehehehehehe!

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    Quote Originally Posted by floyjoy678 View Post
    I also thought that Jean probably got into Lynda's ear a bit much. It's too much a coincidence she left right after Jean did. A Mary, Cindy, Lynda lineup? That would have been awesome! Although I would have had a hard time telling Cindy and Lynda apart, as when Lynda first joined I thought it was still Cindy! Now imagine Lynda and Cindy with Flo? It'd be like triplets.
    well there's also the issue of J Witness. i don't know when they each converted to that faith [[if you can really call it a faith as opposed to a cult - but that's just my opinion lol) but that most certainly influenced things in the group.

    Jean and Lynda also shared being very powerful and talented singers. And neither really were being given an opportunity to help lead the direction and strategy of the group. We've all heard plenty of how unhappy Jean was with the content in the live shows, the desire to go more r&b, etc. and lynda has shared in books and interviews that she tried pushing some new ideas and directions for the group [[such has a 3 member lead role like what they did with MSS) and was told No.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    well there's also the issue of J Witness. i don't know when they each converted to that faith [[if you can really call it a faith as opposed to a cult - but that's just my opinion lol) but that most certainly influenced things in the group.

    Jean and Lynda also shared being very powerful and talented singers. And neither really were being given an opportunity to help lead the direction and strategy of the group. We've all heard plenty of how unhappy Jean was with the content in the live shows, the desire to go more r&b, etc. and lynda has shared in books and interviews that she tried pushing some new ideas and directions for the group [[such has a 3 member lead role like what they did with MSS) and was told No.
    Both Michael Jackson and Prince were Jehovah's Witnesses, so I can't see where that was an issue. I respect everyone's religious freedom, even Wiccans. Those women not having the opportunity to lead the direction and strategy of the group is not surprising. They joined an already established group. Mary Wilson was the boss and she was the one that Motown dealt with on Supremes "issues". Maybe it was best that both Jean and Lynda left the group if they were that unhappy.

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    3 is a very hard number to work with in a group setting....when it comes to majority, its always 2 against 1....Despite things not going well with the group, Mary was a faithful and loyal Motown employee. Jean and Lynda came along too late in the groups timeline to share that....Lynda was pregnant when she left....in the Model of the Year performance, she is drapped in a layered front gown that minimalized the baby bump.
    I am very impressed with most of Lynda's solo work. Her voice , IMHO was too sharpe and didn't blend as smoothly live as Cindy's did.
    I've said many times, I think Jean got worn out by the roadwork. Even with nice accommodations and prestigious gigs, some folks don't want to be away from home that much....and no doubt with sales slipping the royalty checks got smaller so the incentive to go full speed ahead 12 months out of the year may have waned. Perhaps if the groups live work were cut to a month off after 2 months out after say 18 months of establishing the New Supremes, Jean would have thought of remaining in a much more positive light

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