The Supremes A' Go-Go

put on your dancing shoes!

i dedicate today’s issue of things i collected to the memory of founding Supremes member, Mary Wilson. following my morning workout, i began monday by re-listening to The Supremes A’ Go-Go, a dance-ready 1966 release from the Motown girl group. this record was added to my collection after i obtained it for $8 at a vintage market a few years ago. the album heavily consists of covers, with tracks originally popularized by other R&B artists like Martha and the Vandellas, The Four Tops, and The Isley Brothers.

majority of the songs were written/composed by the hit songwriting trio Holland-Dozier-Holland (brothers Brian and Eddie Holland alongside Lamont Dozier), with the exception of three tracks. throughout The Supremes A’ Go-Go, the classic soprano Diana Ross takes lead on nearly all of the singles. but on track 11, alto Mary Wilson sings front-and-center with a rendition of “Come and Get these Memories” by Martha and the Vandellas. this was the group’s ninth studio album and preceded their official name change to Diana Ross and The Supremes.

track listing for the 1966 record

i played this record twice as i got ready for the day — once on vinyl as i ate breakfast and did my makeup and a second time through streaming while i composed this piece. the digital version exposed me to a handful of classic 1960s tracks that were recorded for this album session but didn’t make the final record — Tom Jones’ “It’s Not Unusual” and the Rolling Stones’ “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” among them.

what a pleasure it would have been to sit in on these recording sessions; so much passion evoked between the psych soul arrangements and lively orchestration. i hope to collect more records from this era as this type of music inspires me endlessly.