Right On (The Supremes album)

Right On is the nineteenth studio album by the Supremes, released in 1970 for the Motown label. It was the group's first album not to feature former lead singer Diana Ross. Her replacement, Jean Terrell, began recording Right On with Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong in mid-1969, while Wilson and Birdsong were still touring with Ross.^{[citation needed]}

Right On
Studio album by the Supremes
Released	April 26, 1970
Recorded	Summer 1969–April 1970
Genre	R&B, soul
Length	37:27
Label	Motown MS 705
Producer	Frank Wilson, Clay MacMurray, Ivy Jo Hunter
The Supremes chronology
Farewell (1970) Right On (1970) The Magnificent 7 (1970)
Singles from Right On
"Up the Ladder to the Roof" Released: February 16, 1970 "Everybody's Got the Right to Love" Released: June 25, 1970

Frank Wilson, a former protégé of Motown producer Norman Whitfield, produced much of Right On, working to establish the "New Supremes" (as Motown began marketing the new Terrell-led lineup) as a group unique from the Ross-led Supremes. Right On features the top 10 single "Up the Ladder to the Roof" and the top 40 single "Everybody's Got the Right to Love". Other notable tracks include "Bill, When Are You Coming Back", an anti-Vietnam War song, and "The Loving Country", written by Ivy Jo Hunter and Smokey Robinson. A critical and commercial success, Right On reached #25 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart, a peak 21 positions higher than their previous album, Farewell.^[1]

On the album The Supremes covered "Baby Baby" by The Miracles.^[2] "But I Love You More" was also recorded by The Blackberries.

Despite having a new lead singer, this lp, like many of the ones before, featured backing vocalists by other singers at Motown, usually the Andantes. Some of the tracks were recorded by Jean Terrell before officially being announced as Diana Ross's replacement. The Right On album was actually the best tracks chosen from a collection of more than three dozen songs Terrell recorded readying herself to assume lead vocal duties. Terrell said in an interview that the group recorded Up The Ladder To The Roof late in the period of when these songs were laid down. The company had initially chosen Bill, When Are You Coming Back, and then another Johnny Bristol song, Life Beats, to be the first single with Terrell. Only two weeks before the group debuted on The Ed Sullivan Show as the new Supremes was Up The Ladder To The Roof chosen.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
Record Mirror	(Favorable)[4]

Track listing

1. "Up the Ladder to the Roof" (Frank Wilson, Vincent DiMirco)
2. "Then We Can Try Again" (Clarence McMurray, J. Dean)
3. "Everybody's Got the Right to Love" (Lou Stallman)
4. "Wait a Minute Before You Leave Me" (N. Toney, W. Garrett, A. Hamilton)
5. "You Move Me" (W. Garrett, A. Hamilton)
6. "But I Love You More" (Frank Wilson, Sherlie Matthews)
7. "I Got Hurt (Trying to Be the Only Girl in Your Life)" (Clarence McMurray, J. Dean, J. Glover)
8. "Baby Baby" (H. Lewis, K. Lewis)
9. "Take a Closer Look at Me" (Henry Cosby, Pam Sawyer, Joe Hinton)
10. "Then I Met You" (J. Roach)
11. "Bill, When Are You Coming Back" (Pam Sawyer, Johnny Bristol)
12. "The Loving Country" (Smokey Robinson, Ivy Jo Hunter)

Personnel

The Supremes

• Jean Terrell – lead vocals
• Mary Wilson, Cindy Birdsong, The Andantes, & The Blackberries – background vocals
• The Funk Brothers – instrumentation

Technical

• Frank Wilson – producer
• Curtis McNair – art direction
• Frank Dandridge – photography

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1970) Peak position Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[5] 41 US Billboard 200[6] 25 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[7] 4 US Cashbox Top 100[8] 36

Year-end charts Chart (1970) Rank US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9] 23