Like most Motown acts in the '60's, The Supremes were kept busy in
the studio, as writers and producers tried out all sorts of material,
looking for hits. Unlike most others, the hits weren't elusive for the
trio. They had access to the best material from the best production and
writing team, Holland-Dozier-Holland, responsible for all their biggest
hits to that point. Since they had so many tracks in the can, this 1967
album was put together as an afterthought, with cuts left over from
their previous release, The Supremes A' Go-Go, the group's first #1
album. It was also the first-ever album by a female group to top the
charts. The trio was rivaling The Beatles as the top vocal act in the
world.
The album had a couple of huge hits to
lean on, You Keep Me Hangin' On and Love Is Here And Now You're Gone,
both of which went to #1. As with assorted b-sides and leftovers, it was
easy to come up with a 12-track release. But rather than slap-dash,
this was all top-quality material, as H-D-H didn't waste their precious
time with the group. Several of these tracks had come to life as
potential singles, which is confirmed by writer-producer Lamont Dozier
in the liner notes. That includes Mother You, Smother You, its only
problem being an awkward title. I'll Turn To Stone was one that had been
recorded earlier by the group, but was then given to The Four Tops who
got the single release. Also found on the disc are Supremes' versions of
hits by other Motown artists, Heat Wave (Martha & the Vandellas)
and It's The Same Old Song (Four Tops). That was the Motown equivalent
of filler material for albums; instead of wasting a new composition,
they'd recycle proven hits among their other acts, sometimes even using
the same backing track.
This expanded
edition is beefed up to two discs, with a whopping 51 tracks, although
there's significant repetition. The 12 album cuts are here twice, in
mono and stereo. The rest of the tracks are technically unreleased,
although several are alternate mixes of the album cuts, extended or
early takes. Most are pretty similar, but a few feature altered parts
that are noticeable. Also included is the big hit that followed the
album, The Happening, another #1 that wasn't included on any album at
the time, so it happily finds a home here.
The
rest of disc two is made up of a newly-released live set. There is a
Supremes At The Copa album, but it's from 1965. This concert was from
the group's third appearance at the famed club, in 1967, and features
their more sophisticated nightclub act. Berry Gordy always felt the
future for his acts was in the adult market, once they grew too old for
the teen record buyers, and he had a point. But the slick showbiz style
would go out of favour soon, and hearing the young trio doing material
such as Put On A Happy Face and The Lady Is A Tramp, plus a medley of
all their early hits is disappointing these days, compared to the better
parts of the show, full versions of You Keep Me Hangin' On and I Hear A
Symphony. This is an important show though, as it's the last recorded
concert of the original group, with Florence Ballard about to be
replaced by Cindy Birdsong. That's actually the reason these tapes
exist, as they were made to give to Birdsong so she could polish up on
her parts.
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