There aren’t many girl groups past or present that can even begin to live up to the legacy of The Supremes. Through a period of 16 years (1961-1977) and many different line-ups, they managed a long string of massive hits all over the world, including 12 US number one singles, all of which are featured on this CD. “Gold” gives fans and new listeners a chance to hear the very best of the worlds best girl group.
The first CD features all the hits from 1963-1967, featuring the classic line-up of Diana Ross on lead, backed by Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard. The massive hits such as “Baby Love”, “Where Did Our Love Go?”, “You Can’t Hurry Love” and “Stop! In The Name Of Love” all sound brilliant here – digitally remastered and in great quality. However, there are also some hidden gems worth checking out, particularly “Ask Any Girl” (the B-side to “Baby Love”) and “Everything Is Good About You”, which could have easily been a single in it’s own right.
Moving on to the second disc and it begins with some of the later Diana Ross-era tracks (after Florence Ballard had been replaced by Cindy Birdsong in the line-up). The songs here are more soulful than the earlier pop hits, such as “Reflections” and “Forever Came Today”. Some songs such as “Love Child” and “I’m Livin’ In Shame” are social commentaries of the time.
Finally, the second disc gives the listener the chance to hear some of the post-Diana hits.
In 1970, Diana left and was replaced on lead by Jean Terrell. Some of the songs from this period are some of the Supremes’ all time best. Jean’s soulful voice really livens up excellent songs, such as “Stoned Love”, “Nathan Jones”, “Floy Joy” and “Up The Ladder To The Roof” (all UK top 10 hits), as well as a brilliant cover of “Love Train”.
The line-up changed again in 1973, when Jean left and was replaced on lead by Scherrie Payne (sister of Freda Payne who had a hit with “Band Of Gold” in 1970). Scherrie’s powerful voice stands out on disco tracks, such as “I’m Gonna Let My Heart Do The Walking” and “You’re my Driving Wheel”, which are amongst The Supremes last ever chart hits.
The Supremes “Gold” is essential for all music fans to have in their collection. It shows the brilliance of a group who have never been (and probably never will be) bettered. On top of the great music, the artwork is excellent as well, featuring pictures of all the different group line-ups, and the sound quality on this CD is excellent. I cannot recommend it enough – buy it today!
