Originally Posted by
BayouMotownMan
All of these are factors but consider these complications and you know why the single tanked:
1. The group's latest and last lp, Mary, Scherrie & Susaye, was dead. The first single out bombed and Motown waited far too long to issue a second single to promote the album. LYG was barely distributed by Motown, I had to special order it.
2. The Supremes were dead. Mary and Pedro had pretty much driven the group into the ground. There was so much dissension that pretty much each lady was staying to herself while performing together.
3. Motown itself was dying a slow death. LYG was issued in early 1977, the beginning of one of Motown's worst years since the early 60s. The company only had a handful of hit singles and lps during this period and by the end of that year Motown was in trouble. They were also not developing enough new performers and of the ones they did sign, only High Inergy, Switch and Rick James were the only ones to take off. Only James sustained. Wonder, Gaye and the Commodores ruled while Ross stagnated and Robinson floundered. It would be two years before Gordy took back the label he created and got it up and running correctly again.
LYG was by and far a contract release. Motown attended the groups disastrous opening in Vegas and the word at the company is that they had degraded into an amateurish act. Scherrie Payne & Susaye Greene were both astounding vocalists and Mary even flourished with them. The most impressive grouping of Supremes would be that last group, when captured in the studio where the sound was controlled. On stage they often seemed to be competing with one another. Their stage show was all wrong, a mixture of Vegas and disco. Not a good mix.
Mary announced she was leaving, then tried to come back and what followed was a windfall for different lawyers in Hollywood.
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