Customer Reviews

Let the Music Play: Supreme Rarities 1960-1969

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a must-have for any Supremes fan. First, the tracks:

Disc 1
1. You Can Depend On Me
2. Tears Of Sorrow
3. Because I Love Him
4. Hey Baby (version 1)
5. Too Hot
6. You're Gonna Come To Me (version 1)
7. You're Gonna Come To Me (version 2)
8. It Makes No Difference Now (alternate version)
9. Come On Boy (alternate version)
10. Just Call Me (stereo mix)
11. I Saw Him Standing There
12. Not Fade Away
13. Ooowee Baby (alternate Mix)
14. It's All Your Fault (version 1)
15. Hits Medley: Come See About Me/Baby Love/Stop! In The Name Of Love
16. Cupid (alternate extended mix)
17. Take Me Where You Go (version 3)
18. Back In My Arms Again (alternate vocal)
19. You Can't Hurry Love (alternate vocal) - alternate lead by Diana, with mistake!
20. Mickey's Monkey
21. Uptight (Everything's Alright) (alternate vocal)
22. It's Not Unusual
23. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
24. Come And Get These Memories (alternate mix)
25. I Can't Help Myself (alternate mix)
26. Let The Music Play (alternate vocal)

Disc 2
1. Don't Let True Love Die (extended version)
2. What A Friend We Have In Jesus
3. Every Time I Feel The Spirit
4. Believe In Me
5. The Beginning Of The End Of Love (stereo mix)
6. People (unedited version)
7. Over The Rainbow
8. Wish I Knew
9. I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You
10. I'll Set You Free (alternate vocal)
11. Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone
12. In The Evening Of Our Love
13. Love Child (alternate vocal) - with a whole additional verse!
14. Those Precious Memories
15. I'm Livin' In Shame (version 1)
16. MacArthur Park
17. You're Gonna Hear From Me
18. Canadian Sunset
19. Autumn Leaves
20. The Look Of Love
21. Someday We'll Be Together (alternate vocal)
22. BONUS: Scott Regan Promos

Hearing the alternate takes of familiar hits gives insight into the Motown creative process, and hearing some of the previously unreleased tracks makes you realize the amazing quality of music produced in the Motown glory days. For me, the highlight is hearing the additional verse on "Love Child" that didn't make it in the final cut.

For Flo and Mary fans, you will hear a lot from our favorite back-up singers!

When Hip-O Select announced the latest installment of its Lost & Found series, Diana Ross And The Supremes Let the Music Play, the play list seemed to be top heavy with alternative vocals and mixes. However, deeper digging into this release reveals some extraordinary gems. Connoisseurs of the legendary harmonies of Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson and Diana Ross will find a treasure trove here.
Unearthed from the legendary Motown vaults is (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction from the sessions intended for the Supremes A Go-Go lp. Diana bites into the Rolling Stones classic with gusto, no doubt taking some satisfaction from the fact that the Supremes knocked the Stones out of the number one spot not once, but twice in their heyday! From the same 1966 sessions, comes Mickey's Monkey, It's Not Unusual and an alternative vocal for Uptight (Everything's Alright).
Other fascinating discoveries include the Beatles I Saw Her Standing There and Buddy Holly's Not Fade Away recorded for their 1964 album, Bit of Liverpool. In a playful twist, the girls change the lyric to I Saw Him Standing There, forgoing the "Ooooh" in the chorus for "Oh" which throws off the listener accustomed to the Beatles original version. A raver, and rollicking good fun indeed!
Side two features a pair of spiritual hymns which harkens to the Supremes early influences from attending the same church. Diana gets to stretch her vocal talents with some early forays in jazz vocals taking on Canadian Sunset and Autumn Leaves, foreshadowing Lady Sings The Blues. Perhaps the most exciting revelation is the Supremes version of the Norman Whitfield classic, Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone. Their take oozes with street credibility and if this track had been released, it may have set a new direction for the group in the psychedelic soul forum. Berry Gordy obviously had a wider audience for Diana Ross in mind and may have withheld this sure-fire hit for that reason. Interestingly enough, it wasn't offered to any other Motown female group. Equally startling is the alternative vocal for Love Child, featuring an additional verse.
To close off this set is a series of Detroit DJ Scott Regan's radio promos. The sound clip of the girls telephone call to him from their dressing room during an engagement in Las Vegas is quite revealing. According to the information provided in the booklet, there are about another 100 unreleased Supremes recordings in the vaults and diehard fans will not rest till they all see the light of day.
Some criticism has been passed on this project for having packaging and a booklet made from recycled materials. In light of the fact that this release is ten dollars less than the previous releases in the series, this is a minor point of contention. Hip-O Select deserves recognition for their sensitive approach to releasing this important musical document. Supremely entertaining and fully satisfying!

It is a double cd set from the Motown/Hiposelect series "Lost and Found" with 47 unreleased tracks from the sixties. Moreover a few short jingles for the Scott Regan show have been added as bonus.

Most of the songs are alternative versions of more or less well known tracks (i.e. Ooowee baby, Back in my arms again, Let the music play or I can't help myself). But there are also a lot of outtakes (for instance Believe in me, Wish I knew und very interesting covers such as Not fade away, MacArthur Park, The look of love, Over the rainbow).
Highlights are "I saw him standing there" (Beatles), "Uptight" (Stevie Wonder)" und "Satisfaction" (Rolling Stones).

With the exception of the Scott Regan promos the sound of the tracks is excellent, because the original master tapes were used.

The only negative aspect is the package, because the digipac and the booklet are obviously made of recycled paper.

To sum it up: A must for Supremes fans!

I thought this collections was going to be a treasure trove of unreleased material. Its not. I wish it was in chronological order but it is evident that its not. The discs jump from very early material to later day material. It has its gems, otherwise its not for the casual Supremes fan. I'm a di-hard Supremes and Diana Ross fan and there are a few I can't even listen to. Too much of this material just seems to be outtakes from the recording studio. It is evident that The Supremes worked very hard for their stardom. It did not just happen overnight. Indeed, some of their early doo woop sytle recordings are good and a treat for fans. The alternate takes are a mixed bag. Love Child is almost up to par, and has an added verse. Back in my Arms and Someday are just a "take one"

There are a few gems for the Diana fan. Especially People, Believe in Me, and MacArthur Park. Some of the Brit covers are fun too.

All in all its a fun pack of songs you dont get to hear often. It is not however representative of the Supremes execpt in that you can appreciate how hard they must have worked for their success.

This Supremes CD of unreleased material is for hardcore Supremes fans (like me) only. CD's like this are an interesting curio for collectors and makes one feel like you have something rare...and you do. So i give it thumbs up for that. Thumbs quickly go down tho simply because most of the songs on this CD are just flat-out no good. I totally understand why Berry Gordy/Motown never released most of this stuff to the public.

Some of it is very early and has a very lo-budget feel & sound to it (you can depend on me, because i love him), but most have no hooks or memeorable melody whatsoever--so signature to the Supremes sound. Forays into unchartered waters fail, like gospel (what a friend we have in Jesus, everytime i feel the spirit). Diana Ross is many things--a gospel singer she is not. Even remakes--which The Supremes are usually superb at are pointless (its not unusual, i can't get no satisfaction, uptight) and sound hokey. The best thing about this CD are the retakes of more familar Supreme classics like Take me were you go, ooowee baby, its all your fault & back in my arms again. But even these sound less like "alternative versions" and more like "inferior takes" that were simply rejected. Hear Diana totally blank out on the lyrics on "Its all your fault". lol. If you want a awesome recently released Supremes CD with rare never-released songs get "There's a place for us" which has about 15 bonus tracks that are great from start to finish. Production is tight, songs are melodic and fun and Dianas voice is just lush & gorgeous.

Of all the Motown Select releases, this one may be the best. The sound is fantastic, the photographs throughout are gorgeous, with many previously unpublished, there are new interviews conducted especially for the project which are in an incredibly beautifully written and beautiful to look at booklet, and the songs are often GREAT!
"Vault" stuff always can be hit or miss, but in ' Let The Music Play: Supreme Rarities' most of the tracks are first rate productions or have had additional, recent remastering work done on them for a superior listening experience.
Diana Ross sounds amazing on the alternate 'Someday We'll Be Together' and an extended 'Love Child' and early takes of 'You Can't Hurry Love' and 'Back In my Arms again' show how Ross always gave a performance in the studio- she truly was a skillful studio recording artist. It's fun to hear some before or after song chatter from Ross, and the promo intervies with Mary, Florence and Diana, and it's all beautifully remastered and sounds great. No expense seems to have been spared in making this a release that any fan of Diana Ross And The Supremes or Motown will love having in their collections.
To suggest otherwise is just unkind. People worked hard getting this compilation released, and their hard work was worth it.
The lost for 40 years (!) version of 'MacArthur Park' is beautiful, as is 'Autumn Leaves', which is just gorgeous, in orchestration and in the vocals- There's so much good music on this that you really need to hear and judge for yourselves. I believe most people who are fans of The Supremes or of The Motown Sound will love this release- if not, keep it a year, then make a mint selling it on eBay. My bet is that buyers will not want to part with it. Don't buy it before it goes out of print, and you'll kick yourself :)
A one-star review seems to be someone with an axe to grind, and it's unfair- it is so difficult to get these types of vault cds released, and truly, the love and work put into this project to make this a superior cd to add to your collection deserves to be acknowledged.
GREAT JOB, EVERYBODY! Thank You!
It's a BEAUTIFULLY realized project, first rate all the way.

Girl Group music was an important part of the music scene in the wondrous musical sixties and Motown was a fertile ground for great Girl Group music plus the legendary Detroit based label was blessed with a huge roster of incredible female singers such as Mary Wells, Kim Weston, Martha Reeves, Brenda Holloway and the legendary Diana Ross who brilliantly leads The Supremes in this lost treasure chest of sublime music that is a richly varied collection of memorable performances all gloriously remastered to perfection. Starting from the beginning of the sixties, the surprise here is how early tracks from the very beginning hold up extremely well as musicians are tight, vocals wonderfully soulful and song quality & selection is superb. By the time the wondrous Supreme Superstar era is underway, it is clear this unique collection is throughly entertaining, richly rewarding & engrossing with never a dull moment from beginning to end! "It's All Your Fault" meant for single release could have been another great hit in The Supremes Top 10 era followed by a hot "Hits Medley" featuring "Come See About Me/Baby Love/Stop In The Name Of Love!" are fine examples of the artistic prowess featured throughout. Beatle, Streisand, Garland, and Stones cover songs are winning along with a wide array of cover songs from a wide variety of sources and all are amazing and make for great listening...these ladies could really sing just about anything which makes this collection a keeper with no filler and filled with other lost hit possibilities with "Let The Music Play" a fine example!!! Finale is a charming & fun radio appearance with the three original members on The Scott Regan Show which gives one the feeling of the innocence of a lost era that is fun to revisit.
Bravo to Diana Ross & The Supremes and thanks for all the time, energy & talent that went in to these marvelous sessions...limited edition will sell out fast and losers weepers!!!

Leave it Hip-O-Select to deliver a major retrospective multi-CD set on the Supremes by combing through the Motown archives.

The 48 tracks are mostly alternate studio tracks which gives a meticulous collector a rare opportunity to actually hear Motown create music, though the CD's stand alone with a fresh sound that has been dusted off after digging for these gems that were buried deep in the vaults.

Included are radio promos from the collection of legendary Detroit DJ Scott Regan and a beautifully-designed 32 page booklet that includes song annotations and a discography.

Hip-O-Select has done a masterful job in filling in the gaps of the stunning career of the Supremes through a number of releases/reissues. These cool tunes make it an endless summer.

It seems like Supremes fans can't get enough of the ladies "unreleased and alternate takes" output. It also seems like that fan base is large enough to guarantee a 2-Disc "rarities" package like "Let The Music Play." So far, so good. Taking into consideration the historical importance of the trio I have to agree that these recordings enjoy a mythical quality that makes them hard to resist.

However, when you listen to most of the tracks included here you will realize why they were never previously released. Of course, there are some interesting cuts in the bunch like the early, early stuff when The Supremes were really a talented "girl group" or those covers of "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Not Fade Away" which shows the rocking side of the ladies. Pure fun! There are also some "alternate mixes" that improve upon the original Supremes releases, namely Sam Cooke's "Cupid" and The Vandellas' "Come And Get These Memories" featuring Mary Wilson. Last but not least there are plenty of tracks to remind you of Diana Ross intuitive genius approach to singing. That lady was special from day one and don't let anybody doubt it!

The collection starts losing steam towards the end of Disc One. Diana does a decent cover of Tom Jones "It's Not Unusual" but sounds totally out of place with The Stones' "Satisfaction." Sure it's a curiosity, but it's like a shoe that doesn't fit. The disc ends with a pitiful lackluster take of a great song "Let The Music Play" and when you switch to Disc Two real trouble begins. Diana's rendition of those gospel tunes with a full male/female choir are an abomination that should have never happened. Lord have mercy! And she is plain awful in "Over The Rainbow" a clear indication that Diana should have left Dorothy alone for all times. Another sore moment is a colder than ice "I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You" which Diana brilliantly re-recorded for her "Surrender" solo album. Everything else on Disc Two is throwaway stuff with some unfinished tracks really suffering from the lack of background vocals. Things like "Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone" and "The Look of Love" are crying out for some good old Supremes "ooos", "aaas" and harmonies.

Granted, the alternate vocals on hits such as "Love Child", "I'm Living In Shame" and "Someday" are interesting to hear but not enough to save the project. If you are not a hardcore fan but want to listen to a good collection of "rarities" by The Supremes I recommend the excellent "There's A Place" collection full of magical stuff by Diana, Mary and Flo.

The Supremes are timeless, their music has passed 50 years of fine memories. I never tire of Diana, Mary and Flo. They are truely SUPREME. This CD is a must buy.