Diana Ross & The Supremes Join the Temptations

Infobox Album
Name = Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations


Type = album
Artist = Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations
Released = November 8, 1968
Recorded = May 3, 1968 - September 13, 1968
Genre = Pop/soul
Length = N/A
Label = Motown
MS 679
Producer = Frank Wilson
Smokey Robinson
Al Clevland
Henry Cosby
Terry "Buzzy" Johnson
Nickolas Ashford
Deke Richards
Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:6bkzu325an2k link]
Misc = Extra chronology 2
Artist = Diana Ross & the Supremes
Type = album
Font size =
Last album = "Diana Ross & the Supremes Sing and Perform "Funny Girl""
(1968)
This album = "Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations"
(1968)
Next album = "Love Child"
(1968)Extra chronology 2
Artist = Temptations
Type = album
Font size =
Last album = "The Temptations Wish It Would Rain"
(1968)
This album = "Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations"
(1968)
Next album = "TCB"
(1968)

"Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations" is, as the title implies, a collaborative album combining Motown's two best selling groups, Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations. Issued by Motown in late 1968 to coincide with the broadcast of the Supremes/Temptations "TCB" television special, the album was a success, reaching #2 on the Billboard 200. Originally the lead single was to have been "The Impossible Dream" as featured in the climax to the TV spectacular TCB. However, it was decided to release "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" as a single instead even though it wasn't featured on TCB. This became a number-two hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B singles chart, and the follow-up, "I'll Try Something New", was a Top 30 hit. A third single, "I Second That Emotion", was released exclusively in the United Kingdom, where it became a Top 20 hit.

"Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations" marks the first on-record appearance of new Temptations lead singer Dennis Edwards, who was brought in as David Ruffin's replacement in July 1968.

Album notes

All of the tracks on the album are covers of songs for other artists. Both "I Second That Emotion" and "I'll Try Something New" were originally recorded by Motown's Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, while "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" was an outside hit for Dee Dee Warwick before it became a hit for the Supremes and Temptations. Motown's Marvin Gaye had previously had hits with "Try It Baby" and, as a duet with Tammi Terrell, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". "This Guy's in Love with You" was a hit for Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass , while "Funky Broadway" had been recorded as a hit for Wilson Pickett. The Sweet Inspirations' signature song, "Sweet Inspirations", is also covered here, as is Stevie Wonder's "A Place in the Sun", The Four Tops' "Then", and the show tune "The Impossible Dream" from "Man of La Mancha".

Frank Wilson served as executive producer of the project. "Diana Ross & the Supremes Join the Temptations", joint-recorded at both the main Hitsville USA studio in Detroit, Michigan, the Golden World studio in Detroit, and satellite studios in Los Angeles, primarily features leads by Diana Ross of the Supremes and Eddie Kendricks of The Temptations, with additional leads by Temptations Dennis Edwards, Paul Williams, Otis Williams, and Melvin Franklin.

Track listing

"Diana Ross shares lead vocals on each track with one or more of the Temptations, identified by superscripts: (a) Eddie Kendricks, (b) Dennis Edwards, (c) Paul Williams, (d) Melvin Franklin, and/or (e) Otis Williams."

ide one

#"Try It Baby" (Berry Gordy, Jr.) ^{d, c}
#"I Second That Emotion" (Smokey Robinson, Al Cleveland) ^a
#"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson) ^b
#"I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" (Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, Jerry Ross) ^{a, e}
#"This Guy's in Love with You" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) ^e
#"Funky Broadway" (Lester Christian) ^b

ide two

#"I'll Try Something New" (Robinson) ^a
#"A Place in the Sun" (Ron Miller, Bryan Wells) ^c
#"Sweet Inspiration" (Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham) ^a
#"Then" (Robinson, Ronald White, Warren Moore) ^c
#"The Impossible Dream" (Joe Darion, Mitch Leigh) ^c

Known outtakes

All of the following songs were recorded for this album, but not included for the final tracklisting. These tracks can be found on "Joined Together: The Complete Studio Duets", a 2004 Motown CD set combining this LP and its follow-up, "Together".
# Opening Medley (Holland-Dozier-Holland) ^{(on the intro: a, b, c, d, e)}
##"When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes"
##"Come See About Me"
##"Stop! In the Name of Love"
##"Love Is Like an Itching In My Heart"
##"You Keep Me Hangin' On"
#"Got to Get You Into My Life" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) *
#"You Gave Me Something (and Everything's Alright)" (William Garrett, Albert Hamilton, Ronnie Savoy, Norma Toney) ^c
#"A House is Not a Home" (Bacharach, David) ^{a, c}*
#"If You Should Walk Away" (Frank Wilson, Gordy)
#"Amen" (Johnny Pate, Curtis Mayfield) ^{a, b, c}**

(*) Supremes member Mary Wilson shares a lead on this track. (**) Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong also have leads on this track.

Credits

*Frank Wilson, producer (H.B. Barnum, arranger): "Try It Baby", "The Impossible Dream"
*Frank Wilson and Nickolas Ashford, producers (Paul Riser, arranger): "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", "A Place in the Sun", and "Sweet Inspirations"
*Frank Wilson and Deke Richards, producers (Gene Page, arranger): "This Guy's in Love with You", "Funky Broadway", "I'll Try Something New"
*Smokey Robinson, Al Cleveland and Terry Johnson, producers (Paul Riser, arranger): "I Second That Emotion", "Then"
*Henry Cosby, producer (Paul Riser, arranger): "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
*Background vocals by Mary Wilson, Cindy Birdsong, Dennis Edwards, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin, and Otis Williams.

Instrumentation on "Try It Baby", "This Guy's in Love With You", "Funky Broadway", "I'll Try Something New", and "The Impossible Dream" is performed by Los Angeles area session musicians. On all other tracks, the instrumentation is provided by Motown's studio band, The Funk Brothers, with strings and horns by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

ingles history

*"I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" b/w "A Place in the Sun" (Motown 1137, November 21, 1968)
*"I'll Try Something New" b/w "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (b-side taken from "TCB") (Motown 1142, February 20, 1969)
*"I Second That Emotion" b/w "The Way You Do the Things You Do" (b-side taken from "TCB") (Tamla-Motown 709, United Kingdom only, September 1969)

Chart history