Diana Ross & The Supremes - Anthology (1974/2001)

In the heyday of Motown, the Supremes were their own hit factory, all glamour and heartbreak. Diana Ross and her girls ruled the radio with tunes from the Motown brain trust of Holland, Dozier, and Holland. The Supremes could blaze with confidence, as in “Come See About Me.” Or they could sound elegantly morose, as in “My World Is Empty Without You” and “Where Did Our Love Go?” But in “Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart,” when Miss Ross gulps, “There ain’t nothing I can do about it,” it’s a spine-tingling moment.

This release marks the fourth time a Supremes collection titled Anthology has hit the racks. Fans can be forgiven for getting confused, even aggravated, as to which one should be selected above others, as all of them contain the basic big hits for which the group is known. Motown keeps tweaking the precise track lineup with each edition, however, as they have for this two-CD, 50-track set. First off, if you're starting from scratch and just want a good greatest-hits collection, this is very good, and you won't have any regrets after purchase. The key thing to keep in mind is that it covers only the Diana Ross years, and doesn't reach into the 1970s for the clutch of hits the group landed without her. It has all of their 1960s chart singles, though, including duets with the Temptations and some low-charting ones that aren't familiar, from 1962's "Your Heart Belongs to Me" to 1969's "No Matter What Sign You Are." Along the way are some odd B-sides, album tracks, and rarities, like their early-'60s singles "I Want a Guy" and "Buttered Popcorn," and their Phil Spector-produced 1966 public service announcement "Things Are Changing." The ten covers at the end grouped under the heading "Supreme Stylists" are padding, as the group takes a shot at material from the Beatles to Disney and Broadway, but they do reflect an aspect of the Supremes that was represented on their albums and in their live performances. As for the three previously unreleased items here, you've gotta be real hardcore to shell out for the whole set if you already have most of the songs, as they comprise an extended version of "Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart," an alternate mix of "You Keep Me Hanging On," and a stereo mix of "He." Also, the version of "Buttered Popcorn" is the first pressing, and was previously unavailable on album.