STAR REVIEW: Corinne from Swing Out Sister on The Supremes

Top Gear may have their ‘star in a reasonably priced car’, but SuperDeluxeEdition occasionally offers you a star reviewing a (not always) reasonably priced music box set.

In December 2012, Dr. Robert from The Blow Monkeys revealed a lifelong passion for Marc Bolan while taking a look at The Slider T.Rex box, and today Corinne Drewery from Swing Out Sister reflects on the influence of Diana Ross and The Supremes, as she takes a look at their 50th Anniversary Singles Collection (1961-1969). Admittedly, this box set is not exactly a new release (it’s been out for over a year) but, hey, we make the rules around here, so over to Corinne…

Corrine reviews Diana Ross and The Supremes 50th Anniversary Singles Collection 1961-1969:

Like many generations of teenage girls, I identified with the angst and yearning of these voices from a world so faraway from mine, yet somehow so close. Little did I know that my childhood dreams of becoming a singer, inspired by The Supremes, would materialise, and that the harmonies, arrangements and productions of these perfectly formed pop songs would prove to be an influence for many years to come. I even stole a couple of song titles from them – Surrender our second single, and Love Child, on our third album, for posterity….

Any fan of the Supremes charmed by three girls from Detroit – who went on to be the world’s most loved girl group of all time – will have heard most of these songs a million times over.

However, this three-CD super deluxe package fastidiously compiles The Supremes’ American singles (A and B-sides), released throughout their eight-year collaboration, in chronological order, in a beautifully bound 60-page book complete with photos of single covers and publicity shots from around the world.

If you are a fan, you will already have the 1974 Supremes Anthology, the Diana Ross and The Supremes 25th Anniversary album from 1986 (which contains over 20 previously unreleased tracks) along with various other compilations, but this selection is a beautifully packaged souvenir, and a succinct way to listen to their story as it unfolds.

From the early wistful and yearning melodies of Smokey Robinson, to the upbeat productions of Brian and Eddie Holland and Lamont Dozier, who provided the majority of The Supremes’ hits, this collection illustrates how the Motown songwriters incorporated musical trends of the day, from doo-wop and rock and roll, to country and psychedelia, creating the trademark R&B of Motown in their quest to find the formula for the perfect pop song. Later writing collaborations would include Ashford and Simpson, Frank Wilson, R.Dean Taylor, Henry Cosby and others, in the further attempts to diversify and keep the hits coming.

Presented track-by-track, with respective chart positions, each page of the book provides insight into how songwriting decisions were made between Gordy, the writers, and Motown’s dedicated studio musicians to sustain The Supremes’ golden reign.

Alternative versions show the perfectionism of Berry Gordy, (although the difference is hardly noticeable) and versions of hits in German and Italian demonstrate how eager he was to conquer the rest of the world with the Motown sound.

Die hard fans of Diana Ross and the Supremes won’t find anything new on this compilation, but the accompanying notes for each song and the beautifully bound seven inch single sized package make it a desirable collectors item.

Hanging on to the last strains of their farewell single, Someday We’ll be Together, I find myself wishing this story didn’t have to end…

Do I need this collection? – no. Do I want it? – definitely.

Corinne Drewery – March 2012

• • UK Order: 50th Anniversary: The Singles Collection 1961-1969
• • US Order: 50th Anniversary: Singles Collection 1961-1969
• • CANADA Order: 50th Anniversary: The Singles Collection 1961-1969
• • GERMANY Pre-order: 50th Anniversary:Singles Collection 1961-1969

Diana Ross and The Supremes / 50th Anniversary Singles Collection.

Track listing:

Disc 1

• 1 I Want A Guy
• 2 Never Again
• 3 Buttered Popcorn (first version)
• 4 Who’s Lovin You
• 5 Buttered Popcorn (second version)
• 6 Your Heart Belongs To Me (first version)
• 7 (He’s) Seventeen
• 8 Your heart Belongs To Me (second version)
• 9 Let Me Go The Right Way
• 10 Time Changes Things
• 11 My Heart Can’t Take It No More
• 12 You Bring Back Memories
• 13 A Breath taking Guy
• 14 (The Man With The) Rock And Roll Banjo Band
• 15 When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes
• 16 Standing At The Crossroads Of Love
• 17 Run, Run, Run
• 18 I’m Giving You Your Freedom
• 19 Where Did Our Love Go
• 20 He Means The World To Me
• 21 Baby Love
• 22 Ask Any Girl
• 23 Come See About Me
• 24 You’re Gone (But Always In My Heart) a.k.a. Always In My
• Heart
• Bonus Tracks: The German Singles
• 25 Moonlight And Kisses
• 26 Baby, Baby, Wo Ist Unsere Liebe – Where Did Our Love Go
• 27 Thank You Darling
• 28 Jonny Und Joe – Come See About Me

Disc 2

• 1 Stop In The Name Of Love
• 2 I’m In Love Again
• 3 Back In My Arms Again
• 4 Whisper You Love Me Boy
• 5 The Only Time I’m Happy
• 6 Nothing But Heartaches
• 7 He Holds His Own
• 8 Things Are Changing
• 9 Dr Goldfoot And The Bikini Machine
• 10 I Hear A Symphony
• 11 Who Could Ever Doubt My Love
• 12 Children’s Christmas Song
• 13 Twinkle Twinkle Little Me
• 14 My World Is Empty Without You
• 15 Everything Is Good About You
• 16 Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart
• 17 He’s All I Got
• 18 You Can’t Hurry Love
• 19 Put Yourself In My Place
• 20 You Keep Me Hanging On
• 21 Remove This Doubt
• 22 Love Is Here And Now You’re Gone
• 23 There’s No Stopping Us Now
• 24 The Happening
• 25 All I Know About You
• Bonus Tracks:
• 26 L’Amore Verra – You Can’t Hurry Love
• 27 Se Il Filo Spezzerai- You Keep Me Hangin’ On
• 28 Supremes Interview

Disc 3

• 1 Reflections
• 2 Going Down For The Third Time
• 3 In And Out Of Love
• 4 I Guess I’ll Always Love You
• 5 Forever Came Today
• 6 Some Things You Never Get Used To
• 7 You’ve Been So Wonderful To Me
• 8 Love Child
• 9 Will This Be The day
• 10 Love Child (alternate version)
• 11 I’m Gonna Make You Love Me
• (Diana Ross and The Supremes And The Temptations)
• 12 A Place In The Sun (Diana Ross and The Supremes And The
• Temptations)
• 13 I’m Livin’ In Shame (first version)
• 14 I’m So Glad I Got Somebody (Like You Around)
• 15 I’m Livin’ In Shame (second version)
• 16 I’ll Try Something New (Diana Ross and The Supremes And The
• Temptations)
• 17 The Way You Do The Things You Do (Diana Ross and The Supremes
• And The Temptations)
• 18 The Composer
• 19 The Beginning Of The End
• 20 No Matter What Sign You Are (first version)
• 21 The Young Folks
• 22 No Matter What Sign You Are (second version)
• 23 The Weight (Diana Ross And The Supremes And The Temptations)
• 24 For Better Or Worse (Diana Ross And The Supremes And The
• Temptations)
• 25 Someday We’ll Be Together
• 26 He’s My Sunny Boy