The Supremes - Floy Joy (1972)

Floy Joy is the twenty-fifth studio album released by The Supremes on the Motown label. 

This was the only Supremes album solely produced and arranged by Smokey Robinson and included the U.S. top 20 hit, "Floy Joy" and the U.S. top 40 hit, "Automatically Sunshine", both of which were top 10 hits in the U.K. 

The "Floy Joy" single was the Supremes' final Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching as high as #9 in the UK. 

Its follow-ups, "Automatically Sunshine" and "Your Wonderful, Sweet Sweet Love" were not as successful, with "Automatically Sunshine" peaking at 37 on the Billboard Hot 100, 21 on the Top Soul Singles and being the group's final Top 10 hit in the U.K. (#10, the fifth in little over two years for the post-Ross line-up), and "Your Wonderful, Sweet Sweet Love" peaking at 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 21 on the Top Soul Singles, and missing the UK Charts altogether.

An interesting but erratic set, co-written and produced by the prolific Smokey Robinson, then undergoing a transition phase in his career (he was getting ready to exit the Miracles). 

As usual, the highlights were the singles, particularly "Automatically Sunshine" and the bouncy title track. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough promotional push to maintain the group's viability, and thus a commercial decline reigned unchecked until the group disbanded in 1977.

Side one

Superscripts denote lead singers for each track: (a) Jean Terrell, (b) Mary Wilson, (c) Cindy Birdsong.

1. "Your Wonderful, Sweet Sweet Love" (Smokey Robinson)^a
2. "Floy Joy" (Robinson)^{a, b}
3. "A Heart Like Mine" (Robinson, Ronald White)^b
4. "Over and Over" (Robinson)^a
5. "Precious Little Things" (Robinson, Marvin Tarplin, Pam Moffett)^a

Side two

1. "Now the Bitter, Now the Sweet" (Robinson, Cecil Franklin)^a,b,c
2. "Automatically Sunshine" (Robinson)^{a, b}
3. "The Wisdom of Time" (Robinson, Moffett, Clifford Burston)^{a, c}
4. "Oh Be My Love" (Robinson, Warren Moore)^a

Personnel

Jean Terrell, Mary Wilson, & Cindy Birdsong - lead vocals and background vocals

• The Andantes (Louvain Demps, Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow) - additional background vocals
• William "Smokey" Robinson - producer
• Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers:
  • Jack Ashford, Jack Brokensha, & Eddie "Bongo" Brown - percussion
  • Dennis Coffey, Robert White, Eddie Willis, & Marvin Tarplin - guitars
  • Johnny Griffith & Earl Van Dyke - piano, keyboards
  • James Jamerson - bass
  • Zachary Slater & Andrew Smith - drums
• Berry Gordy - executive producer
• Paul Riser - arranger
• Jim Britt - photography

Notes

Released: May 1972

Recorded: 1971–1972

Genre:  Pop, soul

Length: 29:33

Producer:  Smokey Robinson

Label:  Motown Records

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