I like that song too. I've always enjoyed it when she sings it live.
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Why would anyone on this forum want to call Diana "Diane" just to antagonize other members? That would be childishly petty and morally wrong. Surely no one here would sink to that level.
I agree with you about "U" but 1986 was obviously her year to come back, not '96. Diana was having trouble placing on the charts by then, so how could Mary stand a chance when "Take Me Higher" couldn't even hit big?
But as far as Holiday, what has that song got to do with Workin' Overtime?? Are you kidding, Holiday was soooo Diana-esque, and if an unknown Mad Donna could hit #16 with it, it's safe to say Diana would have gone Top 10. After all, this was 1983. Imagine if "Holiday" had been Diana's single during Central Park instead if "Pieces of Ice"? It's a no-brainer.
In fact, Diana singing "Holiday" with its lyrics of 'bring back all of the happy days' would have been the perfect equivalent of Streisand singing "Happy Days Are Here Again" at her Central Park concert in '67. :)
Well sure, but she basically copied Diana's performance of "The Force Behind The Power" on Arsenio the year prior. Cute black dress, check. Chorus, check. Foray into the audience, check. Million-dollar smile, check. Mid-tempo R&B song with lyrics about doing the right thing? Check.
MADONNA was the ultimate diva of a brand new toy called MTV; THAT is what sold her, and they were only interested in new, current acts at the time, whoever had videos
You are nuts! Mary looked hot and her body was like PA POW! LOL!!! She sang out strong and made all of her marks! Copy Diane Ross my a** ! LOL! Did you even see both performances? Diane looked like a skinny school marm ala "Olive Oil", forgot words and ended still standing in the audience once the music stopped abruptly! Check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_OisN_v3XA
But you are the master of chart performances - did this chart higher than FBP?
Seriously?! Y'all enjoyed this? At best this song is mediocre, but Mary's performance brought it to life. IMO, this stands alongside Miss Ross's Swept Away, Eaten Alive, and Dirty Looks. All okayish, but ultimately, forgettable. Mary is MUCH better singing ballads, jazz, and blues. Did Arsenio interview her? Now THAT I would love to see. Borrowing Miss Ross's Central Park cape idea was a nice touch; no?
Marv is right; very often in the 15 years following the demise of the Supremes, Mary followed in Diana's footsteps, dressed like her and acted like her in concert. But they were coached by Berry and Motown, so that is no surprise. Mary hoped to duplicate the success.
Only in recent years, when everyone has had to become content with their place in history, has Mary found her own show, her own voice, her own persona, her college education and hopefully some happiness.
When did she say she was moving to England? May? later in the year?
All I am saying is that Marv compared Miss Ross' FBP to Miss Wilson WTL & I'm just curious as to which one charted higher and on which chart since that is so important to him.
I prefer Shantal Baker's Wait [[You Can't Hurry Love) to either Walk the Line or The Force Behind the Power.
Just to be clear - you admit that FBP charted higher than WLT?
I'm a big fan of Miss Mary Wilson. With that said I feel that if she had recorded "Holiday" it would definitely not sound like the song we now know. Madonna and Mary have to drastically different vocal ranges.
The song was Madonna's first Top 10 but in retrospect it really is an innocuous song. Great beat. You can dance to it. But no depth. It served it's purpose for a [[then) up and coming singer like Madonna. It wouldn't have worked for Mary Wilson.
Would-a, Should-a, Could-a....
I will say this: Mary's breasts oughtta be insured by Lloyd's of London. I mean, who the hell cares what she sounds like?
Comeback from what ? Who ?
Did Mary record any music around the time her book Dreamgirl was published? When did she do those sides with Ian Levine? [[not that those would have brought her back to the charts).
Yeah she recorded "My Lovelife Is A Disaster" for Peter Stringfellows "Stringfellow Records". It remained unreleased as a demo essentially:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EKWjTtHCqA
The above recording was from 1986. I believe she got involved with Ian Levine in the latter half of 1987.
I've never understood why after Motown 25 Mary couldn't get a recording contract? I guess times were just different then. These days, any group as big as the Supremes that broke up, would go on to have the members releases songs, albums and almost with certainty, they'd at least chart. But it never worked like that in the day of the Supremes. You couldn't find any of Mary's singles that were released. There was no promotion at all for anything after she left Motown. And Red Hot just wasn't the type of song that would ever be a hit.
It didn't really make any sense.
And it is all would have, could have, wasn't. Was she in the vicinity of anything Grammy this weekend?
Things didn't end well between Ian Levine and Ms. Wilson. I think Mary and her manager ran off with Ian Levine's money.
Mr. Levine explains what happened in this youtube clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT9EF29OqFE
Roberta
That's too bad - was that a pattern?
The reason you don't understand is because you never know what you are talking about especially when it comes to Mary Wilson. She had recording contract offers, several of them. They could never come to terms; to her satisfaction. Sure, of course times where different then. It was 1983, 29 years ago....geez! These days, no one is looking for a recording contract when you have many more outlets to market and sale your own music and reap the majority of the revenue directly. Charting really doesn't mean much to anyone these days due to the downfall of "Top 40 Radio" the listening public wouldn't be able to tell you one song that is on a "chart" these days. That is nothing new, it's been that way for close to the last 10-12 years. Where have you been?
I have all of Mary's singles, album/CDs, DVD's and concert videos. It wasn't hard at all to find them either, that is if you were HONESTLY trying to obtain her material........on hehehehehehe. She probably earns more now in a year than she did in all the years the Supremes were at their peak! So I don't think having a recording contract is that valuable these days as it once was back last century. Has Diane finally stopped hounding Clive Davis for one? I know she's begging for years now.
I don't know if Mary Wilson was in the vicinity of anything Grammy this weekend. She is very close with Dionne Warwick and no doubt mourning the recent death of the Queen of Pop Music, Ms. Whitney Houston, so the Grammys would not even be a priority for many of our great classic artists this year.
"She then did an interview in Blues And Soul, claiming I had ripped off all the former Motown artists. I produced the contracts for her album to Blues And Soul, proved that she had not honoured her contract, and they printed an immediate retraction. So the fifteen Mary Wilson tracks I paid for still remain unrecorded, and people still privately tell me how much she criticises me. Kind of strange coming from someone who made a fortune with a best selling book which exposed her former friend, Diana Ross. Florence Ballard was quoted as saying that at least she knew where she stood with Diana, as opposed to Mary."
WAW!!