Motown Records' Anthology series, first introduced in the 1970s, presented three-LP sets devoted to the work of its major artists, among them, of course, Diana Ross and the Supremes, who got a 35-track treatment in 1974, chronicling their chart hits and a handful of their more adventurous stylistic forays. Twelve years later, Motown brought out a second Anthology of the group for the CD era, expanding to 50 tracks and including recordings by the post-Diana Ross version of the Supremes. Another nine years on, here is yet ...
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Motown Records' Anthology series, first introduced in the 1970s, presented three-LP sets devoted to the work of its major artists, among them, of course, Diana Ross and the Supremes, who got a 35-track treatment in 1974, chronicling their chart hits and a handful of their more adventurous stylistic forays. Twelve years later, Motown brought out a second Anthology of the group for the CD era, expanding to 50 tracks and including recordings by the post-Diana Ross version of the Supremes. Another nine years on, here is yet another variation on the formula. This 52-track Diana Ross and the Supremes Anthology adopts the same basic chronological approach as its predecessors, and like the 1986 album includes Supremes songs from the '70s, taking the group from 1961 to 1976. (Ross bid farewell at the start of 1970.) Compiler Bill Inglot is not interested in hearing the Supremes cover Rodgers and Hart; rather, in addition to including all their Top 40 pop hits, he has sought out album tracks in the same style as their successful singles, songs like "Mother Dear" and "He's All I Got," written by Holland-Dozier-Holland, that one can easily imagine having joined their list of hits. (The sole unreleased track is a fascinating public service announcement written and produced by Phil Spector, "Things Are Changing.") This gives the album stylistic consistency, at least through its first disc, though the continuing decision to lump the post-Diana Ross material in at the end remains questionable. But the most bizarre aspect of this Anthology is the choice of presenting most of the tracks in monophonic sound. That sound is punchy, reminiscent of 1960s AM radio, but it's not as though there weren't stereo versions of these recordings, and when a few stereo mixes are introduced on the second disc, they stick out. ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi
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