Diana Ross may not have had the best or strongest voice in
the Supremes (Flo Ballard, by all accounts and evidence, was the best singer in the group), but she had the look, grace and style to make
the Supremes extremely marketable in an era when television appearances were beginning to be a quick, clear way to sell singles. But even more than
Ross' sultry appearance out front,
the Supremes stood out as more than just another girl group in the '60s because of the material they were given to sing by Motown's amazing songwriting stable, most notably the writing team of
Holland-Dozier-Holland, and in a time when AM radio was dominated by
the Beatles and the British Invasion bands,
the Supremes more than held their own with classic and enduring singles like “Baby Love,” “Come See About Me,” “Stop! In the Name of Love,” “Back in My Arms Again,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” and “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” among others. This attractive box celebrates the 50th anniversary of
the Supremes’ first single release, “I Want a Guy” b/w “Never Again,” in 1961 by bringing together all of the group’s singles between then and 1969 on three discs. The end result is an impressive legacy. These are the sides that made
the Supremes the most successful girl group in the history of pop. ~ Steve Leggett