Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
To be honest Ollie, I think this is always a strange conversation to have because one question leads to another. Would those HDH songs have become the hits they did without Diana? Maybe, considering HDH had huge hits and equally incredible classics with other singers besides Diana. Interesting to note that Diana's voice was on at least seven flops before getting a hit, a couple of which showcase the beauty of her voice as much as the classics, and yet they went "nowhere". A hit song is a hit song often for many reasons. Diana's lead on "Where Did Our Love Go" is often pointed out as a reason why the song was such a big hit. But honestly, I've seen just as many so called music pundits point out the hypnotic background of Mary [[and Flo?), and that new phase of the Motown Sound coming together to create an incredible song. I would add my own opinion that any other two singers with Diana on "Come See About Me" or "You Keep Me Hanging On" might have made for an "inferior" product. If Diana's voice is the be all for you, it is what it is. For me, as a lover of music, there are any number of reasons why I love a song, and the lead singer may or may not be it. There are certainly times when I love everything but the lead singer. For me Flo and Mary's contributions to what made the Supremes THE SUPREMES is immeasurable and nothing to sneeze at. Of the three of them, Diana was the key to the door that led to superstardom. But the Supremes were more than just recording artists. It took all three of them to keep that ship moving, hence what happened whenever one of them rocked the boat. One might even consider what may have happened had Diana been in a group with two other girls who, instead of having a like mind of "success or nothing", instead the other two girls were like "fuck this shit" after three or four failed recordings. Sometimes disenchantment can be contagious, especially for young people. Diana might have decided that she too was sick of it and decided to do something else, and we'd have nothing to talk about here.

For the record, I'm a fan of the Supremes because of Florence. Without her, I would've never gotten hooked on the group and thus hooked on Motown. I didn't start out being wowed by Diana Ross' voice, although I always had a healthy respect for it and liked it.
To coin a well used phrase it’s all subjective Ran lol. I certainly think in those early, transitional years Diana needed her fellow Supremes. I think it’s difficult for us as Supremes fans to ponder the original grouping not including Flo and Mary. Our knee jerk response will always be it couldn’t possibly have been as good without them. The response derives as much from sentiment as subjective opinion.
It’s worth remembering that even on some of those early hits, Flo or Mary may possibly have been absent. In some cases it’s really hard to tell.
I do find it strange that Diana’s unique sound was not the first thing that attracted you to the group. Out of interest what was the first Supremes song you ever heard that made you think, lead singer ok but who is that singing background?.. I can’t say for sure, but guess you would be in the minority on that one.