Since the 1981 advent of the compact disc, Motown has shamelessly released reissue after reissue of its extensive catalog. For The Supremes, just like most of the major Motown acts, there is an endless plethora of albums, compilations and box sets, all of which had wildly-varying audio quality, regardless of mono or stereo content.

These ten 2007 Japanese mini-sleeve CD's are the best sounding stereo Supremes CD's I've heard yet. The separation and clarity is absolutely nothing short of miraculous and revelatory.

For me, the real joy of these new remasters is the ability to hear James Jamerson's playing in perfect, note-for-note clarity. That cat may have been one of the greatest to ever play the instrument, and being able to hear him so clearly is so enjoyable in a manner I haven't experienced before with any other release.

I own the 2000 box set, several of the latest anthologies, and the 2006 HIP-O "Where Did Our Love Go" 2CD. None of these sound as good as these Japan issues.

I just checked my Japan-based source for mini-sleeves, and as of this writing, six of these Supremes CD's are already OOP (all `sleeves are limited edition). If you're a fan, don't delay in getting these, as they are priceless.

Link by title to the 2007 Japan mini-sleeve Supremes catalog:

Where Did Our Love Go
More Hits by The Supremes
I Hear A Symphony
Sing Holland Dozier Holland
Reflections
Join The Temptations
Love Child
Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In
Cream Of The Crop

WHAT IS A JAPAN "MINI-LP-SLEEVE" CD?

Have you ever lamented the loss of one of the 20th Century's great art forms, the 12" vinyl LP jacket? Then "mini-LP-sleeve" CD's may be for you.

Mini-sleeve CDs are manufactured in Japan under license. The disc is packaged inside a 135MM X 135MM cardboard precision-miniature replica of the original classic vinyl-LP album. Also, anything contained in the original LP, such as gatefolds, booklets, lyric sheets, posters, printed LP sleeves, stickers, embosses, special LP cover paper/inks/textures and/or die cuts, are precisely replicated and included. An English-language lyric sheet is always included, even if the original LP did not have printed lyrics.

Then, there's the sonic quality: Often (but not always), mini-sleeves have dedicated remastering (20-Bit, 24-Bit, DSD, K2/K2HD, and/or HDCD), and can often (but not always) be superior to the audio on the same title anywhere else in the world. There also may be bonus tracks unavailable elsewhere.

Each Japan mini-sleeve has an "obi" ("oh-bee"), a removable Japan-language promotional strip. The obi lists the Japan street date of that particular release, the catalog number, the mastering info, and often the original album's release date. Bonus tracks are only listed on the obi, maintaining the integrity of the original LP artwork. The obi's are collectable, and should not be discarded.

All mini-sleeve releases are limited edition, but re-pressings/re-issues are becoming more common (again, not always). The enthusiasm of mini-sleeve collecting must be tempered, however, with avoiding fake mini-sleeves manufactured in Russia and distributed throughout the world, primarily on eBay. They are inferior in quality, worthless in collectable value, a total waste of money, and should be avoided at all costs.

The Supremes were in full gear by this time. Another album cover where Diana, Florence and Mary and pictured seperately (l-r), which I like. Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart and You Can't Hurry Love are the hits here. I like all the songs on here and most songs the background vocals can really be heard, especially You Can't Hurry Love. Mary takes lead on Come and Get These Memories and does a nice job. Diana does These Boots are Made for Walking and makes it her own. It would have been nice for Florence to have a lead on a song. As a matter of fact it would have been nice for both Mary and Florence to have a lead song on all the Supremes albums.

Overall another winner for the Supreme ladies.

My grandma bought me this LP when I was a kid. She bought it for me some six years after the release of the album. I am still listening to it. It is a Brilliant composite of HDH songs - and demonstrates the Stellar Voice of Ross whose interpretations stand to Top or to equal many of the original covers. For Example her SHAKE ME WAKE ME -All through these walls so thin, I hear my nieghbors win [whine], and they say he don't love her' is so moving and haunting that it beats the FOUR TOPS Version. Her Baby I need your loving is more earthy than Glady's version of the same song. Put Yourself in Myplace is Ross' turn to top Dusty Springfield. Mary's cover of 'Come and Get These Memories' is weak and one wonders why it was Mary and not Flo to guest star. Diana's voice on HANG ON SLOOPy is so sexy and fresh that it could be a 2007 song. These are PEARLS from the PAST - And they will never die.

Diana Ross and the Supremes continued their classic run of mega hits into 1966 where that nifty Motown classic You Can't Hurry Love became their SEVENTH chart-topping single. You Can't Hurry Love is one of The Supremes definitive classics. Lead singer Diana Ross whips along the verses with conviction, surfboarding along the upbeat musical arrangements. You Can't Hurry Love bounced to No.3 on the U.K charts though Phil Collins managed to take his (inferior) version to the top of the British charts seventeen years later in 1983. You Can't Hurry Love was the only chart-topping single originally by The Supremes to be found on the accompanying album, The Supremes A Go Go (1966).

Even more exciting was the rip-roaring, sassy and evocative Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart. Those jamming musical arrangements courtesy of Motowns in house band known as The Funk Brothers, great lyrics from Holland-Dozier-Holland, a soulful, sexually-charged tour de force vocal performance from Diana Ross to some strong and highly effective backing vocals from Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson make this yet another perfect Supremes classic and was scores ahead of the light Pop/R&B ballads of their earlier phenomenon. All the more surprisingly Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart only got as far as No.9 on the U.S billboard charts and didn't even chart in the U.K though it certainly had all the momentum and fire to have cracked the top spot.

(Incidentally Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart went on to become a big Northern Soul hit in the 1970's)

The remainder of The Supremes A Go Go (1966) were crammed with impressive, dynamic cover versions of familiar hits of the day all of which were mostly songs by other Motown artists such as The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Isley Brothers, The Elgins and Martha Reeves And The Vandellas.

Diana Ross puts in a fine, easy-going performance on their cover version of The Isley Brothers, This Old Heart Of Mine (Is weak For You) though it does admitedly lack the punch of the original.

There are a total of three cover versions of The Four Tops classic hits. Ross' sweet, sensual voice may have not have that bite and edge of Levi Stubbs rocketing vocal style but she remarkably manages to make any song she sing completely her own. Though quite lightweight their take on The Four Tops classic 1965 chart-topper I Can't Help Myself is contagious from its fantastically arranged orchestrations and comes complete with a super fine performance from Ross. This could have easily been a hit for The Supremes had it not already been for The Four Tops.

The sweeping arrangements on their dynamic take on Baby I Need Your Loving are sensational and Ross packs in another cracking vocal performance gliding along with ease and style.

What does manage to even better the original is their far more effective version of Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over). If anything these cover versions proved a great experiment for the developing Diana Ross sound even if it did subsequently leave Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson lurking bitterly in the shadows.

I must admit I was quite cynical on seeing that on the track list there was a cover version of Nancy Sinatras' chart-topper These Boots Are Made For Walking but soon ate humble pie on just one listen to Ross' cool, sassy delivery.

Ross does a stellar job on their version of The Temptations Get Ready which she performs with verve and style (even if it doesn't place no great threat to the original). They actually improve The Elgins, Put Yourself In My Place. Ross delivers a nice, intricate performance whilst there are soothing backing vocals from Ballard and Wilson.

Motowns pioneering hit was Barrett Strongs superb Money (That's What I Want), a song that echoed the perils of the restrictions of the ghetto (to which they were no strangers to). It's quite clear that Diana and the girls were forced to do some of these numbers in just a few takes, especially on this track, but they do manage to do an adequate job even if it does pale next to the original.

Mary Wilson, the only surviving memeber of The Supremes to remain right to the groups bitter end in 1977 when they quietly disbanded years after their peak, heads up front on a moderate cover version of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas classic Come And Get These Memories. Though Wilson has a nice, breathy soprano, it clearly lacks the depth and range of Ross' more distinct and unique style.

Completing the track line up is their fabulous and unique version of Hang On Sloopy where Ross' performance is strong, assertive and passionate sounding magnificent as do the great backing harmonies of Wilson and Ballard.

Motowns obvious marketing ploy was that in getting The Supremes to do a series of famous cover versions of hits from around that era, this would instantly sell the album in big proportions as well as also showing how adept and versatile a vocalist Ross had become (her solo career was under discussion now even though she wouldn't fly from the group until early 1970). Well, Motowns strategy worked as The Supremes A Go Go (1966) raced to the top of the album charts elbowing off The Beatles, Revolver from the top spot. Though highly commercial and formulaic, The Supremes A Go Go proves compelling and indeed a classic album.

Ian Phillips

SUPREMES A' GO-GO was the very first album by a girl group to reach the #1 spot on the pop charts. The Supremes were riding very high at the time of this release. "You Can't Hurry Love" became their 7th #1 pop hit [of a total of 12!] during the summer of '66. It is featured here. The record released immediately prior, the rocking "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart," also included in this set, reached #9 pop.

This set was put together [rather quickly is my guess] and released to capitalize on a hot streak. There is a semblance of a "concept" with the "au go-go" thing, i.e., a record full of danceable tunes. Around this time, Motown released a slew of "au go-go" records [The Miracles' "Going To A Go-Go," and AWAY WE GO-GO, among others].

Aside from the two hits mentioned, there are several Motown covers, my favorites being the girls' rendition of the Four Tops' "Shake Me, Wake Me," and the Elgins' "Put Yourself In My Place," which has the classic Holland-Dozier-Holland, mid-60's Motown sound, and deserved to be a significant hit [by anybody]. The rest of the Motown covers are OK, but nothing terribly daring, and featuring good production but unexciting arrangements. The one song, a Martha and the Vandella's cover, not led by MS. Ross, but featuring Mary Wilson, is well done, but Wilson's strong vocals were, for some reason, really set down into the mix, and should have been more prominent. I don't care at all for the non-Motown covers: The McCoys' "Hang On Sloopy" [where Ms. Ross is pitched too high; the lead here could easily have been better handled by one of the other girls], and Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," also led by Ross, but which reportedly was set for a lead by Florence Ballard, who very likely would have handled this better, as she had a great sense of sass and fun in her vocals.

When it comes to studio albums, there are much better choices from the original Supremes, notably, WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO, MORE HITS BY THE SUPREMES, and THE SUPREMES SING HOLLAND-DOZIER HOLLAND, with superior songs, more exciting arrangements and performances, and featuring the developing or classic Motown sound. [The two hit singles, mentioned above and featured on A' GO-GO, are anthologized in numerous collections; so, this set could easily be passed up.] If I wanted to give a novice a taste of the greatness of the Supremes, any of those other albums would be my choice over this one.

TIP: If you MUST have this set, try to go for the UK two-fer, which contains SUPREMES A' GO-GO and the LOVE CHILD albums. LOVE CHILD is an excellent album, pretty much a late 60's Supremes essential, plus, you'd get to have "Put Yourself In My Place," from A' GO-GO, a near-essential early-mid 60's cut. AND...you'd probably get this collection for less than what you'd pay for A' GO-GO by itself.