The Supremes

Although they weren't the first of the girl groups, the Supremes were by far the most successful. And this comprehensive five-CD box set does justice to their phenomenal, lengthy career--from their pre-Motown days as a quartet called the Primettes (their first single and its B-side open the first disc) to their last hit in 1976. The first two discs of this set are full of Diana Ross-led gems: those you probably remember, such as "Baby Love" and "You Can't Hurry Love," and those you might not, such as "Any Girl in Love" and "Come On and See Me." Sprinkled throughout are unreleased tracks and new mixes of classic songs and standards. Nowhere else will you hear original Supreme Florence Ballard's haunting version of "People."

Cindy Birdsong's 1967 replacement of Ballard coincides with a change in the Supremes' material: disc three charts the movement from the light-hearted bop of "Forever Came Today" and "Heaven Must Have Sent You," to forceful, sexy, funky numbers such as "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" and "The Weight" (both recorded with the Temptations). The late-'60s Supremes dealt with issues such as unwed motherhood ("Love Child") and the youth revolution ("The Young Folks"). In an ironic twist, disc three ends with "Someday We'll Be Together," one of the last recordings of Diana Ross & the Supremes.

The '70s were coming, and the funk revolution rolled ahead with new lead singer Jean Terrell. Terrell's stronger, lower voice suited the times and the grittier material on tracks such as "River Deep, Mountain High" and "Stoned Love," while Mary Wilson steps out front to close the fourth disc with "You Are the Heart of Me." The fifth disc on this limited edition is filled with live performances of 11 signature Supremes hits with Ross.

The music of the Supremes is both complex and catchy--a mixture virtually unheard of in the banal teen pop of our times. Motown ruled teen pop back then, and this collection of music is stronger and sweeter than anything on the radio today. --Courtney Kemp