Diana Ross: A Biography
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With three Top 20 pop hits—all of which went Top 10 on multiple chart formats—the Swept Away album turned out to be a major success, and was certified gold. When RCA wanted a fourth single from it, Diana gave them the choice of either “Telephone” (produced by Bernard Edwards, formerly of the Chic Organization) or “Touch by Touch.” Both songs had become standouts in her stage show. RCA decided to go with “Telephone”—R&B #13—but then surprisingly only promoted the record in the R&B market.
More Trivia
—– The third track on side two of the album was originally “Fight for It” (the B-side of “Swept Away”). With the success of “All of You,” RCA got clearance from CBS to include it in place of “Fight for It” (which ultimately never made it onto a Diana Ross album, making it perhaps the rarest of all of her RCA recordings).
EATEN ALIVE – 10/85—Pop #45 and R&B #27
Also see—“The RCA years” in Part Five.
The pairing of Diana Ross with Bee Gees member Barry Gibb had been discussed ever since her RCA debut five years earlier. Throughout the 1980s, Gibb produced smash hits for superstars such as Barbra Streisand, Kenny Rodgers, Dolly Parton and Dionne Warwick. But by the time the Ross-Gibb union finally occurred, it seemed that his hot streak was beginning to cool.
When Barry asked Diana who she would like to duet with on this album, she told him that she wasn’t really interested in doing any for this project. However, Michael Jackson eventually did collaborate on the title track as a writer and producer and, though he’s not credited as a background vocalist, his voice is very prominent on the track. In fact, many felt that this recording sounded a lot more like a Michael Jackson single than one by Diana, which didn’t bode well for it at all. Its release happened to occur during a cool period for Jackson in that it fell between his monster Thriller album and the forthcoming blockbuster Bad.
The unusual title track, “Eaten Alive”—Pop #77, R&B #10 and UK #71—with its incomprehensible lyrics, set an unfair tone for the album with record buyers. Indeed, it was actually like nothing on the record. Though the song was an R&B hit and went to number three on the Dance chart, pop radio really wasn’t interested in it—and, by extension, not interested in the album either. It proved, once again, that the wrong choice for first single can be fatal to an album. Perhaps if the release had been the beautiful “Experience” or the irresistible “Chain Reaction” the fate of the Eaten Alive collection would have been a very different one. Still, “Chain Reaction’ was released overseas and became a worldwide smash and her biggest UK hit since 1971’s “I’m Still Waiting.” When RCA finally released it in America, “Chain Reaction”—Pop #95, R&B #85, AC #25 and UK #1—got little attention at first. Fans were delighted with the video, however, and RCA did a “Chain Reaction Remix”—Pop #66. However, the single was poorly edited and many radio stations even offered their own edit of the remix. Though the song received quite a bit of airplay and became a hit in many regional markets, it became popular across the country at different times, which resulted in an overall low national chart position. The extended remix fared much better and went Top 10 on Billboard’s Dance chart. The UK later released a video and single remix of “Experience”—UK #47.
RED HOT RHYTHM AND BLUES – 6/87—Pop #73 and R&B #39
Also, see—“The RCA years” in Part Five.
With this album, Diana teamed with the late legendary producer Tom Dowd for what was to be a collection of classic R&B tunes. But when Diana brought the song “Dirty Looks”—R&B #12 and UK #49—to Dowd and was hot on the idea of having it be released as a single, it became clear that his concept for the album was about to be altered. In the end, this album became a rather uneven combination of the new and the old, and Diana did her part to promote it by producing and starring in an ABC television special of the same name.
Luther Vandross, who had been interested in producing an album for his idol, Diana, for some time, finally got one track of his included on this collection, “It’s Hard For Me to Say.” Vandross later said that Diana didn’t feel comfortable turning an entire LP over to the young star, even though he had already produced hits for Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick.
Although eclectic and enjoyable, the album doesn’t really live up to its title. In fact, Ross’s remakes of the classics “Selfish One” and “There Goes My Baby” were more cool than … red hot. Two tracks that generated some heat, “Tell Mama” and “Mr. Lee,” weren’t even included on the US version of the LP. A second single, “Tell Me Again,” got some airplay in Los Angeles, but failed to chart nationally. Remixed singles of “Shock Waves” and “Mr. Lee” were released in the UK and though the latter had an exciting video and charted at #58, neither track became a hit. RCA did little to promote Diana’s records at this point and, once again, the lead single did little to help the rest of the album. This collection received some very good reviews but, ultimately, its sales proved to be less than red hot.
More Trivia
—– One track that Tom Dowd cut and was excited about having Diana record was “Try a Little Tenderness.” However, he said that she was not happy with the production and never finished recording the vocal.
WORKIN’ OVERTIME – 5/89—Pop #116 and R&B #34
Also, see—“More babies … and back to Motown” in Part Six.
Once she decided to leave RCA, Diana signed with MCA just as the company was in the process of buying Motown. When the deal was set, it seemed only logical to put the superstar back on her home label. So, Diana then returned to Motown as an artist and a stockholder, and at a critical time in her recording career since she really hadn’t had a major hit in some time. For this album, she reteamed with producer Nile Rodgers (of Chic), hoping that lightning would strike twice and she might have as powerful a record as the diana LP that featured “Upside Down’ and “I’m Coming Out.”
This record was released at a time when the Pop charts were being dominated by the new hip-hop sound and heavier R&B dance rhythms such as those of Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson and Bobby Brown. Though the material was not really of her genre, Diana dived into it anyway and gave it her best shot. The new Motown executives—none of whom had any history with her since, by this time, Berry Gordy and company were long gone—were hopeful that at forty-five the youthful-looking star would still appeal to the young record-buying audience. Indeed, there is some strong material on this album—“Great ear candy” as one critic put it—with thoughtful lyrics and aggressive vocals. Still, it went nowhere. Perhaps the biggest problem was the cover jacket. Ross was dressed in leather, chains and tattered jeans; her critics complained that she looked like she was going to a costume party, and they paid more attention to the jacket than to the music inside. There was also disagreement about the first single release. Motown and radio wanted the infectious “Bottom Line” to be issued. Ross disagreed and fought hard for “Workin’ Overtime.” In the end, she was wrong. The curse of the wrong first single struck yet again. Though “Workin’ Overtime”—R&B #3 and UK #32—was an R&B hit and went Top 5 on the Dance chart, it sank without a trace on the Pop charts. A pop hit was needed from this album and Motown tried a double-sided single with the ballad, “This House”—R&B 64—and dance track “Paradise”—UK #61. Though a remix of the latter tune went Top 10 on the Dance chart, neither song generated much radio interest.
More Trivia
—– A jack/swing remix of “Bottom Line” was issued as the third single from this album. It was the last record by Diana Ross to be released commercially in the US on a vinyl 45.
THE FORCE BEHIND THE POWER – 9/91—Pop #102 and R&B #66
Also, see—“More babies … and back to Motown” in Part Six.
All of the right elements were in place for a smash hit with this album. It marked a return to the classic Diana Ross sound, and most agreed that it would put her back on top of the charts. She certainly did her part to promote it. In May of 1991, she performed the Stevie Wonder-penned-and-produced title track on T
he Arsenio Hall Show to much acclaim. The record was finished and ready to be released to coincide with that appearance, but for some unknown reason Motown chose to wait four months to release it! When the LP finally came out, there was confusion at the company as to how to promote it. Indeed, with Berry Gordy gone, no one quite knew what to do with Diana at Motown.
“Change of Heart” was the first single choice from this album and was issued to radio stations prior to its release. Though the song received good airplay, Motown pulled it from distribution and focused its interest instead on “The Force Behind the Power.” Then, that idea was quickly abandoned in favor of “When You Tell Me That You Love Me”—AC #26, R&B #37 and UK #2. Weeks after that release, the label issued a CD/cassette maxi-single remix of “You’re Gonna Love It.” Simultaneously, “Heavy Weather” began to receive airplay on other radio stations. It’s no wonder no one knew what to do with this album, the campaign for it was so disorganized. Unlike the well-thought-out promotion being done for it by EMI internationally, Motown in the States wouldn’t give any song enough time to hit before moving on to another one. Eventually, Diana recorded a completely different version of “Waiting in the Wings,” which was issued commercially on cassette single only. However, this new version was inferior to the LP original, and the song received no airplay. At this point there was no interest in the US for this album at all, though it continued to be a best-seller overseas. After “When You Tell Me That You Love Me,” additional singles released overseas only were: “Force Behind the Power”—UK #28—“One Shining Moment”—UK #10—and “Heart (Don’t Change My Mind)”—UK #31.
More Trivia
—– The Land Before Time theme, “If We Hold On Together”—AC #23 and UK #11—became Diana’s only single release on MCA in 1988, before officially resigning from Motown. The single fared much better in the UK and was a number one smash in Japan. It was included on this album as a bonus track. The EMI CD edition of this album also included her 1990 duet with Al B. Sure, “No Matter What You Do”—R&B #4—as well as “You and I” (“which was the B-side of “When You Tell Me That You Love Me”).
—– “Heart (Don’t Change My Mind)” was first submitted to Motown in the early 1980s for Smokey Robinson. When he passed on it, Barbra Streisand recorded it for her Emotion album six years prior to this release of Diana’s version.
STOLEN MOMENTS LIVE—THE LADY SINGS … JAZZ AND BLUES – 4/93—R&B #73 and Jazz LP chart #10 (also available on DVD)
This concert was recorded live in New York for a pay-per-view television special. With it, Diana was back with conductor/arranger Gil Askey for an evening of jazz standards. Most of the material performed here was from Lady Sings the Blues. The EMI edition included a bonus studio track, “Where Did We Go Wrong” (this one written by Diana, and not the same song released on the 1978 Ross LP).
FOREVER DIANA—MUSICAL MEMORIES – 10/93—R&B #88
Also, see—“A return to Motown … and more babies” in Part Six.
There were five new songs recorded for this collection and two of them charted in the UK: “Your Love”—UK #14—and “The Best Years of My Life”—UK #28. The latter was released in the US but failed to chart. EMI also did a single-CD edition of this box set called One Woman—The Ultimate Collection, which sold over four million copies internationally. A year later, Motown did its own version of The Ultimate Collection.
The photos selected for this box set are beautiful; it’s clear that much attention was paid to the graphics. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of the content. One would think you couldn’t go wrong when compiling nearly thirty years of hit records for a project such as this one but this four-CD box set could have been so much more satisfying. The mastering was so poor on it that Motown had to recall the product and even supply new CDs to buyers who wrote and complained about it. In some cases, the songs listed on the cover didn’t even match the ones on the CD. There were also incorrect song titles and spelling errors! She deserved much better.
DIANA EXTENDED – 4/94—R&B #68
“The Boss,” “Love Hangover,” “Upside Down,” “Someday We’ll Be Together,” “Chain Reaction’ and “I’m Coming Out” were all remixed with additional productions for their inclusion on this dance collection. Also included was the 1991 remixed edit of “You’re Gonna Love It.” The UK did a single edit of, and got some airplay with, “I’m Coming Out—Remix”—UK #36. In the US, Motown issued a 12-inch single of “Someday We’ll Be Together” that went to #7 on the Dance charts. An edited version of the remix of that song was included on Diana Ross, the Ultimate Collection. EMI released many different mixes of the songs on Diana Extended on various 12-inch and CD singles.
TAKE ME HIGHER – 9/95—Pop #114 and R&B #38
Also, see—“Diana’s marriage to Arne in trouble” in Part Six.
After a four-year hiatus, it finally appeared that Diana was going to score that elusive hit record with this album, Take Me Higher. On it, she worked with top producers and the result was a collection of songs many critics and fans considered to be one of her finest in years. The first single, “Take Me Higher”—Pop #114, R&B #77 and UK #32—was a number-one Dance hit (her first number one on the national charts since “Swept Away” in 1984). Critics praised this album as being as contemporary and relevant as anything currently on the charts. When Billboard reviewed the second single “Gone”—UK #36—the writer urged disc jockeys to “play it”! Unfortunately, radio programmers just weren’t interested in playing a new song by the fifty-year-old legend, and they adamantly ignored this record. Motown tried another double-sided cassette single featuring a remix of “If You’re Not Gonna Love Me Right”—R&B #67—and “Voice of the Heart”—AC #28—but to no avail. In fact, no single releases crossed over to the pop market.
Diana did a video for her remake of the Gloria Gaynor classic “I Will Survive”—UK #14—a song that was receiving much airplay in the US. The tune was also a hit in the UK on the EMI label, and was a heavily sought after import record. But, much to Diana’s dismay, Motown refused to release the song as a single. Her relationship with the new Motown was hardly what it had been in the good old days, and she was not shy about voicing her dissatisfaction about it to the press.
More Trivia
—– As with her last several albums, the US and international version of Take Me Higher had alternate mixes and varied tracks. The Motown CD included the ballad “Let Somebody Know,” while EMI went with an up-tempo funk number called “Swing It.” A Canadian promo cassette included another mid-tempo track, “Soul Kiss.” Two more tracks—“Too Many Nights” and “I’m So Happy (to See You Again)”—were B-sides internationally but never released in the US.
—– Motown still has a fine remix of “I Will Survive” in the vaults that is more in keeping with the original Gloria Gaynor version.
EVERY DAY IS A NEW DAY – 5/99—Pop #108
Also, see—“Diana’s Marriage to Arne in trouble” and “Out of darkness … but not quite” in Part Six.
To coincide with her new television movie Double Platinum, costarring Brandy, Diana recorded this collection of contemporary pop, R&B and dance tunes. Once again, top writers and producers contributed to the CD, and there was much advance publicity about the Diane Warren–penned duet with Brandy, “Love Is All That Matters.” Unfortunately, the artists were with different record labels and the companies couldn’t come to a satisfactory agreement for the single’s release. Therefore, the duet was shelved. It is Diana’s solo version, then, that appears on the album.
The diva Ross was as popular as ever in dance clubs, and a Hex Hector remix of the ballad “Until We Meet Again” charted at number two on Billboard’s Dance Airplay chart. The title track was remixed and serviced to R&B radio, as was a song called “Sugar Free,” which actually received quite a bit of airplay. However, surprisingly enough, there were no actual single releases in the US from this album—a sure sign that Diana’s relationship with the new Motown had det
eriorated to the point of now being useless to her. No one seemed to be interested in doing a thing to promote this record—even Diana lost interest in it! However, “Not Over You Yet”—UK #9—was remixed and released as a single in England, and it hit fast and hard there, debuting in the Top 10.
As Diana’s marriage was breaking up during the recording of these songs, some critics and fans have compared it to Marvin Gaye’s Here My Dear, an album he wrote during his painful divorce in the late 1970s. Coincidentally, in Diana’s liner notes she writes the one line, “I’ve been thinking a lot about Marvin, lately,” with no further explanation.