At The Copa – THE SUPREMES***

Put On A Happy Face/I Am Woman You Are Man/Baby Love/Stop In The Name Of Love/The Boy From Ipanema/Make Someone Happy/Come See About Me/Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody/Queen Of The House/Group Introduction/Somewhere/Back In My Arms Again/Sam Cooke Medley

At The Copa was the first live album from the Motown hit making machine The Supremes. Performed to a largely white audience, the inclusion of MOR standards in their act now seems out of place, although at the time it was a common practice by artists hoping to crossover into the then musical mainstream. (US:11)

"The Supremes At The Copa suffers from its inclusion of numerous standards that pre-date rock & roll, in an attempt to appeal to the conservative New York audience. Compared to the group's own signature tunes and a medley of Sam Cooke songs, these others seem to fall very flat. Even the audience seems to react more enthusiastically to the opening strains of Baby Love and Come See About Me. In this live setting these tunes take on an added ferocity, and highlight the astounding songwriting and musicianship that was so central to Motown's success."

"Supremes At The Copa is the result of Gordy achieving his dream of creating the perfect pop/R & B crossover group and seeing them fully embraced by a white audience. This album contains a few show tunes, great stage patter, and re-workings of contemporary Motown gems, given stunning makeovers as upbeat MOR hits, aimed at a middle-aged and somewhat jaded white supper club audience. The result was a smash run of shows for The Supremes, and this records three young ladies who were not yet at their peak, but were nevertheless seasoned entertainers."

"Check out the Sam Cooke medley. It starts off slowly, but by the time they reach Bring It On Home To Me and Shake, they are on full-speed. Queen Of The House is a timely novelty number, and I Am Woman is an uptempo arrangement to which Streisand could never do justice."

"A forgotten treasure, long out of print, worth seeking."

"Great album. These tracks are among the last by the original (Florence Ballard, Diana Ross, and Mary Wilson) Supremes recorded shortly before their breakup. This album, along with a TV special featuring the songs of Rodgers and Hart, was an attempt to polish their images and extend their appeal to a more adult audience."