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 ofDiana 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 thebanal teen popof  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