Missing You

[midnightman]

How odd that that album - Swept Away - Diana and RCA basically had this "throw everything at the wall to see what sticks" method, which is why you have:

A rock-ish dance song [[title track)
Power ballads [[Forever Young)
Romantic duet [[All of You; apparently this was copy and pasted on SA)
R&B tunes [[Missing You, Telephone)
New wave-ish pop [[It's Your Move)
Schlocky humanitarian anthem [[We Are the Children)

And ironically, the one song that has endured was the new wave-ish tune, albeit in a very slowed down, reverbed, warped version and turned into a viral meme.

[sup_fan]

How odd that that album - Swept Away - Diana and RCA basically had this "throw everything at the wall to see what sticks" method, which is why you have:

A rock-ish dance song [[title track)
Power ballads [[Forever Young)
Romantic duet [[All of You; apparently this was copy and pasted on SA)
R&B tunes [[Missing You, Telephone)
New wave-ish pop [[It's Your Move)
Schlocky humanitarian anthem [[We Are the Children)

And ironically, the one song that has endured was the new wave-ish tune, albeit in a very slowed down, reverbed, warped version and turned into a viral meme.

it really was a patchwork album. there was 0 connectivity between the tunes in terms of production approach, style, anything. but it doesn't strike me as quick as disjointed at LTISH or Cream of the Crop.

now that said, there are some tunes that are really questionable. like Forever Young - i find her vocals way to wispy and breathy. Rescue Me is ok i guess but she always had some "oldies" tune on her albums or a knock off like So Close. the woman was now 40 and didn't need to be reminding people of "oldies" if her goal was to appear current and relevant.

i can deal with Children, had the hideous children's choir not been included. or at least if they could have sang in tune! there's this false notion that kids sing endearingly off pitch and that it's "cute." plenty of kids choirs can sing in pitch just fine.

[thommg]

i can deal with Children, had the hideous children's choir not been included. or at least if they could have sang in tune! there's this false notion that kids sing endearingly off pitch and that it's "cute." plenty of kids choirs can sing in pitch just fine.

When I hear that recording I think, why didn't they add a key change and just go all the way full shlock?

[midnightman]

it really was a patchwork album. there was 0 connectivity between the tunes in terms of production approach, style, anything. but it doesn't strike me as quick as disjointed at LTISH or Cream of the Crop.

now that said, there are some tunes that are really questionable. like Forever Young - i find her vocals way to wispy and breathy. Rescue Me is ok i guess but she always had some "oldies" tune on her albums or a knock off like So Close. the woman was now 40 and didn't need to be reminding people of "oldies" if her goal was to appear current and relevant.

i can deal with Children, had the hideous children's choir not been included. or at least if they could have sang in tune! there's this false notion that kids sing endearingly off pitch and that it's "cute." plenty of kids choirs can sing in pitch just fine.

One thing I noticed about the RCA material was how old fashioned everything was. Like you said, if Diana was tried to appeal to that era's young listeners, she didn't play her cards right by adding in oldies tunes or '60s-era type of material. Because it would bring attention to her age. That definitely added to why she had such a sales slump.

[Ollie9]

One thing I noticed about the RCA material was how old fashioned everything was. Like you said, if Diana was tried to appeal to that era's young listeners, she didn't play her cards right by adding in oldies tunes or '60s-era type of material. Because it would bring attention to her age. That definitely added to why she had such a sales slump.

The biggest mystery for me is why she waited nine years before reconnecting with Nile for an album in the vein of diana 80. It would seem a no-brainer to me.
She seemed clueless in thinking her fans and public craved repeats of 50’s retreads and yowling guitars.

[sansradio]

The biggest mystery for me is why she waited nine years before reconnecting with Nile for an album in the vein of diana 80. It would seem a no-brainer to me.
She seemed clueless in thinking her fans and public craved repeats of 50’s retreads and yowling guitars.

It may have had something to do with bad blood resulting from her decision to remix diana without his knowledge right before its release. He's said to have been seriously pissed.

[Ollie9]

It may have had something to do with bad blood resulting from her decision to remix diana without his knowledge right before its release. He's said to have been seriously pissed.

A possibility, though Bernard Edward’s seems to have forgiven her being he produced “Telephone” on SA, with Nile apparently the featured guitarist on “Its Your Move”.
I have a feeling they would have been willing to produce the whole album if Diana had been up for it. Perhaps control issues still cast a shadow.
It’s noteworthy that the album featured a grey album cover in the vein of “diana”.

[midnightman]

A possibility, though Bernard Edward’s seems to have forgiven her being he produced “Telephone” on SA, with Nile apparently the featured guitarist on “Its Your Move”.
I have a feeling they would have been willing to produce the whole album if Diana had been up for it. Perhaps control issues still cast a shadow.
It’s noteworthy that the album featured a grey album cover in the vein of “diana”.

I'm still confused by who was the guitarist on IYM. People have said it's Nile but others say it's Jeff Beck so I don't know who's telling the truth [[though Nile is credited with playing guitar on the album).

[sup_fan]

The biggest mystery for me is why she waited nine years before reconnecting with Nile for an album in the vein of diana 80. It would seem a no-brainer to me.
She seemed clueless in thinking her fans and public craved repeats of 50’s retreads and yowling guitars.

i'm guessing here and trying to sort of piece together comments from fans like Bluebrock and others.

her recording career really wasn't a #1 priority for her at this period so it seems she sort of approached it with a lackadaisical attitude. Supposedly she wanted to work with Lionel and Quincy and Michael, especially on some of her earlier albums. but i guess they were busy or she didn't get hold of them soon enough or something. I would think being asked to produce THE debut album after Diana's departure from Motown would have been a prize at the top of most producer's wish list. I realize Quincy might have had contractual obligations with other singers and maybe just really couldn't squeeze her in. but i have my doubts on that.

Supposedly when she finally worked with the Gibbs, it was very rushed and very last minute. so perhaps she wasn't good at planning out these things or accounting for timelines.

there's a quote from around 1981 where she talks about producing it herself. i think she mentioned the idea of working with chic again but that they wanted creative control and that was something she was not willing to give up. odds are that sentiment carried through MUCH of her working relationships with producers while at RCA

[Ollie9]

i'm guessing here and trying to sort of piece together comments from fans like Bluebrock and others.

her recording career really wasn't a #1 priority for her at this period so it seems she sort of approached it with a lackadaisical attitude. Supposedly she wanted to work with Lionel and Quincy and Michael, especially on some of her earlier albums. but i guess they were busy or she didn't get hold of them soon enough or something. I would think being asked to produce THE debut album after Diana's departure from Motown would have been a prize at the top of most producer's wish list. I realize Quincy might have had contractual obligations with other singers and maybe just really couldn't squeeze her in. but i have my doubts on that.

Supposedly when she finally worked with the Gibbs, it was very rushed and very last minute. so perhaps she wasn't good at planning out these things or accounting for timelines.

there's a quote from around 1981 where she talks about producing it herself. i think she mentioned the idea of working with chic again but that they wanted creative control and that was something she was not willing to give up. odds are that sentiment carried through MUCH of her working relationships with producers while at RCA

Yet she was prepared to hand control of production duties to Gary Katz and Barry Gibb as opposed to reuniting with the producers of her best selling album.
The fact both Nile and Bernard are both featured on the SA album makes me think they would have been more then prepared for a follow up album at that point in time.

[midnightman]

The biggest mystery for me is why she waited nine years before reconnecting with Nile for an album in the vein of diana 80. It would seem a no-brainer to me.
She seemed clueless in thinking her fans and public craved repeats of 50’s retreads and yowling guitars.

Beats me. I think Diana would've found herself stuck anyway because the early '80s was not a great time for female pop-R&B artists prior to the arrivals of the "new blood" like Whitney and Janet.

Plus she was older, had kids to look after, too much was going on, you know?

Diana wanted control too and I think Nile and Bernard would've still butted heads with her. I think she should've rehired Ashford & Simpson - but I think by then, A&S were becoming stars on their own right. Luther Vandross became the go-to for the older divas [[Dionne, Aretha) in the '80s as well some younger ones [[Cheryl Lynn). Luther gave Diana a few songs. But again, probably would've butted heads [[as we now know about those legendary heated sessions Luther had with Aretha).

Maybe it just wasn't in the cards to work?