The Andrews Sisters sing The Supremes.

[mysterysinger]

[Kamasu_Jr]

Another good TV performance by the Supremes. They also performed My World Is Empty... and Fancy Passes.

[reese]

This clip shows what great harmony DMF had. IMO, none of the other girls at Motown can touch them when it comes to that.

[antceleb12]

If anyone wants to find a clip of Florence taking the lead, look up the performance of "My World..." from this same show. Her mic was so loud, she basically drowned out both Mary and Diana lmao! Sound engineer must have fallen asleep on that one!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-hHUxu3Gno

[smark21]

If anyone wants to find a clip of Florence taking the lead, look up the performance of "My World..." from this same show. Her mic was so loud, she basically drowned out both Mary and Diana lmao! Sound engineer must have fallen asleep on that one!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-hHUxu3Gno

And Flo having her mic jacked up like that made that performance something of a train wreck except amongst those who think singing loud = great singing.

[thanxal]

If you look at the mics, it is clear that Florence and Diana inadvertently switched positions. Look at the feet of the mic stand and the mic itself. I do like hearing Flo sing, though. I don't think it made the performance a wreck... on the "My World" clip

[franjoy56]

What train wreck, Florence Ballard carried the singing's higher register on the Andrews sisters medley which is what those songs called for and she sounds great, which is why she was placed in the middle, [[lead voice) I don't think Diana carried that sound in which these songs called for, give Flo her props. And I don't see anything wrong with her performance on mwiewy she sounds louder and they way the song should have been released in the studio adding more variety, the same effect on the Ed Sullivan Show 2.19.66

[Methuselah2]

A few things about this number has always struck me:

The Andrews Sisters seem to have added a bit a parody in their renditions of Supremes' hits while The Supremes did beautiful renditions of those by The Andrews Sisters.

And The Supremes sounded great. Particularly Flo. I just wish Diana hadn't jumped in front of Flo in the early part. Seemed unnecessary to do. And there was nowhere for Flo to go but behind Diana and be hidden. Just a little too awkward to have found that necessary to do. And it would have been so nice to just let Flo have that brief solo, especially since she was right in the middle already. But Flo was the highlight of the medley for me anyway, just as her over-miced performance of WORLD was.

"And Flo, she don't know"? I think she knew; we knew; everyone knew. But nobody knew what to do.

Thanks for posting, Mysterysinger.

[thanxal]

THe Andrews Sisters appear to be slightly parodying the Supremes' songs, but they aren't. That is the style of singing that the Andrews Sisters are known for. If you listen to any of their records [[Bei Mir Bist Du Schoën, Aurora, Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree) you'll hear that the inflection and exaggeration they use in "Baby Love" on this clip are par for the course for the way they sing.

[Methuselah2]

Thanxal - I'd have to say yes and no. I completely agree with you about the Andrews Sisters' style of singing and their inflections. But this time, something else also seemed to be at work--their reaction to The Supremes' music. It was performed with what seemed to me a bit of a dismissive approach--it had nothing of the concentration on sound and execution with which The Supremes clearly showed when they performed The Andrews Sisters' songs. I think The Andrews Sisters were somewhat casting The Supremes' songs aside. That's what the effect felt like to me. Too much editorializing, too much commenting by The Andrews Sisters for me. Was it not there, or not intended? I suppose we'll never know for sure. But I think each group performed with very different approaches to the other's music. As mentioned, I do agree with you about style and inflection. But The Andrews Sisters were talented and could do a lot of different things very well, with great harmonizing and with seriousness. They were well known for their comedic approach, and perhaps that's what they were going for here. It just seemed to have an edge to it that it didn't need. With Sammy setting the routine up and sitting in-between them, it became a throwback to the ol' "battle of the groups." And I think The Supremes, taking the high-road by focusing strictly on performance and on serving The Andrews Sisters' music well, hit the mark. With the surprise bonus of Flo's voice coming through to full advantage.

[Kamasu_Jr]

I agree. Sammy knew what he was doing. You can see it in his expressions. There was a lot of talk about how the Andrews Sisters were the best selling female group of all time and Sammy set em up to show they had been eclipsed by three black girls from Detroit. I'm sure Sammy liked the Andrews Sisters, but he really championed the Supremes. The Andrews Sisters eventually retired. You rarely hear their music on the radio anymore.

[antceleb12]

I love both the Andrews Sisters and the Supremes, but for different reasons. They each had their own era, and they each had their own totally different styles. They're totally incomparable aside from the fact that they were both female singing trios. Comparing the two would be like comparing the Supremes with the Three Degrees - different eras, different styles.

[Sacramento John]

Interesting discussion! I thought the Andrews Sister's take on "Stop" was pretty good, "Baby Love" it seemed to that they were poking fune at Diana with their exagerated opening "u-uuu-uuu" and "WDOLG" they turned it into a campy burlesque routine! Now maybe it was that they realized they were middle aged women trying to sing songs made famous by young women DECADES younger than them, so "Yuck it up." I try and imagine what Diana Mary & Cindy would do in a simular situation with Destiny's Child. Upon now thinking of it, it took a lot of guts for both groups to go through with this on TV. I'm thankful we have the video,. I wish it would get "cleaned up" [[Is it possible?) and get released commercially along with alot of the other TV appearances of the Supremes: like the Fats Waller medley, Millie-Rose-Mame

[smark21]

The Andrews Sisters/Supremes performance isn’t a trainwreck; I just think the My World performance is a trainwreck at times. Flo is singing background on the lead mic while Diana is singing lead on a mic set for background. It throws the performance off and at the end it seems Diana gets insecure and jumps in front of Flo. Maybe that’s how it was choreographed, but I could be wrong. Also, while I like it when the background vocals are turned up on Supremes songs, I don’t like it on My World is Empty Without You. The HDH mix with the background set far back is perfect given the theme of the song. The backgrounds on the recording are faint and ambient, lending it a haunting quality. The live performances with the background turned up really distract from the song. If the singer’s world is really empty, she sure has a lot of noisy people trying to invade her space! My World is Empty Without You is really a soloist song, given the lyrics, not a group performance song.

[smark21]

Maybe the Andrews’ camped up Where Did Our Love Go because they disliked the song as much as The Supremes did? And since it wasn’t their hit song, they had the freedom to have fun with it, which the Supremes couldn’t do at that time. Also the Andrews Sisters didn’t quit the business because of the rise of the Supremes but because LaVerne became ill, quit the act and died in the late 60’s. And Patti and Maxine really couldn’t carry on the act with a third as they didn’t get along. The two of them barely spoke for the last 20-25 years of Maxine’s life.

[Kamasu_Jr]

The Andrews Sisters didn't get along and probably retired in the latter Sixties because the times had changed for them and other old-timers. They did come back in a nostalgia musical, OVER THERE. But I think the Supremes kicked their asses on Sammy Davis Jr.'s show.

[franjoy56]

The Andrews Sisters/Supremes performance isn’t a trainwreck; I just think the My World performance is a trainwreck at times. Flo is singing background on the lead mic while Diana is singing lead on a mic set for background. It throws the performance off and at the end it seems Diana gets insecure and jumps in front of Flo. Maybe that’s how it was choreographed, but I could be wrong. Also, while I like it when the background vocals are turned up on Supremes songs, I don’t like it on My World is Empty Without You. The HDH mix with the background set far back is perfect given the theme of the song. The backgrounds on the recording are faint and ambient, lending it a haunting quality. The live performances with the background turned up really distract from the song. If the singer’s world is really empty, she sure has a lot of noisy people trying to invade her space! My World is Empty Without You is really a soloist song, given the lyrics, not a group performance song.

That is truly an interesting concept so much noise behind Diana trying convince everyone her world is empty without background noise.

[franjoy56]

How did the mic's gett switched on the show and whose idea was it to put Flo in the middle of the performance setup. Like I always said Flo was the voice that came from the background to highlight those recordings.

[smark21]

How did the mic's gett switched on the show and whose idea was it to put Flo in the middle of the performance setup. Like I always said Flo was the voice that came from the background to highlight those recordings.

Most likely a goof on the part of the stage hands. I remember a girl group performance on Showtime at the Apollo from 1990-91 in which one of the backpart singers was tall, the other short. But the mics they were [[lip)synching into were set such that the tall one was leaning down into her stand while the short one was looking up into her mic stand. I always thought that was a goof as well.

[franjoy56]

Well that didn't happen here because Flo and Diana are comfortably singing in their mic's, and if Flo was no suppose to be in the middle in which she was Ross would have made a big deal over it, Flo's voice fit the tone of the songs that were at hand.

[smark21]

Well that didn't happen here because Flo and Diana are comfortably singing in their mic's, and if Flo was no suppose to be in the middle in which she was Ross would have made a big deal over it, Flo's voice fit the tone of the songs that were at hand.

I'm referring to the My World performance, not the Andrews Sisters one.

[supremester]

Smark, I agree with you on MWIEWY. It definitely needs as little bg as possible. Somewhere there's an old mix with more bg that really works but I can't find it.
The Andrews Sisters appear to me to be making light of The Supremes' hits. They are, by Andrews standards, much more simple. However, I feel they borderlined on disrespectful. The Supremes had already moved 15 million units by the time this aired and The A's might have decided to show them what's what. It didn't work tho, because The Supremes nailed The A's songs, but the A's couldn't sing Motown - correctly. I love hearing my own personal Florence Ballard shine on these.
Diana jumping in front of Flo? That stuff is all done in blocking rehearsals, through the director plus she needed to be heard. It's a non issue to me. Thanks for posting this - I love it!

[smark21]

I’m not sure they are being “disrespectful” as they are a bit embarrassed having to sing songs with such teenybopper lyrics and emotions. They’re middle aged women having to sing “baby baby” songs for this segment in a time when there was a much stronger cultural demarcation between adolescence and adulthood. They had two ways to go—sing them sincerely and risk looking absurd or camp it up and just be absurd. They chose to camp it up.

By the way, did The Andrews Sisters have a segment of their own on this show in which they performed their own song? If so, what did they sing?

[reese]

By the way, did The Andrews Sisters have a segment of their own on this show in which they performed their own song? If so, what did they sing?

They sang two or three songs right before Sammy and the Supremes came out for the medley. I can't remember the titles off the top of my head.

[milven]

...By the way, did The Andrews Sisters have a segment of their own on this show in which they performed their own song? If so, what did they sing?

Here is a synopsis of the show broadcast on March 4.1966

Sammy's guests are The Supremes, The Andrew Sisters, Jonathan Winters and Johnny Hartman. Highlights: Sammy opens with "This Will Be My Shining Hour". Jonathan does a skit on a bumbling nervous speech maker and then does his Dr. Melvin Hart schtick. Sammy sings "On a Clear Day", "Keeping Out of Mischief" and "It's My Delight". The Supremes sing "My World Is Empty Without You". The Supremes do a medley bit on "Money Isn't Everything". [[Sugar and Molasses) Sammy & Jonathan do a skit about a door-to-door salesman. Sammy performs a jazzy "Be Bom" with the dancers. Sammy plays a Jazz tune on the xylophone. Johnny Hartman sings "It Never Entered My Mind". Sammy & Jonathan do a skit called "Knock, Knock Whose There" tonight we our guest is Lord Trafalgar Whitney, owner, founder of the animal theatric farm. The Andrew Sisters perform "Collegiate" and "Last Night on the Back Porch." The Andrew Sisters do a song-and-dance skit with "Your Presence is Requested" and "Don't Bring Lulu". Sammy askes the Supremes to sing the Andrew Sisters Hits and the Andrew Sisters to sing the Supremes hits. The Andrew Sisters sing "Stop In the Name of Love", "Baby Love" and "Where Did Our Love Go?". The Supremes sing "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon", "I'll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time", "Roll Out the Barrel". And for the closing number both the Andrew Sisters and the Supremes sing a song to Sammy "The Birth of the Blues". Sammy and Jonathan appear in the final scene lighting up cigarettes and doing an improv with Jonathan being surprised by a beautiful gal.

[supremester]

I really do think they were making light of the material. These 3 old war horses looking like The Jane Hudson Trio I feel would have been better served to try to sell the songs as intended - as The Supremes did theirs. The Andrew Sisters could not have been bigger. They were originals and helped define the girl group strategy that The Supremes nailed on the other end. They were legends and had the love and respect of several generations - to me, acting that way, was disgraceful. Looking so awful didn't help, but these women really, truly icons - should have been better than that. I wonder if they did this in rehearsals.

PS: I played a bunch of MWIEWY's last night and can't find the one I'm looking for. Maybe I'm losing it as I was certain there was a Going Down For The Third Time with a fast piano roll at the start of the 2nd & 3rd verses and, evidently, there is not. I'll email my new addy from Shady Pines when I'm settled.

SupremesQUOTE=smark21;169375]I’m not sure they are being “disrespectful” as they are a bit embarrassed having to sing songs with such teenybopper lyrics and emotions. They’re middle aged women having to sing “baby baby” songs for this segment in a time when there was a much stronger cultural demarcation between adolescence and adulthood. They had two ways to go—sing them sincerely and risk looking absurd or camp it up and just be absurd. They chose to camp it up.

By the way, did The Andrews Sisters have a segment of their own on this show in which they performed their own song? If so, what did they sing?[/QUOTE]

[smark21]

If an act wants to send up another act’s songs, they have the right to as artists and performers. No song is that sacred, certainly not Where did Our Love Go, Baby Love and Stop in the Name of Love. Supremester, perhaps you’re being overprotective of those songs because you became a Diana Ross and Supremes fan when those songs were out and they mean so much to you? It’s too bad The Supremes didn’t send up The Andrews Sisters songs they performed. It’s not as if Roll out the Barrel or Bei Mir Bist du Schon are top drawer material by the best songwriters of the 30s and 40s. Of course if they had done so, as young black women, they might have been regarded by the white audience at home as either being disrespectful of their elders or of white women. The double standard at play? Quite likely.

Anyway, it’s not as if the Supremes management and show directors/producers had a great deal of respect for Where, Baby, and Stop, as Where eventually faded from the act and Baby Love and Stop were folded into rushed up big band style medleys that would have been quite at home in The Andrews Sisters nightclub show of the era, I suspect.

[smark21]

Thanks Millven for finding the summary. TV entertainment sure has changed over the last 50 years. And it seems that The Andrews Sisters, by and large, sang songs that were unable to leave the popular culture of its era and become standards. Oh well…they will always have Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B as their timeless contribution to American popular song.

[supremester]

The right? Certainly they have the right. As Marv 2 so eloquently said in his forum [[when commenting on Mary wilson's request for fans to keep her and Diane's names out of their "petty squabbles" "This is America [ I every every right to say what i want to because I am guaranteed freedom of speech under the constitution of the United States.") And, as always, i agree with Marv2. And, now you. They had every right to do a send up, dress as Martians or sing in Pig Latin. Are the songs sacred? Not to me, I don't think. I Do think that a huge, established bonafied superstar act like The Andrews Sisters making fun of the music of The Supremes was in very poor taste. Those very songs are the exact reason The Supremes were on that show and I believe The Andrews were implying they were lowering themselves to play trade off with these ridiculous teeny bopper songs. Had the bit been to send up each other's songs, I'd be fine with it. That was not the bit. I think it was rude and in very poor taste. You didn't see Miss Ross making fun of rap when LL Cool J was on her special. I've seen a lot of variety shows and never saw this before or since.

We will disagree on this. I believe this was not done at rehearsal that way and that had Berry known, he'd have put a stop to it. As for the rushed arrangements, I feel that is entirely a separate conversation and has nothing at all to do with The a's making fun of The Supremes. Those arrangements, live, back in the day, oddly enough, worked more than they didn't. I once saw The 4 Tops do Sugar pie honey bunch and Reach Out so fast, that it was like Martha' Ray's encore where she did her entire act over - only at break neck pace. Levi could barely get the words out.

If an act wants to send up another act’s songs, they have the right to as artists and performers. No song is that sacred, certainly not Where did Our Love Go, Baby Love and Stop in the Name of Love. Supremester, perhaps you’re being overprotective of those songs because you became a Diana Ross and Supremes fan when those songs were out and they mean so much to you? It’s too bad The Supremes didn’t send up The Andrews Sisters songs they performed. It’s not as if Roll out the Barrel or Bei Mir Bist du Schon are top drawer material by the best songwriters of the 30s and 40s. Of course if they had done so, as young black women, they might have been regarded by the white audience at home as either being disrespectful of their elders or of white women. The double standard at play? Quite likely.

Anyway, it’s not as if the Supremes management and show directors/producers had a great deal of respect for Where, Baby, and Stop, as Where eventually faded from the act and Baby Love and Stop were folded into rushed up big band style medleys that would have been quite at home in The Andrews Sisters nightclub show of the era, I suspect.

[antceleb12]

I don't see how the Andrews Sisters are making fun of the Supremes at all. I think you're taking this a little too seriously. I've seen this clip countless times and I've never even seen anything that resembles mockery of the Supremes' music. I actually really enjoyed their renditions of the Supremes songs. They were just having fun with the songs, and I don't know about them doing it differently in rehearsal - I highly doubt the Andrews Sisters were trying to sabotage the Supremes!

But I will say the Andrews Sisters did kind of look like gypsies!

[reese]

I didn't find it disrespectful. I thought the Andrews Sisters were having fun with the new kids on the block, sort of like when Frank Sinatra sang with Elvis.

[1382hitsville]

Different times, different perceptions.

I enjoyed both performances and for it showed again that the Supremes are more than glitter, gossip, fighting and all the rest. They truly had talent.

What keeps me surprised is how much value is places on their behaviour. After over 40 years, every raised eyebrow, every wink, every move is analyzed to death and a value is based up on it.

Once I have given a seminar where I had to give a speech. Later the audience had to fill in a questionare about what they thought of the contents of the speech. They also had to evaluate my body language and imagine what I have meant with my body language.

It made me aware of so many things I never realized.

We, as fans, are doing the same thing now. Diana jumping in front of Florence, must have a meaning. Mary waving her arms, must have a meaning. Florence's mike turned up. Sabotage?

In my opinion it's pointless. Let's just value it as it is. A performance.

A performance very well done.

[smark21]

I agree with antceleb, reese and hitsville. The Supremes seem to have too many so called fans who love to wallow in perceived slights, catfights, and victimization…whether it’s of the group, or a particular member and dig for it in every minute piece of footage they view. It’s amazing the group lasted as long as they did if all the catfighting, slights, mean girl behavior and victimization were as prevalent as these “fans” like to portray it.

[milven]

The Andrews Sisters had much of the same drama. Fights with each other. A husband acting as their manger. A solo career for two of them. [[One more successful than the other) The group breaking up.
Patti trying a solo career that did not receive critical acclaim because she continued to use the Andrews Sisters in her billing, and her show concentrated too much on Andrews Sisters material, which did not allow Patty's own talents as a very expressive and bluesy vocalist to shine through.

I wonder if their fans were as bitchy as the Supremes' fans.

[luke]

People should say whatever they want. Id hope respectfully. Many here are Motown historians in many ways. I find it fascinating. And we know so much more now historically. Recently I mentioned to a vg friend of mine who is a huge Beatles fan that Yoko Ono had a number one dance record currently. Just her name triggered anger in him about the Beatles break up. His passion is from a love of the Beatles. I didnt judge him for it.

[luke]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-hHUxu3Gno My World Is Empty...

[supremester]

I showed this clip to a bunch of friends - some Supremes fans, some not. No one felt as I do. Some felt that I was totally crazed, some agreed that The A's were showing disrespect to the music on purpose but none felt they were making fun of The Supremes. BTW, The A's were dressed that way as the had just done a Roaring 20's medley.