To beat this musical power yet, was for the following decade a challenge because Rock'n'Roll, Beat and Soul had been established in the previous decade, but in addition to an unpleasant "flattening" of commercial pop music towards shallow and inconsequential there Furthermore, innovative artists, labels and music styles (eg Marvin Gaye's masterpiece, "What's Going On", the radio, the Hard Rock and ridiculed today, but at that time initially quite "revolutionary" disco, with music geniuses, as the ex-member of the Black Panthers, Nile Rodgers of CHIC, etc. etc.).
Also for Motown the dawning 1970s were a decade of rethinking and reorientation. Established artists / inside as Vandellas, Temptations, Marvelettes and not least Supremes were looking for a more modern sound and were cared for by a new generation of composers and producers. Holland-Dozier-Holland, once hit guarantor of the label had left Motown; Now was the young funk-oriented Norman Whitfield thereby modernizing the Motown sound and with his psychedelic Soul Concept at the Temptations and later the Undisputed Truth extremely successful. The young New York songwriter / producer couple Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson had hired at Motown and Motown cofounder Smokey Robinson was still creative as a producer.
For album 'The Supremes & The Four Tops - The Magnificent Seven'
The album title refers to the eponymous Western from the early 1960s on (German title "The Magnificent Seven") and tried - after the successful album and single launch of the new Supremes (without Diana Ross and Jean Terrell), which immediately her debut Altbum 'The Supremes Right On' could retract solid success - to keep the public's interest more awake.
Already the 1960s Supremes, with its star-singer Diana Ross had several successful duet albums recorded with the Temptations: 'Diana Ross & The Supremes Join The Temptations' (1968) +++' Diana Ross And The Supremes With The Temptations TCB '(1968) +++' Diana Ross & The Supremes And The Temptations Together '(1969) +++' Diana Ross & The Supremes And The Temptations GIT On Broadway '(1969) and this concept is at hand with the music discussed here again, brought by two of the most successful groups of the Motown label together.
Music:
Attentive to the cooperation between the two Motown groups I was towards the end of 1970 on the dance floor of a disco. Suddenly a penetrating the skin melody, played by violins, listen. Then put the incredible bass (of Motown's James Jamerson) and let the dance floor vibrate, eventually had to hear and which was then supplemented by Jean Terrell's voice (the latter sounded to me the voice of the fantastic lead singer of the Four Tops, Levi Stubbs " as if from another world ":-)), the new Supremes lead singer, the bass line over the entire song length a moment lost its force and hypnotic effect. It was the song 'A Taste Of Honey' from the album reviewed here, I was absolutely thrilled and love this version until today (it is essential to listen to loud until the wheels clank :-)).
When I had tried in vain to buy the song on vinyl single (Motown had only three other singles extracted from the album), I put myself to the album and hear me hard on. My assessment then and now: songs like 'A Taste Of Honey' (cover version of a song-classic) +++ 'River Deep, Mountain High' (cover version of Phil Spector - Ike & Tina Turner songs) ++ + 'Knock On My Door' +++ 'Everyday People' (cover version of 'Sly & The Family Stone' Hits) are successful 1970s Soul. Some others on the album is me a little on the "arbitrary" and "shallow", but remains bearable in the overall context.
The album was released in September 1970 and was in the UK, where it peaked at number 6 of the album charts, significantly more successful than in the US. As singles were released 'River Deep, Mountain High' +++ 'Without The One You Love' +++ 'Reach Out And Touch'.
Motown put later gradually released two more albums cooperation of Supremes and Four Tops: 'The Return Of The magificent Seven' (1971) and 'Dynamite' (1972) which are hardly stayed with me because they do not really me were able to convince ..
Sound quality:
These are an early CD version of the album that has not been digitally remastered and therefore the warning: "(...) May contain some hiss and other anomalies did exist with analog recordings ..." on the CD sleeve contains. Nevertheless, the sound quality is but it was good, a presence, powerful and without any significant noise.
Who (Supremes & Four Tops) wishes to purchase on CD all three albums of this constellation, which is on the Hip-O Select double CD 'The Supremes & Four Tops Magnificent - The Complete Studio Duets' (Motown / Hip-O Select B0013119- 02) referred (24-bit dig. remastered), to which I'll link in the comments section below this text.