Floy Joy

Infobox Album
Name = Floy Joy
Type = Studio album
Artist = The Supremes


Released = May 1972
Recorded = 1971 - 1972
Genre = Pop/soul
Label = Motown
M-751L
Length = 29:33
Producer = Smokey Robinson
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fpu1z83ajyvo~T00 link]
Last album = "Dynamite"
(w/ Four Tops)
(1971)
This album = "Floy Joy"
(1972)
Next album = "The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb"
(1972)

"Floy Joy" is a 1972 album released by The Supremes on the Motown label. This was the only Supremes album solely produced and arranged by Smokey Robinson and included the top 20 hit, "Floy Joy" and the top 40 hit, "Automatically Sunshine."

Overview

Following the aborted album "Promises Kept", Motown handed-over production duties for the Supremes to in-house songwriter, producer, artist, and company vice-president William "Smokey" Robinson. The then-current line-up of The Supremes included original Supreme Mary Wilson, Cindy Birdsong, and Diana Ross's replacement Jean Terrell. Appearing on the album cover alongside Terrell and Wilson was new member Lynda Laurence, brought in to replace Cindy Birdsong, who was noticeably pregnant at the time of the photo shoot.

"Floy Joy" marks for the first time that Mary Wilson had several leads on an album. Wilson and Terrell trade-off lead vocals on "Floy Joy" and "Automatically Sunshine", whilst Terrell has sole lead on the album's third single, "Your Wonderful Sweet, Sweet Love". Wilson takes solo lead on the ballad "A Heart Like Mine." The "Floy Joy" single was the Supremes' final Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Its follow-ups, "Automatically Sunshine" and "Your Wonderful Sweet, Sweet Love" were not as successful, with "Automatically Sunshine" peaking at 37 on the Billboard Hot 100, 21 on the Top Soul Singles and was the group's final Top 10 hit in the UK, and "Your Wonderful Sweet, Sweet Love" peaking at 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 21 on the Top Soul Singles, and missing the UK altogether.

Track listing

ide one

# "Your Wonderful Sweet, Sweet Love" (Smokey Robinson)
# "Floy Joy" (Robinson)
# "A Heart Like Mine" (Robinson, Ronald White)
# "Over and Over" (Robinson)
# "Precious Little Things" (Robinson, Marvin Tarplin, Pam Moffett)

ide two

# "Now The Bitter, Now The Sweet" (Robinson, Cecil Franklin)
# "Automatically Sunshine" (Robinson)
# "The Wisdom of Time" (Robinson, Moffett, Clifford Burston)
# "Oh Be My Love" (Robinson, Warren Moore)

Personnel

*Jean Terrell - lead vocals and background vocals
*Mary Wilson - lead vocals and background vocals
*Cindy Birdsong - background vocals
*The Andantes (Louvain Demps, Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow) - additional background vocals, some songs
*William "Smokey" Robinson - producer
*Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers:
**Jack Ashford - percussion
**Jack Brokensha - percussion
**Eddie "Bongo" Brown - percussion
**Dennis Coffey - guitar
**Robert White - guitar
**Eddie Willis - guitar
**Johnny Griffith - piano, keyboards
**James Jamerson - bass
**Zachary Slater - drums
**Andrew Smith - drums
**Marvin Tarplin - guitar
**Earl Van Dyke - piano, keyboards