Farewell (Diana Ross & The Supremes album)

Infobox Album | Name = Farewell
Type = Live album
Artist = Diana Ross & the Supremes


Released = April 13, 1970
Recorded = Frontier Hotel, January 14 1970, 11:54 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.
Genre = Pop/Soul/Broadway
Length = N/A
Label = Motown
MS2-708
Producer = Deke Richards | Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:oe6zefqkhgf5 link]
Last album = "Greatest Hits Vol. 3"
(1969)
This album = "Farewell"
(1970)
Next album = "Right On"
(1970)
Misc = Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = Alternate cover
Type = Live album


Lower caption = 1992 reissue cover, "Captured Live on Stage!".

"Farewell" is a 1970 live album by Diana Ross & The Supremes. The album was recorded over the course of the group's final engagement together at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, including the final night on January 14 1970. The show marked Diana Ross' final performance with Supremes Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong. At the conclusion of the show, new Supremes lead singer Jean Terrell was brought onstage and introduced to the audience.

History

The material performed in the show was a mix of popular Supremes hits, cover songs, and Broadway showtunes. During the extended twenty-minute rendition of "Let The Sunshine In", Diana Ross walked through the audience and let some of the guests sing the title-chorus of the song; some of these guests included Smokey Robinson and his wife Claudette, Dick Clark, Lou Rawls, Steve Allen, Johnny Carson, and Marvin Gaye.

The live album was issued as a two-LP deluxe edition boxed set, produced by Deke Richards. The album was reissued as a single disc under the title "Captured Live on Stage!" in 1982, and as a two-disc compact disc reissue "Captured Live on Stage!", in 1992.

According to Mary Wilson, Berry Gordy had last-minute reservations about having Terrell replace Ross, as she was more independent and headstrong than Ross had been. Gordy called Wilson during the early morning hours following the final show, and informed her that he was going to instead replace Ross with his original choice for a Ross replacement, Syreeta Wright.

Terrell, Wilson, and Cindy Birdsong had already recorded most of the material for the first post-Ross Supremes album, "Right On", and Terrell had just been publicly introduced as the newest Supreme, so Wilson refused and threatened to quit if Gordy dropped Terrell. Gordy angrily replied he would "wash [his] hands of the group", and hung up the telephone receiver.

The Terrell-led Supremes enjoyed a number of hits following Ross' departure, including "Up the Ladder to the Roof", "Stoned Love", "River Deep-Mountain High" (with The Four Tops), "Nathan Jones", "Floy Joy", and their last Top 40 hit in 1976, "I'm Gonna Let My Heart do the Walking" -- although promotion and backing from Motown decreased.

Track listing

LP/disc one

ide one

#"TCB"
#Medley: "Stop! In the Name of Love"/"Come See About Me"/"My World Is Empty Without You"/"Baby Love"
#Medley: "The Lady Is a Tramp"/"Let's Get Away From It All"
#Monologue - Diana Ross
#"Love Is Here and Now You're Gone"
#"I'm Gonna Make You Love Me"
# Monologue - Mary Wilson
#"Can't Take My Eyes off You"
#Dialogue - Diana Ross & Mary Wilson
#"Reflections"

ide two

#"My Man"
#"Didn't We"
#"It's Alright With Me"
#"Big Spender"
#"Falling In Love with Love"
#"Love Child"
#Monologue - Diana Ross

LP/disc two

ide three

#Monologue - Diana Ross
#"Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)"

ide four

#Monologue - Diana Ross
#"The Impossible Dream"
#Monologue - Diana Ross
#"Someday We'll Be Together"
#Closing Dialogue - Diana Ross & the Supremes

Personnel

* Diana Ross: lead and background vocals
* Mary Wilson: lead and background vocals
* Cindy Birdsong: background vocals
* Gil Askey: musical direction, arrangements, and orchestra conductor.
* Wally Heider: engineering
* John Stronach: engineering
* Berry Gordy: executive producer
* Deke Richards: album producer
* Deke Richard and Kevin Kim: art direction
* Kevin Kim: photography and design
* Ivy Hill: lithography

References

* Wilson, Mary and Romanowski, Patricia (1986, 1990, 2000). . New York: Cooper Square Publishers. ISBN 0-8154-1000-X.