I don’t recall ever seeing this before, maybe it’s been out there all this time and I just didn’t know it or remember it.
https://youtu.be/oD2NbP4n3UA
I don’t recall ever seeing this before, maybe it’s been out there all this time and I just didn’t know it or remember it.
https://youtu.be/oD2NbP4n3UA
It is from a special they taped in Switzerland.
From the Montreux festival in which their show was filmed for TV. Here's the entire performance [[first ten seconds dark screen then it starts:
The band is good, the singing is good, but there's something just so ... forced? not spontaneous? 'walk on wicha bad self' ... corny? Hard to pin.
A lot of the live MSS performances I've heard or seen are marked by everyone involved trying too hard. All that singing, for starters.
The classic Supremes lines up made it all seem effortless in their performances.
i know that with the MSS lineup they were trying to present themselves as 3 individual vocalists, working together as a group. but at the end of the day, the audience needs a focal point and songs typically have a melody that needs to be highlighted. the endless 3-part harmony got to be overkill and sometimes [[at least in the vids we have access to) the intonation wasn't always perfect. add to that the manic choreography leaving them breathless, and it's not great.
I saw this same performance at Bachelor's III in Ft. Lauderdale right before the Montreux concert was filmed. I don't remember it being this frantic and pushed.
They were not using those red scarves [[no props to step on!) in the show I saw.
The show I saw included Mary doing a tribute to Florence who had passed recently
and sang 'How Lucky Can I Get". Basically, same show. Less manic choreography as
I remember. I wonder if they upped it a notch [[dance moves) because it was being televised?
they seemed to continually switch up the choreography. like Driving Wheel - the Soul Train version versus Merv Griffin versus HE videos. and when they first did Walking on Soul Train and Bandstand, it was much simpler.
I have a B III bootleg. can't remember if they played there multiple times in the first half of 76 or what. overall it's a decent show but sounds like about 5 people in the audience. mary also mentions in her book that ticket sales were slow
Even in the 60’s they usually switch up the choreography
the recording i have has the following set list
We've only just begun/Tonight
The way we were/Maybe this time
Supremes 60s medley
A song for you/how lucky can you get
He's my man
You're what's missing in my life
he ain't heavy
i'm gonna let my heart
seems like quite a few songs from HE made it into the act, but unfortunately it seems like they still never did more than a couple in any one show
High Energy
Don't let my teardrops [[mike douglas tv and in review at Royal Hawaiian in April 76)
You're what's missing
Walking
I don't want to lose you [[mentioned in the review at the Aladdin in Sept 76)
so that's 5 out of the 8. but again, shame they really didn't bring them all into 1 show rather than so much MOR stuff
what about this potential set list:
high energy - the song has such a great instrumental opening. maybe Mary could walk into through the house and do the spoken intro. then join S and S on stage, with Susaye taking the lead and maybe all 3 doing some lead on it
he's my man - skipping that annoying "fight" skit
60s medley
Don't let my teardrops - maybe use this as the Flo tribute? that might be too much though.
Stoned Love
Love medley - doing contemporary songs and each girl does a lead. Start with Susaye doing "Loving You" then Mary doing "Love will Keep us together" and Scherrie on "This will be an everlasting Love"
i don't want to lose you/maybe this time - wonder if this mashup would work?
70s medley of Ladder/auto sun/floy joy/nathan/ladder
You're what's missing
I'm gonna let my heart do the walking
Its difficult to watch. So much talent, so misguided. There is a major revelation for me here however. This is really the first time that I saw the audacity in Mary required to create a major star. Yes they are all over singing and over performing and over everything, but if you just focus on her face and some of her unless lugubrious moves, she’s really got it. Absolutely fearless, lost in what she is doing and not self-conscious at all plus she looks fantastic. There’s a star here.
Of the Montreux songs, my favorite is Way We Were/Maybe This Time. One reason being that several times the ladies are shot from a camera back in the audience. It's evident they are directing the show to the audience in the casino, and projecting to them. While they come off, at times, as overexuberant when shot closer up, further back, the performance works. And the vocals on this are well done in terms of lead and backing/ensemble vocals.
i agree that this version of TWWW/MTT is very strong. mary's lead is excellent and of course scherrie knocks it out of the park.
as we've all discussed a ton of here, the girls had just gotten far too much in a rut of MOR songs and filling their stage act with material outside of their own. not that a few other songs aren't welcome. but I would have loved live versions of Teardrops or You Turn Me Around. and why not give Scherrie a full version of My World as opposed to part of a medley?
Those ladies were pros to be able to maneuver those wires on those microphones.
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