The Supremes - I Hear A Symphony (1966/2014) Hi-Res

Positioned as a successful attempt to further bridge the gap between traditional pop music, the traditional Motown sound and soul, the album included the title track, the Supremes' sixth number-one single, and the Top Ten single "My World is Empty Without You". Also included are the group's covers of pop standards such as "With a Song in My Heart", "Without a Song", "Stranger in Paradise" and "Wonderful! Wonderful!". The original plan was to have the Supremes record an entire album of pop standards, to be entitled There's a Place for Us. The album was indeed recorded but shelved and left unreleased by Motown until 2004. The cover for I Hear a Symphony was the cover shot intended originally for There's a Place For Us. When that album was eventually released in 2004, an alternate shot from that photo session was used.

Also included are originals such as "Everything Is Good About You" and "Any Girl In Love (Knows What I'm Going Through)", and covers of the then-current hits "Yesterday" (originally by the Beatles), "A Lover's Concerto" (sung by the Toys) and "Unchained Melody" (popularized by the Righteous Brothers). "Everything Is Good About You" was yet another B-side that got substantive airplay and became a fan favorite. It was one of several such B-sides that would be included on the group's 1967 Greatest Hits collection.

The I Hear a Symphony album peaked at number 8 and remained on the Billboard 200 album chart for 55 weeks, on the strength of the title track and the top 5 "My World Is Empty Without You." While originally issued in both mono and stereo versions, several of the tracks on the released stereo edition of I Hear a Symphony were sourced from mono mixes.

The Supremes promoted the album with a successful European tour. While in Sweden, the grouped filmed a television special that incorporated a number of the songs on I Hear a Symphony. The DVD of the special is available under the title Greatest Hits: Live in Amsterdam.