With the possible exception of "Stoned Love," recorded after Diana Ross' departure, every significant Supremes track is included. Every #1 hit is here (with "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love," and "Stop! in the Name of Love" still sounding as fresh and sunny as they did three decades ago) as well as some songs that are so well known and loved it's a wonder they didn't top the charts as well (such as the cheerful "When the Lovelight Shines Through His Eyes" and the psychedelic "Reflections"). We're also treated to a healthy helping of their lesser-heard material: some, such as "In and Out of Love" and "Forever Came Today," make for fine listening, but songs like "My World is Empty Without You," "Love is Like an Itching in My Heart," and "The Composer" are particularly strong tracks that were definitely robbed of greater commercial success.

So whereas the Supremes box set goes a bit overboard (post-Ross tracks are fine, but does anyone really need the group's Coca-Cola radio spot on CD?), the single-disc "Ultimate Collection" sums up things nicely. Every Supremes song you've heard on the radio and sung along with is here, not to mention sounding better than ever with gorgeous digital remastering. So stop in the name of love...love of great music, that is...and treat yourself to this fabulous collection.


Still better than "The #1s" collection   May 26, 2004
kevin m antonio (rumford, ri United States)
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

It's called 'The Ultimate Collection' and that ain't braggin'. And it's in glorious mono, not like the thinned out stereo versions on 'The #1s' set (do you get the feeling I really don't care for that ripoff?).
David Lee Roth once described VanHalen's music as being "shot from cannons". Well, I can think of no better way to describe this disc. All 25 tracks are nothing less than explosive. And that's because they're in mono. The sound is so in your face it cannot be denied. This is one of the most thrilling discs you will ever hear.
We all know the songs. My favorite one turned out to be not one of their biggest hits, but I think it's their best, "Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart". This may well be the most out of control Diana Ross has ever been. She sings within an inch of her life, she growls(!), she lives the song. Remarkable.
So, put aside all the Dreamgirl drama you've heard and pick up this set... and skip 'The #1s'!


Awesome songs, bad audio   March 20, 2005
Lee Overstreet (Alabama)
17 out of 19 found this review helpful

No sense repeating the extensive reviews regarding how influential and entertaining this music is. It's truly astounding, and the music is brilliant.

However...

In remastering these recordings, the audio engineers have apparently done what I always call a "boost and compress," which reduces dynamic range, increases overall apparent loudness, and often increases distortion. Back in the 60's, the tendency was to mix songs with vocals much louder than the accompanying music, and with very little deep bass. Nowadays the tendency is right the opposite, with electronically generated deep bass notes, and vocals barely peeking over the music. To give the Supremes a more modern sound, they seem to have compressed these tracks to bring up the music, especially the bass. The result is distorted and unnatural vocals, and compressed dynamic range, especially on the older songs. It's really a shame.

If you can't tell the difference between mp3's and CDs, you won't care. If you're an audiophile, you'll be disappointed.


The best single CD compilation of their music   March 31, 2003
Peter Durward Harris (Leicester England)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

The Supremes were a brilliant group but there was plenty of sadness behind the scenes. Florence Ballard was the original lead singer. Several singles were released without success, after which Diana Ross replaced Florence as lead singer. Songwriters Holland-Dozier-Holland were brought in at the same time and nobody will ever know which change was the most significant. Florence eventually left the Supremes, to be replaced by Cindy Birdsong. Diana Ross left to go solo in 1970, at which point this compilation ends.

The Supremes had just one British number one hit (Baby love) but they had many number ones in the American pop charts. Many of those were also top ten hits in Britain, but even those that weren't became famous anyway.

A glance at the track listing shows several classic songs, including Baby love, Stop in the name of love, Back in my arms again, I hear a symphony, My world is empty without you, You can't hurry love, You keep me hanging on and Someday we'll be together. Anybody who has listened to sixties pop music will know all these songs and at least some of the others. Furthermore, some songs have been cover hits for others, keeping the music alive for future generations. I particularly remember Kim Wilde's version of You keep me hanging on, but there have been others.

There have been many compilations of Supremes music, including double CD's and boxed sets, but this single CD contains all the essentials. If you only want one CD of their music, this is the one to buy.