THE SUPREMES - how long has that evening train been gone? - Different Version

[ExGuyParis]

Does anyone know anything about this? New to me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFHxcxuCOno

[BayouMotownMan]

This track has been credited to being the first recording Jean made at Motown. If it is not the first, it's one of. When she first came to Motown she recorded purely as a soloist and this acetate has been floating around for some time. It seems to me that Clay McMurray produced though my memory could be wrong on this. This is, for all intent, a "test" recording whereby the company could see how Jean sounded in the studio. She would go on to make numerous recordings as a single before teaming up with Mary and Cindy.

This song was also covered by Bobby Taylor to essentially the same backing track that Diana used from the Love Child lp. it is on his Taylor Made Soul album

[ExGuyParis]

Thanks BayouMotownMan! I appreciate your clearing up the mystery. I love this song, and it was a surprise to hear Jean sing it!

I like this video as well... a young guy studying & playing the James Jamerson bass track for this song. Very cool to see young musicians studying the musical mastery that Motown songs featured.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOpaaN4s_vk

[ladonna]

And Miss Ross's version. Interesting to note the different arrangement and BGs.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdHWO...eature=related

[RossHolloway]

DFTMC has it listed as being recorded in October 1969. The same month that Blinky recorded her version!

[BayouMotownMan]

I may be confusing this with another tune. I recall that one of the first songs Jean did had been done by Ross. They were comparing voices.

[kenneth]

And Miss Ross's version. Interesting to note the different arrangement and BGs.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdHWO...eature=related

Such a great song, with such a fabulous arrangement and a real committed performance by Diane. I love the pulsating sounds of the train in the scoring and especially the quick guitar riff that sounds like a train whistle and gives the song so much urgency.

I'm not always a big Ross fan, but the problem I have with some of Jean's performances is that while her voice is always good and she has a lot of color and melody in her delivery, she rarely seems to connect to the song emotionally. The lyrics almost seem to become interchangeable and [[if you didn't know the lyrics) you would rarely know what kind of song she is singing. I love a lot of the Jean led Supremes material but to me "Train Been Gone" by Jean is an example of a highly emotional song which she just kind of throws away. She obviously could excel at times, for example on "5:30 Plane" she is unsurpassed, but those performances, to me, are the exception rather than the rule.

[Ramone Verona]

If Andy & George ever get to do a deluxe "RIGHT ON" then the mysteries of Jean's first recordings will be better solved.
Jean has stated several times in response to her being "solo" at Motown in the beginning, that this was not the case.
But I know from listening to her during Midnight Johnny's interview that her memory is up for debate, to say the least.
Jean says she was recording Supreme songs right from the get-go.
Whether or not Mary or Cindy sing on the track is hardly anything new to Motown recordings.
She was upfront about this at the CD signing for the Anthology.
Hard to believe almost a decade ago now!

[stephanie]

Jeans voice makes up for the lack of backing vocals on the other version. I prefer the Ross led version but this one has enough drama in it to keep me interested. I swear the backgrounds are Mary and Cindy with Andantes. Listen to the middle when they go how looonng individually it sounds like Mary and Cindy and then Andantes. Great song and one of the best album cuts ever on a Supremes album up there with Hes All I Got, Im so Glad Heartaches Dont Last Always and Stormy. This should have been the single after Love Child.

[Ramone Verona]

I agree.
Funny thing about Jean and the Andantes, on MJ's interview with her, she stated she never sang with them and they weren't on her recordings with the Supremes.
So MJ gently asked her about the liner notes on the back of the FLOY JOY LP.
She wasn't aware of any "other" voices; even with the Webb LP!
MJ politely "moved on".
Perhaps he can elaborate here as it's been awhile, now.
I wonder what Jean thought when Mary mentioned The Blossoms in her liner notes on the Anthology set?!
Perhaps Jean never paid as much attention to "the process" at Motown as she should have.
Her story is always "the company ignored us" or similar, but perhaps there is a two-way street to that story.
A&M wasn't thrilled with her "ways", either.
Didn't Mary mention in her book that there always seemed to be a Supreme that swam the other way?

[kenneth]

I agree.
Funny thing about Jean and the Andantes, on MJ's interview with her, she stated she never sang with them and they weren't on her recordings with the Supremes.
So MJ gently asked her about the liner notes on the back of the FLOY JOY LP.
She wasn't aware of any "other" voices; even with the Webb LP!
MJ politely "moved on".
Perhaps he can elaborate here as it's been awhile, now.
I wonder what Jean thought when Mary mentioned The Blossoms in her liner notes on the Anthology set?!
Perhaps Jean never paid as much attention to "the process" at Motown as she should have.
Her story is always "the company ignored us" or similar, but perhaps there is a two-way street to that story.
A&M wasn't thrilled with her "ways", either.
Didn't Mary mention in her book that there always seemed to be a Supreme that swam the other way?

Wow, it's amazing to me that a performer of that strata could be so uninterested in the finished product of their recordings that she never noticed "other voices," which she would have to recognize as not being Mary and Cindy [[or Lynda). Maybe it's just a case of her wanting to rewrite history. After all, on the Jimmy Webb LP, some of the songs have what sound like full chorus backgrounds, such as on the "Silent Voices" track!

I do remember from Mary's books that she felt the odd man out when it was Jean and Lynda, that she even took to reading the Bible with them while touring just to try and bond with the other two. I'm sure she felt the irony after many years of taking the back seat to Diane that when she was trying to have a more unified group suddenly she appeared to be "the new Diane."

[Ramone Verona]

Mary was BORN for the show-business Life-style!
She has certainly weathered storms and always kept smiling.
Most of the other Supremes, besides Diana, not-so-much.

In the liner-notes of TCMS, on the single NATHAN JONES, Clydie King claims to be singing very much up-front.
She even says friends and relatives spoke to her and said "that's you" and she says "yes".
Someone asked Jean about this either in print or maybe even on a radio interview like MJ's and Jean says definitely not!
That's it's JMC all the way.
Not even the artists can agree on what they did, let alone the fans.
So confusing.
I'm not familiar with Clydie's solo voice.

[rod_rick]

Mary was BORN for the show-business Life-style!
She has certainly weathered storms and always kept smiling.
Most of the other Supremes, besides Diana, not-so-much.

In the liner-notes of TCMS, on the single NATHAN JONES, Clydie King claims to be singing very much up-front.
She even says friends and relatives spoke to her and said "that's you" and she says "yes".
Someone asked Jean about this either in print or maybe even on a radio interview like MJ's and Jean says definitely not!
That's it's JMC all the way.
Not even the artists can agree on what they did, let alone the fans.
So confusing.
I'm not familiar with Clydie's solo voice.

Don't think Clydie is right in the mix with Jean. You can clearly hear Jean pulled forward in the mix. Also if you have the stereo verson, jean is in the right side by her self. Now I think Clydie may have sang background with Mary & Cindy. In fact Cindy said so in a interview a few years back.
I think it's possible that Jean was unaware of the Andantes were singing on some of those supreme cuts. I'm sure producers went in and did whatever they wanted to get the sound they wanted. Mary never stated that the Blossoms were in the studio at the same time, she said they were on the recording

[bradsupremes]

I could have sworn I read that Cindy said that they were in the studio about to record "Nathan Jones" and Clydie King was in the studio chatting with them [[The Blackberries were signed with Motown at this time). Frank Wilson suggested Clydie sing with the girls and so she did. After listening to "Nathan Jones," I can hear Clydie on the recording.

Not only is Clydie a great singer, but really beautiful too. I think she would have made a great Supreme.

Here's one of my favorite's of hers...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eirp3p-SS7E

[marv2]

It's been RUMORED that Clydie King was once married to Bob Dylan.

[Ramone Verona]

Thank you for the vocal on Clydie through youtube.
Doesn't sound anything like Jean Terrell.
But if one owns any of the Cellarful CDs and liner-notes, and any of the TCMS volumes and liner-notes, and various Supreme and other Motown Artists "deluxe editions" and liner-notes; one knows plenty well of the mentions of: "lead vocals one-such day" and "background vocals another-such day" and then the endless "re-recorded on's" dates!!!!
No Wonder anyone could have recorded for anyone in some such take upon endless takes.
While Diana or Jean were appearing on Andy Williams or Flip Wilson; Della Reese was doing all their vocals on a re-take!!

[chestersong]

i've heard this clydie thing before. jean must have done leads all alone and then never looked back until the albums came out. there was an episode of Friends where Phoebe does a commercial where she sings and tells everybody "wow my recorded voice sounds so great"!!