At The Copa: Expanded Edition

I must admit that it took me several listens to the expanded edition of THE SUPREMES AT THE COPA 2CD set to fully appreciate what a gem it is.At first, many of the songs sounded subdued and "safe," including the audience themselves, until I realized the context of the time; this was recorded in-front of an audience that were upper-class and older, not the Ed Sullivan or TAMI/TNT show crowd that I assumed would be at a Supremes' show. That's why it sounded a little off to me, since I'm so used to hearing the Supremes and the "Motown sound."Here, in audio form, is the exemplification of Barry Gordy's vision of creating a rock/soul group with crossover appeal to not just white audiences, but across generational lines, too. When you listen to both CDs on COPA, you'll understand why Ross was chosen to sing lead; her voice was the most versatile -- not too black, not too white -- whereas Wilson's voice was husky and distinct, and Ballard's voice was high and operatic, but with Ross, she could do the show tunes and pop standards, as well as their Motown hits, with the greatest of ease and listening believability.Looking at the cover, I thought this was the group when it went through the line up change because, even though I really don't think Florence Ballard and Cindy Birdsong look alike, in some angles Flo looks different. This is the original line-up with Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, and Mary Wilson. For those who are new to the Supremes, when the line up changes, so does the group name from "The Supremes" to "Diana Ross & The Supremes" during the 60s, and then back to "The Supremes" in the 70s.Hip-O Select, as usual, did a fantastic job remastering the tracks and this expanded edition includes a booklet with present day liner notes by George Solomon (expanded edition producer), and edited by Andrew Skurow (expanded edition producer) and Harry Weinger (executive producer). The booklet also contains color and black & white photographs.Another thing that was interesting was when reading Mary Wilson's book,  Dreamgirl and Supreme Faith: My Life as a Supreme , and listening to audio interviews with Florence Ballard, they would always refer to Diana Ross as "Diane," which I thought they were just being mean-spirited, but on these recordings you'll hear Ross introduce herself to the audience as "Diane Ross." So that's how they remembered her.If you're looking for something more substantial on the Supremes recordings and why they put Motown on the map you might be better off with  Gold , which contains all of the group's biggest hits, including those done with the line-up changes because THE SUPREMES AT THE COPA, though a very delightful CD set, was more tailor made for an upscale middle-of-the-road audience at that time. Nevertheless, I believe it's not only a testament to the incredible talent of Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, and Mary Wilson, collectively known as "The Supremes," but it also serves as proof of the shrewdness of Motown founder, Barry Gordy, Jr., by using the Supremes as the hammer to smash down racial and generational barriers, which was unheard of in those days.

I had the original vinyl album that over the years got scratched, even wet from a flood so when this expanded edition cd became available I bought it right away. This was Berry Gordy's vision for The Supremes to become nightclub performers and broaden their appeal. I saw a version of this performance at a nightclub in Boston back in the day and remember their harmonies and versatility were really spotlighted. Between the bonus tracks, alternate mono mixes, and the complete show, you can't ask for more than this two CD set delivers. It captures the excitement of the 'live' performances and brings back many memories of a happier time for the group when all of their voices were heard.If you are a fan of The Supremes and don't have this cd you need to buy it right now. You will not regret it because many of these songs are not on any other cd's and the girls were on top of their game here.

A GREAT concert by The Supremes at The World Famous Copacabana Club. Great CLASSIC LP from 1965. Hearing Florence Ballard's beautiful soulful soprano voice,, Mary Wilson's smokeie sexy alto voice & Diana Ross in action is priceless. GREAT CD Lp..

Turns out that the "Supremes at the Copa" LP we remember from 1965 wasn't as live as we thought. Diana (nee Diane) Ross rerecorded her vocals back in the studio because of poor sound quality and several songs from the show were not included in the original release. The expanded version includes the original stereo LP, mono remixes and the "complete" show on the second disc.This booking was a big deal for the Supremes and Motown, as explained in the booklet. It was as well-planned as the Normandy invasion and as successful. The group was still the Supremes, but you can also hear them becoming DIANA ROSS and the Supremes. Mary gets the lead on one verse of "Enjoy Yourself," (not on the original album) and Florence is "too shy" to sing her verse. A few songs are sung in harmony, but it's all Diana for most of the evening. The concert captures a nice moment in their history because they're still a trio, but we also hear how Diana Ross was poised to outshine the others.Frankly, I'd rather remember the 60's like this than the "Mad Men" version. It's bright and spirited and lovely.

timeless classic. originally had the LP..happy to ha ve the expanded edition on CD

For those of you who know the movie, this is The Supremes' "We Are Dreamgirls" moment captured on audio. Not perfect, but flawless. And for the die-hard Supremes fans (like me), another offering of clues to the behind-the-scenes machinery that made The Supremes America's #1 group from this moment on to the end of the Sixties.

good cd for a supremes or motown collectors

Amazing performance, a true classic that worths every buck I spent. Very good edition, full of gems: the mono versions, the whole show in CD two, and the liner notes. Fabulous sound quality. Fantastic.

This is an excellent cd, it contains 2 cds, disc one has 10 tracks from the original stereo LP, plus 10 bonus tracks, disc two, At The Copa Revisited: The Complete Show has 21 tracks. They sing their hits, a Sam Cooke medley, a great version of Queen of The House, show tunes, great interaction with each other, by the way Diana Ross introduces herself as Diane Ross. This cd shows how talented The Supremes were.

Its great to hear The Supremes sing, and what best than a real live version of them! From the five session recorded at the mythical Copacabana Club in New York comes one of the best shows ever produced for Diana Ross, Mary Willson and Flo Ballard.A pity that the supporting singers don't get as much of the attention Diana gets, but that's a part of the groups history...The only thing that got me confused was Diana Ross presenting herself as Diane... Was she a Diane before becoming the immortal Diana Ross? :D

Very Good

Great product with extras. Remastered too!.I'm very pleased.

Voici un live inédit édité en deluxe edition pour la première fois. Pour les nostalgiques de la soul musique des années 60. Les meilleurs titres sont sur ces album.