Number 1's: Diana Ross & The Supremes

iTunes Review

The Supremes might well have been Berry Gordy’s greatest creation. They were a new prototype for a pop group, effortlessly able to unite pop and R&B, and listeners young and old, male and female. Entirely non-threatening yet utterly cutting edge, under Gordy’s supervision they were able to release music at a blinding pace. Over time, however, it was revealed that Gordy’s creation wasn’t so much the Supremes as it was Diana Ross alone, and it is her career, not the career of the trio, that is traced by The No. 1’s. Styles changed through the years, but Gordy guided Ross with a steady hand, from the teenage pop of early Motown (“Baby Love,” “Stop! In the Name of Love), to the more mature sounds of the Seventies (“Touch Me in the Morning”). From disco (“Love Hangover”) through to the Eighties funk of producer Nile Rodgers (“I’m Coming Out”), Ross had a chameleon’s ability to adapt to her surroundings, and Gordy was there every step of the way. While one could devote an entire disc just to Ross’ disco and club music, or to her work with Holland-Dozier-Holland, the broad genealogy of The No. 1’s pays tribute to a pop tradition carried through a constantly changing musical culture.