Vinyl plays with occasional light-crackles (play-graded). Cover looks good; a few creases near edges; light scuffing (front/back); surface impressions on front and some discoloration with darker spots on back. Inner-sleeve is original (Motown ads); three seams partially split. Spine is mostly readable with wear. Shelf-wear along top/bottom-edge and corners. Opening is crisp with signs of light use and a few divots. STEREO pressing. (Not a cut-out.)
At the Copa, is a live album by Motown singing group The Supremes, recorded during their debut engagement at the prestigious Copacabana nightclub in New York City. At the Copa was the first live album issued by The Supremes, and the only live album issued by the group's best-known lineup of Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson. Motown CEO Berry Gordy and the Motown staff, including vocal director Maurice King and choreographer Cholly Atkins, invested significant amounts of time and money into preparing the Supremes for their Copa debut. Tensions ran high at several points during the preparation stages. Florence Ballard was angered that her only solo number, People, was dropped from the show while Ross herself complained about the group's staging and bristled under Gordy's criticisms of their performances. Nevertheless, the Copa engagement was a success, paving the way for several other Motown stars to secure play dates at the Copa. After the success of their initial Copa engagement, Mary Wilson noted that the Supremes were "welcome to play any club in the world". At the Copa peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and at No. 6 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart. The performances included on the LP include several pop standards, four of the Supremes' No. 1 hit singles and a medley of songs by late soul star Sam Cooke. Berry Gordy and Motown's head engineer Lawrence Horn are credited as the producers, and the orchestra was arranged and conducted by Gil Askey. The release of The Supremes at the Copa led Motown to shelve a studio-record album of pop covers, There's a Place for Us, which featured many of the same songs as Copa, with the same arrangements. The Supremes at the Copa does not include the group's entire set: for example, From This Moment On was the opening number in their Copa set, not Put on a Happy Face. When the tapes were brought back to Detroit following the Copa engagement, it was discovered the recording quality did not come up to Motown quality standards as the acoustics at the Copa were not congenial to recording. Gordy had Ross re-record her vocals live in Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. studio. Reportedly, Ross did the studio vocals in one long take, doing the whole show as she would have at the Copa.