chart action for Stoned Love and New Ways

[florence]

I was very young at the time - only really got into the charts around 1974 so don't really remember You Gotta Have Love and Bad Weather being on TOTP.

Although I don't remember much about then I was at concerts by them in the Lewisham Odeon and Croydon Fairfield Halls when Bad Weather was released.

Given the fact that an appearance on TOTP usually guaranteed good sales you would have expected both of these records to have done much better especially the "duet".

In response to complaints that I'm Gonna Make You Love Me had been ignored [[reached #3) by TOTP in 1969 they played No Matter What Sign You Are and it was another one which didn't really benefit from the exposure.

Strange.

[Bluebrock]

I was very young at the time - only really got into the charts around 1974 so don't really remember You Gotta Have Love and Bad Weather being on TOTP.

Although I don't remember much about then I was at concerts by them in the Lewisham Odeon and Croydon Fairfield Halls when Bad Weather was released.

Given the fact that an appearance on TOTP usually guaranteed good sales you would have expected both of these records to have done much better especially the "duet".

In response to complaints that I'm Gonna Make You Love Me had been ignored [[reached #3) by TOTP in 1969 they played No Matter What Sign You Are and it was another one which didn't really benefit from the exposure.

Strange.

I think the main reason why You gotta have love in your heart did not go higher in the charts is because it quite simply was a bang average song.
Many people thought the same about Bad Weather and He's my man.

[sup_fan]

I think the main reason why You gotta have love in your heart did not go higher in the charts is because it quite simply was a bang average song.
Many people thought the same about Bad Weather and He's my man.

agree - Gotta Have Love is frankly a rather terrible arrangement. the chorus in particular. this is one of the hokiest things the group ever released. sounds like a bad church singalong at a revival meeting under a tent somewhere

the verses do pick things up a bit and had there been a harder rock or r&b sound, the lyrics and the overall message are quite timely.

one possible way to have somewhat saved this would have been to keep more of Jean's stunning ad libs and singing at the end. they kept some of it but the extra high notes in the EE version at the very end just blow you away!

[reese]

agree - Gotta Have Love is frankly a rather terrible arrangement. the chorus in particular. this is one of the hokiest things the group ever released. sounds like a bad church singalong at a revival meeting under a tent somewhere

the verses do pick things up a bit and had there been a harder rock or r&b sound, the lyrics and the overall message are quite timely.

one possible way to have somewhat saved this would have been to keep more of Jean's stunning ad libs and singing at the end. they kept some of it but the extra high notes in the EE version at the very end just blow you away!

I'm not really a fan of the Supremes/Tops duets but each album does have its moments.

Re YOU GOTTA HAVE LOVE IN YOUR HEART, I always wondered why towards the end, Levi basically disappears, leaving the vocals to Jean.

[sup_fan]

I'm not really a fan of the Supremes/Tops duets but each album does have its moments.

Re YOU GOTTA HAVE LOVE IN YOUR HEART, I always wondered why towards the end, Levi basically disappears, leaving the vocals to Jean.

i think you could have made 1 really solid album out of all of the material. I appreciate that much of Return is at least original content, but frankly most of it is 2nd rate.

a fan once made a comment that YGHLIYH was originally intended for the Sups alone. no idea if this was true and there's no mention of it in the EE. Motown certainly had a habit of recording two full leads and then splicing things together to "create" a duet.

there are a few tunes on the duets that are barely duets. Love The One You're With is strictly a Jean lead with a choir of voices behind her. while it's definitely men and women in the background, who knows if it's the Tops and Sups. meanwhile Levi basically does all of Where Would I Be Without You Baby. jean sings 1 verse and then disappears


there's another interesting tidbit with YGHLIYH

in the released version, before they get to the "breakdown" and all, there's a high "wooo" in the backing vocals. in the new mix on the EE, that is missing and for the remainder of the song, it sounds like only the Tops on backing vocals. i can't hear any women singers. I've wondered if, when doing the EE version, the track with the Supremes' [[or the female backing singers, in case of it being nonSups) simply ends much earlier than the Tops' track.

[reese]

i think you could have made 1 really solid album out of all of the material. I appreciate that much of Return is at least original content, but frankly most of it is 2nd rate.

a fan once made a comment that YGHLIYH was originally intended for the Sups alone. no idea if this was true and there's no mention of it in the EE. Motown certainly had a habit of recording two full leads and then splicing things together to "create" a duet.

there are a few tunes on the duets that are barely duets. Love The One You're With is strictly a Jean lead with a choir of voices behind her. while it's definitely men and women in the background, who knows if it's the Tops and Sups. meanwhile Levi basically does all of Where Would I Be Without You Baby. jean sings 1 verse and then disappears


there's another interesting tidbit with YGHLIYH

in the released version, before they get to the "breakdown" and all, there's a high "wooo" in the backing vocals. in the new mix on the EE, that is missing and for the remainder of the song, it sounds like only the Tops on backing vocals. i can't hear any women singers. I've wondered if, when doing the EE version, the track with the Supremes' [[or the female backing singers, in case of it being nonSups) simply ends much earlier than the Tops' track.

I think THE BIGGER YOU LOVE from DYNAMITE was another one that was all Levi as opposed to a duet.

LOVE THE ONE YOU'RE WITH actually ended up as a bonus track on the cd reissue of NEW WAYS BUT LOVE STAYS. Go figure.

[RanRan79]

I'm not really a fan of the Supremes/Tops duets but each album does have its moments.

Re YOU GOTTA HAVE LOVE IN YOUR HEART, I always wondered why towards the end, Levi basically disappears, leaving the vocals to Jean.

Jean gives a killer performance toward the end of the record. I think both "Gotta Have Love" and "Everybody's Got the Right" were tapping into the current trend of pop music, and so on one hand their releases made sense. Unfortunately I think for "Gotta", something is lost in the translation. Had this same song- lyrics, track- been recorded by someone like Ray Stevens or the Carpenters, I think it would've hit. But the Supremes and Tops...in order for it to work, I think it needed more. Gospel up the track, make the sound big, let Levi and Jean rip it up from beginning to end and only then might it have had a chance.

Same with "Right to Love". IMO it's a gorgeous record. I love every thing about it. But it doesn't scream hit to me, not in the way it's been produced. In the end it made an excellent album track, might have even been interesting as a B side, but to follow up "Ladder" with it...I really don't think the song stood much of a chance. Of course this is in comparison to the singles that it's sandwiched between. Hitting #21 pop and #11 r&b is nothing to sneeze at.

What I think would've been interesting is what if "Everybody's" had been paired with a stronger B side than "But I Love You More", and DJs had flipped the single and started playing it over the A side. I like "But I Love You" but don't hear hit with it either. Wonder what might have happened with a stronger song like "I Got Hurt" or even "Bill" as the B side. The Supremes weren't known for charting B sides though.

[reese]

Jean gives a killer performance toward the end of the record. I think both "Gotta Have Love" and "Everybody's Got the Right" were tapping into the current trend of pop music, and so on one hand their releases made sense. Unfortunately I think for "Gotta", something is lost in the translation. Had this same song- lyrics, track- been recorded by someone like Ray Stevens or the Carpenters, I think it would've hit. But the Supremes and Tops...in order for it to work, I think it needed more. Gospel up the track, make the sound big, let Levi and Jean rip it up from beginning to end and only then might it have had a chance.

Same with "Right to Love". IMO it's a gorgeous record. I love every thing about it. But it doesn't scream hit to me, not in the way it's been produced. In the end it made an excellent album track, might have even been interesting as a B side, but to follow up "Ladder" with it...I really don't think the song stood much of a chance. Of course this is in comparison to the singles that it's sandwiched between. Hitting #21 pop and #11 r&b is nothing to sneeze at.

What I think would've been interesting is what if "Everybody's" had been paired with a stronger B side than "But I Love You More", and DJs had flipped the single and started playing it over the A side. I like "But I Love You" but don't hear hit with it either. Wonder what might have happened with a stronger song like "I Got Hurt" or even "Bill" as the B side. The Supremes weren't known for charting B sides though.

I think the b-side I'M GLAD ABOUT IT had hit potential of its own.

[RanRan79]

I think the b-side I'M GLAD ABOUT IT had hit potential of its own.

I love "Glad" but don't know if it had that certain something that would've caused the DJs to play it over the A side.

[jobeterob]

I think the main reason why You gotta have love in your heart did not go higher in the charts is because it quite simply was a bang average song.
Many people thought the same about Bad Weather and He's my man.

Exactly what I thought of each song.