This has got to be my best-written review, because in August 1965 when I was 11, "More Hits By The Supremes" was the first album I ever bought. What pressure. It's coupling here with "Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland" probably makes the most sense of all their '2-fers.'

I still don't understand why "Ask Any Girl" was repeated on this album; it was already the last track on the "Where Did Our Love Go" LP just a year before, and had been the 45 B-side of "Baby Love." Since it's a great song though, let the mystery remain. H-D-H had their formula for the Supremes down solid by this time, and the three perennial singles on this album are still proof: "Stop! In The Name Of Love," "Back In My Arms Again," & "Nothing But Heartaches" are just burned in the brain now of first generation fans. What we probably didn't know then was that this album had some `covers' among it's tracks: "Whisper You Love Me Boy," "He Holds His Own," and "Honey Boy" had all been recorded over a year earlier by Mary Wells before she left Motown. However, Diana's delivery of these three are now the immortal readings; no one could top how she does "Whisper," in particular. "Mother Dear" was more than once considered for single release, as well it should have been. A- or B-side, there was no weak track on this one. Then there was that original cover, all three girls in separate `column' photos, radiant with success and their first names' each signed in their own handwriting. About five years ago I paid $45 for a near mint, vinyl mono pressing of this one too. I'd do it again.

ONLY by comparison, does "Sing H-D-H" seem the slightest bit weaker. Now that we know how much unreleased, original H-D-H material on the group was left sitting in the vault (and, reportedly, much still does), it might have been better to have some that here over Four Tops & Vandellas `covers.' Then again, the Supremes version of the Isley Brothers "I Guess I'll Always Love You" eclipses the original and got plenty of airplay as the B-side of "In and Out of Love." The same goes for "Going Down For The Third Time" which rode the back of "Reflections." It was, of course, the monster singles "You Keep Me Hangin' On" and "Love Is Here And Now You're Gone" that drove the sales of this one, and they refuse to age. There's a sad note too, though. In January 1967, as an album cut and a B-side, "There's No Stopping Us Now" was totally convincing in its anthem-like declaration - surely there was nothing unconquerable for the Supremes and H-D-H at that point. A mere year later the messy dismissal of Florence Ballard, and the contentious departure of Lamont Dozier and Brian & Eddie Holland from Motown told an entirely different story. The golden age of the production line at Motown was ending.

Put those facts out of your head when you enjoy this wonderful reissue of two of the greatest Supremes albums ever, and just drift back in time with them. "More Hits" was originally Motown LP 627 and released July 23, 1965; "Sing H-D-H" was Motown 650, released January 27, 1967, and this middle-aged man is a kid again when they play. I don't know if this was my best-written review, but I swear my heart is in it.

These two original albums show why the Supremes were one of the most successful groups of the mid-sixties. Holland/Dozier/Holland wrote all the songs on both albums.

The first, from 1965, has a misleading title - it is not a Greatest hits volume 2, which it suggests, but a set of then-new recordings which yielded three American number one hits (Stop! in the name of love and Back in my arms again) both of which also charted in Britain, though Back in my arms again was only a minor hit. A third single, Nothing but heartaches, only reached number 11 in America and missed the charts altogether in Britain. The other songs, are great examples of sixties Motown. While not as strong as the hits, they are worth hearing and they rarely (if ever) appear on compilations.

The second album, from 1967 (although three of the songs pre-date that year) also yielded two American number ones - You keep me hanging on and Love is here and now you're gone. This set includes two songs that had already been hits for other Motown acts - It's the same old song (Four tops) and Heatwave (Martha Reeves and the Vandellas). Again, the other songs are of a high quality without matching the hits.

If you are only interested in the hits, you should ignore this and the others in this series, but if you are interested in hearing more, this is a great CD with which to start exploring further.

On listening to these two timeless, classic albums you will understand how Diana ross And The Supremes remain the biggest and most succesful female all girl group of all time! Along with THE SUPREMES A GO GO (1966) and LOVE CHILD (1968) both MORE HITS BY THE SUPREMES (1965) and THE SUPREMES SING HOLLAND DOZIER HOLLAND (1967 - U.S title THE SUPREMES SING MOTOWN) are the very best full length studio albums that Diana and the Supremes recorded together. They are both perfect in every way. Both albums features the line up as Diana Ross as lead vocalist and Mary Wilson and the groups founder Florence Ballard as backing vocalists.

On MORE HITS BY THE SUPREMES all the material is top rate. The album begins with the infectious ASK ANY GIRL which undoubtedly would have hit the top spot if it had been released as a single. A tremendous recording with magnificent performances all round. Amongst the hits include the two U.S no.1 hits - the unforgetable landmark track, STOP! IN THE NAME OF LOVE and BACK IN MY ARMS AGAIN as well as a Top 20 hit NOTHING BUT HEARTACHES which although is a great track is rather too much of a sound alike to BACK IN MY ARMS AGAIN. The ballards are great on here especially I'M IN LOVE AGAIN and WHISPER YOU LOVE ME BOY as well as the dramatic THE ONLY TIME I'M HAPPY> The up tempo numbers are just as fantastic with MOTHER DEAR, HONEY BOY, WHO COULD EVER DOUBT MY LOVE and (I'M SO GLAD) HEARTACHES DON'T LAST ALWAYS al sound like first rate classics today that could easily have been big hits if they'd have beenlifted as singles. On the whole an excellent album that bubbles with the early Supremes sound.

THE SUPREMES SING HOLLAND DOZIER HOLLAND is even better. More sassy, more sophisticated and shows The Supremes developing a more mature approach to music. Gone are most of the girly numbers that they did when they first started their career, replaced with far more soulful tracks. The album begins with one of their most remarkable recordings in their career - YOU KEEP ME HANGING ON. Its great to hear Dianas stunning performance on this track. Her vocals turnnear enough into an agressive howl at the climax of the song as she sings "get out of my life and let me sleep tonight". YOU'RE GONE BUT ALWAYS IN MY HEART is a powerful, moving ballard whilst LOVE IS HERE AND NOW YOU'RE GONE is again one of their all time classics. There are a vast range of cover versions on here to which it is fair to say that they do in their own unique way including a strong, rip roaring renedition of Martha Reeves And The Vandellas Heatwave which closes the album on a triumphant note as well as excellent versions of The Four Tops I'LL TURN TO STONE and IT'S THE SAME OLD SONG. Standout tracks include one of Ross' gritiest numbers GOING DOWN FOR THE THIRD TIME which questionably was never lifted as a single. The same could be said for the beautiful ballard REMOVE THIS DOUBT which was reported that that was intended as their single release instead of WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO. Also one more track that deserves a mention is their brilliant version of THERES NO STOPPING US NOW which is charged with energy and soul rounding this off to be an excellent album that is arguarbly even better than THE SUPREMES A GO GO>

Both of these albums were big money spinners and are essential to any serious soul fan. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!

Although four albums separate 1965's More Hits By The Supremes and 1967's The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland, these two albums make natural partners since both feature only the compositions of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland (abetted on I'll Turn To Stone by R Dean Taylor).

This was the songwriting team most associated with the Supremes during their heyday, and both albums were produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier. In the UK the second album was cautiously re-titled The Supremes Sing Motown in case the names were insufficiently familiar.

Some of the most halcyon Supremes hits are on this album - You Keep Me Hangin' On, Stop! In The Name of Love, Love is Here And Now You're Gone, Back In My Arms Again, Nothing But heartaches - and all the B-sides, almost equally good, and including Going Down For The Third Time, which could have been an A-side but turned up later in the year as the flip of Reflections.

Ask Any Girl is the oldest recording, having first been the B-side of Baby Love in 1964, and was also on their earlier Where Did Our Love Go? album in a slightly longer mix. Similarly, You're Gone But Always In My Heart had first seen service as the B-side of Come See About Me in 1964. Honey Boy, He Holds His own and Whisper You Love Me Boy had earlier been assigned to Mary Wells, while I Guess I'll Always Love You had been a hit for the Isley Brothers, Heatwave for Martha and the Vandellas and It's The Same Old Song for the Four Tops. They also had I'll Turn To Stone on a B-side but the Supremes' take on the song came out first.

Both stereo albums feature the classic Supremes line-up of Diana Ross, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard and the top line of brilliant uncredited Motown musicians who contribute so much to this solid 65 minutes, which will be over more quickly than you could imagine. Put it on repeat play.

i'm happy that many of the motown albums are being re-released in box sets and pairings. but this 2-cd set is an odd match.

'more hits', to me, was a album that had a great a-side and a spotty b-side that was highlighted by the shimmery cover of mary wells' 'whisper you love me boy'. what an arrangement! from the finger snaps and piano cutting through that smooth veil of organ, mary and florence to the play in and diana's lead vocal to its modulation to d-flat for the last refrain, it's motown classic! but when an album's a-side has two chart-toppers, what can a songwriting team do, right?

well, for starters they put together an album of their own material for the three princesses of the label to work out. and they work it out! pure and simple. the first cut is 'you keep me hangin' on' and it's brilliant. and it doesn't let down from there. even a cover like 'i'll turn to stone' or 'it's the same old song' if effective in its setting. the dance tunes are matched by the ballads, especially 'remove this doubt' with its unique sampling of richard rodgers' 'slaughter on tenth avenue' smack dab in the middle. that took some nerve but the old guy was probably flattered (and paid off--let's be real).