Wednesday, February 5, 2014

"WAITING FOR BALANCE AND FOUND JADED"

I don't see why the Jimmy Webb-produced LP from 1972 gets such a bad rap, aside from the unusual dead flower cover (a sign of things to come in the next four years, without any support or much promotion from Motown at all, like many of their longtime groups in the mid 70's, who either switched labels - as Jackson Five, The Four Tops and other Motown acts - or disbanded).

Just like Frank Wilson got the best of Jean and "The NEW Supremes" on their first three LP's without Diana, famous songwriter and producer Jimmy Webb got even more of the best of Jean's voice, reaching notes she hadn't before on their first four albums.  She and Miss Ross are two totally different singers - Diana's was the most commercial voice while Jean and then later Scherrie Payne were a "musician's musician" kinda singers.  They had to work twice as hard to prove they WEREN'T Diana, or some carbon copy replacement.

My only complaint with the LP is Webb adding the vocal group I believe called The Blossoms, for additional background vocals to the mix (likely without Mary Wilson's or anyone else's knowledge).  

What the fuck FOR?  

Jean, Mary and Lynda Laurence can sing just fine on their own!  It was pretty much just like how that perm-haired circus freak of a kook Phil Spector done on The Beatles' final LP Let It Be.  

If Hip-O Select wants to do the fans a favor, get those master tapes from the Motown vaults and RE-fucking-MIX Produced And Arranged By Jimmy Webb, totally removing the additional vocals by The Blossoms.  

In the second video posted below is why the Jean/Mary/Lynda lineup was my favorite configuration of the group when singing/performing live.





Jean Terrell, Mary Wilson + Lynda Laurence
Live in Japan 1973


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