Originally Posted by
RanRan79
I agree. I've said before that with the original trio, you had three friends from the same neighborhood who had been together, by 1967, for nearly a decade. You can literally watch them evolve from sort of girl next doors, 64-65, to young ladies with some life experience, 66-67. The three of them together had a certain kind of charm, youthful charm, that really enhanced their image.
Then Flo is out and Cindy is in and lets be real: the Supremes with Flo are an entirely different entity than DRATS. Prior to, the Supremes were a real trio. Yes, Diana was positioned more prominently, but when you watch most of their performances, the interviews, look at the photo shoots, listen to the live shows, it was all about the group. Diana was sort of icing on the cake, but the cake is always best when eaten in totality.
On the other hand, DRATS was all about Diana Ross. She was the cake and the icing, with Mary and Cindy more or less cake toppers. Lol The interesting thing is that the DRATS trio did some fantastic group work, like the Fats Waller medley, but there was no mistaking who the focal point is supposed to be. And while Diana's position was moved even further ahead of Mary and Cindy, the act became more sophisticated, more sleek, more mature, and I do think that is owed in part to Cindy, who was quite a bit more polished than Florence when it came to movement.
Honestly, with Flo's departure, the Supremes became something else, which is why I almost always refer to mid 67 thru Jan 70 as DRATS and not the Supremes. Even with the group still 2/3 of the originals [[not counting Barbara for this), something was missing when Flo was gone. But still, with Cindy's joining, the act gained something else. But the Supremes would never be THE SUPREMES again.
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