''The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb'' is the twenty-sixth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

released 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 ...

on the

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

label in 1972. It was the only Supremes LP produced (and chiefly written) by a non-Motown artist, successful songwriter and producer

Jimmy Webb Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including " Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "MacArthur Park", "Wichita Lineman", "Worst ...

, and was the last album to feature early-1970s Supremes lead singer

Jean Terrell Velma Jean Terrell (born November 26, 1944) is an American R&B and jazz singer. She replaced Diana Ross as the lead singer of The Supremes in January 1970. Biography Early life and career She is the sister of the former WBA heavyweight box ...

. Only one single from the album was released in the United States, the ballad "I Guess I'll Miss the Man" from the musical ''

Pippin Pippin or Pepin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Pippin'' (comics), a children's comic produced from 1966 to 1986 * ''Pippin'' (musical), a Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz loosely based on the life of Pepin the Hunchback * Pippin T ...

''. Other non-Webb tracks included

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...

's "All I Want",

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ove ...

's "Paradise" and covers of hits by

Bobby Lewis Robert Alan Lewis (February 9, 1925 – April 28, 2020) was an American rock and roll and rhythm and blues singer, best known for his 1961 hit singles "Tossin' and Turnin'" and "One Track Mind". Biography Lewis was born in Indianapolis, Indiana ...

and Mina, respectively "Tossin' and Turnin'" and "La voce del silenzio".

Overview

Besides being Jean Terrell's final Supremes album, ''The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb'' was the first of only two Supremes' LPs to include vocals from member

Lynda Laurence Lynda Laurence (also spelled Lawrence, born Lynda Tucker; February 20, 1949) is an American singer. The youngest daughter of Louise and Ira Tucker, a gospel songwriter, producer, and singer, Laurence's siblings are Sundray Tucker and Ira Tuck ...

, the other being the live album '' In Japan!'' Laurence had replaced

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 ...

earlier in 1972 and joined original Supreme Mary Wilson and Terrell for these sessions just prior to her official inclusion into the group. ''The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb'' marked a departure from the Motown Sound that the Supremes had relied upon over the past decade, and moved the group out of its pop/R&B genre and into a rock/pop style masterminded by Webb. The result was an album that had a different sound to that which the public, and the Supremes themselves, were accustomed. On many of the tracks, Webb overdubbed additional background vocals by

The Blossoms The Blossoms are an American girl group that originated from California. During their height of success in the 1960s, the group's lineup most famously consisted of Darlene Love, Fanita James, and Jean King. Although the group had a recording ...

, in addition to the voices of Wilson and Laurence. Terrell sings lead on all of the tracks on the LP, except "I Keep It Hid", which features Wilson on lead vocals. Terrell duetted with Webb on "Once in the Morning". The only US single from the album, the opening track "I Guess I'll Miss the Man", was not actually part of the Jimmy Webb project. Instead, it was a

Stephen Schwartz Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as ''Godspell'' (1971), ''Pippin'' (1972), and ''Wicked'' (20 ...

song from the Motown-financed

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

production of ''

'', handled by songwriters-producers

Deke Richards Deke Richards (born Dennis Lussier;"Jackson 5 producer Deke Richards dies aged 68"

and

Sherlie Matthews Sherlie Matthews (born November 10, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter and former Motown Records producer, best known as a backing vocalist for pop, R&B and rock groups from the mid-1960s to the present time. Early life Matthews started ...

. Although neither song nor album generated radio play or sales in the United States, two singles were released abroad, both in 1973: "Cheap Lovin'" in Italy and "Tossin' and Turnin'" in the United Kingdom. Besides being Jean Terrell's favorite album as a Supreme, ''The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb'' became a cult favorite. With '' In Japan!'' distributed only in Europe and Japan, Supremes admirers elsewhere had to wait three years for a new album. After the Jimmy Webb project, the group released the single "

Bad Weather "Bad Weather" is a song recorded and released as a single by Motown vocal group The Supremes in 1973. It was composed by Stevie Wonder and Lynda Laurence's brother Ira Tucker Jr., and produced by Wonder. The song was then-lead singer Jean Terrel ...

", a funky song written and produced by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

, who had also recorded "Soft Days" with the trio for a future album. "Bad Weather" was a hit in disco floors and received extensive radio play in Europe, but had little promotion in the US. Disheartened, Jean Terrell left the group, Lynda Laurence followed when she became pregnant, and Mary Wilson had to assemble a new line-up.

Critical reception

'' Cashbox'' published, "Jimmy Webb produced and arranged this most satisfying Supremes creation since the group's re-organization. The unquestionable highlight of the session is a foamin' funky remake of Bobby Lewis' "Tossin' And Turnin'." Also on the upswing, Joni Mitchell's "All I Want" (complete with "Up Up And Away" riffs) and a strange lyrical bit of "Cheap Lovin'." On the sweet side, their latest single "Guess I'll Miss The Man" from "Pippin" and a beautiful "Silent Voices." They've got the feelin' and the talent to put it across."

Track listing

All songs produced by

, except "I Guess I'll Miss the Man" (Sherlie Matthews and

Deke Richards Deke Richards (born Dennis Lussier;"Jackson 5 producer Deke Richards dies aged 68"

). All lead vocals by

except where noted

Side one

#" I Guess I'll Miss the Man" (

) #"5:30 Plane" (

) #"

Tossin' and Turnin' "Tossin' and Turnin'" is a song written by Ritchie Adams and Malou René, and originally recorded by Bobby Lewis in the fall of 1960. The record was released on the Beltone label in December 1960. It reached number one on both the ''Billboard' ...

" (

, Malou Rene) #"When Can Brown Begin?" (Webb) #"Beyond Myself" (Webb) #" La voce del silenzio" (Silent Voices) (Elio Isola)

Side two

#" All I Want" (

) #"Once in the Morning" (Webb) (lead singers: Jean Terrell, Jimmy Webb) #"I Keep It Hid" (Webb) (lead singer: Mary Wilson) #"Paradise" (

) #"Cheap Lovin'" (Webb)

Personnel

–

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

and

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

* Mary Wilson – lead and backing vocals *

– backing vocals *

(

Darlene Love Darlene Wright (born July 26, 1941), known professionally as Darlene Love, is an American singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl group the Blossoms and she also recorded as a solo artist. She began singing as a child with her ...

, Fanita James, and Jean King) – additional backing vocals *

–

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

*Henry Lewry –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

*Ray Rich –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Fred Tackett Fred Tackett (born August 30, 1945) is an American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Originally a session player on guitar, mandolin, and trumpet, he is best known as a member of the band Little Feat. In addition to his work with Little F ...

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*Skip Mosher –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

*Jim Britt – photography

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb 1972 albums The Supremes albums Albums arranged by Jimmy Webb Albums produced by Deke Richards Albums produced by Jimmy Webb Motown albums