Friday Is Rock'n'Roll #London Day: #TheSupremes - A Bit of #Liverpool

Friday is Rock'n'Roll London Day! Join the Rock'n'Roll London walk this (and every Friday) afternoon at 2:00p.m meeting at Tottenham Court Road Station

DC Editor Adam writes…

Last week in this slot I blogged about Diana Ross and The Supremes Live At London's Talk of the Town album.

In that post I suggested that while the album was a lulu, the sleeve seemed rather anonymous.

That's a criticism that certainly can't be levelled at this album…

 

A Bit of Liverpool is The Supremes' third studio album and was released in 1964. As the title would suggest, The Supremes are paying tribute to their "brothers in song" from England at the height of The British Invasion.

The "brothers in song" line is a quote from the linear notes - sleeve notes as they were called in this country. And here we have a classic of the genre

"Once this record is turned on," writes prolific Motown sleeve note writer Scott St James, "it will turn you on, and you won't be able to turn it off."

Groovy!

 

There's a bit of Detroit in the mix, too, with Smokey Robinson- and Berry Gordy-penned numbers included. But there's also a bit of London, in the shape of The Dave Clark Five (Bits and Pieces & Because). Tottenham's finest, The DC5 were huge in America.

Unless, that is, that Motown supremo Berry Gordy made the mistake of just assuming that all British groups came from Liverpool!

Perhaps the most eccentric track comes from Newcastle and The Animals via New Orleans in a surprising take on The House of the Rising Sun. Diana puts her back into the vocal with Flo and Mary providing a strident backing that really underpins the moral of the tale.

And what a sleeve! The bowler hats! The rolled umbrellas!

 (Coming soon… Stevie Wonder Live In London)

Here's the trailer for today's Rock'n'Roll London Walk…

The Rock'n'Roll London walk is ONLY London Walk with its own dedicated comic book! Written by Rock'n'Roll London guide (and Daily Constitutional editor Adam) you can buy a print copy on this afternoon's Rock'n'Roll London walk or download at the London Bookstore online: londonbookstore.myshopify.com

A London Walk costs £10 – £8 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.