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  1. #1
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    If Jean had stayed

    It’s hard to imagine her singing Driving Wheel and He’s My Man. And thought?

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    I loved Jean and all she brought to the group as they moved into the 70s. But I loved Scherrie and Susaye's contributions to the group, as well. Each of those three women were powerhouse vocalists displaying unique range and originality.

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    I don't think it's much of a leap from "Bad Weather" to "He's My Man" or "Driving Wheel." Extended disco mixes often provided ample oppotunity for ad libs, which Jean enjoyed doing.


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    Quote Originally Posted by luke View Post
    It’s hard to imagine her singing Driving Wheel and He’s My Man. And thought?
    We probably wouldn't have got Scherrie Payne as a Supreme. I'm sure she would have made music some other way, but I really liked her in the Supremes.

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    I really liked "I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking". No one can sing it quite like Scherrie Payne. I could hear Jean leading on material similar to what the Emotions were doing from the mid-70s and on.

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    very interesting question

    technically i sure think jean could do it. stylistically? i don't know. i keep going back and forth. to my ear, Scherrie's versions of Let Yourself Go and Walking are so indelible that it's hard to imagine someone else. scherrie's voice can sometimes have a lightness and bubbliness [[if that even makes sense lolol) that worked on these fun and exciting dance tracks. like the simple Do-do-do intro to Walking. it's fun, playful. Scherrie could also let her voice glide right up the scale. again, it's the lightness that makes it come off so effortlessly

    Jean is a stunning vocalist. but she has a heavier sound IMO. And that sound worked SO well commanding attention on Stoned Love and Nathan Jones. it's a powerful voice.

    Also the stuff the hollands did for MS&S included some rather experimental stuff. Come Into My Life, We Should be Closer, Dream Machine. Some of this might have worked for jean [[i think i could hear her doing lead on Dream) but not sure about other tracks. Again, Come Into My Life is sort of indelibly Susaye's

    So had Jean stayed - i think the girls could have gone into a heavier r&b direction. not sure bout her transitioning into the glossy disco era as well

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    I lost all interest in the group when Cindy and Jean left. The Supremes became a revolving door of ladies who all should have allowed the Supremes name to retire, and formed a new group. Who sang what might have had more meaning.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Circa 1824 View Post
    I lost all interest in the group when Cindy and Jean left. The Supremes became a revolving door of ladies who all should have allowed the Supremes name to retire, and formed a new group. Who sang what might have had more meaning.
    Most of the hardcore fans cared til the end but public moved on in 1972

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    Seriously. Hasn't this topic been threaded within an inch of its life [[if not to death)?

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    I think the group may have fared better if Jean had never left. She was the lead singer of the Supremes from 1970-73. And while the group had some misses during that time, they also had some hits. None of the albums released during that time flew off the shelves, but no one was of the opinion that any of them were klunkers. [[JW album might be the exception. I know many of us fans give it an overall thumbs down, more or less because we hold the opinion that it wasn't the right direction for the group as opposed to the album being generally bad. But I'd be interested to know what critics thought of it at the time.) The JW album wasn't a career ender. And I can't imagine that something- if not "Bad Weather", something else- from the proposed Stevie album would've resulted in some group action. If not, with Jean they could have still moved onto the next thing.

    There's a high probability that when they returned to Motown, that the Hollands would've come on board as producers for the Jean Supremes as well. I'm sure everyone was hoping that the reunion of the Supremes [[Mary) and HH would recapture at least a bit of the old chemistry. Would Jean have gotten the Scherrie leads? That's debatable. I agree with Marv that the group probably would've done a lot more stuff like the Emotions and other female groups at the time who were not necessarily heavily disco influenced. I like to think that with Jean still in the group, they may have done more stuff like "When Will I See You Again".

    As lead singers, Jean and Scherrie bring different sounds to the group. Jean is a perfect fit for r&b/pop. I think if the Supremes had continued to record more of that as opposed to dance music, they would have had an easier time securing another big hit. Scherrie can sing anything, but she really did have a voice that was well suited to the bombastic rhythms of disco. I love that Mary was allowed to step forward and sing more. Her forte being ballads would've really worked with the group focusing more on r&b/pop. Dance wasn't Mary's thing, although there's exceptions to the rule.

    Jean and Mary seeing the Supremes all the way through the 70s would have allowed the group to retain it's 70s identity rather than be seen as a revolving door. And the consistency in membership would have made for easier transitions through the changing landscape of popular music.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    very interesting question

    technically i sure think jean could do it. stylistically? i don't know. i keep going back and forth. to my ear, Scherrie's versions of Let Yourself Go and Walking are so indelible that it's hard to imagine someone else. scherrie's voice can sometimes have a lightness and bubbliness [[if that even makes sense lolol) that worked on these fun and exciting dance tracks. like the simple Do-do-do intro to Walking. it's fun, playful. Scherrie could also let her voice glide right up the scale. again, it's the lightness that makes it come off so effortlessly

    Jean is a stunning vocalist. but she has a heavier sound IMO. And that sound worked SO well commanding attention on Stoned Love and Nathan Jones. it's a powerful voice.

    Also the stuff the hollands did for MS&S included some rather experimental stuff. Come Into My Life, We Should be Closer, Dream Machine. Some of this might have worked for jean [[i think i could hear her doing lead on Dream) but not sure about other tracks. Again, Come Into My Life is sort of indelibly Susaye's

    So had Jean stayed - i think the girls could have gone into a heavier r&b direction. not sure bout her transitioning into the glossy disco era as well
    I suspect a different lead singer results in different material. I can't imagine anyone approaching Jean with most of the stuff that Scherrie sang lead on. So with Jean in the group, I don't think we talk about 90 percent of this stuff in relation to the Supremes. It would be other music.

    The one Scherrie lead I always thought fit Jean was in fact "Sweet Dream Machine".

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    When I first heard, "When Will I See You Again" on the radio in the Fall of 1974, I thought it was the Supremes with Jean Terrell. I had forgotten she had left the group the year before. It is sung in very much her/their style.

    The Supremes sang "Come with me......" [[Up the Ladder to the Roof), while
    The Three Degrees sang "Precious moments....." [[ When Will I See You Again) as the opening bars to their respective songs just sounded very similar to me at the time.
    Last edited by marv2; 04-02-2020 at 05:18 AM.

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    That’s interesting Marv and makes sense! An Emotions direction makes sense. The fans had come to really accept Cindy and Jean was a smash in her tv appearance on Ed Sullivan. If the group had continued with Mary , Cindy and Jean anything was possible. Marv and Cindy maintained continuity and Jean was just superb and r&b pop would make it thru the disco craze perhaps a la Best of My Love.

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    Quote Originally Posted by luke View Post
    That’s interesting Marv and makes sense! An Emotions direction makes sense. The fans had come to really accept Cindy and Jean was a smash in her tv appearance on Ed Sullivan. If the group had continued with Mary , Cindy and Jean anything was possible. Marv and Cindy maintained continuity and Jean was just superb and r&b pop would make it thru the disco craze perhaps a la Best of My Love.
    Yes! I also have to believe that Motown would have been forced to support them as they had the potential to generate a substantial amount of revenue. To not support them is just a poor business strategy. They had already proved that they were very well accepted by the public.

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    Quote Originally Posted by luke View Post
    That’s interesting Marv and makes sense! An Emotions direction makes sense. The fans had come to really accept Cindy and Jean was a smash in her tv appearance on Ed Sullivan. If the group had continued with Mary , Cindy and Jean anything was possible. Marv and Cindy maintained continuity and Jean was just superb and r&b pop would make it thru the disco craze perhaps a la Best of My Love.
    Another funny/strange thing I just remembered. A year after thinking Jean was singing with the Supremes on "When Will I See You Again", in 1975 when I first heard "Right Back Where We Started From" by Maxine Nightingale, I thought it sounded a lot like Mary and the Supremes.

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    I guess I wonder what might have happened if Jean stayed and Cindy returned. It's hard to think about a Jean, Mary, Scherrie lineup.

    I'm wondering if Motown would have had more interest with JMC part II.

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    For me, the loss of The Motown Sound made a huge impact.

    West Coast Motown didn't have such a strong identity or appeal. The Detroit Motown Sound grew organically, but what followed thereafter didn't arise in the same way. I think that this was the change that did for Motown and that also did for its remaining roster of classic Motown groups, including The Supremes, more than anything else. Overnight, Motown went from leading to following.

    The Motown acts that consistently succeeded were all acts with their own individual musical identity that transcended the Detroit Motown Sound. Marvin, Stevie, The Commodores and Smokey etc. are all examples of this.

    Other artists had to hop onto other bandwagons to achieve success. Eddie with Sigma Sound, David with Van McCoy etc. Diana with various producers and even doing Donna Summer lite. None of this was, however, "Motown".

    For me it was sad to see it all end in this way. But time moves on, music evolves and tastes amongst the music buying public change.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sotosound View Post
    For me, the loss of The Motown Sound made a huge impact.

    West Coast Motown didn't have such a strong identity or appeal. The Detroit Motown Sound grew organically, but what followed thereafter didn't arise in the same way. I think that this was the change that did for Motown and that also did for its remaining roster of classic Motown groups, including The Supremes, more than anything else. Overnight, Motown went from leading to following.

    The Motown acts that consistently succeeded were all acts with their own individual musical identity that transcended the Detroit Motown Sound. Marvin, Stevie, The Commodores and Smokey etc. are all examples of this.

    Other artists had to hop onto other bandwagons to achieve success. Eddie with Sigma Sound, David with Van McCoy etc. Diana with various producers and even doing Donna Summer lite. None of this was, however, "Motown".

    For me it was sad to see it all end in this way. But time moves on, music evolves and tastes amongst the music buying public change.
    What was incredibly sad to me is that many, many of the early Motown artists were left in Detroit. All of them still had talent [[Ian Levine showed this in the late 80s and early 90s), but without a recording company.

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    Quote Originally Posted by PeaceNHarmony View Post
    Seriously. Hasn't this topic been threaded within an inch of its life [[if not to death)?
    Don't get on line for the Ferris Wheel if you want to ride the Log Flume.

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    I think Scherrie was far more suited for the disco era. Jean's voice was identifiable but I think her unhappiness with the Supremes' image at that time would have caused problems within the group and Motown. Jean seemed happiest at the start and when she was with Lynda. Motown had lost interest. I don't know what would have happened had she stayed, since she was unhappy with the label and Mary's reliance on the Supremes image. Who knows who they would have put the group with in 1973-74 and what sound they would have developed after Bad Weather. I think the feelings she had toward the company and the image would have not boded well for what would have happened. They certainly would still sound great but the question of whose material would they have done? Jean certainly would not have been the right sound for the songs Scherrie, Mary and Susaye sang in the last 3 albums. I think they brought new life to the group and if jean had stayed it may have continued on the path of Jimmy Webb and the following singles which didn't fare well as they should have.

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    Quote Originally Posted by jim aka jtigre99 View Post
    I think Scherrie was far more suited for the disco era. Jean's voice was identifiable but I think her unhappiness with the Supremes' image at that time would have caused problems within the group and Motown. Jean seemed happiest at the start and when she was with Lynda. Motown had lost interest. I don't know what would have happened had she stayed, since she was unhappy with the label and Mary's reliance on the Supremes image. Who knows who they would have put the group with in 1973-74 and what sound they would have developed after Bad Weather. I think the feelings she had toward the company and the image would have not boded well for what would have happened. They certainly would still sound great but the question of whose material would they have done? Jean certainly would not have been the right sound for the songs Scherrie, Mary and Susaye sang in the last 3 albums. I think they brought new life to the group and if jean had stayed it may have continued on the path of Jimmy Webb and the following singles which didn't fare well as they should have.
    Jean's first solo single, "I Had to Fall In Love" sounded like something Anne Murray would sing.

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    Quote Originally Posted by jim aka jtigre99 View Post
    I think Scherrie was far more suited for the disco era. Jean's voice was identifiable but I think her unhappiness with the Supremes' image at that time would have caused problems within the group and Motown. Jean seemed happiest at the start and when she was with Lynda. Motown had lost interest. I don't know what would have happened had she stayed, since she was unhappy with the label and Mary's reliance on the Supremes image. Who knows who they would have put the group with in 1973-74 and what sound they would have developed after Bad Weather. I think the feelings she had toward the company and the image would have not boded well for what would have happened. They certainly would still sound great but the question of whose material would they have done? Jean certainly would not have been the right sound for the songs Scherrie, Mary and Susaye sang in the last 3 albums. I think they brought new life to the group and if jean had stayed it may have continued on the path of Jimmy Webb and the following singles which didn't fare well as they should have.
    yeah - i think the idea of Jean continuing past 73 was an impossible notion. she was so disenfranchised with Motown, the old Supremes image/sound/style, Mary. Jean had her own ideas about how she wanted to lead the group but basically was told no.

    but putting that aside [[since this is just fantasy talk anyway), I wonder too if they could have gone a more r&b and funk direction rather than disco. it's possible that they could have rebounded in the mid 70s with a sound like that. but then once EVERYONE went disco in late 77 and 78, the girls would have had to at least do some sort of dance thing. trying to think of top disco songs they might have really clicked with...

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    Quote Originally Posted by PeaceNHarmony View Post
    Seriously. Hasn't this topic been threaded within an inch of its life [[if not to death)?
    i'll admit that this topic has been on here a lot. but hell - there haven't been much discussion going on here recently. which is odd since we're all quarantined. I tried to get things going on the Album Sales thread with the chart data. And initiated a thread or two on here.

    so feel free to kick off a discussion on another topic.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    Jean's first solo single, "I Had to Fall In Love" sounded like something Anne Murray would sing.
    That’s a good analogy.
    If Jean had remained one would presume Motown would have continued to provide the group with material suited to Jeans voice. A little disco to move with the times but more r & b orientated. I can’t imagine Jean would have been to happy if directed to do all that frantic prancing about that so marred the groups latter day performances. This makes me think that presentation wise things might have been heaps better had Jean stayed. I’ve always believed that clumsy, over animated choreography as well as Lynda’s departure played a huge part in their downfall.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    When I first heard, "When Will I See You Again" on the radio in the Fall of 1974, I thought it was the Supremes with Jean Terrell. I had forgotten she had left the group the year before. It is sung in very much her/their style.

    The Supremes sang "Come with me......" [[Up the Ladder to the Roof), while
    The Three Degrees sang "Precious moments....." [[ When Will I See You Again) as the opening bars to their respective songs just sounded very similar to me at the time.
    I can hear that.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marybrewster View Post
    I guess I wonder what might have happened if Jean stayed and Cindy returned. It's hard to think about a Jean, Mary, Scherrie lineup.

    I'm wondering if Motown would have had more interest with JMC part II.
    Yeah, I didn't address it in my post, but my thoughts about Jean remaining in the group were contingent on Scherrie not being a part of the group. Either Lynda still exits and is replaced by Cindy, or both Lynda and Jean remain with the group. I can't imagine much chemistry between Jean and Scherrie.

    Interesting ponder of JMC part 2. It's possible they may have elicited more interest from the company.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sotosound View Post
    For me, the loss of The Motown Sound made a huge impact.

    West Coast Motown didn't have such a strong identity or appeal. The Detroit Motown Sound grew organically, but what followed thereafter didn't arise in the same way. I think that this was the change that did for Motown and that also did for its remaining roster of classic Motown groups, including The Supremes, more than anything else. Overnight, Motown went from leading to following.

    The Motown acts that consistently succeeded were all acts with their own individual musical identity that transcended the Detroit Motown Sound. Marvin, Stevie, The Commodores and Smokey etc. are all examples of this.

    Other artists had to hop onto other bandwagons to achieve success. Eddie with Sigma Sound, David with Van McCoy etc. Diana with various producers and even doing Donna Summer lite. None of this was, however, "Motown".

    For me it was sad to see it all end in this way. But time moves on, music evolves and tastes amongst the music buying public change.
    Agree 100 percent. This definitely had an impact on the public's relationship with the label. There's an interesting passage in the Holland bros book where they talk about how when they came back to Motown in the mid 70s the creative atmosphere had changed. I'm paraphrasing what I can remember, but basically it was like where the Detroit Motown had been a hotbed of creativity with a "family" atmosphere, the LA Motown was stale and very business like. I wish I could remember exactly what was written because it said so much about what ultimately happened to the label in the move west.

    Horrible decision of Gordy to move operations to LA. I get he wanted to get into films, and I don't knock his desire to do that. He believed he could do with movies what he did with music and he owed it to himself to try. Plus he knew he had a superstar in Diana Ross who could transcend music and she had obviously become too big for Detroit. But moving the entire company? That was crazy. Perhaps even idiotic. It also comes across like he gave Detroit the finger and that might be the saddest part.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    What was incredibly sad to me is that many, many of the early Motown artists were left in Detroit. All of them still had talent [[Ian Levine showed this in the late 80s and early 90s), but without a recording company.
    They still had talent but Ian Levine was probably the worst possible person to bring it back to the forefront. With just a few exceptions, those Motorcity recordings are some of the worst music I think any Motown artist has recorded. Most of it sounds like Karaoke. Most of those artists still had their soul chops and they were recording music that even the least talented of stars of the late 80s/early 90s would've turned down.

    What should have happened was a division of Motown should've been created in the wake of Motown 25 to bring back some of the old gang and see what they could do. The music of Motown past was enjoying a rebirth as a result of Motown 25 and the emerging cd era. You bring back the Funks. You sign Martha Reeves, Mary Wells, JR Walker, Brenda Holloway, the Contours, the Tops [[who were signed to Motown in '83 anyway), Kim Weston, and others. Maybe you reform the Supremes with Jean [[whom I consider to be a part of the Golden era), Mary and Cindy. Or maybe sign Mary alone. Possibly reform the Marvelettes. If not, sign Gladys and/or Wanda alone.

    And they wouldn't have to be parodies of their younger selves. Motown sounding songs were hitting big in the mid 80s by contemporary recording artists. It seems reasonable to me that new recordings made with the Funks, whom so many producers were trying to emulate, might produce some new life for Motown, which was down to a handful of acts that had any significant relevancy during this time. The new division might have produced some hits.

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    Quote Originally Posted by gman View Post
    Don't get on line for the Ferris Wheel if you want to ride the Log Flume.
    Such a badly needed Forum Public Announcement. It should be pinned to the entrance of every thread from now on.

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    Quote Originally Posted by jim aka jtigre99 View Post
    Jean certainly would not have been the right sound for the songs Scherrie, Mary and Susaye sang in the last 3 albums. I think they brought new life to the group and if jean had stayed it may have continued on the path of Jimmy Webb and the following singles which didn't fare well as they should have.
    JW was a severe flop, as were "Miss the Man" and "Weather". But they were not insurmountable flops. With the right producer involved, the right song, they would've been back on track again. Mary wrote about Jean dating Allen Toussaint and asking her to get him to produce some stuff on them. Jean refused. Now ultimately I respect Jean's right to not want to mix business and pleasure. It's often one of the best rules to have. But when you think about what Allen was able to do for Labelle and others during the 70s and the Supremes had access to him but didn't use him...the possibilities.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    Jean's first solo single, "I Had to Fall In Love" sounded like something Anne Murray would sing.
    Sure does. I love Anne Murray, so I guess it makes sense that I love "Had To Fall In Love".

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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    yeah - i think the idea of Jean continuing past 73 was an impossible notion. she was so disenfranchised with Motown, the old Supremes image/sound/style, Mary. Jean had her own ideas about how she wanted to lead the group but basically was told no.

    but putting that aside [[since this is just fantasy talk anyway), I wonder too if they could have gone a more r&b and funk direction rather than disco. it's possible that they could have rebounded in the mid 70s with a sound like that. but then once EVERYONE went disco in late 77 and 78, the girls would have had to at least do some sort of dance thing. trying to think of top disco songs they might have really clicked with...
    Of course things would've had to change in order for Jean to stay. That's a given.

    As far as everyone going disco, did the Emotions go disco? The Pointer Sisters didn't either. I think the Supremes would have had to jump into the fray because Motown pushed them there, but I don't think they would've ended up there organically. Believe it or not, the only disco song that became a hit that I could hear Jean doing is "Love Hangover". I think the dance part of the song with all the ad libs could've been classic Jean. Where Diana's ad libs were silly and fun, Jean's probably would've taken folks to church. So it would've been a different song, but I think the spirit of both versions would've been the same. Jean also may have been able to rock "Don't Leave Me This Way" if it were tailored to her voice as opposed to Thelma's.

    But I really can imagine the Jean led Supremes doing some Pointer Sisters material, a lot of Emotions, and also the group Hot. I could hear Jean doing "Angel In Your Arms" and having a hit with it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    i'll admit that this topic has been on here a lot. but hell - there haven't been much discussion going on here recently. which is odd since we're all quarantined. I tried to get things going on the Album Sales thread with the chart data. And initiated a thread or two on here.

    so feel free to kick off a discussion on another topic.
    I do quite frequently, SupFan! And always look forward to your threads and comments. Of course anyone [[including me!) can simply disregard re-re-repeated threads but sometimes it just rather amazes me that the same topics can be repeated so frequently.
    Last edited by PeaceNHarmony; 04-02-2020 at 02:01 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
    They still had talent but Ian Levine was probably the worst possible person to bring it back to the forefront. With just a few exceptions, those Motorcity recordings are some of the worst music I think any Motown artist has recorded. Most of it sounds like Karaoke. Most of those artists still had their soul chops and they were recording music that even the least talented of stars of the late 80s/early 90s would've turned down.

    What should have happened was a division of Motown should've been created in the wake of Motown 25 to bring back some of the old gang and see what they could do. The music of Motown past was enjoying a rebirth as a result of Motown 25 and the emerging cd era. You bring back the Funks. You sign Martha Reeves, Mary Wells, JR Walker, Brenda Holloway, the Contours, the Tops [[who were signed to Motown in '83 anyway), Kim Weston, and others. Maybe you reform the Supremes with Jean [[whom I consider to be a part of the Golden era), Mary and Cindy. Or maybe sign Mary alone. Possibly reform the Marvelettes. If not, sign Gladys and/or Wanda alone.

    And they wouldn't have to be parodies of their younger selves. Motown sounding songs were hitting big in the mid 80s by contemporary recording artists. It seems reasonable to me that new recordings made with the Funks, whom so many producers were trying to emulate, might produce some new life for Motown, which was down to a handful of acts that had any significant relevancy during this time. The new division might have produced some hits.
    I wasn't big on the Motor City recordings either. I asked Ian Levine about them and the videos he had recorded on the former Motown artists and he told me that most of the product was intended for foreign markets.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
    Sure does. I love Anne Murray, so I guess it makes sense that I love "Had To Fall In Love".
    That same year, 1978 Anne Murray struck gold with "You Needed Me".

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    Now i can definitely hear Jean doing fast, dance-able, upbeat songs. But dance songs that still fit her voice. As i mentioned, i think a lot of the Scherrie songs don't

    have been giving it some thought though and here are some i do think could have worked or maybe been easily adjusted

    Best of My Love

    Got to be real - love this idea!! i think jean could go wild with ad libs and all

    If i can't have you

    we are family - maybe?? it was done for a quartet but could be repurposed for MJL?

    MacArthur Park - hmmmm i don't think the breathy, sex-pot Donna songs like I Feel Love or Love to Love You would work for jean. But some of the heavier grittier ones might. and maybe this one? or No More Tears [[enough is enough)

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    Quote Originally Posted by PeaceNHarmony View Post
    I do quite frequently, SupFan! And always look forward to your threads and comments. Of course anyone [[including me!) can simply disregard re-re-repeated threads but sometimes it just rather amazes me that the same topics can be repeated so frequently.
    i know Peace

    on a broader perspective, i am surprised the board isn't more active right now

    This thread i think is slightly different in that we're putting a Jean-led group together in late 70s. Might also be interesting to discuss what a jean group would have done in the 80s! lol

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    yes the Emotions went disco and quite successfully too..... ....

    I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOUR LOVE [[ and FLOWERS) was a nightly staple in the clubs in the summer of '76 peaking at #4 and available to the masses on a commercial disco 12" single.

    For some reason CBS failed to press a 12" extended mix of BEST OF MY LOVE , this at a point when DJS had abandoned using 45s and weren't willing to play three minute songs , yet it still managed to reach a peak of #11...

    ..was BEST OF MY LOVE the last 45 to chart on the disco charts ??? Quite possibly.


    not to mention BOOGIE WONDERLAND with its colorful custom 12" sleeve:




    The Pointer Sisters scored in '79 [[#18 disco , this chart giving the song its highest peak) with this disco pressing of HAPPINESS, [[ wonderful rarely used disco jacket from the Planet label):



    but they had a really big surge in their career in early/mid eighties with their string of disco/dance product.
    Last edited by Boogiedown; 04-02-2020 at 02:52 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    i'll admit that this topic has been on here a lot. but hell - there haven't been much discussion going on here recently. which is odd since we're all quarantined.
    I'll only speak for myself but the constant bickering and terrible behavior by the usual suspects has decreased my enthusiasm for the forum. I've been off to another even earlier era of music where there is less meta-drama and more discussion of the music and how to collect it. Not that I don't fully love Motown, I still do, but I've lost my tolerance for the shenanigans that goes on just to get a small kernel of meaningful discussion.

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    Quote Originally Posted by thanxal View Post
    I'll only speak for myself but the constant bickering and terrible behavior by the usual suspects has decreased my enthusiasm for the forum. I've been off to another even earlier era of music where there is less meta-drama and more discussion of the music and how to collect it. Not that I don't fully love Motown, I still do, but I've lost my tolerance for the shenanigans that goes on just to get a small kernel of meaningful discussion.
    yeah the poison on here can be so off putting. occasionally i've been sucked into the mud slinging but i def try to either ignore it or redirect the dialog back on track. i guess the only thing i can do is try to encourage fans to simply step past the trash and focus on the music.

    I've been a fan of the supremes for decades now and i'm still learning things from other fans. that's why we're here

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    Quote Originally Posted by luke View Post
    It’s hard to imagine her singing Driving Wheel and He’s My Man. And thought?
    I say that Jean Terrell could've sang both The Supremes' "You're My Driving Wheel" & "He's My Man" [[as well as their other mid/late '70s songs) and made them her own if she had stayed with the group through the '70s [[it's unfortunate that we'll never know for sure if it would've worked).
    Last edited by Motown Eddie; 04-02-2020 at 04:27 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    i know Peace

    on a broader perspective, i am surprised the board isn't more active right now

    This thread i think is slightly different in that we're putting a Jean-led group together in late 70s. Might also be interesting to discuss what a jean group would have done in the 80s! lol
    With what we know about Jean's religious beliefs, it's difficult to think she would have had any interest in the more 'explicit' [[though, tame by current standards) music of the 80's. Could Jean have sung these songs? Of course! But ... would she have? My guess is no. Like almost all of us I wish Jean had chosen a productive solo career, but alas that was not her life's desire. Best to you in these challenging times!

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    One of my favorite Emotions songs "A Feeling Is". I can almost hear Jean, Mary, and Cindy.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    Jean's first solo single, "I Had to Fall In Love" sounded like something Anne Murray would sing.
    It is lightweight pop fluff....and the mix muddy's out with the violins at parts.

    I think "Don't Stop Reaching For The Top" was the debut single?.... It was certainly a stronger contender for getting some airplay at the time

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    Quote Originally Posted by gman View Post
    It is lightweight pop fluff....and the mix muddy's out with the violins at parts.

    I think "Don't Stop Reaching For The Top" was the debut single?.... It was certainly a stronger contender for getting some airplay at the time
    The only song from that album I ever heard on the radio was "I Had to Fall In Love" , which was the debut single. Keep in mind, this was at the very height of the Disco Era.

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    I do believe "Don't Stop Reaching For the Top" was Jean's first single from her A&M LP. I had bought the single at a local record shop along with the LP. I gave away the single to an acquaintance who was going to see Jean's final performance with the FLOs in LA, their anniversary gig, so I no longer have it. The same year At Their Best was released and the following year Mary Wilson and Partners were released, so it gave hope that they were on the track to be in the spotlight again with releases from all of them in a 2 year span of time. Unfortunately,Jean didn't want to tour,Mary was released the following year from Motown and the partners parted ways.

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    I could easily hear Jean taking on upbeat music like this proto-disco song of 1974:

    Last edited by Boogiedown; 04-03-2020 at 02:50 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Boogiedown View Post
    I could easily hear Jean taking on upbeat music like this proto-disco song of 1974:

    It's been said many times by several people that Jean and Dionne had a similar sound. I agree on certain songs they do.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    It's been said many times by several people that Jean and Dionne had a similar sound. I agree on certain songs they do.
    that's what I've noticed too. at times there's a certain similarity, when Jean goes a little light and breezy.

    I hear your point about The Three Degrees WHEN WISYA being similar to UP THE LADDER.....when you pointed it out , I could hear it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Boogiedown View Post
    that's what I've noticed too. at times there's a certain similarity, when Jean goes a little light and breezy.

    I hear your point about The Three Degrees WHEN WISYA being similar to UP THE LADDER.....when you pointed it out , I could hear it.
    Boogie, yeah, on both records the groups start off singing in unison.

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