"Someday" was originally to have been released as Ross' first solo single. Motown chief Berry Gordy appended the Supremes billing to the single so as to create more publicity for Ross' exit from the group. Another selection of note is "The Young Folks" the charting b-side of "No Matter What Sign You Are" from Let the Sunshine In, later covered by The Jackson 5. Cream of the Crop also includes covers of songs by The Beatles and Bob Dylan. Since another Ross-led Supremes single or album had not been planned, Cream of the Crop was made up mostly of vaulted material. However, many songs such as those mentioned and "Shadows of Society" portend to a much more serious image for the group. "Love Child", the album was originally slated to be even more of a concept album where songs like "Shadows of Society", "The Young Folks" and the Top 10 hit, "I'm Livin' in Shame" were examples of a new image turn for the group had Ross remained in the group. The lead #1 single, "Someday We'll Be Together" proved to be a multi-format smash winning back their black fan base while not alienating their pop audience. The previous singles had much more of a pop sound. Along with their increasingly polished pop image, the group found themselves at odds with the new black pride sweeping across America. So it was a befitting finale for "Someday We'll Be Together" to reunite both of their audiences after The Supremes had originally been credited with leading the pop crossover for black acts in the 1960s. As the final #1 single of the exciting but turbulent 1960s, "Someday We'll Be Together" would prove quite prophetic in many ways. Peddle forward to 1993, the Frankie Knuckles mix of "Someday We'll Be Together" would become the lead single from Diana's retrospective box set, . The album closer, "The Beginning of the End", features Motown artist Syreeta Wright alongside Ross and Supremes members Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong. Wright was Berry Gordy's original choice to replace Ross in the Supremes because she had a range and tone similar to Ross. However, Gordy and Supremes manager Shelly Berger decided instead to replace Ross with Jean Terrell, after seeing Terrell perform with her brother Ernie as part of their band, Ernie Terrell & the Heavyweights.
Reception
Its modest Billboard album chart ranking at #33, though the album went Gold, was as much a reflection on the company's forthcoming focus on Diana Ross' solo debut as it was on the album's content of "second tier" songwriters. Motown had flooded the market with at least 4 new albums in a twelve-month period.
