Ultimate Collection, The - Diana Ross And The Supremes > Reviews > A Revolutionary Breakthorugh In Black Music

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Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	All 25 songs are classics in Soul and Popular music
Disadvantages:	None !

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Diana Ross and the Supremes broke down many racial barriers during their eventful reign in the 1960's. Rivalled by only Elvis Presley and The Beatles, their remarkable acheivements included 12 ground-breaking chart-toppers. Motown boss, Berry Gordy, intended to use his roster of artists to appeal too not only blacks but to
break into white culture too. Diana Ross And The Supremes were easily the most successful act at Motown to find acceptance in white culture whilst also shrewdly retaining their wide black base also.

There are popular misconceptions about The Supremes, that Diana Ross stepped all over Mary Wilson and the groups founder, Florence Ballard in a ruthless bid to be the sole star of the group. Mary Wilson had a breathy, seamless, pleasant-sounding soprano whilst Florence Ballards startling vocal delivery was more raw and earthy and indeed possessed a higher volume level than Diana Ross. But with Diana Ross, they immediately had a unique sound that set them instantly apart from other Motown acts. Her soft, soulful voice which was crystal-clear and neatly surfboarded along Motowns complex musical arrangements, conveyed raw elements of vulnreability and naievity that proved immensley popular to the sound of young America. She had a regal presence and was in a class and style of her own and this evidently is what Berry Gordy spotted in her when he signed her to Detroit's Tamla Motown Records in January 1961.

As the civil rights wars continued across America, the sound of Motown offered seemingly light at the end of the tunnel with their racial-crossing music.

1. WHEN THE LOVELIGHT STARTS SHINING THROUGH HIS
EYES

This single packed a wallop like none of the other Supremes releases had to this point.Released in late 1963, When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes marked the dawn of The Supremes legendary collaboration with Motowns hottest writers, Holland-Dozier-Holland who along
with Motown's superb, unsung heros The Funk Brothers (Motowns fantastic in-house band who are heard on the majority of Motown's most classic hits throughout the 1960's) helped define what was commonly referred to as "The Motown Sound - The Sound Of Young America".Holland-Dozier-Holland were also instrumental in developing a focus, sound and identity for The Supremes where others such as the genius Smokey Robinson had surprisingly failed.

Containing an effective, riviting conga beat that generally had all the emphasis of the trademark Motown sound, When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes captured a strong, red-blooded and unusually assertive vocal performance from the magical Diana Ross. Indeed a classic, When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes
disappointingly only endured marginal chart success where it glided in at No.23 on the U.S Billboard Charts. On that note it was certainly a significant breakthrough for The Supremes as this had made far more noise than their previous singles. Their highest chart position before When
The Lovelight was No.75 with the Smokey Robinson number, A Breath Taking Guy. The Supremes had even dubbed as the "no-hit" Supremes by fellow Motown colleagues. Whilst key Motown artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Mary Wells and The Marvelettes were doing respectable business on the charts, the
"no-hit" Supremes had literally recorded flop after flop.

2. WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO

The follow-up to When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes was the frantically paced Run, Run, Run. Whilst being a nifty affair with instant immediacy, Run, Run, Run anchored at No.93 on the U.S Hot 100, a full seventy places
lower than When The Lovelight. Holland-Dozier-Holland then offered the now distraught Supremes, Where Did Our Love Go.

Where Did Our Love Go had already been rejected by Mary Wells (most famous for one of the defining Motown classics, My Guy) and Motown's premier female group, The Marvelettes (who helped put Motown on the map by delivering the labels first ever chart-topper with the classic, Please Mr Postman). Lead vocalist of The Marvelettes, Gladys Horton, labelled Where Did Our Love Go
"junk". Diana, Florence and especially Mary absolutely hated the song, finding it too mundane in its simplicity and considered it too be not soulful enough. They never believed for one second that Where Did Our Love Go would become a hit. Even Motown boss Berry Gordy predicted it
would just be a reasonably sized hit and go Top 20 if they were lucky. H-D-H were optimistic though and The Supremes were low on the totem pole at that point so they were in no position to pick and choose what they recorded.

Eddie Holland was adament he wanted Mary Wilson to head up front and take lead vocal duties on Where Did Our Love Go. The sultry, repetetive musical arrangements required a dry, salty voice which Eddie Holland believed was much more suited to Mary Wilson's voice than the upbeat, energetic sound of Diana Ross. It was then decided to be
put to the vote. Eddie Holland firmly stuck to his guns and voted in favour of Diana Ross. This proved to be a historic turning point as the entire history and fate of The Supremes could have been a completely different story had Mary Wilson taken the spotlight on Where Did Our Love
Go. The Supremes destiny had now been cemented and Diana Ross was now ranked as the groups permanent lead singer, much to the dismay of Florence Ballard (who held rocketing vocal abilities of her own although to be fair it did
lack the distinct and unique, sensual sound of the charismatic Diana Ross) and Mary Wilson.

In order to get that desired vocal performance out of Diana Ross, H-D-H dropped her key, dictating that she sing the song in a lower throat register. Diana simply oozed sensuality on Where Did Our Love Go, sounding sexy yet angelic. Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson provided the obligatory but effective backing vocls. The sweet and tight harmonies of Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson made for a magical combination.

Where Did Our Love Go caught on to the public liek a magnet, racing its way into pole position on teh charts. This was mereley the beginning of Supremes mania and the first in a sequence of Supremes mania and the first in a sequence of five consecutive chart toppers on both the Pop and R&B Charts. The Supremes had been travelling across the U.S.A on the Dick Clark Caravan Of Stars appearing alongside such notable chart acts of the day like The Shirelles, Gene Pitney and The Crystals. When The Supremes first started out on the Dick Clark Caravan Of Stars they were simply billed as "and others" but after the staggering chart-topping success of Where Did Our Love Go they were the HEADLINE attraction! Where Did our Love Go also paved the way for a successful chart run in Britain where it bounced up to No.3 on the U.K Singles Charts - LADIES AND GENTLEMAN: THE SUPREMES HAD ARRIVED!

3. BABY LOVE

Baby Love was amazingly even BIGGER where it topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic! Supremes mania was spreading across the globe like wild fire! Not bad for a group that only a year before had been referred to as the "no-hit" Supremes. By now everyone had their personla favourite Supreme but everyone knew who the skinny one in the middle was! Diana Ross instantly boasted a magnetic stage presence and was already being singled out by the media.

Baby Love was three minutes of pure, utter perfection and vastly continued in a similar style and sound to Where Did Our Love Go. Diana sparkles vocally with her exuberant delivery that's so touchingly sweet it's virtually impossible to fault. Florence and Mary add to the dazzling effects on Baby Love by their warm backing harmonies.

4. COME SEE ABOUT ME

Come See About Me swiftly followed hot on the trail of Baby Love's ground-breaking success and catapulted up to the top of the charts. This was a distinctley more sassy offering (and my own personal favourite of their trio of chart-toppers of 1964)where Diana delivers a more fiery lead performance. The dynamic and soulful backing harmonies of Florence and Mary reaches full effect when each verse steadily builds to the chrous. The Supremes sound was slightly more group oriented at this point and didn't fully revolve around the distinctive and crisp vocal style of Diana Ross.

On 27 December, 1964, The Supremes became the first all-black act to appear on teh top-rated variety television show, The Ed Sullivan Show to perform Come See About Me which was floating at the top of the charts that week. You really had to be somebody to be on The Ed Sullivan Show. Diana Ross rather laughably batted her eyes in a flirtatious manner and pulled funny faces at various points during her performance of Come See About Me. Even so, Diana clearly was a dynamic performer with a hypnotic presence. The Supremes became regular guest on The Ed Sullivan Show where it provided a useful tool to showcase their latest release.

At this stage, The Supremes enrolled at Motowns very own Artist Development class, run by Maxine Powell. It was a sort of charm school where groups like The Supremes were taught how to refine their act, how to groom themselves correctly, how to conduct themselves at press conferences, how to walk in a gracious, lady-like manner etc. Diana Ross took to this like a duck to water!

5. STOP! IN THE NAME OF LOVE

At the dawn of 1965, The Supremes enjoyed their fourth consecutive chart-topper with that familiar classic, Stop! In The Name Of love - another one of their many key landmarks and now something of a karoke essential! Stop! In The Name Of Love was more dramatic than their previous three chart-toppers and the divine Diana Ross was clearly progressing tremendously on a highly adept vocalist whilst evidently developing a unique style and sound of her own. Diana's soft, yearning voice brims beautifully with the far grittier vocal style of Florence Ballard and the dry, slightly husky tone of Mary Wilson.

The Supremes were now Motown's very own ambassadors. they were the labels most visible act and were instrumental in helping change and shape the whole face of black music. They humanised the face of black music if you like, becoming accessable and popular just as much with whites as they were blacks. In Diana Ross' 1987 Emmy-award nominated television special, Red Hot Rhythm & Blues where Diana made a commendable stand for her heritage and traced the origins of black music, Diana spoke about how in the 1950's, black music was referred to as "Race music" and that (appallingly) black artists were exploited and ripped off left, right and centre where record companies would use a black artists voice and then disgustingly have a white artist perform it on stage or television. So with The Supremes remarkable run of chart hits throughout 1964-65 and the fact they were seen on nearly every notable music and variety show, racial barriers within the music world had been broken down. It's easy to see why their success has become such a chronicled phenemenon. They led life in the fast lane, were upwardly mobile and became role models for young black women. The Supremes stood for a lot in black culture.

6. BACK IN MY ARMS AGAIN

Even more of a progression on The Supremes part was their fifth consecutive chart-topper, Back In My Arms Again. Stunning musically, this was somewhat sharper in its tone and diana packs in a soulful and assertive vocal performance. The Supremes only real competition on the charts were Elvis Presley and The Beatles.

7. NOTHING BUT HEARTACHES

Their impressive sequence of chart-toppers was abruptly broken with their next single, the delightful, Nothing But Heartaches. A contagious confection of Pop and traditional black Rhythm And Blues, the track all the more surprisingly dipped at No.11. It was certainly a respectable chart position which a lot of artists could only dream of but it did serve as a major disappointment when you take into consideration that their previous five singles had set the charts ablaze, zooming in at the top spot. Nothing But Heartaches did admitedly sound formulaic, especially as it bared a resemblance musically to Back In My Arms Again which possibly was a factor in why it proved less successful commercially.

8. I HEAR A SYMPHONY

I Hear A Symphony thankfully steered The Supremes back on the right road where this became their sixth chart-topper. I Hear A Symphony is a pure masterpiece and was a swift departure in sound to their previous singles. It was a swift departure in sound to their previous singles. It was a glossy, sophisticated soul classic that contained vast elements of Jazz, Pop and R&B. The Supremes sound was certainly maturing with a confident lead performance from Diana that bubbled with genuine emotion and not too mention loely backing vocals from Florence and Mary.

9. MY WORLD IS EMPTY WITHOUT YOU

WOW! My World Is Empty Without You is yet another outstanding masterpiece. This raw, dramatic number is absolutely stunning. Diana delivers a far grittier vocal performance than ususal and is all the more effective in doing so. It was on golden classics like My World Is Empty Without You that you fully get to appreciate and enjoy the extent and range of Dianas vocal abilities. The electric My World Is Empty Without You flew into the U.S Top 5 Charts.

10. LOVE IS LIKE AN ITCHING IN MY HEART

Even more exciting was the rip-roaring, sassy and evocative Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart. Those jamming musical arrangements courtesy of Motowns in house band known as The Funk Brothers, great lyrics from Holland-Dozier-Holland, a soulful, sexually-charged tour de force vocal performance from Diana Ross to some strong and highly effective backing vocals from Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson make this yet another perfect Supremes classic and was scores ahead of the light Pop/R&B ballads of their earlier phenomenon. All the more surprisingly Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart only got as far as No.9 on the U.S billboard charts and didn't even chart in the U.K though it certainly had all the momentum and fire to have cracked the top spot.

11. YOU CAN'T HURRY LOVE

Diana Ross and the Supremes continued their classic run of mega hits into 1966 where that nifty Motown classic You Can't Hurry Love became their SEVENTH chart-topping single. You Can't Hurry Love is one of The Supremes definitive classics. Lead singer Diana Ross whips along the verses with conviction, surfboarding along the upbeat musical arrangements. You Can't Hurry Love bounced to No.3 on the U.K charts though Phil Collins managed to take his (inferior) version to the top of the British charts seventeen years later in 1983.

12. YOU KEEP ME HANGING ON

In late 1966, The Supremes enjoyed their EIGHTH chart-topper with the startling classic, You Keep Me Hanging On. You Keep Me Hanging On was quite a dramatic change in style for The Supremes with the rolling rhythm section, courtesy of Motowns divine in-house band The Funk Brothers, having a much harder edge, diverting The Supremes into the Rock&Roll genre. Diana Ross' lead vocal performance is also far more assertive and she sounds as though she's virtually howling at the exalting climax when she sings "so go on, get out, get out of my life, and let me sleep tonight". Quite a detour from those sweet love songs like Baby Love. An adventurous and succesful experiment for Diana and the girls.

13. LOVE IS HERE AND NOW YOU'RE GONE

Their next single, the fabulous Love Is Here And Now You're Gone, propelled to No.1 becoming their NINTH chart topper. The Supremes chart action at this stage was just amazing where they effortlessly pumped out mega hit after mega hit! Ross glides along the verses with finesse delivering a divinely sensual performance whilst also talk-singing in that great, intricate voice on the chrous ( a unique technique that would reach full effect on Ross' future blockbuster classic, Ain't No Mountain High Enough). The glorious, bouncy musical arrangements contain slight hints of jazz. Fantastic!

14. THE HAPPENING

An interesting transistion between soul music and broadway resulted in The Happening becoming The Supremes tenth chart-topping single. Diana's delightful, swinging, sassy performance is backed by sensational harmonies from Florence and Mary. The Happening also went Top 10 in the U.K.

The Happening was The Supremes final hit single to feature the talented and astounding vocals of The Supremes founder, Florence Ballard. In a blaze of controversy, Florence was fired from The Supremes in mid 1967, at the height of the groups success. The real reason for her dismissal was all kept hush-hush by Motown's sole of discretion publicty department which inevitably led to the media drawing their own rather sordid conclusions. The press (unfairly) focused the blame on Diana Ross saying it was her supposed overblown ego and ruthless streak that led to her dismissal and subsequent downfall. Florence had reportedly missed various concert engagements and recording sessions and had an increasing alcohol problem. To fill her void, Cindy Birdsong, a member of Patti Labelle and the Bluebelles became her official replacement.

15. REFLECTIONS

Jimi Hendrix perharps defined the psychedelic phenemenon of the 1960's. Motown swiftly cashed in on this genre by steering many of their acts like The Supremes and the Temptations into this sound.

Reflections was the first single to be billed as Diana Ross and the Supremes. Having her name at the forefront of the group was an obvious marketing ploy on the part of Motown to get the public to view Diana Ross as a seperate entity. Berry Gordy was ever the astute businessman and could now demand a higher fee for the group at any venue or nightclub they performed in as having a name and a group made them almost two seperate attractions.

The compelling Reflections opens with bizarre, trippy, synchronised effects that zoomed in on the psychedelic vibe. It then leads into a pounding, soulful affair which is complimented by a stirring, fantastic performance from Diana where her fittingly dry, husky tone is dynamic. One of my own personal favourites. Diana Ross has also said this was one of her favourite songs she recorded with The Supremes.

Reflections rocketed up to No.2 on the U.S Pop charts whilst hitting No.1 on the R&B Charts. In the U.K, Reflections became a Top 5 seller.

16. IN AND OUT OF LOVE

After the experimental and progressiveness of Reflections, In And Out Of Love was a slightly disappointing follow up as it reverted to the more formulaic Motown sound. Even so, it's still a vastly infectious recording with a magnificent vocal performance from Diana.

In And Out Of Love made the U.S Top 10, stopping at No.9 whilst in the U.K it climbed up to No.13.

17. FOREVER CAME TODAY

Forever Came Today was one of the great Supremes classics taht was sadly over-looked at the time where it made it to just a disappointing No.28 on the charts. It was also the last Supremes hit single to be written and produced by Motowns masterminds, Holland-Dozier-Holland who left Motown in early 1968 after a continual dispute with Berry Gordy over royalty payments.

Forever Came Today contained even more trippy, swirling, psychedelic vibes than Reflections had. Extremely original, Forever Came Today conatined spectacular, tempo-shifting orchestrations and Diana gave a brilliant vocal performance that dripped with real, gutsy emotion and soul.

18. SOMETHING'S YOU NEVER GET USED TO

Somethings You Never Get Used To was Ross and the Supremes first single since 1963 not to have been written and produced by Holland-Dozier-Holland. They were immediately teamed with the multi-talented duo Ashford and Simpson that brought to Motown their own brand of chic, New York kind of sound that was fresh and exciting. The rolling Somethings You Never Get Used To was a concious effort by Ashford and Simpson to keep up the momentum of Holland-Dozier-Holland and it partially succeeds in its mission even though this became their first single since 1963 not to hit the Top 20.

19. LOVE CHILD

Love Child had been penned by Frank Wilson, Deke Richards and R.Dean Taylor (one of Motowns few white acts that scored hits with the classic There's A Ghost In My House and Gotta See Jane). This was Diana Ross and the Supremes first real contemporary musical offering that made any form of political statement and to explore relevant social issues of that of a baby born out of wedlock. Love Child was deemed controversial at the time though is tame by todays standards.

Love Child was perharps Ross and the Supremes most compelling and powerful recording. Ross puts in a power-house performance sounding untypically raw and earthy across the dramatic orchestrations thats given a sharp, soulful edge. Whilst hitting No.1 in the States it also enjoyed success in the U.K (renewing their popularity there where they had also struggled with their last two singles) where it became a Top 20 hit gliding in at No.15.

20. I'M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME (WITH THE TEMPTATIONS)

The exhilirating, I'm Gonna Make You Love Me was produced by two of Motowns hottest talents, Frank Wilson and Nickolas Ashford. Injecting the sweet, lush harmonies of Diana Ross with Eddie Kendricks sensual falsetto, proved a
winning combination. An air of sexual chemistry sizzles when their two voices are put togther.

I'm Gonna Make You Love Me smashed its way on to the American charts, peaking at No.2 whilst hitting No.3 on the U.K Charts.

21. I'LL TRY SOMETHING NEW (WITH THE TEMPTATIONS)

I'll Try Something New was a neatly balanced ballad with lead vocal duties alternating between Diana Ross and Eddie Kendricks. The glorious musical arrangements are complimented by their divine performances. Despite the quality of the ballad, I'll Try Something New surprisingly failed to sky rocket up the charts in the way I'm Gonna Make You Love Me had done, becoming only a moderate seller.

22. I'M LIVING IN SHAME

I'm Living In Shame, which explored social issues of the day, returned Diana Ross and the Supremes to more solid ground and was a successful follow up to their blockbuster classic Love Child.

Ross' slightly nasal delivery that still proves stunning, really cuts through those driving musical arrangements, provided by, as always, Motown's great unsung heroes, the legendary and absolutely unbeatable Funk Brothers, I'm Living In Shame failed to follow Love Child to pole position in the charts but still swept into the Top 10, peaking at number 9.

23. THE COMPOSER

Written and produced by the genius Smokey Robinson, who Bob Dylan once described as "the greatest living poet", The Composer was a catchy little number that also failed to live up to the dynamics of their previous singles. Dinaa packed in a lovely performance and as said the trcak was contagious on its own merits but it was seemingly lost on the public where it only crept into the lowerreaches of the U.S Top 40.

24. NO MATTER WHAT SIGN YOU ARE

The totally stunning No Matter What Sign You Are is by far one of Diana Ross and the Supremes most overlooked classics. Ross' purely soulful delivery compliments the electric, tempo-shifting orchestrations. There's not really much to comment on Mary Wilson or Cindy Birdsong as their backing vocals were only used as decorative obligation at this stage and this was practically a Diana Ross solo effort. On numerous tracks between 1968 - 69 neither Mary Wilson or Cindy Bridsong sang on certain tracks with backing vocal duties provided by the powerful gospel-influenced trio, The Andantes, who certainly injected a grittier edge to the Supremes sound.
(Incidentally Mary Wilson considered The Composer and No Matter What Sign You Are to be the worst ever Supremes recordings).

25. SOMEDAY WE'LL BE TOGETHER

Diana Ross And The Supremes touching swan song was SomeDay We'll Be Together. Songwriters Jackey Beavers, Johnny Bristol (who provides brief backing vocal interludes on the track) and Harvey Fuqua show off their lyrical finesse whilst lead singer Diana Ross delivers a beautifully understated performance. Her seamless, easy-going performance sounds extremely effective when riding along the smooth and soulful rhythms courtesy of Motowns unsung heros, The Funk Brothers. SomeDay We'll Be Together became Diana Ross And The Supremes twelth and final No.1 smash hit and became a great trailer for the much hyped and eagerly anticipated solo career of Diana Ross, launched in early 1970.

The Ultimate Collection is part of a valuable series chronicling Motowns key artists major achievements. If you can't be bothered listening to all The Supremes studio albums and just want their familiar classics on one cd then this is one for you!

On a final note, many critics today have shamefully tended to undervalue Diana Ross and the Supremes revolutionary and remarkable achievements. Some claimed The Supremes had sold out, that they weren't black enough. The only word I can possibly use in response to those critics is BULL****! Diana Ross and the Supremes were hip, streetwise that had risen from the perils of ghetto life and propelled themselves into wordly, sophisticated, all-round enteratiners. They undoubtedly had SOUL! They were also extremely versatile sounding just as much at home performing a glitzy showbiz standard as they did on their latest smash hit single. They were also innovative in that they were able to transcend traditional R&B styles and adapt them to intertwine with a mainstream Pop sound which allowed them to be popular with both blacks and whites. I guess this is why myself, a white boy living in Bolton in the U.K can appreciate the black sound of Detroit. They remain the worlds most popular and successful female vocal group in history and Diana Ross to this day continues to be an enthralling and extraordinary artist, remaining an icon and inspiration for the new generation of black singers and entertainers. Diana Ross and the Supremes were the American dream.

Ian Phillips

August 2006