Norman Whitfield & The Supremes

**Jimi LaLumia** · 10-07-2011, 11:16 PM

Did it ever occur to anyone after HDH left, to give Norman Whitfield a shot at conjuring some late 60's/early 70's hit singles for The Supremes?..it seems like it should have been so obvious after his work with The Temptations..

**bradsupremes** · 10-08-2011, 12:39 AM

He did produce "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone" for the group in 1968; however the track never got to the stage of being finished. I don't think he would have been the best choice to produce for the group in the late 60's/early 70's. I love his work, but he was starting to get so fixated on psychedelic soul that it was turnoff for me. Don't get me wrong, he produced a lot of great songs in the psychedelic soul genre, but he really overdid it with the Temptations. I just don't think that sound would have worked well with the Supremes.

**reese** · 10-08-2011, 08:23 AM

He also produced THE NITTY GRITTY for the girls, although it wasn't released at the time. But Gladys Knight and the Pips heard it, and showed him what they would do with it. They ended up using the same backing track, and getting a big hit out of it.

**Jimi LaLumia** · 10-08-2011, 10:12 AM

he obviously would have adjusted his style a bit; look at the work he did with Rose Royce at few years later,that was hardly psychedelic soul

**jeff9nyc** · 10-08-2011, 10:24 AM

I think he would have been great with Jean!

**Jimi LaLumia** · 10-08-2011, 02:25 PM

can you imagine The Supremes getting a hold of "Car Wash" or Jean being given "I'm Going Down" or "Wishing On A Star"? the mind boggles...such a shame this did not come to be

**marv2** · 10-08-2011, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by jeff9nyc

I think he would have been great with Jean!

I agree with that! He would have found success with Jean leading on his productions rather than Diana Ross. She just did not have a very strong voice by the late 60's, early 70's.

**marv2** · 10-08-2011, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by Jimi LaLumia

can you imagine The Supremes getting a hold of "Car Wash" or Jean being given "I'm Going Down" or "Wishing On A Star"? the mind boggles...such a shame this did not come to be

Can you imagine the Supremes [[Mary,Scherrie and Cindy) getting a hold of the "You Gotta Believe" that the Pointer Sisters performed in the film "Car Wash"? whew!!!!!

**marv2** · 10-08-2011, 02:38 PM

Check it out and imagine Mary and Scherrie killin it on this......!!! "Let the Wilson Sisters set you free!" LOL!!!

**captainjames** · 10-08-2011, 10:18 PM

Norman was good with The Temptations and The Undisputed Truth and even with Gladys Knight and The Pips. Unfortunately, I don't think it was the right medicine for the girls.

**Jimi LaLumia** · 10-08-2011, 10:22 PM

we'll never know..

**johnjeb** · 10-09-2011, 08:05 AM

I always thought that The Jean-led Supremes, with either Cindy or Linda, should have covered "Papa Was A Rolling Stone". But Norman Whitfield had so many covers of his songs with Motown artists it probably was best The Supremes didn't attempt any. I'm not sure a medley of "Baby Love" and "Cloud Nine" would have worked!

Would any of the songs on Yvonne Fair's "Bitch Is Black" album have worked for any 70s Supremes grouping? I'm not hearing it.

I liked Diana's versions of "Nitty Gritty" and "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone", which is one of my favorite Motown songs. [[Why wasn't it ever released as a single by either Gladys or The Temptations?) Diana's version should have been included on the "Let The Sunshine In" LP instead of sitting in the vaults. It may not have been a strong vocal or production but neither are some of the other songs from that 1969 LP.

And let's not forget that Norman Whitfield wrote and produced "He Means The World To Me" [[recorded January 8, 1963) which was released as the flip to "Where Did Our Love Go" in June 1964.

**Jimi LaLumia** · 10-09-2011, 10:59 AM

It would have been interesting to hear Whitfield when 'he was on fire' in the late 60's, early 70s aligned with the group; everyone says music was changing during this period, well Whitfield reflected that change, he should have stepped into HDH territory

**luke** · 10-09-2011, 12:01 PM

I sure can hear a Mary lead on Papa was a rollin stone!

**tamla617** · 10-09-2011, 02:31 PM

Originally Posted by Jimi LaLumia

can you imagine The Supremes getting a hold of "Car Wash" or Jean being given "I'm Going Down" or "Wishing On A Star"? the mind boggles...such a shame this did not come to be

or "love dont live here anymore"?you couldnt do a better version's than rose royce did.

**Jimi LaLumia** · 10-09-2011, 02:42 PM

this is the type of material that Jean was probably looking for/ she brought "Never Can say Goodbye"[[and Clifton Davis) to Motown but the single was taken away from her and given to the Jackson 5; stunts like this are probably what made Jean go sour over time..can't blame her,but her sourness wound up hurting "The Supremes" brand by the end of her time there..

**motown01** · 10-20-2011, 06:00 PM

He also wrote [[and produced?) He Means The World To Me on the Where Did Our Love Go album.

huntergettingcaptured · 11-20-2011, 10:39 PM

Originally Posted by johnjeb

I liked Diana's versions of "Nitty Gritty" and "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone", which is one of my favorite Motown songs. [[Why wasn't it ever released as a single by either Gladys or The Temptations?) Diana's version should have been included on the "Let The Sunshine In" LP instead of sitting in the vaults. It may not have been a strong vocal or production but neither are some of the other songs from that 1969 LP.

I too thought Diana did a great job with "Nitty Gritty." I appreciate Diana's and The Gladys Knight & The Pips version for different reasons. I guess I was surprised at Diana's delivery when I first heard it. She sounds for the world to be having the best time of her life with the song. It's that vibe of fun that I really love about The Supremes' version.

When you hear all the vaulted tracks the Supremes had recorded, I have to scratch my head at why some of these couldn't have been used on those later albums. "Let The Sunshine In" has its moments, but it just seemed that there were quite a few stronger tracks that could have made for some dynamic listening on the last two Supremes' albums.