#63 The Supremes, The Temptations- Diana Ross and The Supremes Join The Temptations
Not as supremely tempting as one might hope…
(Tamla Motown)
Released: November 8th 1968
Producer: Frank Wilson, Smokey Robinson, Al Cleveland, Henry Cosby, Terry "Buzzy" Johnson, Nickolas Ashford, Deke Richards
Topped the chart:
9th February 1969 (for 4 weeks)
4 weeks total
1969 marked the end of an era at Motown. The days of singles taking precedent over LPs was coming an end with Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder’s Lps over the next few years. Additionally, listeners were starting to crave something a bit grittier than the middle-of-the-road pop that the label had excelled at and- most significantly- Diana Ross was about to leave The Supremes.
The last two years had been rocky for the girl group- now firmly established as DIANA ROSS AND The Supremes thanks to a mix of Ross’ ego and relationship with Motown supremo Berry Gordy. But there were other problems: their invincible run of singles came to an end, leaving success that was…spottier from 1967 onwards. 1968’s Love Child managed to hit number one, but only six of eleven singles released in 67 and 68 went top 20, partly put down to the loss of Dozier-Holland-Dozier from Motown’s writing stable. With Ross preparing to leave the band (and with auditions taking place in secret), their 1968 collaboration album with The Temptations was the last shout for the classic line up.
On paper, bringing together the world’s biggest girlband and one of the greatest male vocal groups in history should be a huge success. Maybe it’s the height of those expectations, but Diana Ross and The Supremes Join The Temptations ends up feeling a little underwhelming.
Case in point: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, one of Motown’s most famous songs—when sung by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. That version was a hit because of the extraordinary chemistry between the two leads, none of which can be found on the version that features on this record. It isn’t clear if Diana Ross and Dennis Edwards were in the same room when the vocals for this were recorded…but it certainly doesn’t sound like it. Everyone’s vocals are great and there’s nothing wrong with the song choice, but it suffers at the hands of Motown’s factory-line principles: it’s mechanical, and the Funk Brothers’ backing arrangements lack the punch of the Marvin and Tammi version.
It’s not the only song here that struggles to deliver the impact it should: opener Try it Baby has a jazzy showtune feel that steps up to the plate, recalling The Supremes at their best on live album Live at the Talk of the Town, but the vocals just don’t have the energy required. The same could be said of cuts like A Place in the Sun and I Second That Emotion- two more songs that sound better elsewhere on Tamla- and, on all three tracks, trying to hear members of The Supremes not named Diana Ross is like an auditory “Spot the Ball” competition. Really the only exception where Ross takes lead is closer The Impossible Dream, in which everyone on the record fires on all cylinders.
The album proves more successful when The Temptations are given a little more room to do their thing. Funky Broadway is a preview of where the group were headed in the 1970s with the likes of Papa Was a Rolling Stone, with Edwards sounding like he’s trying to tear your vinyl in half. I’ll Try Something New being placed next to it is a nice bit of counterprogramming, a sweeter tune and more effective duet between Ross and Eddie Kendricks in a tight falsetto closer to Smokey Robinson than anything else.
Diana Ross and The Supremes Join The Temptations is a great sampler for the latter band, showing how much they had left to give and that they were prepared for Motown’s next era. The Supremes meanwhile sound like gas in the tank is running dry. Diana Ross, pushing herself to the front like Donald Trump in a scrum of world leaders, but at times she sounds bored of the whole affair quite frankly. Perhaps new blood for the girls was what was needed, as they prepared to break free a year later.
Score: 5/10
Tracklisting:
SIDE A
1. Try It Baby
2. I Second That Emotion
3. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
4. I’m Gonna Make You Love Me
5. This Guy’s in Love with You
6. Funky Broadway
SIDE B
7. I’ll Try Something New
8. A Place in the Sun
9. Sweet Inspiration
10. Then
11. The Impossible Dream
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