Released: October 1970
After the supremely solid Right On, Motown released another Supremes album just six months later.
*annoyed grunt*
Motown, can y’all not flood the market? Please?
Right On had a two meh songs, but nothing bad on it. It felt like a group and producers out to prove the Supremes were viable without Diana Ross… and they succeeded!
Why do a rush job undermining that momentum? And this right here is a rush job.
Right On had no covers, while New Ways But Love Stays has several covers. And the originals aren’t always doing the group a favor either.
THE GOOD
This album fools you by getting off to a pretty good start since the first three tracks work quite well together. “Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music” in my mind is the epitome of an album track as I don’t think it really makes much sense outside of this album. Completely on its own or arranged elsewhere on the album, I’d probably give it a 5. However, as essentially the first half of an extended jam it comes together. Tons of fuzz guitar too and an amazing segue leading into…
“Stoned Love” the one single released from this album.
I like the song. I think it’s good. I’m still shocked this was the biggest hit in the 1970s for the Supremes, though. It opens with a long gospel testimony from Jean Terrell who was accompanied only by piano. After about a minute of the testifying, it finally breaks into a psychedelic soul workout.
It also has a great breakdown that inexplicably comes at the end of the song. Sounds like the band was really getting cooking at that 3:30 mark, so just let them and the Supremes groove for another minute or so before shutting things off. Instead the breakdown quickly ends as does the song at four minutes.
Alas.
“Stoned Love” reached #1 R&B and #7 pop. It also was a huge smash in the UK (#3).
And that brings us to easily the best song on this album, which is definitely an album track cuz it ain’t meant for AM radio. “It’s Time To Break Down” is some sleazy funk-rock. It technically has lyrics, but the song is at its best when the band and the singers just cook and ad lib, which fortunately is for a lot of the song.
SONG SCORES
Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music: 6/10
Stoned Love: 7/10
It’s Time To Break Down: 7.5/10
THE OTHER STUFF
The cover of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” sucks. Poor Mary Wilson gets a rare lead and this is what they gave her? Fortunately that’s the only song that’s absolutely awful.
Most of the other recordings just suffer from too many early ‘70s production gimmicks. Like “I Wish I Were Your Mirror” is basically a classic Motown song that has some unnecessarily loud fuzz guitar. If you’re fine with that, it’s a pleasant track. The cover of “Come Together” is fine as well because that song is just hard to screw up.
“Is There A Place (In His Heart For Me)” is a standard soul ballad. No bombast, no psychedelia. Just the three ladies harmonizing. It’s not a great song by any means, but it’s refreshing to get that change of pace.
Who requested a cover of “Na Na Na Hey Kiss Him Goodbye”? When you find them, slap them. This is Exhibit A for the idea that just cuz a song is catchy doesn’t mean it’s good.
Ah fuck it, the congas won me over. It might be good. But I still hate it.
“Shine On Me” isn’t that much worse than the other songs here, but this is where keeping an album to about 33-36 minutes would have helped. This song ain’t doing nothing the other tracks here ain’t done, but yet it’s still four minutes long. And by this point the production gimmicks are starting to get on your nerves.
I’d be pretty thankful if “Thank Him For Today” were not on this album.
PS—apparently modern printings of this album now include a cover of “Love the One You’re With”. It’s probably a 5.5/6, so doesn’t do anything to elevate this LP much.
SONG SCORES
Bridge Over Troubled Water: 0/10
I Wish I Were Your Mirror: 5/10
Come Together: 5/10
Is There A Place (In His Heart For Me): 5.5/10
Na Na Na Hey Kiss Him Goodbye: 5/10
Shine On Me: 3.5/10
Thank Him For Today: 4/10
ALBUM SCORE: C-
Well, on my review for Right On, I said they coulda chopped two songs off and been better for it. New Ways But Love Stays chopped off two songs, but producer Frank Wilson still made the album longer (40 minutes vs 37 minutes). Not the right move.
The beginning of the album (first three songs) is pretty much all you need. Everything else is unnecessary or perfunctory. Truly only for the Supremes completist like myself.
Wish I could hop in a time machine and fix this album by burning “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and then ending it on “Na Na Na Hey Kiss Him Goodbye”.
The new Side 1 would be…
Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music
Stoned Love (but now extended to say five minutes so they can cook some more)
It’s Time To Break Down
The new Side 2 would be…
I Wish I Were Your Mirror
Come Together
Is There A Place (In His Heart For Me)
Na Na Na Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
It still wouldn’t be a good album, just an alright album. But a less dedicated fan of psychedelic soul could listen to the thing in one sitting.