Released: April 26, 1970
Just look at that album cover!
The Supremes—all three members—all close together and looking happy instead of cheap artwork like on the last two LPs cuz Motown couldn’t bother to put the ladies together and waste Diana Ross’s time.
And not only did Mary Wilson, Cindy Birdsong, and new member Jean Terrell take a picture together, they also got to work together in the studio! No Supremes album since The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland (released three years earlier) had the Supremes singing every song on a Supremes album.
What a fucking concept!
As for the music itself, this album is by no means groundbreaking. The “new” Supremes would never be trendsetters. This LP is an excellent case of how a group, songwriters, and producers can exist in a moment, assess the situation, and produce some high quality music that simultaneously evokes a particular point in time without being trapped by the gimmicks of that point in time.
Simply put, Right On is an album that clearly sounds like it was made in 1970 but is not trapped by being made in 1970.
It was also a solid seller reaching #4 on the R&B album chart and #25 on the pop register.
THE SINGLES
Like most Supremes albums, this one kicks off with the most recent hit.
“Up The Ladder to the Roof” may not be the best song on the album (okay it is) but it’s certainly the catchiest. Despite being a delectable pop single, it still returned the Supremes to a more R&B style after a couple of years being extremely geared toward making pop songs instead of making songs that were popular.
(I know this is bordering on semantics, but “The Happening” was a pop song whereas “Reflections” was a popular song.)
“Up the Ladder to the Roof” probably should only be an 8, but I give it a little extra nudge cuz the final moments just make me happy when Terrell goes all church on ya and demandingly asks, “don’t cha wanna go?!” and then all three Supremes start chanting “up the!” is fun.
I like fun.
The song climbed its own ladder all the way to #5 R&B and #10 pop.
And just for the petty record, Diana Ross’s first solo single was “Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)”. It’s a good song, but it did only muster highs of #7 R&B and #20 pop.
TAKE THAT, DIANA!
The other single release was “Everybody's Got the Right to Love”, which obviously is playing off the various social movements of the late 1960s demanding greater freedom and rights for marginalized Americans. The song itself is of a similar quality to most tunes on this album, but doesn’t quite have the catchy quality of “Ladder”.
It reached #11 R&B and #25 pop. Sounds about right.
A CAVALCADE OF QUALITY
Most of the other dozen songs on this album are of very good quality. As you can tell from my intro, none of them are breaking new ground, but they just move along at a sufficient and enjoyable pace.
I’ll single out just a few that merit particular praise.
“Then We Can Try Again” is a grooving R&B number that I would love to hear turned into a rock song. “Wait a Minute Before You Leave Me” also strikes that vein.
As for balladry, “But I Love You More” is gorgeous, but fucking depressing. The ladies talk about how their new man is just as good as their old man… but he’s still just not the same. They want that old man back. Nostalgia is a helluva drug.
Finally, there’s “You Move Me” a song that is clearly influenced by struttin’ big band jazz. Also, I dig the way Jean Terrell sings “your love is beautiful” to start this song out. Talk about crystal clear pitch. Sheesh.
THE UNDERWHELMING
Nothing here is bad. But there are three songs that just make you shoulder-shrug. Unfortunately they all come in a row, which drags down the album’s overall score. If they had been spread out they could kinda hide themselves, but that’s aint’t the case.
Sequencing matters, people.
“Take A Closer Look At Me” is the best of the bunch as it’s another punchy R&B number. “Then I Met You” is an okay ballad. Very understated and almost too quiet. Then there’s “Bill, When Are You Coming Back”. It’s the one song that actually does sound trapped in 1970.
SONG SCORES
SIDE 1
Up the Ladder to the Roof: 8.5/10
Then We Can Try Again: 7/10
Everybody's Got the Right to Love: 7.5/10
Wait a Minute Before You Leave Me : 7.5/10
You Move Me: 7/10
But I Love You More: 8/10
SIDE 2
I Got Hurt (Trying to Be the Only Girl in Your Life): 7/10
Baby Baby: 7/10
Take a Closer Look at Me: 6/10
Then I Met You: 5/10
Bill, When Are You Coming Back: 4/10
The Loving Country: 6.5/10
ALBUM GRADE: B
This album is almost too standard in quality. There’s no towering song to push it up a notch. Except maybe “Up the Ladder to the Roof” and it starts the whole album, so you can kind of forget about it after awhile.
And this LP is too long. We don’t need all 12 of these songs. They coulda chopped off two and been better for it.
Still, this album is a great listen for anyone who likes early 70s soul music. Again, maybe you don’t need the whole album, since the songs start to sound very similar after a point, but that first side is a real good listen, if you want just a taste.