Meet the Supremes At 59

[RanRan79]

Meet the Supremes was released on this day in 1962.

Growing up, my introduction to the Supremes was the usual: the big hits. When my interest in the group had grown, someone gifted me the Supremes Greatest Hits, which introduced me to more of the hits which I couldn't recall ever hearing, and of course lesser known tunes like "Crossroads" and "There's No Stopping Us Now". It was, of course, a pretty good overview of the original trio and what made them so very special. Shortly thereafter, I ran across a copy of Meet the Supremes. It was this album that solidified my official status as a Supremes fan.

Seems to me that MTS is one of those albums that fans either love or hate, not much room for in between. Personally I love it. Most of the cuts showcase raw and fairly untrained talent. The group is, in a sense, in it's infancy for this album.

Some of Diana's vocals are exactly how I can see why she may not have been everyone's cup of tea. The whiney-ness of it on "Who's Loving You" or "I Want a Guy" is a bit nerve grating. Yet the sincerity of her vocal on "Never Again" [[a fav of mine) leaves no doubt in my mind that her raw vocal talent made for an easy decision to allow her into the Primettes. Her evolution would continue, as evidenced by "Your Heart Belongs To Me", which seems to usher Diana into a new phase of her vocal ability, and continue with "Let Me Go the Right Way", where she rips through so effectively that there is still a "raging" debate on the internet about whether it's really Diana singing at all.

One of the highlights for me is "Buttered Popcorn", a silly, nonsensical number, but one that Florence really seems to sell. It's clear why she was often chosen to take the lead on the more upbeat tunes during the Primettes pre-Motown days. She tears into the song and sounds like she's enjoying herself.

While I'm not particularly fond of "Baby Don't Go", Mary gives a really nice vocal to it. To my ears she had a perfect girl group voice and would have really been more suited to some of the leads Diana received during the MTS era than Diana. Even Flo's "Save Me a Star" and "Heavenly Father" would probably have benefited more had they been Mary leads.

These are the only two songs Diana does not lead on the original album, but Flo and Mary's contributions are no less important. The chemistry they possessed is among the best in the biz IMO. Probably my favorite is their sound on "Time Changes Things". They sound terrific. Barbara in the harmony gives their sound a less polished edge, like on "I Want a Guy" or "Buttered Popcorn". The difference between the Barbara cuts and the ones after her departure are striking. The ladies' harmony becomes classier and more polished, such as "Play A Sad Song" or "Time Changes Things". Raynoma produced "He's 17" and I suspect it was her direction, and also believe she's singing with the girls, that gives this Barbara song a more polished sound, a bit of an anomaly when Barbara was in the group.

The outtakes from the sessions yield some duds and some winners in my book. Taken together, it showcases the honing of a sound. These are not the Supremes from the Supremes Greatest Hits. These are the Supremes putting in the work to get a greatest hits. And I love a lot of what I'm hearing.

So does this album rate highly with anyone else? Prior to their fame, did any of you actually see this album in stores and buy it, or was this album mostly serviced to the Detroit area? Where in your fandom did you discover this, and did you consider it a gem or trash? Favorite songs from the album? Favorite outtakes?

[rod_rick]

I picked up the album in the 70's. My favorites are Times Changes Things, Baby Don't Go and You Bring Back Memories. Let Me Go Right gets an honorable mention from me.

[reese]

This isn't an album that I love or hate but I will admit that I rarely play it. I really love TIME CHANGES THINGS but that is the one high point for me. The other songs I like are YOUR HEART BELONGS TO ME, WHO'S LOVIN' YOU, and BUTTERED POPCORN.

I wasn't born when the album was first released and I never saw it in a store until 1981 or 1982, when Motown started reissuing some of their classic albums. Of course, I bought it. I still hardly see it, even in used stores. The last time I saw it was at a record convention where it was priced at a pretty penny.

[sup_fan]

i enjoy exploring this album again from time to time. your assessment of it as a showcase for raw talent on the cusp is perfect. yes there are errors and mistakes here - some notes are out of tune or some attacks are sloppy. but it's important to look at this album from the period it was recorded and not from today:

*the girls were teens - 15, 16, 17 year olds trying to make it
*the recording technology was limited - especially at motown where they were just starting out
*this was a period of trial and error - testing new songs and styles, different girls on lead, new recording techniques. and of course some were more successful than others


I hadn't paid close attention to the recording dates. I thought Play A Sad Song was recorded much, much earlier. but it was in Jan of 62. had listened to it recently and noticed it's just DMF. no Barbara. Your Heart Belongs was recorded 12/8/61 along with The Tears. but by Jan 17, 62, Barbara is gone and not on any additional recordings.

[kenneth]

I love the album, but I can’t say I did prior to the expanded edition coming out. I had played it a few times. It was one of the last albums I bought by the original Supremes. I wasn’t buying Records when they were in their heyday, the first album I bought from the group except for the first greatest hits double album, was Supremes 75, the first album with Scherrie on lead vocals. So I came to this album late and it just sounded more like a 50s girls group and juvenile in the choice of material selection.

But when the expanded edition came out I really listened to it and found it much more fun and engaging than I had previously. I like the innocence of it, it kind of reminds me of the first Marvelettes album. Both of them are more in the style of 50s girl groups at that point, and even though their vocals are sometimes not polished and Diane does sing off key on several selections to my ears, I’ve come to really love the album including most of the previously unreleased tracks. I think it’s illuminating to hear how they started and how they evolved just in a matter of a couple years. It’s a fascinating document of the group and I think essential to understanding their whole history.

Beyond that, I find it a good experience and one I really enjoy playing much more often than in the past.

[RanRan79]

I picked up the album in the 70's. My favorites are Times Changes Things, Baby Don't Go and You Bring Back Memories. Let Me Go Right gets an honorable mention from me.

They sound great on all of those, although one of the reasons why "Baby Don't Go" was never a fav of mine is because the backing vocals are so low.

[RanRan79]

This isn't an album that I love or hate but I will admit that I rarely play it. I really love TIME CHANGES THINGS but that is the one high point for me. The other songs I like are YOUR HEART BELONGS TO ME, WHO'S LOVIN' YOU, and BUTTERED POPCORN.

I wasn't born when the album was first released and I never saw it in a store until 1981 or 1982, when Motown started reissuing some of their classic albums. Of course, I bought it. I still hardly see it, even in used stores. The last time I saw it was at a record convention where it was priced at a pretty penny.

Reese I don't see the appeal of "Who's Lovin You", beyond perhaps Flo in the background. Diana is arguably at her whiniest and Barbara couldn't be more flat if she tried. Lol

[RanRan79]

i enjoy exploring this album again from time to time. your assessment of it as a showcase for raw talent on the cusp is perfect. yes there are errors and mistakes here - some notes are out of tune or some attacks are sloppy. but it's important to look at this album from the period it was recorded and not from today:

*the girls were teens - 15, 16, 17 year olds trying to make it
*the recording technology was limited - especially at motown where they were just starting out
*this was a period of trial and error - testing new songs and styles, different girls on lead, new recording techniques. and of course some were more successful than others


I hadn't paid close attention to the recording dates. I thought Play A Sad Song was recorded much, much earlier. but it was in Jan of 62. had listened to it recently and noticed it's just DMF. no Barbara. Your Heart Belongs was recorded 12/8/61 along with The Tears. but by Jan 17, 62, Barbara is gone and not on any additional recordings.

It's my understanding that Barbara continued performing with the group into the spring of 62, but it does appear she didn't make it past the December 1961 recording dates. I think around this time the girls also moonlighted for some other Detroit labels as backing vocalists. There's one song from this period that sounds to me like Barbara was with them.

Love that you point out the trial and error of this early period. They really were all over the place trying to see what works. Of course this would become even more apparent after Meet the Supremes, when they went into the country sessions and Ballads and Blues sessions.

[RanRan79]

I love the album, but I can’t say I did prior to the expanded edition coming out. I had played it a few times. It was one of the last albums I bought by the original Supremes. I wasn’t buying Records when they were in their heyday, the first album I bought from the group except for the first greatest hits double album, was Supremes 75, the first album with Scherrie on lead vocals. So I came to this album late and it just sounded more like a 50s girls group and juvenile in the choice of material selection.

But when the expanded edition came out I really listened to it and found it much more fun and engaging than I had previously. I like the innocence of it, it kind of reminds me of the first Marvelettes album. Both of them are more in the style of 50s girl groups at that point, and even though their vocals are sometimes not polished and Diane does sing off key on several selections to my ears, I’ve come to really love the album including most of the previously unreleased tracks. I think it’s illuminating to hear how they started and how they evolved just in a matter of a couple years. It’s a fascinating document of the group and I think essential to understanding their whole history.

Beyond that, I find it a good experience and one I really enjoy playing much more often than in the past.

The great thing about the expanded editions is that they often bring something fresh out of the original albums. And having the outtakes really does put the original album into some perspective here. As usual, I do think some of the better cuts were left in the can, but there's very little recorded during this time that had much of a chance of putting the girls on the map. I think if they had time to promote it, "Buttered Popcorn" was their chance. Had "Those DJ Shows" been released I think it too had a chance to do something.

But there was no "Please Mr. Postman" in this collection, that's for sure.

[kenneth]

It's my understanding that Barbara continued performing with the group into the spring of 62, but it does appear she didn't make it past the December 1961 recording dates. I think around this time the girls also moonlighted for some other Detroit labels as backing vocalists. There's one song from this period that sounds to me like Barbara was with them.

In the Expanded Edition, it does list all the tracks on which Barbara Martin performed, and I think it also identifies a few songs such as "After All," where she sings a line or 2 as a solo.

[sup_fan]

so everyone's thoughts on the bonus tracks?

i think the EE version of I Want A Guy is definitely stronger [[although missing backing vocals) than the released version. still not great but at least better

Flo leads - i think i would have selected Hey Baby rather than Popcorn.

alt mary leads - someone mentioned Heavenly Father as an option for Mary. interesting idea! had never thought of this but could have been interesting

to that same point - Flo might have torn the hell out of The Tears!

Save me a star - i think this was better suited to Diana. Flo's voice is a bit too heavy for this and it's a light pop song. needed a light and almost ethereal approach. Meanwhile Flo could have handled Too Hot as Diana sounds too thin and struggling

[vgalindo]

I have always loved this album. I bought it back in the 70s. I have always been a big fan of doo-wop music. And I feel it has that vibe to it. And I love the old doo-wop music.

[johnjeb]

I love Meet The Supremes. I bought it in early 1966. By this time I had WDOLG, More Hits, Christmas, Copa and Symphony. My goal was to buy Liverpool, Meet, Sam Cooke, and CW&P, as well as Apollo and Paris - ASAP!

I never saw this album until it was rereleased in 1965 with the new cover, which was the same as the picture sleeve for their new single SITNOL. As a matter of fact, in the record stores of my working-class suburb I only saw WDOLG in 1964. Not sure when I started seeing the specialty albums, but probably as they were released, but only a few copies in very few stores.

I didn't know any avid fans of The Supremes other than those that loved the hits. I enjoyed playing this album for others especially the doo-wop He's Seventeen and the novelty Buttered Popcorn. So atypical for The Supremes. I, of course, loved all the songs except Never Again and always wondered about The Boy That Got Away and if I would ever get to hear it.

I loved that there were two songs on Meet with different lead singers but I didn't know who was who until late 66. When I bought all these albums in 1966 it was fun to have songs with leads other than Diana Ross. I loved this as I was discovering more about the group. Unfortunately that didn't happen with albums after A' Go-Go, except R&H.

After college, 1971, I met some die-hard Supremes and Diana fans who did not have this album. After hearing my copy a few bought their own copies.

Highlights for me are: Your Heart Belongs To Me, Let Me Go The Right Way, You Bring Back Memories and Play A Sad Song

[kenneth]

I have always loved this album. I bought it back in the 70s. I have always been a big fan of doo-wop music. And I feel it has that vibe to it. And I love the old doo-wop music.

You are right, and I think it is true for all 3 of our beloved girl groups' first albums. Meet the Supremes, Please Mr. Postman and Come and Get These Memories all have heavy Doo Wop influences. On the Memories LP, at times Martha sounds even a bit like Little Anthony. The Memories is my favorite of the three LPs, and I think it's an unusual album for Martha in that she really didn't record all that many ballads after that.

Really, all 3 of those great groups evolved so much. What a great legacy.

[sup_fan]

i've always appreciated the process and evolution of the group. my first exposure to the Sups was the WDOLG album. then some of the greatest hits compilation sets. and then i got into A Go Go, R&H, Right On, etc. So i was already exposed to their ultra high peaks and then got MTS. by then i was already a devotee so i was able to appreciate MTS for what it was and when it was done.

it's like what we've been able to enjoy with the EE's that have the live shows. the MTS and WDOLG sets with those brief apollo and fox programs. then Copa. then Roostertail 66 and then Copa 67. the evolution the group went through in their showmanship is amazing

[Spreadinglove21]

The album is of historic interest as a document of where The Supremes started as well as how Motown was trying to find its sound. I'm not a fan of doo wop. And the lyrics of the songs are very teeny bopper [[which is fine, given the age of the girls), so I don't get much out of the album from a lyric standpoint at this stage in my life. Your Heart Belongs to Me is my favorite as that song really points to where the group was heading, even if it's a prime example of the cha cha sound that was in a lot of Motown recording in that period.

Who's Loving You is the most enduring song from this album, thanks to a number of other versions. However the DMFB version isn't one of the better versions. I wonder how it would have sounded if Mary had led it instead of Diana? Mary's lead would have been better, perhaps, but not sure how Diana, who could sound sharp or piercing on background, Barbara, who was flat that day, and Flo, who can overwhelm, would have worked on the back ground vocals.

[lucky2012]

All the stories on this thread "bring back memories". My first Supremes albums were More Hits, IHAS, WDOLG and Merry Christmas, in that order. I started on the "specialty" albums later, because I was a teenybopper on limited allowance. I thought of Meet the Supremes as a specialty album because there were no hits or songs I recognized.

I must say I wasn't prepared for the "primitiveness" of the production and vocals. The Diana of the hits was only recognizable on Your Heart Belongs to Me and He's Seventeen. I did not like Who's Loving You, Play A Sad Song, Never Again and Let Me Go Right. I came to like [and now love] Time Changes Things and You Bring Back Memories.

Hearing Mary and Florence for the first time on leads was very interesting and exciting. Even then I knew their voices were not distinctive, similar to 99% of other girl group singers. Still, I did like Buttered Popcorn and Baby Don't Go after a few listens. I love them now.

I think much of WDOLG sort of [but not quite] prepared me for Meet the Supremes. I bought that album for the hits but I also liked I'm Giving You Your Freedom and the interplay of leads on Long Gone Lover and A Breath-Taking Guy [my first introductions to Florence's & Mary's voices].

After a few listens, I never really played Meet the Supremes much. I would never recommend it to non-Supremes fans. I didn't really appreciate the album and how it documents the history of the group until the expanded edition, which is one of my most treasured expanded editions. The "revelations" on the expanded edition were After All, You Can Depend On Me [one of my favorite early Diana vocals], Those DJ Shows and, especially, The Tears [one of my favorite Mary vocals]. Another revelation was I Want A Guy with no background vocals. I like it much more than the original. It's like hearing the first Diana Ross solo recording. Thank you again and again, George Solomon and crew!

[sup_fan]

Your Heart Belongs is the strongest song, but it's not my favorite

after YHBTM, i rank the songs as follows:

You Bring Back Memories
let me go the right way
time changes things
play a sad song
never again
he's 17
baby don't go
buttered popcorn
who's loving you
i want a guy

[sup_fan]

i'd be interested in learning what the girls did between the recording sessions. some of the output really leapt in quality. but then they'd slip back a bit to a rougher sound. then back up. here are some points:


Here the girls are very teenage sounding, quite unpolished but endearing
*July - Buttered Popcorn
*Aug 61 - 17, save me a star, you gonna come to me
*Sept - dj shows

Then WOW
*Dec 8 - You're heart

but that same day they did The Tears [[also a Smokey production) and while nice it's a big difference in the cleanness of their vocals and sound

Most of the early 62 recordings are good but still a roughness
*jan - play a sad song
*you bring back memories
*time changes things
*let me go the right way

and then bam!
*Sept - I'm giving you your freedom. such smooth elegant vocals.

and here's another day where they're such different output
12/28/62 - recording Breathtaking and My Heart Can't take it no more. Breathtaking is so elegant while My Heart just isn't as smooth.