Hip-O Select's The Complete Studio Duets rounds up the recordings the Supremes made with the Four Tops after Jean Terrell took over for the departed Diana Ross: 1970's The Magnificent 7, its 1971 sequel The Return of the Magnificent 7, 1971's Dynamite, and 13 bonus tracks, 11 of which are previously unreleased. Neither the Supremes nor the Four Tops were at a commercial peak when producer Frank Wilson brought them together for the duets, so the pairing was something of a way to goose the groups toward hits. Wilson didn't produce The Magnificent 7 -- its title a clever reference to the group's combined numbers -- having Ashford & Simpson, Duke Browner, and Clay McMurray producing four songs a piece for the LP. Apart from the opening song and lead single "Knock on My Door," the bulk of the album is devoted to glitzy covers of contemporary hits, whether it's from the Motown stable ("Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing"), the Fifth Dimension ("Stoned Soul Picnic"), Phil Spector ("River Deep, Mountain High"), or Sly Stone ("Everyday People"). The three sets of producers mesh well, offering subtle hints of trademark flair -- particularly the lushness of the Ashford & Simpson productions -- but the focus is entirely on Jean Terrell and Levi Stubbs, who tear into these familiar tunes and make them feel like more than a Motown hits revue.
The Supremes:
- Jean Terrell - lead vocals
- Mary Wilson - vocals
- Cindy Birdsong - vocals
The Four Tops:
- Levi Stubbs - lead vocals
- Abdul "Duke" Fakir - vocals
- Renaldo "Obie" Benson - vocals
- Lawrence Payton - vocals
