Reflections:Definitive Performances 1964-1969 (INTL/REISSUE)

As a single-disc DVD compilation of Supremes performances, this is hard to beat. The 20 clips (in both black-and-white and color), drawn mostly from television shows, include renditions of all but two of their '60s Top Ten hits. Refreshingly, too, not all of them are lip-synced (though some of them are); a few are wholly live, and others at least have live vocals. No matter what the format, you're curious to view what's next, if for nothing else than to see their never-more-than-once hairstyles and wardrobes. Highlights include particularly "live"-looking and -sounding performances of "The Happening" and "In and Out of Love" in Stockholm in April 1968, and scenes of the group recording "My World Is Empty Without You" in the studio, used in the 1966 TV special Anatomy of Pop. Not everything here is strictly performance; a promo film of "You Keep Me Hangin' On" is mostly devoted to shots of the girls playing ping-pong. To enhance viewability, the clips are sequenced so that the second performances of the two songs presented in two different versions ("Baby Love" and "Stop! In the Name of Love") are placed near the end; the "My World Is Empty Without You" clip, likewise, is presented twice, once without the original narration, once (at the DVD's very end) with the original narration. Extras include an option which allows you to watch eight of the mimed clips with a soundtrack that treats the Supremes' vocals so they're heard a cappella, in isolation from the rest of the elements of the studio recordings; an optional "trivia track" (appearing as subtitles on the screen) which, unlike many such DVD features, actually has quite a bit of interesting information about the group's recordings, appearances, and career for serious fans; and there's a 20-page booklet of liner notes. Of course, this does not contain all Supremes footage of note; a great deal more exists, including their performance on The T.A.M.I. Show and several additional Ed Sullivan Show appearances, for starters. As the liner notes themselves acknowledge, it would easily be possible to fill up an entire second DVD of quality performances, though this is certainly a good initial wrap-up. ~ Richie Unterberger|