By John Barry Sheffield (195.92.168.166) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 09:01 am:

After just finishing the book written by Randall Wilson on FLORENCE BALLARD yesterday I got around to prdering The Supreme Florence Ballard on CD and it arrived this morning!

What a superb follow up single on ABC Records - LOVE AIN'T LOVE was a real classic by Van McCoy, just never given the right promotion by ABC, part due to Motown restrictions.

Wonder how History would have developed if FLORENCE could have had The Number One Single she deserved??

John

By Randy Russi (169.139.180.100) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 09:56 am:

I thought Love Ain't Love was OK, but her first
release "It Doesn't Matter How I Say It", I
thought was terrible!!!! She doesn't even
sound as if she's a real singer, which is an
absolute crime!
It seems as if everything worked against her on
her solo career. And, of course, there's always
the speculation that Motown was behind her lack
of success.

By Lagunabeach (65.238.91.155) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 11:22 am:

I'd have to agree. She sounded like her heart wasn't in it. The material was lousy and I think she must have know it. It sounded dated even for then. I think she could have done so much better with the right management/direction, which she certainly didn't have. I think it was a rushed project and they didn't know what to do with her or what style to go in. One can only speculate what role Motown might have played??? Hmmmm.

By Stephanie (64.63.221.102) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 12:31 pm:

I wish we could get George Kerr to comment on this since he did the production. Personally I liked Love aint Love and Like You Babe the best and then It Doesnt Matter How I Say it. I didnt like her version of Yesterday. I dont think its so much a production flaw I talked to George Kerr several months ago and he said Flo didnt sing well. I know that can be left open to interpretation because we all know she was a great singer but she sounded depressing on some of the cuts to me. I DO feel Love Aint Love would have been a big hit though if it was promoted it had a good beat and I dont think it sounded dated for the time. I love the opening to It Doesnt Matter How I Say it. Yesterday is about the only song on that CD that I cant bear to listen to I keep thinking poor Flo. Its not the same voice on Aint That Good News or Long Gone Lover or It Makes No Difference Now the spunk is gone. Those songs like you Bring Out the Sweetness In Me sound like cutesy pie Diana Ross songs. If Flo had been at Stax or Atlantic she would have had some hits.
Stephanie

By Motownguy (208.4.27.140) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 02:39 pm:

There are some misses on this CD but you can tell that Florence still had the goods. The choice of material is off and production was bad (just listen to some of the background vocals and instrumental backing) It was as if a bad omen was over her for the rest of her life. Florence was also under extreme stress having just gone through the "Gordy and Supreme situation" and on top of it she was pregnant. The real standouts are "Forever Faithful", "Love Aint Love", and "Like You Babe. From my own personal experience with having non fans listen to Flo, it seems they love her voice but they are somehow shocked that her voice is so different than Diana's as if they thought all Supremes sounded like Diana (perhaps the general public still think that). I have recently heard 4 unreleased Florence lead songs from her Supreme days at Motown and she kicks some major booty. Hopefully something is in the works for releasing these as it will give the fans (the few of us that are left and the newer ones)more choices. In closing I must say that Florence had a wide range and was a vocal cameleon, she could hit very sharp pitched 1st soprano notes and some very deep low ones and everthing in between and she would often change her voice for the different styles of the Supremes songs. She was a true talent

By Lagunabeach (65.238.58.121) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 02:52 pm:

It was so very well put, "the spunk was gone". Boy, does that sum her recordings up. I'm a major Flo fan and was really dispappointed when I heard a lot of the cuts. "Love Ain't Love" is pretty good. I think the production values were lacking. "Yesterday" was abysmal. She sounded off key and truly uninspired. Again, I think she was tired and worn out at this point. She had a sadness in her voice.

By TonyRussi (68.18.39.39) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 03:00 pm:

I thought the picture sleeve drawing on one of the 45's that my brother bought was really cheap for an artist of the stature of Florence Ballard.It was a strange situation...ABC Records could have had a GOLD MINE.Florence had the total package,talent,looks and CHARISMA.

By Steph (64.63.221.161) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 04:36 pm:

If you read Mary Wilsons book remember some talent agents wanted Flo for a musical becaues they liked her voice and the way she looked on stage. She could have gone far!!! Man I guess she was just depressed after the name change and then being booted from the group. There are two detroit DJ's on a message board who said they were told NOT to play Love Aint Love or Motown would not ship the latest Motown records to the station so there was some sabatoge involved there somewhere. Love Aint Love could have put our dear Flo on the map. I wished the best of luck for Diana but Florence could have been a star but I dont think she would have been the major superstar Diana was but she would have been a hit somehow. I know she would have because she had the personality and all she needed was the confidence...well she is in a better place now. Flo didnt have anyone behind her the way Ross had Gordy she was held back by her problems with the alcohol and her husband and lack of support. No matter how good you are if there is no support there is no way you can make it. George Kerr who produced the great Linda Jones and Hypnotized produced that CD...I dont see anything wrong with the productions myself I thought the music in Yesterday was good but Flos voice was shot!!!!!
Bateman did a lot better with Flo I must admit!!!
Forever Faithful the beginning of it sounds like the theme from Bonanza!!!! My only issue with the CD is I think Kerr had the backgrounds up too high on Forever Faithful and his production on Going Out of my Head is a little weird especially with those girls in the background saying H-E-A-D
His productions with Linda Jones are much better maybe he thought she was a better singer and she really was she was as good as it gets when it comes to soul.

Even in Diana Ross'sbook Secrets of a Sparrow she said Flo could have sung opera. She is one of the strangest cases I have seen of a letdown of the politics of the music business and there have been many. If you look at the old Supremes clips Diana was dynamic and Mary was sexy and Flo was just earthy and soulful to me. My brother said in Washington DC they played Love aint Love for 3 weeks and then he never heard it again and he couldnt understand why. Im telling you that record got no promotion and Kerr told me that people were buying it when they heard it and then nothing!!!! He was hired by ABC to do the project as a freelance producer. If you listen to the music it sounds like he had an orchestra back there. I do think that she would have been better off with HDH or the people at Atlantic or STAX they could have given her an image I know that. She had it man and the audiences loved her and I think they took her song People away from her because Diana was jealous when she got a big response from the crowd but that is my opinion.

My Heart is the only depressing song I think she sounds good on but my issue with that CD is some of the orchestration sounds muffled and I dont know why it wasnt clearer. ABC was not a poor label somehow I think Flo got the shaft somewhere.
I mean they just dropped her from the label and I asked Kerr and he knows nothing about it.
Stephanie

By Tony Russi (68.18.39.39) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 04:46 pm:

I think it was a similar situation that Mary Wells was faced with....the final pressed records sounded different then when they were recorded, like tracks missing, bass & drums turned down ect.

By Marvel (67.73.140.87) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 06:38 pm:

To bad Flo did'nt have any time to recover, everything seemed to happen so fast. I have heard from some of the detroit inner circle that it was in fact her former company putting obstacles in her way because it was all very PERSONAL. So much had transpired especially in those last few months that she was a Supreme there was SO MANY BAD FEElINGS towards her (more than anyone before or since) and working with her so closely all those years the wrong people knew the right buttons to push. As for Kerr's opinon of her voice, I would have to seriously interview him in person to see his face and body language, because everyone that ever spoke of Flo always has sad she had a beautiful voice and could SAAANGG. So there are some major questions there. I just believe Flo (like Martha Reeves) had a definate direction in mind of how she wanted to be recorded and it clashed with Kerr's ideals and she proably became difficult and detached, that's why she sounds so different on the Kerrs productions VS. the Bateman sessions.

By Ron Murphy (68.42.89.162) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 09:16 pm:

Interesting note on this subject is that the same person that was president of ABC Records when Florence Ballard signed there ended up as president of Motown after. now before ABC he was president of Vee Jay when he told the Four Seasons he was'nt paying any royalties and that they could sue him, which they did and got all the masters back that they gave Vee Jay. good old Jay Lasker what a nice guy. did ABC really plan on doing anything with Florence? I wonder.

By Marv (64.12.97.7) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 10:21 pm:

Hey Ron, the Jay Lasker story is news to me. Thank you. I thought I had heard all there was to hear about the Florence Ballard solo situation,but never this "coincedence" with Lasker. If any of you have heard Florence Ballards' verson of "Silent Night" you would know instantly that she was the best singer in the Supremes and was definitely given the shaft. One listen and you would have to wonder why this one song was left off of The Supremes' 1965 album "Merry Christmas". It was 20 years before this recording was finally released to the public on a Motown Christmas compilation CD.

By stephanie (64.63.221.48) on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 11:05 pm:

One person told me that when they were in the grocery store and they played Flos version of Silent Night that you could hear a pin drop..
Stephanie

By MotownForever (205.188.209.109) on Thursday, June 26, 2003 - 08:48 am:

Flo's version of "Silent Night" is stellar. When you listen to her rendition, you get goosebumps all over!

By Marv (205.188.209.109) on Thursday, June 26, 2003 - 08:49 am:

Stephanie, that's exactly what happened when I heard it for the first time. I was standing in the middle of my living room seemingly unable to move until the song was complete. She sounded so,so good.