Originally Posted by
RanRan79
I think the diana lp and "It's My Turn" was such a complete departure in sounds from one another that the only direction to go was either continue the "Turn" sound, which is what Motown did with no success, or go with something new and different. That Masser ballad formula- Diana had already done that in the 70s, and yes, it worked for her but I think ultimately there was only so much of that the public could stand. That's why I've never been too thrilled with the idea of a full Masser produced album. But the public ate up funky Diana. Singles wise, until "It's My Turn", she hadn't had a ballad hit since 1975's theme from Mahogany. Since then she hit big with "Hangover", The Boss lp, and then the diana lp and it's huge singles. Motown should have turned to a new funky/sophisticated soul album for her.
Now "Endless Love"'s massive success could have turned into a big album if Diana and Lionel were paired together. I think the public might have eaten it up. Love it or hate it, there's no denying the appeal of "Endless". I think "Dreaming Of You" was equally as great, and proves that Diana and Lionel's vocal chemistry easily translated from ballad to something a bit more uptempo.