Mary Wilson's Solo Work with the Supremes

[kenneth]

A discussion in another thread about whether Mary's leads with the Supremes should or shouldn't be included in an expanded edition of her solo LP led me to wonder. Do we have a full list of all her solo work with the Supremes?

Off the top of my head, I'll just start with a few titles that come to mind:

Baby Don't Go
Come and Get These Memories
Can't Take My Eyes Off You
Where is it I Belong?
He's My Man [[co-lead)
Till the Boat Sails Away
I Don't Want to Lose You
You Are the Heart of Me
You're What's Missing in My Life

This would be a great title to have and an interesting compilation.

Please add other titles that I have missed.

[thanxal]

Our Day Will Come.

[sup_fan]

i did playlists for both Flo and Mary leads

Mary's includes full leads, shared leads and even spotlights within songs. I didn't include bootleg live shows [[like 74 in Japan or MSS farewell) or tv shows only [[like Love The One You're With):


Pretty Baby [[version 1) - Primettes
Pretty Baby [[version 2) - pink box set
Baby Don't Go - Meet the Supremes
The Tears - Meet EE
After all [[1 verse) - Meet EE
Long Gone Lover [[spotlight on chorus) - WDOLG
Baby Love [[spotlight vocal on bridge) - WDOLG
Breathtaking Guy [[spotlight on chorus) - WDOLG
Sunset - CW&P
Makes no difference now [[1 verse) - CW&P
You Really got a hold on me [[spotlight duet lines w Diana) - LIverpool
Chain Gang [[spotlight intro vocals) - Sam Cooke
Enjoy Yourself [[1 verse) - Copa EE
Our Day will Come - There's A Place For Us
Fancy Passes [[spotlight vocals on bridge, version 1) There's a place for Us EE
Fancy Passes [[spotlight vocals on bridge, version 2) There's a place for Us EE
Unchained Melody [[shared spotlight on bridge, version 1) - I Hear a Symphony
Unchained Melody [[longer shared spotlight on bridge, version 2) - IHAS EE
The Christmas Song [[lead, but released as a duet) - Merry Xmas EE
Come and get these memories - A Go Go
Falling in love with love - R&H
Ballad of Davey Crocket - DRATS Sing Disney Classics
I'm into something i can't break loose [[spotlighted vocal duet on verses) - Love child
Amen [[1 verse) - Joined Together EE
Can't take my eyes [[duet) - Together
Can't take my eyes - Hollywood Palace live album
Can't Take My Eyes - Farewell
Falling in Love with Love - Farewell
chorus in Let the Sunshine In - Farewell
Up the ladder [[spotlighted vocals after choruses) - Right On
Bridge over troubled water [[lead on verses) - New Ways
Reach out and touch [[lead on verse) - Mag 7
You've got what it takes [[lead on verse) - Mag 7
Touch [[duet lead) - Touch
What do you have to do to stay on the right side of love [[lead on verse) - Return of Mag 7
Still water [[lead) - Promises Kept tracks
Floy Joy [[duet lead) - Floy Joy
Automatically sunshine [[duet lead) - Floy Joy
A heart like mine [[lead) - Floy Joy
I keep it hid [[lead) - Jimmy Webb
Can't take my eyes/quiet nights - live in Japan
He's My man [[duet lead) - Sup 75
Where is it I Belong [[lead) - Sup 75
Early morning love [[lead) - Sup 75
you turn me around [[lead) - Sup 75
This is why i believe [[duet lead) - Sup 75
Sha la bandit [[lead on verse) Sup 75 outtake
Mr Boogie [[lead) - Sup 75 outtake
Can we love again [[ lead) - Sup 75 outtake
Color my world blue [[spoken passage) - Sup 75 outtake
Give out dont' give up [[lead) sup 75 outtake
High energy [[spoken intro) - HE
Don't let my teardrops bother you - HE
Till the boat sails away - HE
I don't want to lose you - HE
You're what's missing in my life [[duet lead) - HE
You're what's missing in my life [[lead) - HE EE
Sweet dream machine [[lead on verse) - MS&S
We should be closer together [[lead) - MS&S
You are the heart of me [[lead) - MS&S
Mary Wilson album - 1979
Pick Up the Pieces [[extended version) - Motown Year by Year 1980 cd
Save me - unreleased lead
you danced my heart around the stars - unreleased lead
Green river - unreleased lead
love talk - unreleased lead

[floyjoy678]

Didn't Mary record a bunch of solos in 1969?

[sup_fan]

there's been speculation on that. i've heard she did lead on a song called Send Him To Me. but i've never ever heard this one on the various bootlegs that have been floating around for years.

also there was Son of a Preacher Man

[johnjeb]

sup_fan, thanks for the list of Mary's recordings. I have been meaning to do the same for myself but laziness and other shameful bad habits have gotten in the way of a productive existence. So to you I say "You make me feel so good, good, good. You make me feel so good." Now how can I avoid compiling a playlist onto my iTunes? Time for my nap.

[kenneth]

@sup_fan,

You have certainly compiled the definitive list! That had to be an exhaustive effort! My only regret is now no one else will need to reply to my thread! ��

Seriously, thanks so much! There actually is a lot more to choose from then I expected and this would make a very nice CD set spotlighting Mary’s vocals with the Supremes and others.

Well done!

Kenneth

[sup_fan]

lol oh we Supremes fans are more than ingenious enough. we can root out all sorts of topics to chat about lol

for instance, you can see that Mary had actually quite a bit of spotlight. first lets just look at the primary studio albums [[skipping live and concept albums)

Meet - 1 lead, lots of BG vocal work and presence

WDOLG - no full leads but Long Gone is really a wonderful group record, there are shared leads on choruses on Breathtaking, even the little call outs on the bridge of Baby Love, plus lots of strong BG vocals

More hits - no full leads but still very strong group effort, lots of prominent BG vocals

Symphony - this is where it starts to shift. the BG vocals are back in the mix more. F and M have a sort of have a spot on bridge of Unchained. Interestingly you also have first Diana solo on Yesterday. But there is a lot of gorgeous 3 part harmonies throughout

A Go Go - Mary has a lead but that's about it. IMO many of the BG vocals on this album are among the weakest, in that they sound so plain and bored.

HDH - some good BG vocals but again, not tons

Reflections - same, no leads. decent bg vocals but often replaced with A's. or buried a bit in mix. But Bah Bah Bah is a strong group effort as are Then and Misery.

LC - Mary almost does a harmony duet with Diana on CAn't shake loose. but the rest are lots of A's and buried harmonies

Join - solid BG vocals but we know the A's were augmented

Sunshine - Mary and Cindy are only on a few tracks.

Together - solid BG again and Mary duets

Cream - like sunshine M and c are barely featured

[nomis]

lol oh we Supremes fans are more than ingenious enough. we can root out all sorts of topics to chat about lol

for instance, you can see that Mary had actually quite a bit of spotlight. first lets just look at the primary studio albums [[skipping live and concept albums)

Meet - 1 lead, lots of BG vocal work and presence

WDOLG - no full leads but Long Gone is really a wonderful group record, there are shared leads on choruses on Breathtaking, even the little call outs on the bridge of Baby Love, plus lots of strong BG vocals

More hits - no full leads but still very strong group effort, lots of prominent BG vocals

Symphony - this is where it starts to shift. the BG vocals are back in the mix more. F and M have a sort of have a spot on bridge of Unchained. Interestingly you also have first Diana solo on Yesterday. But there is a lot of gorgeous 3 part harmonies throughout

A Go Go - Mary has a lead but that's about it. IMO many of the BG vocals on this album are among the weakest, in that they sound so plain and bored.

HDH - some good BG vocals but again, not tons

Reflections - same, no leads. decent bg vocals but often replaced with A's. or buried a bit in mix. But Bah Bah Bah is a strong group effort as are Then and Misery.

LC - Mary almost does a harmony duet with Diana on CAn't shake loose. but the rest are lots of A's and buried harmonies

Join - solid BG vocals but we know the A's were augmented

Sunshine - Mary and Cindy are only on a few tracks.

Together - solid BG again and Mary duets

Cream - like sunshine M and c are barely featured

fantastic overview Sup Fan although I disagree about BG on "A Go Go" i think F & M harmonies on "Baby I need Your Lovin" & "Get Ready" are great ..these two tracks are among my favourites because of the BG

[sup_fan]

with the concept albums, M and F tend to enjoy larger presence

Country Western
*mary lead on Sunset
*group leads on Makes no difference

Liverpool
*mary duets on You really got a hold
*flo lead [[but cut) on I saw him standing there

Sam Cook
*mary does the bass lines on Chain Gang intros to choruses
*flo lead on Good news

There's a place
*mary lead on Our Day
*flo lead on People
*group trading of lines on Fancy Passes

Merry christmas
*mary recorded a lead for Christmas Song
*Flo recorded leads on Silent Night and O Holy Night

R&H
*Mary shared lead on Falling in Love
*Flo shared lead on Manhattan

[sup_fan]

fantastic overview Sup Fan although I disagree about BG on "A Go Go" i think F & M harmonies on "Baby I need Your Lovin" & "Get Ready" are great ..these two tracks are among my favourites because of the BG

true - and i like them on This Old Heart. Itching is also really strong. I guess I should clarify more. Get Ready is pretty good. but i think they still could have done more. the girls sound a bit too prim and proper. listen to the excitement all 3 sing with on Going Down Third Time. Sloopy and Money are really lifeless. those two stick out so much in my mind that i often overlook the strong vocals on the other tracks.