Originally Posted by
RanRan79
I don't think it was wrong at all. Jean was Jean and she shouldn't have had to be Diana. Diana was one of a kind. There was never going to be any duplicating that. I'm also not convinced that the public during that earlier Jean period were turned off by Jean's lack of Diana-ness. In fact most of the reviews I've read of the group during this time often are extremely complimentary to the change, sometimes more favorable. Judging by the videos I've seen of the group during Jean's time, I don't find her listless, personality-less, annoyed, or any of the adjectives I've seen thrown at her in this forum on occasion. And honestly, if the group was going to get back to a true group style, did they really need another larger than life persona?
Admittedly, I've often wondered if it was a detriment to the group that Jean wasn't a Diana clone. Personally, if I were casting Diana's replacement at the time, I probably would've tried like hell to get Freda Payne. Freda was uber glamorous, modern sexy, and vocally gifted, and had the ability to transcend genres, the latter of which had to be a prerequisite for the job, I would think. [[Of course this would all hinge on Freda's- a veteran soloist- desire to conform to a group, which she may not have wanted to do.) Freda is one of those "Why the HELL Isn't She Bigger" singers. I have most of her 70s albums and it's disappointing that very little of it resulted in her being a household name. But I digress. Freda had an eye catching onstage, on camera, persona that I think might have worked well in the Supremes if Diana's replacement had to fill Diana's shoes almost to the tip. Jean's star quality IMO was much more understated.
I've seen it written [[in the forum) that Jean wasn't glamorous or she looked awkward, but I rarely see that. To me Jean had a very regal bearing that was a cross between being in line with the times of the "I Am Black Woman...Hear Me Roar" and classic Hollywood. She comes across as every bit Supreme in their glam wear, although I do think she looks more homely in street clothes than the Supremes who came before her, who were usually every bit the star in Supreme wear and out of it. But more importantly than anything, Jean's voice was phenomenal, and for the love of music, Jean should never have had to compete with Diana Ross. [[By competition, I'm referring to the conversation about Jean as Diana's replacement. Any incarnation of Supremes was going to forever be in the shadow of Diana, Flo and Mary. Even DRATS couldn't measure up.)
Ultimately, as great as some of those early cuts were, I think the sound of the Supremes' songs during the early 70s lacked that certain thing that jumps out and makes the average person want to run out and buy the single, or wait impatiently for the DJs to spin it over the radio. They needed a "I Love You For All Seasons" or "Walking In the Rain With the One I Love" and instead they were doing "Floy Joy", which is a nice enough song, and of course did hit pretty big, but is mostly forgotten today. I think I may have heard "Floy Joy" on the radio once in the 90s. Maybe.
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