November 1st, 1965

[marybrewster]

At the Copa [[MT-636) and Merry Christmas [[MT-638) are released.

[[A Tribute to the Girls is MT-635 and there are no titles for MT-637 or MT-639)

Which of the two albums do you like best? Which one has stood the test of 58 years?

[Thornton]

Definitely "At the Copa." The fact that "Merry Christmas" is essentially Diana Ross and The Andantes takes away some of the magic for me. I also like the fact that The Supremes were still doing full-length versions of their own songs when "At the Copa" was recorded.

[RanRan79]

Merry Christmas is my answer. I do agree with Thornton that, if true there are no Flo and Mary on those songs, it does take away, as he says, "the magic". However, as I Diana fan, I have to admit that I love a lot of the vocal performances she gives on the album.

It's also a nostalgia pick. While both of my parents were very small children when this album was originally released, I was about a month into my official Supremes fandom when I came across Merry Christmas in Kmart, while we were firmly in the holiday season. It was the third Supremes album that I owned. I remember playing it while I wrapped the gifts I bought [[at Kmart) and since then it's a bit of a tradition with me to listen to my fav cuts from the album, as well as favorite outtakes, as I wrap gifts.

My fav cuts are "Silver Bells", "My Christmas Tree", "Santa", "My Favorite Things", "Twinkle", "Little Bright Star", "Oh Holy Night", "Just a Lonely Christmas", "Won't Be Long Til Christmas" [[of course that was originally a part of the Disney set).

I'm not convinced that Flo and Mary aren't present on some of the songs that made it onto the original album, unless they were erased and replaced. [[I still swear I hear Florence on "Santa".) It just boggles my mind that Flo and Mary would be brought in for leads but not backing vocals. And it's a travesty that "Born of Mary" wasn't recorded with the three Supremes singing in harmony throughout, and we won't even talk about the idiocy of shelving "Oh Holy Night".

Criticisms aside, it's still an album that I thoroughly enjoy throughout November and December.

[RanRan79]

Regarding the Copa album, I was about six months into my Supremes fandom when I acquired it. I liked it, but as a whole album it never knocked me out. I did then and still do, hold in high regard "Make Someone Happy". I love the way Diana sounds on it, and Flo and Mary's harmonies are fantastic. I'd say it's the highlight of the album for me. I'm not all that impressed with most of the standards, although I also like "The Boy From Ipanema". And I'm not crazy about the hits, aside from this version of "Stop In the Name of Love". I think this album really falls down after hearing the Roostertail 66 show and seeing some of the Orient performances because everything about the act had just gotten better, even though many of the same songs were just repeated. At The Copa is a good album for what it is, but I can't even remember the last time I played it.

[reese]

I'll try to keep it brief.

I like them both but of the two, AT THE COPA is my favorite. As a little boy, I can remember going to visit my aunt and always looking for two things: the Copa album and the 1966 Supremes concert program that she kept on her coffee table. She always used to brag that she had seen DMF in concert. Particular faves of mine are MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY, SOMEWHERE, and of course, the Sam Cooke Medley. I also love the hits, in particular this version of COME SEE ABOUT ME, which is probably my favorite.

I also enjoy MERRY CHRISTMAS, especially because I think Diana's voice at that time really lent itself to holiday music. I didn't own a copy of this album for many years. But my parents had the Motown compilation CHRISTMAS GIFT 'RAP. On it, the Supremes were represented by SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN, SILVER BELLS, and my absolute favorite, MY CHRISTMAS TREE.

[sup_fan]

I'll try to keep it brief.

I like them both but of the two, AT THE COPA is my favorite. As a little boy, I can remember going to visit my aunt and always looking for two things: the Copa album and the 1966 Supremes concert program that she kept on her coffee table. She always used to brag that she had seen DMF in concert. Particular faves of mine are MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY, SOMEWHERE, and of course, the Sam Cooke Medley. I also love the hits, in particular this version of COME SEE ABOUT ME, which is probably my favorite.

I also MERRY CHRISTMAS, especially because I think Diana's voice at that time really lent itself to holiday music. I didn't own a copy of this album for many years. But my parents had the Motown compilation CHRISTMAS GIFT 'RAP. On it, the Supremes were represented by SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN, SILVER BELLS, and my absolute favorite, MY CHRISTMAS TREE.

nice memories! what else did your aunt say about the show? did she ever describe what they wore or sang? what the club was like? I'm guessing it was a supper club and she got herself all dressed up!

[reese]

nice memories! what else did your aunt say about the show? did she ever describe what they wore or sang? what the club was like? I'm guessing it was a supper club and she got herself all dressed up!

My aunt and uncle saw the group at Blinstrub's, which I think was like the Copa in Boston. I believe it was their 1966 engagement, as that was the program she had, with the cover photo of the girls seated on the set of the Red Skelton Show. I think that this was the engagement where Diana fainted onstage. My aunt didn't mention that so it didn't happen on the night she attended or maybe it was another time.

To be honest, I don't remember my aunt giving many details other than she and my uncle were very close to the stage and that the girls looked even more beautiful in person, especially Flo. I can tell though that my aunt really tried to emulate Mary. There are some photos that I look at now and I recognize my aunt copying some of Mary's hairstyles.

[motony]

my brother bought the Copa LP as soon as it came out.My Dad let him play it on the big stereo in the living room & my Dad made the statement "wow, those girls are great".My Dad had been a country singer & guitar player in the 1950's.

[carlo]

Merry Christmas!

[lucky2012]

Merry Christmas! It has stood the test of 58 years. I hear the songs from it every holiday season, even in unexpected places.

Since 1965, Merry Christmas and Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song albums have been my family's holiday music listening traditions.

Diana's voice is perfect for Christmas Holiday music. [Even my parents thought and said so!] I didn't know about the Andantes until decades later, but it hasn't diminished the album for me. It will always be a Supremes album to me.

I prefer studio recordings to 'live recordings, so I rarely listen to At The Copa. [I marginally prefer Live At London's Talk of The Town, although I first heard Diana's hiccups on that recording ]

[sup_fan]

My aunt and uncle saw the group at Blinstrub's, which I think was like the Copa in Boston. I believe it was their 1966 engagement, as that was the program she had, with the cover photo of the girls seated on the set of the Red Skelton Show. I think that this was the engagement where Diana fainted onstage. My aunt didn't mention that so it didn't happen on the night she attended or maybe it was another time.

To be honest, I don't remember my aunt giving many details other than she and my uncle were very close to the stage and that the girls looked even more beautiful in person, especially Flo. I can tell though that my aunt really tried to emulate Mary. There are some photos that I look at now and I recognize my aunt copying some of Mary's hairstyles.

that's great!! sounds like they were just in love with the show.

[jobucats]

Merry Christmas.....has stood the test of time!

[sup_fan]

i probably enjoy Copa more. there's the excitement of hearing DMF live, i appreciate their takes on MOR.

with MC, i sometimes find Diana's leads just too cloying and effected. i think she just needed to rein things in just a bit. i would have preferred hearing the fall of 66 Diana versus the fall of 65 Diana, a bit more maturity to her approach and interpretation.

[Starguard4]

Merry Christmas.....has stood the test of time!

With you, all the way.

[gman]

the Copa band was not friendly to current, post Elvis pop music...it is a 40's dance band [[that seems to always use clarinets too often)...too much brass, no strings...I've got about 6 Copa LPS...all same style...a few brassy hits, standards and a few medleys...the standards work better with the Copa band than anybody's hits do...they all have some good moments...but its never the songs the performers are famous for...I find the FLO's [[Jean Scherrie & Lynda) Dominion performance a better live show than any live show branded Supremes...by any trio/era of "Supremes"...the song tempos are truer, and they are not overkilled by brass.

[floyjoy678]

Merry Christmas is my answer. I do agree with Thornton that, if true there are no Flo and Mary on those songs, it does take away, as he says, "the magic". However, as I Diana fan, I have to admit that I love a lot of the vocal performances she gives on the album.

It's also a nostalgia pick. While both of my parents were very small children when this album was originally released, I was about a month into my official Supremes fandom when I came across Merry Christmas in Kmart, while we were firmly in the holiday season. It was the third Supremes album that I owned. I remember playing it while I wrapped the gifts I bought [[at Kmart) and since then it's a bit of a tradition with me to listen to my fav cuts from the album, as well as favorite outtakes, as I wrap gifts.

My fav cuts are "Silver Bells", "My Christmas Tree", "Santa", "My Favorite Things", "Twinkle", "Little Bright Star", "Oh Holy Night", "Just a Lonely Christmas", "Won't Be Long Til Christmas" [[of course that was originally a part of the Disney set).

I'm not convinced that Flo and Mary aren't present on some of the songs that made it onto the original album, unless they were erased and replaced. [[I still swear I hear Florence on "Santa".) It just boggles my mind that Flo and Mary would be brought in for leads but not backing vocals. And it's a travesty that "Born of Mary" wasn't recorded with the three Supremes singing in harmony throughout, and we won't even talk about the idiocy of shelving "Oh Holy Night".

Criticisms aside, it's still an album that I thoroughly enjoy throughout November and December.

I'm not convinced they're not on any tracks either. I've always thought I heard Mary and especially Florence on "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", "Rudolph" and "Born of Mary".

This is a tough call for me but I think the Copa album wins due to the Children's Christmas Song. That should have been left off and O Holy Night should have been included in it's place.

I have nostalgic memories of listening to the Copa album with my siblings and imagining what the show would have been like to actually watch live.

[sup_fan]

the Copa band was not friendly to current, post Elvis pop music...it is a 40's dance band [[that seems to always use clarinets too often)...too much brass, no strings...I've got about 6 Copa LPS...all same style...a few brassy hits, standards and a few medleys...the standards work better with the Copa band than anybody's hits do...they all have some good moments...but its never the songs the performers are famous for...I find the FLO's [[Jean Scherrie & Lynda) Dominion performance a better live show than any live show branded Supremes...by any trio/era of "Supremes"...the song tempos are truer, and they are not overkilled by brass.

partly i think that has to do with the size of the stage and room. this isn't Lincoln Center with a massive stage that could hold a 40-man orchestra. Same with the Roostertail set. it's just a club band backing the girls.

surprisingly, a great live album is the bookleg for Caesar's with MSS. yes they do the tragic Greatest Hits medley and yes, there is stoney silence from the audience. but the orchestra is beautifully clear and is a full orchestra with strings and everything. sounds great on Let Yourself Go, Maybe This Time.

[johnjeb]

It's hard for me to choose a favorite between these two because I got them a few weeks apart in 1965. I received Merry Christmas for my 16th birthday and 3 copies of the At The Copa for Christmas. I must have been begging [or maybe the proper word is "bugging"] everyone for that album.

MC has been a family favorite since '65 so maybe my vote will go to that album. Of course the reissues and EEs have helped that appreciation grow.

I loved the Copa album and played it to death until the Symphony album came out two months later. lol. Actually Copa stayed a favorite for many years. ATC also has a special place for me because when I saw them in February 1966 it was this show. I don't have too many memories from that show but I distinctly remember, at the time, being surprised that they were performing a lot of standards for a college [I was in high school] audience in a basketball gym. Although back then I guess it was considered special to see a supper club show in a different environment.

What stood out in that show was Make Someone Happy. Not the song as much as what happened. Diana's mic went out and she ran over to Mary's. Then Flo's went, as well. She too ran to center stage just as Mary's mic went out and they continued singing without benefit of their mics. The sound came back pretty quickly.

Queen Of The House was comic relief. Particularly at the point of the song where they sing "pretty soon they'll be one more" the girls all point to each other, teasingly, while making a gesture of a rounded belly, with each girl shaking their head "no".

The most glaring part of the show was that they didn't perform their latest release MWIEWY. WHAT?!! Over the years I became accustomed to not hearing their latest releases whenever I saw them, as well as DR in her solo years.

Not sure if it was in this thread or another but someone mentioned the Blinstrub's Supper Club in Boston. There is a picture accompanying the 25th Anniversary collection showing the ladies on stage facing the audience. I seem to recall that the pic is from Blinstrub's. Mary has said that they liked performing at that club. I'm not sure if I read that or if it was during an interview on Boston radio or television when she was promoting her books or shows. Unfortunately, being a high school student from the suburbs, I never got to see them there. The club closed in the late 60s.

[reese]

...What stood out in that show was Make Someone Happy. Not the song as much as what happened. Diana's mic went out and she ran over to Mary's. Then Flo's went, as well. She too ran to center stage just as Mary's mic went out and they continued singing without benefit of their mics. The sound came back pretty quickly...

...Not sure if it was in this thread or another but someone mentioned the Blinstrub's Supper Club in Boston. There is a picture accompanying the 25th Anniversary collection showing the ladies on stage facing the audience. I seem to recall that the pic is from Blinstrub's. Mary has said that they liked performing at that club. I'm not sure if I read that or if it was during an interview on Boston radio or television when she was promoting her books or shows. Unfortunately, being a high school student from the suburbs, I never got to see them there. The club closed in the late 60s.

My aunt and uncle went to see the Supremes at Blinstrub's. When Mary came to Boston in the late 80s for a concert with the Tempts, she appeared on the show TALK OF THE TOWN, hosted by a pre-fame Matt Lauer. On it, she mentioned how the group used to perform at Blinstrub's.

In THE LOST SUPREME, Flo describes how Diana's mike went out in Boston. But her account ends up with Mary and Diana snatching the mike back and forth. I always thought that account seemed a bit dramatic. Nice to hear from someone who witnessed it.

[sup_fan]

the whole mic snatching thing to me seems a bit off. even when they were the young Primettes, it would seem they would have more professional common sense than to get into a mic fight in front of an audience.

the above story though emphasizes their stage expertise. similar to the earring falling off on Sullivan. all sorts of random shit will happen. and as these girls toured constantly, i'm sure there were many nights where a mic failed, where the sound was off, where the trumpet player made a glaring error, where there was some sort of disruption. But keeping your cool and stage presence is key.

in the Orient videos, you can see early on during CSAM that flo's mic isn't working and you can hear it in the audio. this is actually video of them at the Roostertail and not really in the orient. anyway, Flo keeps going and is quietly motioning for the stage manager to help out. and one point you can sort of see him quietly get onto the stage and do something with the mic. and by the final choruses, you can hear flo loud and clear

maxine powell also has talked about how she trained the young singers to keep their cool on stage. Cholly did too. if you make a mistake or something happens, keep calm and find an opening to jump back into the choreography