Wrong Lead Single - Ross lps

**florence** · 07-03-2016, 10:38 AM

Bluerock,

Some of the articles that are starting to swamp the Internet are claiming that Diana was actually going to appear this year but was forced to pull out.

Is this true?

**Bluebrock** · 07-03-2016, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by florence

Bluerock,

Some of the articles that are starting to swamp the Internet are claiming that Diana was actually going to appear this year but was forced to pull out.

Is this true?

Yes and no Florence. Whilst she never actually signed anything she did express an interest in appearing following the success of the likes of Neil Diamond, Dolly Parton and of course Lionel whom she would like to join her on stage. Lionel told me this week he would be happy to do just that if his schedule allowed. She also wanted Nile to join her and Pharrell too I cannot go into this too deeply but just be patient for a little longer please. Good things come to those who wait.

**daviddh** · 07-06-2016, 09:42 PM

Btw. Supremes a Go Go was released August 25.1966.

**daviddh** · 07-06-2016, 09:46 PM

Originally Posted by Bluebrock

Yes and no Florence. Whilst she never actually signed anything she did express an interest in appearing following the success of the likes of Neil Diamond, Dolly Parton and of course Lionel whom she would like to join her on stage. Lionel told me this week he would be happy to do just that if his schedule allowed. She also wanted Nile to join her and Pharrell too I cannot go into this too deeply but just be patient for a little longer please. Good things come to those who wait.

We re waiting and waiting and waiting. Apparently Ross/ Supremes are ..FBI.....area 51 ....top secret...gewz.lol

**Bluebrock** · 07-07-2016, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by daviddh

We re waiting and waiting and waiting. Apparently Ross/ Supremes are ..FBI.....area 51 ....top secret...gewz.lol

I think you are probably right david!!

**daviddh** · 07-07-2016, 07:15 PM

Bluebrock , that was not directed at you .it was meant as a general observation from over the years. Kenny Chesney has a new cd coming and it has been announced as july 8. I just don't understand why Motown cant do the same. anyway back on the ranch.
Blue. thank you for all your posts and info. I truly appreciate all your feedback and inside stories. you have made ms ross seem so human. I know that sounds strange but we have heard so many non sense stories over the years, you have given us an inside look at a lengend

**Bluebrock** · 07-08-2016, 07:15 AM

Originally Posted by daviddh

Bluebrock , that was not directed at you .it was meant as a general observation from over the years. Kenny Chesney has a new cd coming and it has been announced as july 8. I just don't understand why Motown cant do the same. anyway back on the ranch.
Blue. thank you for all your posts and info. I truly appreciate all your feedback and inside stories. you have made ms ross seem so human. I know that sounds strange but we have heard so many non sense stories over the years, you have given us an inside look at a lengend

My pleasure David!

**thommg** · 07-08-2016, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by daviddh

Blue. thank you for all your posts and info. I truly appreciate all your feedback and inside stories. you have made ms ross seem so human. I know that sounds strange but we have heard so many non sense stories over the years, you have given us an inside look at a legend

daviddh, that's exactly how I felt when I read the liner notes to the RCA re-releases by Funkytowngrooves. People involved with the recordings talked about what was in Diana's head as she was recording. It gave me much more insight into her choices at that time. Some comments made me realize how she was trying to stretch herself as an artist and experiment with different styles. I appreciated the catalogue more after reading those liner notes. Which is why we need liner notes [[and cd's), Univerrsal, not just tracks to download!!!!

**Bluebrock** · 07-08-2016, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by daviddh

Bluebrock , that was not directed at you .it was meant as a general observation from over the years. Kenny Chesney has a new cd coming and it has been announced as july 8. I just don't understand why Motown cant do the same. anyway back on the ranch.
Blue. thank you for all your posts and info. I truly appreciate all your feedback and inside stories. you have made ms ross seem so human. I know that sounds strange but we have heard so many non sense stories over the years, you have given us an inside look at a lengend

david - The Diana Ross i know and the Diana Ross as perceived by the media are two totally different people. I worked with many celebrities over almost 30 years and i can say that Diana Ross was my joint favourite person to work alongside. I had heard all the horror stories and it made me reluctant initially because i was always a huge fan and i did not want my glorious memories to be tarnished . The first time was quite an eye opener. She was promoting "workin overtime" an album that she hated and sure enough i got the diva strop and that made me think what the hell had i got myself into, but the very next day she came up to me and apologised for her behaviour claiming she was suffering from jet lag [[which to be fair she was). From then on it just got better and better and after a couple of years i even felt comfortable enough to remind her of the first time we worked together. We laughed ourselves silly over it. She was so lovely and i am very proud of my relationship with her.
I could name some absolute monsters whom i have worked with. Bobby Brown is amongst the very worst , ditto Eddie Murphy. Two of my all time favourite female singers are also high up on the list. There are probably about 15 who should have been smothered at birth , but there were also some lovely people. George Michael, Michael Buble, PattiAustin, Will Downing, and believe it or not Justin Timberlake were all utterly delightful, but i am going way off topic here!!

**daviddh** · 07-08-2016, 01:47 PM

I just wish her catolgue was in your hands Blue brock.

**Albator** · 07-08-2016, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by Bluebrock

david - The Diana Ross i know and the Diana Ross as perceived by the media are two totally different people. I worked with many celebrities over almost 30 years and i can say that Diana Ross was my joint favourite person to work alongside. I had heard all the horror stories and it made me reluctant initially because i was always a huge fan and i did not want my glorious memories to be tarnished . The first time was quite an eye opener. She was promoting "workin overtime" an album that she hated and sure enough i got the diva strop and that made me think what the hell had i got myself into, but the very next day she came up to me and apologised for her behaviour claiming she was suffering from jet lag [[which to be fair she was). From then on it just got better and better and after a couple of years i even felt comfortable enough to remind her of the first time we worked together. We laughed ourselves silly over it. She was so lovely and i am very proud of my relationship with her.
I could name some absolute monsters whom i have worked with. Bobby Brown is amongst the very worst , ditto Eddie Murphy. Two of my all time favourite female singers are also high up on the list. There are probably about 15 who should have been smothered at birth , but there were also some lovely people. George Michael, Michael Buble, PattiAustin, Will Downing, and believe it or not Justin Timberlake were all utterly delightful, but i am going way off topic here!!

When you love Diana Ross, you feel that she is honest. She was more than a doll with me in Paris. I put a small paper on her table. I had written " I'll be at your show tonight. Thanks for all you are doing and give to us" or something like that. She was alone and unrecognized . I did not ask and I was about to go out when she stood up from her chair to kiss me and thanking me. I had pink on my cheek.

By the way, how is Barbra Streisand to work with ?

**Bluebrock** · 07-08-2016, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by Albator

When you love Diana Ross, you feel that she is honest. She was more than a doll with me in Paris. I put a small paper on her table. I had written " I'll be at your show tonight. Thanks for all you are doing and give to us" or something like that. She was alone and unrecognized . I did not ask and I was about to go out when she stood up from her chair to kiss me and thanking me. I had pink on my cheek.

By the way, how is Barbra Streisand to work with ?

I have never worked with her to be honest. I would have loved to have done so but it never happened. I have heard several stories ranging from total diva to a very nice lady. I am a big fan of Streisand so that is one regret of mine.
Diana loved to surprise her fans like that. I remember one evening in London and just the two of us were dining in an unremarkable cafe that you would not expect to see her in. We were sat in the window and Diana wore a scarf around her head and was not recognised by anyone until a pair of guys walked past and straight away they knocked on the window and got very excitable. I was worried about Diana's reaction but instead of getting annoyed she insisted on the two guys joining us at our table. The guys could not believe what was happening and frankly neither could i. They had a fine old time with their heroine and she gracefully signed her autograph and insisted that i organised a back stage pass for her concert the following night. They had already bought tickets so you can imagine their reaction. Having suffered the company of J lo, Britney, Whitney, Anita Baker, Jennifer Holliday etc such a situation would never have happened in a million yearswith any of those ladies.

**daviddh** · 07-09-2016, 01:13 AM

strange none of those other ladies have the reputation but Diana seems to....jealousy perhaps. I am grateful to still have her here with us and still working. there was a time not so long ago that I feared all was lost after RTL. I had always hoped to meet her but then I would make a fool of myself I am sure. she IS the soundtrack to my life
Bluebrock, thank you for this journey and renewing my faith. I look back over the years and wonder how and why things turn out the way they did, with MW bashing Diana, it seems just to get ahead.so sad .
I am still a fan . hopefully she will bring us more music

**Bluebrock** · 07-09-2016, 06:18 AM

Originally Posted by daviddh

I just wish her catolgue was in your hands Blue brock.

So do i. Without wishing to sound conceited i could work wonders with it david!

**johnjeb** · 07-09-2016, 06:32 AM

Originally Posted by Bluebrock

I have never worked with her to be honest. I would have loved to have done so but it never happened. I have heard several stories ranging from total diva to a very nice lady. I am a big fan of Streisand so that is one regret of mine.
Diana loved to surprise her fans like that. I remember one evening in London and just the two of us were dining in an unremarkable cafe that you would not expect to see her in. We were sat in the window and Diana wore a scarf around her head and was not recognised by anyone until a pair of guys walked past and straight away they knocked on the window and got very excitable. I was worried about Diana's reaction but instead of getting annoyed she insisted on the two guys joining us at our table. The guys could not believe what was happening and frankly neither could i. They had a fine old time with their heroine and she gracefully signed her autograph and insisted that i organised a back stage pass for her concert the following night. They had already bought tickets so you can imagine their reaction. Having suffered the company of J lo, Britney, Whitney, Anita Baker, Jennifer Holliday etc such a situation would never have happened in a million yearswith any of those ladies.

It seems she was comfortable in your company and felt safe enough to be spontaneous with those strangers. Sounds like you were a good friend and that she valued that friendship. I bet you gave her a lot of happy memories.

**Bluebrock** · 07-09-2016, 06:35 AM

Originally Posted by daviddh

strange none of those other ladies have the reputation but Diana seems to....jealousy perhaps. I am grateful to still have her here with us and still working. there was a time not so long ago that I feared all was lost after RTL. I had always hoped to meet her but then I would make a fool of myself I am sure. she IS the soundtrack to my life
Bluebrock, thank you for this journey and renewing my faith. I look back over the years and wonder how and why things turn out the way they did, with MW bashing Diana, it seems just to get ahead.so sad .
I am still a fan . hopefully she will bring us more music

Thank you again david. Another thing that i loved about Diana was her honesty and straight speaking. What i mean by that is if i made a decision that she wasn't happy about she would come to me directly and we would have it out face to face. Sometimes we had to agree to disagree, but she never went behind behind my back and complained to the directors - unlike some artists who did not have the balls or courage to confront me directly. Yes i am a big guy but i liked to think i could sort disagreements out verbally rather than physically. I could quite easily have knocked out a few horrific male stars who just set out to make everyones life an absolute misery. They seemed to forget i was there to help their careers. At the end of every promotional tour Diana would always buy me , my wife or children "[[and in some cases all of us) some kind of gift with a handwritten note in many cases. I also got that from other artists such as Elton John, George Michael to name but a couple , but with Diana it was somehow different. Lovely lady , and it upset me more than her when those negative stories were circulated. I recall a particular incident that occurred shortly after the death of my son . I was in a very dark place and broke down when a unpleasant story about her was circulated. She comforted me in such a genuine way. I will never forget that particular time. However i am going way off topic here. Apologies.

**daviddh** · 07-09-2016, 09:25 AM

BlueBrock, no apologies needed. you are the reason this thread has gone on for so long. we enjoy your posts and it's refreshing to hear your thoughts and memories of our lady Diana. again , it has renewed my faith and love for Diana.
I remember reading the book Call her Ms Ross and I couldn't even finish it .it was so upsetting reading some of those things but after time I realized that they were that,...stories. Diana ross has always had the talent to back up what ever has been said about her and even when things were said, she held her head up and handled it well, even when I think she should have come back strong with vengeance. but she seems to always handled herself with class.
I hope you have further memories to share.

**Bluebrock** · 07-09-2016, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by johnjeb

It seems she was comfortable in your company and felt safe enough to be spontaneous with those strangers. Sounds like you were a good friend and that she valued that friendship. I bet you gave her a lot of happy memories.

I would like to think so johnjeb. It took me a while to gain her trust but after an initially difficult first meeting we seemed to hit it off much more quickly than i could possibly have hoped. She was also a good friend to me especially in times of great sorrow so it worked both ways. I hope to see her again in the not too distant future. Watch this space..........

**Bluebrock** · 07-09-2016, 11:03 AM

[QUOTE=daviddh;339871]BlueBrock, no apologies needed. you are the reason this thread has gone on for so long. we enjoy your posts and it's refreshing to hear your thoughts and memories of our lady Diana. again , it has renewed my faith and love for Diana.
I remember reading the book Call her Ms Ross and I couldn't even finish it .it was so upsetting reading some of those things but after time I realized that they were that,...stories. Diana ross has always had the talent to back up what ever has been said about her and even when things were said, she held her head up and handled it well, even when I think she should have come back strong with vengeance. but she seems to always handled herself with class.
I hope you have further memories to share.[/QUOTE

Thank you David. I am more than happy to share further memories with you so long as i do not breach any confidentiality. Please feel to ask away. I am not sure what else i have to share with you but i shall give it my best shot.

**daviddh** · 07-09-2016, 03:26 PM

ok Blue,...if Diana was performing near you and you could pick 5 songs[[notincluding the huge hiys she currently performs such as Aint No MOuntain) but any 5 songs,what would you choose.
I know its hard but here are 5 of my fav Diana songs...
Never Say I Don't Love You
Thought It Took Time But Today I Fell In Love
If You're Not Gonna Love Me Right
Not Over You Yet
One Love In My Lifetime

**daviddh** · 07-09-2016, 03:27 PM

Bluebrock, I do have a question about RTL tour . why do you think it was cancelled. it couldn't be saved??? I thought if they dropped the dancers and made some other cuts elsewhere??

**Bluebrock** · 07-09-2016, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by daviddh

Bluebrock, I do have a question about RTL tour . why do you think it was cancelled. it couldn't be saved??? I thought if they dropped the dancers and made some other cuts elsewhere??

I blame the promoters. They charged obscene prices for tickets.Even if Mary and Cindy had been on board that tour could not have survived. Diana raised doubts about the prices at the time but was shot down. The promoters were very greedy and overestimated demand. It would have done much better 5=10 years previously. We had already reserved 8 venues in the UK but i always feared the tour would be scrapped before it reached the UK. There were other factors too which i cannot discuss here, but you already have the major reason.

**Bluebrock** · 07-09-2016, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by daviddh

ok Blue,...if Diana was performing near you and you could pick 5 songs[[notincluding the huge hiys she currently performs such as Aint No MOuntain) but any 5 songs,what would you choose.
I know its hard but here are 5 of my fav Diana songs...
Never Say I Don't Love You
Thought It Took Time But Today I Fell In Love
If You're Not Gonna Love Me Right
Not Over You Yet
One Love In My Lifetime

Wow! What a question. I would have to say your first three choices are wonderful and indeed your final one too. Not overly keen on "noyy" if i am to be honest. One real favourite of mine is "i ain't been licked~ and "i'm in the world" is another. I love the Boss album. "it's hard for me to say" is another beauty, and her version of "too shy to say" and "come in from the rain" and "blame it on the sun" always greatly move me. I know that is six and there are many others too but i shall settle on those for the moment,

**daviddh** · 07-09-2016, 07:20 PM

Bluebrock, I agree, I think the RTL tour would have been great when Diana returned to Motown in 1989. I think this would have been a great jumpstart for her return to the label.
also I have to agree with regards to the songs, Hard For Me To Say , Blame It ON The Sun Aint Been Licked are in my top 10 favs . would include My Baby My Own ,One Shining Moment, Waiting In the Wings. again too many classics to pick but these are my favorites.

**Bluebrock** · 07-10-2016, 03:24 AM

Originally Posted by daviddh

Bluebrock, I agree, I think the RTL tour would have been great when Diana returned to Motown in 1989. I think this would have been a great jumpstart for her return to the label.
also I have to agree with regards to the songs, Hard For Me To Say , Blame It ON The Sun Aint Been Licked are in my top 10 favs . would include My Baby My Own ,One Shining Moment, Waiting In the Wings. again too many classics to pick but these are my favorites.

You obviously love the "force behind the power" album David , as do i, and as indeed did Diana. That album should have been huge in the USA. It still stands up today as a great album. Ditty "take me higher". They bring back such happy memories for me.

**Ollie9** · 07-10-2016, 04:24 AM

Originally Posted by Bluebrock

I blame the promoters. They charged obscene prices for tickets.Even if Mary and Cindy had been on board that tour could not have survived. Diana raised doubts about the prices at the time but was shot down. The promoters were very greedy and overestimated demand. It would have done much better 5=10 years previously. We had already reserved 8 venues in the UK but i always feared the tour would be scrapped before it reached the UK. There were other factors too which i cannot discuss here, but you already have the major reason.

I agree in that the tickets were way overpriced. Had it been a limited engagement things would have been fine. Surely this tour could have been salvaged by dropping the dancers, additional background singers and lowering the ticket prices a tad.
In truth, i always thought the RTL tour a bad idea. Diana had moved on from the Supremes years ago. By touring with Lynda and Scherrie she was setting herself up as a target to be shot down. I think the original idea of extending the Supremes segment in her show was the way to go.
EDIAND should have been further promoted as their were still further hits to had from the album, at least across Europe.

**Bluebrock** · 07-10-2016, 09:01 AM

Originally Posted by Ollie9

I agree in that the tickets were way overpriced. Had it been a limited engagement things would have been fine. Surely this tour could have been salvaged by dropping the dancers, additional background singers and lowering the ticket prices a tad.
In truth, i always thought the RTL tour a bad idea. Diana had moved on from the Supremes years ago. By touring with Lynda and Scherrie she was setting herself up as a target to be shot down. I think the original idea of extending the Supremes segment in her show was the way to go.
EDIAND should have been further promoted as their were still further hits to had from the album, at least across Europe.

You are quite correct Ollie. The dancers were not necessary, and believe you me they were paid a lot of money for the tour as were the backing singers.
At the time i thought the tour was a good idea, but certainly a few years too late. Diana was disappointed that she had left Motown and wanted a new project to focus on. She was going through some personal changes and she genuinely wanted Mary and Cindy on board. Evan after Mary bailed out i still think it was a mistake to exclude Cindy. She was very keen to do it , and she would have provided that link with the 60's Supremes.
I also agree that a limited engagement would have been a good idea initially at least.
Inalso agree that EDIAND could have been milked further, but by then Motown had totally lost interest in Diana. We in the UK could have picked at least two more singles from it

**daviddh** · 07-10-2016, 10:47 AM

we have always waited for a supremes reunion. I have never seen the supremes live b4 so I was looking forward to it. I think MW comments didn't help the situation and people were sick of it. I thought Motown 25 reunion was bad but RTL was worse.
I do think a limited engagement would have been nice for a few weeks to see if things worked and then they could have gone on further . I also feel reaching out to Cindy would have been good idea as it made Diana look bad, were as if cindy signed on and mary didn't , then the bad pr would have fell on mary, or some of it. I regret it didn't work out as the fans wanted it,like myself.
I do think Diana should have performed songs from EDIAND.

**daviddh** · 07-10-2016, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by Bluebrock

You obviously love the "force behind the power" album David , as do i, and as indeed did Diana. That album should have been huge in the USA. It still stands up today as a great album. Ditty "take me higher". They bring back such happy memories for me.

I think the album could have been promoted better. the album was filled with great songs.
these standard albums have done well for some such as Rod Stewart but to me this was a modern standards album. the DR kind.

**Bluebrock** · 07-10-2016, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by daviddh

I think the album could have been promoted better. the album was filled with great songs.
these standard albums have done well for some such as Rod Stewart but to me this was a modern standards album. the DR kind.

I agree. Motown USA did not have a clue how to market and promote it. We got 5 UK top 40 hits out of it and could have had a couple more in my opinion.

**reese** · 07-10-2016, 12:22 PM

Originally Posted by daviddh

we have always waited for a supremes reunion. I have never seen the supremes live b4 so I was looking forward to it. I think MW comments didn't help the situation and people were sick of it. I thought Motown 25 reunion was bad but RTL was worse.
I do think a limited engagement would have been nice for a few weeks to see if things worked and then they could have gone on further . I also feel reaching out to Cindy would have been good idea as it made Diana look bad, were as if cindy signed on and mary didn't , then the bad pr would have fell on mary, or some of it. I regret it didn't work out as the fans wanted it,like myself.
I do think Diana should have performed songs from EDIAND.

Cindy has said that she let Mary do the negotiating for her when it came to RTL. I gather Mary thought that would strengthen her position. So when Mary was out, unfortunately Cindy was as well. At that point, I wish Diana would have just abandoned the idea as it caused so much unhappiness. But having seen tapes of some of the shows, I must say that the RTL concerts were great. I only wish it could have been DMC, but alas, it didn't happen.

**Bluebrock** · 07-10-2016, 04:18 PM

Originally Posted by reese

Cindy has said that she let Mary do the negotiating for her when it came to RTL. I gather Mary thought that would strengthen her position. So when Mary was out, unfortunately Cindy was well. At that point, I wish Diana would just abandoned the idea as it caused so much unhappiness. But having seen tapes of some of the shows, I must say that the RTL concerts were great. I only wish it could have been DMC, but alas, it didn't happen.

She had already signed a contract by this time so she was unable to abandon the tour. The promoters were not that bothered about Mary and Cindy, more fool them. It was all about Diana, and Mary knew this which is one of the reasons why she behaved the way she did.

**rovereab** · 07-11-2016, 05:43 AM

Hi Bluerock, thanks for so much of your insight in this thread........

Are you aware of the drivers for the different track line ups on the various country/region releases of albums, e.g. TMH and TFBTHP. I am intrigued how the decisions are taken and also miffed that in the UK we missed Let Somebody Know on TMH given the absolute quality of the song and Diana's performance of it.

Thanks.

**florence** · 07-11-2016, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by Bluebrock

I agree. Motown USA did not have a clue how to market and promote it. We got 5 UK top 40 hits out of it and could have had a couple more in my opinion.

I'm guessing you're thinking Change Of Heart and Waiting In The Wings?

Change Of Heart was highly thought of in some quarters and I believe it was actually considered as the lead single [[in the US) but although I quite like it in an album full of gems it was one of the weaker tracks for me.

Waiting In The Wings could certainly have been a UK hit.

It would always have been difficult for a sixth or seventh track but I think at that stage having nothing to lose Battlefield could have been given a shot. It could easily have done nothing but it could also have gone big.

**Bluebrock** · 07-11-2016, 02:31 PM

Originally Posted by florence

I'm guessing you're thinking Change Of Heart and Waiting In The Wings?

Change Of Heart was highly thought of in some quarters and I believe it was actually considered as the lead single [[in the US) but although I quite like it in an album full of gems it was one of the weaker tracks for me.

Waiting In The Wings could certainly have been a UK hit.

It would always have been difficult for a sixth or seventh track but I think at that stage having nothing to lose Battlefield could have been given a shot. It could easily have done nothing but it could also have gone big.

Yes Florence. Those are the two songs i had in mind. Change of heart was indeed a strong contender for 1st or 2nd single both in the UK and USA.Diana liked the song and performed it on the Des O'Connor show in late 1991. I was never that keen on it like you, but it was catchy and could have been a hit. I was tempted to make it the 5th UK single but Diana practically begged for "heart don't change my mind" to be given the nod. She promised to do Top of the pops and that is what she did.. Waiting in the wings was also considered, unlike Battlefield which Diana herself didn't care for at all. I liked it.

**Bluebrock** · 07-11-2016, 02:40 PM

Originally Posted by rovereab

Hi Bluerock, thanks for so much of your insight in this thread........

Are you aware of the drivers for the different track line ups on the various country/region releases of albums, e.g. TMH and TFBTHP. I am intrigued how the decisions are taken and also miffed that in the UK we missed Let Somebody Know on TMH given the absolute quality of the song and Diana's performance of it.

Thanks.

roverab.I am afraid you have me to blame for excluding Let somebody know from the UK version of TMH. Originally i had included it as 1 of 12 songs , but i was ordered to cut one song. I joked to Diana that "i will survive" was going to be chopped, and she initially believed me. I only said it because i knew she loved the song, whereas i hated her version. She flipped and said i didn't know what i was talking about !! In reality i would never have excluded it , but it was great fun to see her duped by me. I of course couldn't stop laughing and she soon realised i was joking. I did love LSK but i didn't want to drop one of the more commercial tracks that were all considered for a single release so i reluctantly dropped LSK, We did also consider releasing an expanded version with 2 or 3 additional tracks but that idea failed to hit the ground.

**reese** · 07-11-2016, 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by Bluebrock

...unlike Battlefield which Diana herself didn't care for at all. I liked it.

BATTLEFIELD, as well as CHANGE OF HEART, were two of my favorites off that album. I'm not sure where it was released, but I do have a BATTLEFIELD cd single.

**Bluebrock** · 07-11-2016, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by reese

BATTLEFIELD, as well as CHANGE OF HEART, were two of my favorites off that album. I'm not sure where it was released, but I do have a BATTLEFIELD cd single.

It was released in one or two European markets. I like the song but Diana disliked it for some reason and was not keen on recording it or performing it.

**rovereab** · 07-11-2016, 04:22 PM

Originally Posted by Bluebrock

roverab.I am afraid you have me to blame for excluding Let somebody know from the UK version of TMH. Originally i had included it as 1 of 12 songs , but i was ordered to cut one song. I joked to Diana that "i will survive" was going to be chopped, and she initially believed me. I only said it because i knew she loved the song, whereas i hated her version. She flipped and said i didn't know what i was talking about !! In reality i would never have excluded it , but it was great fun to see her duped by me. I of course couldn't stop laughing and she soon realised i was joking. I did love LSK but i didn't want to drop one of the more commercial tracks that were all considered for a single release so i reluctantly dropped LSK, We did also consider releasing an expanded version with 2 or 3 additional tracks but that idea failed to hit the ground.

You're forgiven Bluerock given all the great information you are providing here

I guess it shows how many gems Diana has continued to provide us with over many years!

**Bluebrock** · 07-11-2016, 04:51 PM

Originally Posted by rovereab

You're forgiven Bluerock given all the great information you are providing here

I guess it shows how many gems Diana has continued to provide us with over many years!

Thank you!! We did put it on the take me higher cd single as i recall so it was pretty easy to obtain.

**Ollie9** · 07-11-2016, 05:55 PM

Originally Posted by Bluebrock

roverab.I am afraid you have me to blame for excluding Let somebody know from the UK version of TMH. Originally i had included it as 1 of 12 songs , but i was ordered to cut one song. I joked to Diana that "i will survive" was going to be chopped, and she initially believed me. I only said it because i knew she loved the song, whereas i hated her version. She flipped and said i didn't know what i was talking about !! In reality i would never have excluded it , but it was great fun to see her duped by me. I of course couldn't stop laughing and she soon realised i was joking. I did love LSK but i didn't want to drop one of the more commercial tracks that were all considered for a single release so i reluctantly dropped LSK, We did also consider releasing an expanded version with 2 or 3 additional tracks but that idea failed to hit the ground.

All i can think to say Bluebrock is how could you?. LSK is one of my favourite songs from TMH. I even bought the USA version for that reason. The only song i was never crazy about was "Only Love Can Conquer All" which i find a little twee. I can only guess my dear that it must have been a very hard decision to make as all the songs were so good........Hmmmm.

**daviddh** · 07-11-2016, 09:33 PM

I loved Change Of Heart and thought it should have been a single but after Waiting In The The Wings failed to even chart, I suppose motown ,as usual , dropped it, and no further singles were issued, Motown just screwed it up completely.
Take Me Higher was a great album. not sure what song I would have cut but I'm Gone, although good, I thought I would have done with something more top 40 . so many great out takes from these sessions. loved Swing It and Too Many Nights.
Let Somebody Know does shine as well. what a great album. should have been a huge success.

**daviddh** · 07-11-2016, 09:37 PM

with all these great out takes, I'm surprised some didn't appear elsewhere on another album or hits collection.....such as a Voice Of Love type of cd, think a out takes album is in order asap!!!!

**Albator** · 07-12-2016, 12:24 AM

I really love the TMH album, but mostly because of all the songs on and out of the US or UK issues.
Soul kiss, too many nights, let somebody know, gone, I thought we were still in love If you'r not gonna love me right.
I'm not that fond of "TMH" ou "IWS".
Only two songs I dislike a lot "voice of love" and "I'v never love a man like this".

It remains a puzzlement that the CD didn't chart better. It's not even silver in UK and probably around 70/80 000 in Japan.
She didn't promote it in France and it is the first time her European tour didn't include a date here. She went to Germany and to Spain instead.
I wonder who make the decision about where to promote an album and why?

**florence** · 07-12-2016, 07:49 AM

The lack of success for EDIAND in the UK has always puzzled me.

Diana was always more a singles than albums artist but given the promotion and reasonable success of Not Over You Yet in the UK it beggars belief that it did just so badly.

I can't say that it would be among my favourite of Diana's albums but there were some great tracks on it.

Until We Meet Again would surely have hit the UK charts but at least thanks to Bluerock explaining that Diana had certain personal issues at the time I now know why the project went into hibernation after just the one single here.

Similarly I was deflated by the performance of much of Diana's output in the UK in the late 70s. It may not have been one of her best era's in terms of quality but there a number of tracks which deserved much better success and again thanks to Bluerock's input at least we know there were certain "problems" at EMI at this time which definitely had an effect.

Perhaps the most disappointing episode was the complete mess RCA made of the Swept Away project in the UK. I've said before that if Diana had been with EMI at this time it would surely have been immensely successful.

They followed the parent company's wish to lead with Touch By Touch but it was woefully underpromoted otherwise it could have been a big hit. It was beyond belief that Swept Away was never issued as a single and the fact that supposedly despite several attempts a "giant" like RCA couldn't even break Missing You into the top 75 speaks volumes.

**Albator** · 07-12-2016, 12:51 PM

Originally Posted by florence

The lack of success for EDIAND in the UK has always puzzled me.

Perhaps the most disappointing episode was the complete mess RCA made of the Swept Away project in the UK. I've said before that if Diana had been with EMI at this time it would surely have been immensely successful.

They followed the parent company's wish to lead with Touch By Touch but it was woefully underpromoted otherwise it could have been a big hit. It was beyond belief that Swept Away was never issued as a single and the fact that supposedly despite several attempts a "giant" like RCA couldn't even break Missing You into the top 75 speaks volumes.

In France we had "touch by touch" but also "swept away". A minimum of promo was made for "swept away". I know it sold 7 000 copies ! I don't know for Touch by touch but it should be close to nothing.

**Bluebrock** · 07-12-2016, 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by Ollie9

All i can think to say Bluebrock is how could you?. LSK is one of my favourite songs from TMH. I even bought the USA version for that reason. The only song i was never crazy about was "Only Love Can Conquer All" which i find a little twee. I can only guess my dear that it must have been a very hard decision to make as all the songs were so good........Hmmmm.

It was a very tough decision Ollie. We had to include "only love can conquer all" because Diana loved that song. She would have hung me out to dry had i binned it, in fact it is one of her all time favourites of any era. Diana is not a great fan of Diana. She would never listen to her own music by choice. She would always find fault with her vocals and claim she could have done better. You will have to remind me which track was left off the USA version in favour of "olcca". My memory cannot recall without consulting my diary.

**Bluebrock** · 07-12-2016, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by Albator

I really love the TMH album, but mostly because of all the songs on and out of the US or UK issues.
Soul kiss, too many nights, let somebody know, gone, I thought we were still in love If you'r not gonna love me right.
I'm not that fond of "TMH" ou "IWS".
Only two songs I dislike a lot "voice of love" and "I'v never love a man like this".

It remains a puzzlement that the CD didn't chart better. It's not even silver in UK and probably around 70/80 000 in Japan.
She didn't promote it in France and it is the first time her European tour didn't include a date here. She went to Germany and to Spain instead.
I wonder who make the decision about where to promote an album and why?

I had nothing to do with her not promoting it in France. She adored France to the point that it was probably her favourite country bar none, I would organise her calendar in the UK only, but would accompany her on the European jaunt which was organised by her manager.

**Bluebrock** · 07-12-2016, 02:21 PM

Originally Posted by daviddh

with all these great out takes, I'm surprised some didn't appear elsewhere on another album or hits collection.....such as a Voice Of Love type of cd, think a out takes album is in order asap!!!!

Totally agree David. The expanded versions of the final 3 motown albums will be a treat to savour!!

**Jaap** · 07-12-2016, 02:40 PM

Originally Posted by florence

Perhaps the most disappointing episode was the complete mess RCA made of the Swept Away project in the UK. I've said before that if Diana had been with EMI at this time it would surely have been immensely successful.

I might be mistaken, but wasn't Diana Ross signed with Capitol for the UK and European releases of her 1980s albums, which was owned by EMI not RCA.