''Promises Kept'' is an unreleased album by

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

, recorded during the latter half of 1971 with multiple producers. Ultimately, the project was shelved by Motown in favor of a different set, '' Floy Joy'', produced entirely by

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...

the following year. The idea for the title came from Supreme Mary Wilson who said that "I'd heard the phrase and loved it. I wanted to use it on the next album." Assigned the catalogue number M-746 and originally scheduled for a December 1971 release, no finished track listing is known to exist from the 19 songs recorded for the project. Five songs were released in 2002 on '' The '70s Anthology'' CD while another 13 appeared on the 2006 boxset '' This Is the Story: The '70s Albums, Vol. 1 – 1970–1973: The Jean Terrell Years''.

Songs recorded

#"Oh My Poor Baby" ( Gloria Jones, Pam Sawyer) – 2:48 #"Make It with You" (

David Gates David Ashworth Gates (December 11, 1940 – January 5, 2023) was a American singer-songwriter, guitarist, musician and producer, frontman and co-lead singer (with Jimmy Griffin) of the group Bread, which reached the top of the musical charts i ...

) – 3:19 #*Originally recorded by

Bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

. #"I'll Let Him Know I Love Him" (Jones, Sawyer) – 4:02 #" Never Can Say Goodbye" (

Clifton Davis Clifton Duncan Davis (born October 4, 1945) is an American actor, singer, songwriter, minister, and author. Davis wrote The Jackson 5's No. 2 hit "Never Can Say Goodbye" in 1971. He appeared on Broadway in the musicals '' Two Gentlemen of Verona ...

) – 3:18 #*Originally recorded by The Jackson 5. #"Walk with Me, Talk with Me Darling" (John Glover, Clay McMurray, James Dean) – 2:33 #* Tracks 1 – 5 Released on ''" The '70s Anthology"'' (2002) #"Tears Left Over" ( Leonard Caston, Jr.,

Nickolas Ashford Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, ...

) – 3:37 #* Working title: "Bet I Can Wash Away" #"

Eleanor Rigby "Eleanor Rigby" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album ''Revolver''. It was also issued on a double A-side single, paired with " Yellow Submarine". The song was written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to L ...

" ( John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 2:30 #* Originally recorded by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

#"I Ain't Got the Love of the One I Love" (Nick Zesses, Dino Fekaris) – 3:19 #*Originally assigned to David Ruffin. #"Can't Get You Out of My Mind" (Ashford, Valerie Simpson) – 2:59 #"Take a Look Inside" (McMurray, Brenda Wane, Steve Bowden) – 3:36 #"

Still Water (Love) "Still Water (Love)" is a 1970 hit single written by Smokey Robinson and Frank Wilson (who also produced the track) for the Motown singing group Four Tops. The B-side was "Still Water (Peace)" and both songs appear on the 1970 album ''Still Wa ...

" (Wilson,

) – 2:56 – led by Mary Wilson #*Originally recorded by The

Four Tops The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet from Detroit who helped to define the city's Motown sound of the 1960s. The group's repertoire has included soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, doo-wop, jazz, and show tunes. Founded as the ...

. #"Take Your Dreams Back" (Cosby, Dean, Glover) – 3:18 #*Working title: "Free to Be Lonely" #"I Don't Want to Own You (I Just Want to Love You)" (

R. Dean Taylor Richard Dean Taylor (May 11, 1939 – January 7, 2022) was a Canadian musician, most notable as a singer, songwriter, and record producer for Motown during the 1960s and 1970s. According to Jason Ankeny, Taylor was "one of the most underra ...

, Mike Valvano) – 2:55 #"Chained to Yesterday" (Beatrice Verdi, Sawyer, Cosby) – 3:08 #*Originally assigned to Diana Ross & The Supremes #" If I Were Your Woman" (Jones, Sawyer, McMurray) – 2:46 #*Originally recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips. #"I Ain't That Easy to Lose" (Jones, Sawyer) – 3:51 #*Originally assigned to Gladys Knight & the Pips. #"And I Thought You Loved Me" (Zesses, Fekaris) – 4:18 #" It's Too Late" (

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...

, Toni Stern) – 4:27 #*Originally recorded by

. #* Tracks 6 – 18 Released on ''" This Is the Story: The '70s Albums, Vol. 1 – 1970–1973: The Jean Terrell Years"'' (2007) #"All I Need" (Frank Wilson, E. Holland, R. Dean Taylor) #*Originally recorded by

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

. #* Track 19 Released on ''"Motown Sings Motown Treasures"''

Personnel

* Jean Terrell – lead vocals, background vocals * Mary Wilson – lead vocals, background vocals *

Cindy Birdsong Cynthia Ann Birdsong (born December 15, 1939) is an American singer who became famous as a member of The Supremes in 1967, when she replaced co-founding member Florence Ballard. Birdsong had previously been a member of Patti LaBelle & The Blueb ...

– background vocals *

The Andantes The Andantes were an American female session group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by Mar ...

(Louvain Demps, Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow) – additional background vocals *Gloria Jones & Pamela Sawyer (Producers, tracks 1, 3) * Henry Cosby (Producer tracks 2, 8, 12, 15) *Clay McMurray (Producer tracks 4, 5, 10, 16) * Frank Wilson (Producer track 6) * Bobby Taylor (Producers tracks 7, 11, 17, 18) * Ashford & Simpson (Producers track 9) *

& Mike Valvano (Producers track 13) * The Clan (Producers track 14)

References

*Liner notes CD box set: ''" This Is the Story: The '70s Albums, Vol. 1 - 1970–1973: The Jean Terrell Years"'' {{The Supremes The Supremes albums Motown albums Unreleased albums