not sure who BOB summers is but the name rings a bell.somewhere?? but I get what your saying .I assume she is tired of the pr part of it and maybe she is to picky [[sometimes)
Of course but it's not exactly the same. In one hand you have an actor who play in a mediocre movie because of the money he is offered and on another, you have a singer with an unlimited budget who choose to spend the minimum of her time and money to record something. She plays the actor and the director in this story
I am not disagreeing with you here Albator. I have been one of the fiercest critics of her RCA years, especially those first 3 albums. They were quite simply not good enough and Diana has to take the lions share of the blame for the poor quality songs, shoddy production and disinterested singing. I wish i could tell you more of what she really thought of these albums when we discussed them over 10 years later, but all i can say is that had she had her time again they would have been radically different.
I think we can all look back on our own lives and think we could have done something better. said something different etc. I wish I knew then what I know now, lol.
at the same time, I still don't know how we got ILY album. I think by this time , we would got a classic Ross album.
hopefully we will get at least one more album
exactly my thoughts Bluebrock. I would think by this point if she didn't like something , she would have aborted the project. not sure what changed. maybe in the 60s she recorded so much product that they could condense it down to the good tracks , where as later she only recorded a smaller amount of material.?? I would think if she was unhappy with a project, she would alter or change course?? how can Streisand release a project that seems on target with her plan. is she not envolved with the planning, choosing of songs and execution of her work. ???
how did Michael Jackson and epic state they would only listen to #1 songs and didn't BG state that for the supremes or something simular
I just saw a clip from Divas 2000. this production seemed plagued with problems, the producers didn't seem happy with Diana. she seemed to be unhappy with their direction of the show and insisted things be her way, which they complied with. the sound system went down and the show ran well over. strange period. some good moments and some not.
I was with her for the recording of this. It was one of my final official engagements with her, and to say it was eventful is quite an understatement! I can honestly say this was probably my least enjoyable experience with Diana. It was plagued with problems. I encountered Beyonce, Mariah , Faith Hill and my personal favourite Donna Summer who was a delight. A great time was had by no-one here.
Donna seemed like the only one with sense . heard Mariah and Donna had issues.
Scherrie and Lynda didn't sound that good to me and the mics were turned down..?
maybe Divas was the right title for this after all ,but I think it was the last show they did of this kind. I think the program has retired.
there was a behind the scenes show with outtakes from all the shows and artists. Diana was their least favorite for some reason.
seemed like a lot of drama for no reason. didn't get all the demands ,she was a guest of the show. it wasn't her show?? it was a tribute.
Last edited by daviddh; 09-24-2016 at 03:01 PM.
Donna's vocals that night were pure gold while Diana was
I've always loved the irony of casting for the Divas show Faith Hill, a singer born to an unwed teen mother, to perform "Love Child." I'm not sure if that act was inspired or just the folks at VH-1 being oblivious to her personal backstory.
Bluebrock...not sure if we discussed it but what did u think of Ross 78. At first I was disappointed but it has grown on me.to many previously released tracks but it does contain some gems
https://oddpavarottiblog.wordpress.c...ano-pavarotti/
Diana Ross didn’t sing together with Pavarotti, but on March 18, 1984 Ross and Pavarotti joined forces with Frank Sinatra and Montserrat Caballé at New York’s Radio City Music Hall in a benefit concert for cancer research. The picture is taken before their performances. Wow! Talk about music royalty!
David - I thought from a musical point of view that ROSS78 was a fairly strong album. YOU WERE THE ONE was a great lost single whilst TO LOVE AGAIN and NEVER SAY I DON'T LOVE YOU are amongst Diana's finest ever ballads. I did however disapprove of the inclusion of previously released material however good they may have been. I would have added a couple of the uptempo tracks that were later on the DIANA deluxe set and a previously unreleased ballad therefore creating an uptempo side 1 and a down tempo side 2. I look forward to the deluxe set which will doubtless be download only, unlike the final four Motown albums which will be physical.
@Bluerock- Have you ever had a discussion with DR about her concert set list and if she would ever consider doing a song or two or even a medley of 70's Supreme's songs? Like a tribute medley? Thoughts? And does anyone know if DR has ever performed a 70's Supremes song?
personally I don't think she would do it, and I don't blame her. she has enough of her own songs that she could perform. I would rather her sing If You're Not Gonna Love Me Right or Never say I Don't Love You, myself. just a bad idea in my opinion. sorry.
I think that by removing Together and ROIBT......and adding newer material.....it would have made a big difference.some really good dongs and vocals
That download only thing is becoming beyond irritating. I won't be buying Ross 78 then. But I am very happy to hear that the final four Motown albums will be physical! Can you share any news on these and when they might be out?
I would also like to take the opportunity to thank you for all the information you have provided in this thread. I have spent hours reading through it. Ever thought about writing a book about your experiences in the entertainment business?
I am already working on it!! It will undergo many changes before it will be complete, and it will be many years before it is actually ready for publication, but I have been reading through my diaries which I have kept everyday since 1974, and there is so much in there that I had totally forgotten about. Diana was and always will be my favourite celebrity but I enjoyed working with many other people as well as detesting working with certain people!! Thank you very much for your positive comments which I greatly appreciate.
Ross - I have had numerous discussions with Diana about many things but performing a medley of 70's Supremes songs? It would never occur to me to ask her to consider that idea. There is no way she would ever do that. and why should she when there are so many of her own songs she chooses not to sing live?
The nearest she ever came to doing that was on the RTL tour, but of course Scherrie and Lynda did those songs. I did ask her to include REMEMBER ME because it is probably my favourite Ross song, and she did perform it for me on my Birthday in the 90's which was a nice touch. but normally i left the set list to Diana and her Manager.
Blue- I agree that DR has many many songs to choose from to sing in her concerts, but as a fan who has seen her several times going back to 1983 the past few times that I've seen her in concert her set list has been pretty much the same. I'm sure there are songs that she loves to perform, other songs that she feels obligated to perform for her fans and some songs that she rarely, if ever, performs. For example, she has had several major hits singing duets but she never incorporates them into her live shows. I thought that she did an amazing job on the solo version of Endless Love on her WDFFIL album, and it remains a mystery why she never does it in concert or even the song I'm Gonna Make You Love Me as another example. I think that a 70's tribute medley would be a welcomed new addition to her show and a way to honor the ladies that continued on with the group after her departure. I think her fans would embrace her mixing up her set list and giving them something unexpected and new. But those are just my thoughts as a fan.
sorry I disagree but I think If Diana would sing the 70s hits[[Supremes) it would just give MW something to cry about. it would not be a good idea and I know she would never do it. as stated before she has enough gems in her treasure chest to dig out and dust off. I do agree her set list is the same but at this point , does it matter. at 71 I am glad she is still touring. I assume we may have her a few more years[[tour Wise)
bluebrock, happy to know you are writing book. I want a copy when it 's ready,lol. good luck with the book
Bluebrock can you share with us when Diana Ross' last four Motown albums will be expanded? This news is so exciting. Love these albums.
All I can say at this moment is that I have been approached to assist with the tracklistings. The albums are in the very early stages of planning and I would not expect to see them for at least another 12 months, maybe longer , but the good news is I would hope that all four would be released at the same time time rather than a considerable gap between each release. Still very early days and nothing is yet 100% confirmed , but I am very confident they will happen. Fingers crossed!
An expanded edition of EDIAND would already be worthwhile if it includes the version of Carry On as used in Double Platinum, which is much better [[IMHO) than the hectic "remix" version on the album.
I have always thought Diana's voice is to buried in the mix on the album version. This sounds better as her voice is brought more to the fore.
EDAND may well be my favorite Ross album. It took me more than 2 years to like it. Once I took care of the lyrics, I fall in love with the songs and her renditions. Rarely she has sounded more sincere.
The EVERY DAY IS A NEW DAY cd has some good songs on it, but I have to admit that on the first listen, I wasn't too enamored of it and even now, I hardly play it.
For me, it starts off strong with HE LIVES IN YOU, LOVE IS ALL THAT MATTERS, and UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN. I love all of these. But starting with GOT TO BE FREE, I find the songs rather average. I usually skip over those until the final five: SUGARFREE, SOMEONE THAT YOU LOVED BEFORE, HOPE IS AN OPEN WINDOW, CARRY ON, and the UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN remix, all of which again, I really love.
If Diana had toured with this album, it would have been nice to see which numbers she chose to perform. As soon as I heard it, I thought CARRY ON could replace I WILL SURVIVE in her show.
Oh you have to be kidding. Workin' Overtime to be expanded?
It's 10 tracks too many as it is. You couldn't pay me to listen to any more.
2 shiny silver discs for 'Workin' Overtime' - and download only for the sublime 'Baby It's Me'. There really is no justice in the world.
I agree that the Workin' Overtime album is not good, but some of the remixes released at the time are actually much better. They show how the album could have sounded -- much warmer, much more bass. The so-called "house mix" [[although it is not house) of Workin' Overtime, the b-side of the 12 inch, sounds great, even though it remains rather gimmicky. The several remixes of Paradise sound also much better than the album version. One even samples "The Boss", which I always thought was so a Diva thing to do -- sample your own songs! So only for the remixes, an expanded edition would be very welcome.
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