Trio Supremes Harmony

[RanRan79]

I am a huge fan of vocal groups because I love harmony and the Supremes- Florence, Diana and Mary- are among the best to ever do it, IMO. As much as I love the sound of Flo and Mary together, I do think producers often did a disservice by not including Diana on backing vocals. Together, their sound was great. I have opined in the past that had the group never scored a hit record, Gordy may have kept them on in the same role as the Andantes.

Personality and charm wise, I don't think the original trio can be beat, but the sound Mary, Cindy and Scherrie achieved on backing vocals might be the most technically perfect blend of any grouping of Supremes.

So when it comes to THREE Supremes singing in harmony, what's some of your favorites? Any grouping, studio or live.

[RanRan79]

I love this one, the ladies backing Kim up in 1963.

[RanRan79]

Love this live one from the Roostertail.

[RanRan79]

Proving that its a prerequisite to be great at harmony in order to be a Supreme.

[sup_fan]

i agree with everything you said. the DMF combo was excellent. when they were in 3-part and when their volume levels were appropriately set, it was perfection. listen to Bring It On Home To Me from Sam Cooke. another example that's just incredible is the 2nd time they sing "Spread sunshine all over the place" on the studio version of Put On A Happy Face. the hit "spread" in 3-part harmony with total perfection

the SMC lineup had an amazing blend. one songs like Give Out where the vocal tracks a multi layered, it's so fun. mary described this lineup as the "nicest" one and i think that does a great job of explaining their sound. it was sweet and warm and so very nice

the MSS lineup is the most powerful. mary had really grown as a soloist by this time and that also helped her grow into an even more strong group member. she always shined brightly in the group's harmonies and all but now she was a more trained and powerful singer. and both S and S were super powerful singers too. in the studio, their 3 part harmony just blows out your speakers. the perfectly meshed blend of MSC isn't there - you hear the unique tones and timber of each voice but they're still blending and totally in sync. and you hear 3 super strong beautiful voices.

[reese]

I particularly enjoy the harmonies of DMF.

Faves of mine:

Lazy Bones
Ooowee Baby
Who Could Ever Doubt My Love [ I love the way they sing the title]
Bring It On Home to Me, and Make Someone Happy from the Copa album.

[sansradio]

Great choices here! I'd add "Mr. Blues"; those harmonies are swoon-worthy. Also, I love how DMF & DMC hit the word "trio" in each performance of the Millie/Rose/Mame medley--gorgeous.

[RanRan79]

i agree with everything you said. the DMF combo was excellent. when they were in 3-part and when their volume levels were appropriately set, it was perfection. listen to Bring It On Home To Me from Sam Cooke. another example that's just incredible is the 2nd time they sing "Spread sunshine all over the place" on the studio version of Put On A Happy Face. the hit "spread" in 3-part harmony with total perfection

Oh yes, "Bring It On Home" is a great example, as is "Happy Face". There are some really beautiful moments from the There's A Place For Us sessions as well, like this one:

[RanRan79]

I particularly enjoy the harmonies of DMF.

Faves of mine:

Lazy Bones
Ooowee Baby
Who Could Ever Doubt My Love [ I love the way they sing the title]
Bring It On Home to Me, and Make Someone Happy from the Copa album.

"Lazy Bones" definitely a fav of mine.

[RanRan79]

Great choices here! I'd add "Mr. Blues"; those harmonies are swoon-worthy. Also, I love how DMF & DMC hit the word "trio" in each performance of the Millie/Rose/Mame medley--gorgeous.

I hardly ever really listen to the MRM medley. I'll have to listen out for the part you spotlight.

"Mr. Blues" is one of my favorite Supremes songs period. Absolutely breathtaking harmonies.

[sup_fan]

Oh yes, "Bring It On Home" is a great example, as is "Happy Face". There are some really beautiful moments from the There's A Place For Us sessions as well, like this one:

agreed! but i think it's also a fun album to listen to the evolution of the quality of productions and mastering. the horn intro on Put On A Happy Face is a bit over the top as is the orchestration on the intro to Make Someone Happy. they're just less polished and glorious than the tracks on R&H or from Broadway to Hollywood. even the Xmas backing tracks are an improvement. not saying TAPFU is back - i love it. but clearly the producers and teams were learning and is shows in the later work.