Sweet Dream Machine

[RanRan79]

I wouldn't call "Pick Up the Pieces" funky, but I think "You Build Me Up" is a real funky number. "Fire Won't Burn", even though I like it, lacks the quality of the Supremes' stuff with the Hollands, but I think "You Build Me Up" and "Summetime" are as good as anything they did with the disco Supremes.

[Ollie9]

I wouldn't call "Pick Up the Pieces" funky, but I think "You Build Me Up" is a real funky number. "Fire Won't Burn", even though I like it, lacks the quality of the Supremes' stuff with the Hollands, but I think "You Build Me Up" and "Summetime" are as good as anything they did with the disco Supremes.

I think with good reason those HDH songs were never released. Even as a young teenager back in 78 they sounded rather dated. “Build Me Up” being the best of the bunch. “Summertime Lovin” sounds like Minnie Mouse on acid and “Fire Don’t Burn” could be an outtake from “Reflections”.
The final pair of Supremes albums sounded cool, fresh and contemporary imo.

[RanRan79]

I think with good reason those HDH songs were never released. Even as a young teenager back in 78 they sounded rather dated. “Build Me Up” being the best of the bunch. “Summertime Lovin” sounds like Minnie Mouse on acid and “Fire Don’t Burn” could be an outtake from “Reflections”.
The final pair of Supremes albums sounded cool, fresh and contemporary imo.

Dated? Reflections? Ollie check your ears. What in the world sounded like that in the late 60s? "Fire Don't Burn" aside, which I feel was at best an album cut, "Build" and "Summertime" sound like contemporary late 70s disco. [[So does "Fire".) I'm personally convinced that she would have had far better luck with those two songs as singles than "What You Gave Me", a song I also really like but don't believe it was ever going to be a hit for her. I think "Build" works just fine as is, but do think the pitch of "Summertime" might have been a wee bit too high for Diana and the tempo maybe a tad too fast. So she sings very high, but out of her comfort zone, and the pace does make it sound as if she's sometimes having a difficult time keeping up. Tweaking these and I think the song was a winner.

[Ollie9]

Dated? Reflections? Ollie check your ears. What in the world sounded like that in the late 60s? "Fire Don't Burn" aside, which I feel was at best an album cut, "Build" and "Summertime" sound like contemporary late 70s disco. [[So does "Fire".) I'm personally convinced that she would have had far better luck with those two songs as singles than "What You Gave Me", a song I also really like but don't believe it was ever going to be a hit for her. I think "Build" works just fine as is, but do think the pitch of "Summertime" might have been a wee bit too high for Diana and the tempo maybe a tad too fast. So she sings very high, but out of her comfort zone, and the pace does make it sound as if she's sometimes having a difficult time keeping up. Tweaking these and I think the song was a winner.

I honestly think all those HDH songs are really weak. My ears never lie lol.
Think what Donna Summer was releasing at the time then think “Summertime Lovin” I might have included “Build Me Up” on the Ross album in place of the gold plated dated “Together”, but that’s about it.
I do agree that with new lyrics, arrangement, instrumentation and a lower key, “Summertime” might have had some novelty value.