Supremes live-You're Nobody Til Somebody Loves You-WOW!!

[luke]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuyWD...eature=related Never saw this--just fantastic-you can see the strength of each and their magnetism together and Flo never looked happier and smilin at Diana!--great camera work. Mary seems a bit subdued and heavier--what do you all think? But just great!

[marv2]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuyWD...eature=related Never saw this--just fantastic-you can see the strength of each and their magnetism together and Flo never looked happier and smilin at Diana!--great camera work. Mary seems a bit subdued and heavier--what do you all think? But just great!

I agree. They were great as usual. That was from Hullabaloo.

[kenneth]

I was going to ask if it was live or lip-synced because until the "one more time," no microphones in sight. Then you do see the boom mike as they walk out towards the audience. Can we be certain it was "truly live?" Can anyone verify? If not, it was truly flawless lip-syncing on Diane's part.

A great, great performance, anyway you look at it!

[stephanie]

This is one of their greatest performances. I liked the reaction of the audience to this old standard and it seemed as if though the chemistry was great at this time.

[lakedistrictlad1]

This is my all-time favourite Supremes clip. I think it catches them at the peak of what 'the Supremes' were all about. It is an absolute joy to watch this clip over and over.

[captainjames]

WOW
A lot of chemistry here with this trio. I wonder if Flo and Diana shared a joke offstage before this song.

[jobeterob]

This isn't one of my favourite songs of theirs but it stuck in my head all weekend after watching it!

[uptight]

Yeah, Kenneth. It is definitely live. The overhead mike on these shows is usually just out of frame and is controlled by a boom operator. The beginning of this tune has no rhythm to follow while lip-sync'ing, so there's no use in attempting it. Plus the bit of audio feedback is another giveaway that it is sung live. Now the background music, I don't know. I can't remember hearing whether this show had a live house band or not, LOL. It sounds like a live house band to me.

It's great to see Flo and her girls with big smiles.

[luke]

Maybe Flo was saying"Honey we is teriffic!"

[kenneth]

Yeah, Kenneth. It is definitely live. The overhead mike on these shows is usually just out of frame and is controlled by a boom operator. The beginning of this tune has no rhythm to follow while lip-sync'ing, so there's no use in attempting it. Plus the bit of audio feedback is another giveaway that it is sung live. Now the background music, I don't know. I can't remember hearing whether this show had a live house band or not, LOL. It sounds like a live house band to me.

It's great to see Flo and her girls with big smiles.

Thanks Uptight. Love it...what a great performance. I really like the whole "There's a Place for Us" LP...so many timeless songs from the Great American Songbook in great arrangements. I even like the ones written to "sound like" standards, such as "Fancy Passes" and "Little Miss Loser." Does "Loser" remind anyone else of the Rodgers and Hart tune [[which the Sups also did) "It Never Entered My Mind?"

"Place for Us" is a great release which I've enjoyed more since seeing this clip.

[tamla617]

bump........

[jeff9nyc]

I love this performance from the Ed Sullivan Show too, done only a few months after Hullabaloo. Notice how much more polished [[adult or glossy) they are on Sullivan than on the "teen show." When you compare this version to the version they did on Ed Sullivan as D/M/C in May of '69 [[the same show where they sang, "The Impossible Dream," and introduced "No Matter What Sign You Are") you can really see the "deterioration" of the group and the ascent of Diana. Here's the link to the Sullivan '65 appearance. I couldn't locate 1969.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMizSNy6JO0

[luke]

I dont feel the same excitement on this one and Diana too gesticulating.

[jeff9nyc]

I dont feel the same excitement on this one and Diana too gesticulating.

Yeah...I notice that she does that when she's nervous, tense or scared. She's more "comfortable" on teen shows like Hullabaloo.

[kenneth]

Yeah...I notice that she does that when she's nervous, tense or scared. She's more "comfortable" on teen shows like Hullabaloo.

I remember way back when reading an article in the Detroit News version of TV Guide that she was trying not to "flash her eyes so much," because she'd been told it was distracting and taking attention away from her singing. Some of those early clips are almost "Jolsonesque" in Diane's mannered style. To me, she's much more effective when she holds back on the mannerisms, which thankfully she started to do later.

[jobeterob]

Funny how all the eye popping of the old days disappeared.

It was one of the first endearing qualities that set her apart.

[uptight]

She was learning how to "work it" -- her charm, that is. I imagine Ross felt she had to exaggerate her expressions as if trying to appeal to people in the furthest row of the room, not realizing the powerful effect of television as an "up-close" medium. And you're right, Rob. The eye-popping is gone by the time of this "You're Nobody..." clip.

I would have warned them in advance about all three of them clapping in unison while singing into the overhead mic. It must have driven the sound engineers mad! LOL. Visually it works great, though. It was a way of "jazzing it up" and getting the audience into the spirit.

[jobeterob]

As I've mentioned, this is not one of my favorite songs..........but I watched it the day it was posted by Luke, and it's been stuck in my head since then..........a true "ear worm"; so it must be good.

[skooldem1]

Isn't this the song that Diana hated, and she refused to perform it. Then Berry had to convince her?

[jobeterob]

I don't recall that. But this arrangement and Diana's singing certainly make it catchy.

[Jimi LaLumia]

according to several books, she resisted Gordy's push for show tunes at first, she thought it would make The Supremes extremely unhip in the 60's with the hip teen crowd[[and Rolling Stone magazine is one example) of a major publication that jumped on the girls for going 'white' in an overall slam piece on Motown in the 1967 period, I recall it very well..
[[some folks at the time said "Stone' was slamming Motown because Gordy didn't advertise album releases in the magazine-$$$$)..
Rolling stone stasrted pushing Otis, Aretha and the Atlantic records 'soul' output as the new cool soul music[[and Atlantic, even then, had a very cozy relationship with Rolling Stone)..by the early 70s, Stone suddenly decided that Motown was hip again, and Ross,as a solo, eventually got a cover feature of her own

[reese]

Isn't this the song that Diana hated, and she refused to perform it. Then Berry had to convince her?

It is. In his book, Berry specifically mentions this HULLABALOO performance as one that he hoped would show that the Supremes could sing anything, and therefore, gain entree into clubs like the Copa.

Before the HULLABALOO show, the group was booked on the Motown Revue in Europe. Berry used this time to break the song in. Diana hated it, as the audience didn't respond well to it. Finally, she and Berry had a big blow up over whether or not the song would stay in the act. She finally gave in, but said she only did it because Berry wanted her to.

Of course, the Supremes were already doing adult material or standards in their act, as recent Hip_O-Select releases have shown. Songs like MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY and PEOPLE were already in their act as early as 1964, if not earlier.

[RossHolloway]

^^Why do you suppose Berry was pushing the Suprmes into doing such adult material or standards when I don't get the generally feeling that he was pushing the other girl groups: Marvelettes, Martha & The Vandellas or even the Velvelettes to do the same. And out side of some tracks on her My Guy album, I don't think that Berry was even pushing Mary Wells in that direction.

[jobeterob]

Because Berry thought Diana had a better ability to break Motown into that market; while he may have loved the others, he didn't think they had "it" ..............I believe he uses that word in his book; and he believed Diana did. And of course, history proved him right.

[marv2]

Because Berry thought Diana had a better ability to break Motown into that market; while he may have loved the others, he didn't think they had "it" ..............I believe he uses that word in his book; and he believed Diana did. And of course, history proved him right.

To be fair, we really can't always go with what Berry Gordy was saying in this situation since he was dating her,........

[Jimi LaLumia]

Ross had 'white appeal' let's face it; her persona, demeanor and style distanced her from all the others,and nobody thought 'rock and roll' was gonna last back then, anyway[[and the media always lumped Motown into the overall rock and roll scene which it was, indeed, part of)..
so Ross became Gordy's main project from 1965, according to some of the other artists, Ross became his ONLY project from 1965 on, and most folks, including the 13 year old version of me, didn't mind it at all;
it was years later that all the other 'stuff' started to surface,and the attendant 'drama' that came with it

[jobeterob]

For better or worse, she was the centre of the Motown world until she left.

[RossHolloway]

While I will agree that the Supreme's were Motown's top stars by '64, I don't think they or Ross were the center of the Motown world. It was just "there turn" as one of the Miracles put it to Martha Reeves, when they started getting a lot of attention. They were a giant part of it, but there were quite a few very very successful and popular groups and artists at the same time the Supremes were at the top. Ross has only recently been given credit for how hard she worked at her craft. I also think that Gordy's goal was for all his top artist to have cross-over appeal, not just the Supremes and that meant singing standards and show tunes, both in concerts and on records. The Miracles did it, as did the Four Tops, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye did it...I recall an interview that Aretha Franklin gave where she talked about the Supremes early on before they made it big and she said you could just tell that they [[the Supremes) just had "it", even before Where Did Our Love Go.

[floyjoy678]

I think the Supremes were better at the standards/showtune stuff just because they had great harmony, I truly believe Diana, Mary and Florence were the best out of any motown group in terms of blending [[especially Diana and Flo together) and harmonizing. I remember reading somewhere that there was a meeting right before the Copa and both Diana and Flo argued with Berry that there was too many showtunes in the act and not enough hits and he basically told them to keep their mouths shut and go along with it. They were great at doing it but it got old after say 1966 [[save for a few like Millie/Rose/Mame, Fats Waller on Ed, The Impossible Dream).

[kenneth]

Ross had 'white appeal' let's face it; her persona, demeanor and style distanced her from all the others,and nobody thought 'rock and roll' was gonna last back then, anyway[[and the media always lumped Motown into the overall rock and roll scene which it was, indeed, part of)..

My grandmother - bless her heart - who only knew the Supremes from the Ed Sullivan Show, used to say, "I don't know why but I just love those 3 girls!" I think that kind of statement says more about the Sups' "crossover" appeal than almost anything.

[marv2]

Ross had 'white appeal' let's face it; her persona, demeanor and style distanced her from all the others,and nobody thought 'rock and roll' was gonna last back then, anyway[[and the media always lumped Motown into the overall rock and roll scene which it was, indeed, part of)..
so Ross became Gordy's main project from 1965, according to some of the other artists, Ross became his ONLY project from 1965 on, and most folks, including the 13 year old version of me, didn't mind it at all;
it was years later that all the other 'stuff' started to surface,and the attendant 'drama' that came with it

Yeah ,well that is what caused her to be charged with "selling out" and losing any popularity she may have had in the Black community at the time. They tried to reverse that some in early 70's by playing with her image.

[bradsupremes]

One song that I absolutely hated and wish they cut from their show was "More." I would have rather they put in "I Hear A Symphony" or "When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" over that song. In my opinion, it was the worst of all the showtunes they sang.

[skooldem1]

I LOVE "More". One of my faves. I love on the "Talk of the town" how after they do that little dance routine and then all at once they step to the microphone. Its so Supreme.

[jobeterob]

When we watched Ed Sullivan, my Mom said she didn't like the Supremes, especially that Deeana woman, who keeps bugging her eyes out at everyone!

Good analyses, Ross and Floyjoy ~ I agree with you.

[marv2]

One song that I absolutely hated and wish they cut from their show was "More." I would have rather they put in "I Hear A Symphony" or "When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" over that song. In my opinion, it was the worst of all the showtunes they sang.

I hated that song too and that whole medley thing they use to do with the Johnny Mathis type songs. ugh! They had enough of their own material to play with and rearrange and perform that would have suited their shows just fine!

[smark21]

^^Why do you suppose Berry was pushing the Suprmes into doing such adult material or standards when I don't get the generally feeling that he was pushing the other girl groups: Marvelettes, Martha & The Vandellas or even the Velvelettes to do the same. And out side of some tracks on her My Guy album, I don't think that Berry was even pushing Mary Wells in that direction.

Well there was big money to be made in the posh supper clubs and casino showrooms, which was still a very viable market at the time. But I also think Ross' instincts about You're Nobody were correct as it's a corny, old fashioned song. The song worked better once they added the "give me that gold, and I'll do my own shopping" and other banter to the song. Distracted from the hokiness of the song and arrangement. However, though it made economic sense for Berry to push some of his acts to do standards and Vegas arrangements of their hits, in the long term, it's something of an embarrassment. There were very good album cuts that were never performed live and the hits weren't often played the way they should have been played.

[captainjames]

HAHA
LOL
Thats funny
Watch Flo throughout the video, she does the same eye thing. Diana just had that a lil something else thing going on.

When we watched Ed Sullivan, my Mom said she didn't like the Supremes, especially that Deeana woman, who keeps bugging her eyes out at everyone!

Good analyses, Ross and Floyjoy ~ I agree with you.

[captainjames]

Actually, it wasn't until later when Mary had the part, " Don't no one care about lil ole me" that I started to appreciate this song. Maybe during their Talk of the Town" days.

Anyway, it was songs like this and "The Lady Is The Tramp" that separated the girls and made them more "SUPREME'

[skooldem1]

HAHA
LOL
Thats funny
Watch Flo throughout the video, she does the same eye thing. Diana just had that a lil something else thing going on.

I've noticed that Flo did this also. What Diana had was the big ole bug eyes. LoL. That she would learn to work with as she progressed as a performer. Lucky for her that they were big but sexy and she made them her trademark.

[jobeterob]

You guys are right.......Flo did the same thing.

[captainjames]

Hey Rob
of course she did !!
I was one of the crazy type of Motown fans that watch all three girls. ~~~and I can not believe with the all the books that have been written that no one has mentioned it. Go Figure ~~~~~

You guys are right.......Flo did the same thing.

[rod_rick]

Hey Rob
of course she did !!
I was one of the crazy type of Motown fans that watch all three girls. ~~~and I can not believe with the all the books that have been written that no one has mentioned it. Go Figure ~~~~~

That clip was early on I dont think Flo did that very long and she didn't do it all the time. With Diana's big eyes she was more effective with it

[Bell Star]

I really want to thank you for the post, this is great.

[luke]

Glad you enjoy Bell--welcome !