Diana Ross Tribute to Marvin Gaye

[jobeterob]

https://youtu.be/a_qfyf0wrsU

[midnightman]

If it's the AMA tribute to Marvin, I'm still bothered they used the wrong birth year. I don't know why but it does...

[BritishTony]

A truly beautiful tribute sung with genuine emotion and magic by Ms Ross. But OMG that painting in back, Marvin would've hated it. NOBODY has teeth like that.

[Ollie9]

Missing You was played a lot on UK radio but was not even a minor hit. Diana's profile was extremely low at the time. She had not had a single hit since Muscles in 82 and her albums for RCA up to that point in time were for the most part quite awful. [[Katz excluded).
Missing You however was a real return to form and featured Diana at her vocal best. It's odd the UK public, usually one of her best supporters never bit.
Perhaps the spoken passage was to long or the song a little to mawkish for general public tastes at the time. Whatever, i't's still a great song.

[rovereab]

Ollie9, I agree with you on how it it strange for this song to have failed in the UK given Diana's enduring popularity here along with Marvin's. The video is also excellent. I particularly like the section where Marvin joins Diana on stage. The look on their faces always makes me feel that there was a good friendship there, despite what others have said.

[midnightman]

Missing You was played a lot on UK radio but was not even a minor hit. Diana's profile was extremely low at the time. She had not had a single hit since Muscles in 82 and her albums for RCA up to that point in time were for the most part quite awful. [[Katz excluded).
Missing You however was a real return to form and featured Diana at her vocal best. It's odd the UK public, usually one of her best supporters never bit.
Perhaps the spoken passage was to long or the song a little to mawkish for general public tastes at the time. Whatever, i't's still a great song.

RCA really didn't promote her or her albums. Swept Away should've sold more than it did based off the title track and Missing You!

And yeah there was a deep friendship with Marvin & Diana...

[Bluebrock]

Missing You was played a lot on UK radio but was not even a minor hit. Diana's profile was extremely low at the time. She had not had a single hit since Muscles in 82 and her albums for RCA up to that point in time were for the most part quite awful. [[Katz excluded).
Missing You however was a real return to form and featured Diana at her vocal best. It's odd the UK public, usually one of her best supporters never bit.
Perhaps the spoken passage was to long or the song a little to mawkish for general public tastes at the time. Whatever, i't's still a great song.
It was a very minor hit twice Ollie. It peaked at no. 76, and was later re-promoted and it reached ........no. 76 again!!

[Jaap]

"Missing You" didn't even chart in the Netherlands either, which was weird, as Ross had done pretty well on the charts just before [[and the Dutch seem to love Lionel Richie ballads). Both "All of You" and "Touch By Touch" were Top 10 hits, and "Swept Away" was a minor hit. I do remember that they waited very long to release the song as a single. The album had been out for quite some time, so I guess the momentum was over.

[florence]

RCA really didn't promote her or her albums. Swept Away should've sold more than it did based off the title track and Missing You!

And yeah there was a deep friendship with Marvin & Diana...

Entirely agree.

Had RCA put any real effort into promoting Touch By Touch it could have been at the very least a top 20 hit instead of peaking just outside the top 40.

Strangely they did put some effort behind Missing You re-promoting it a couple of times although the UK public wouldn't bite.

The 80s was the one period of Diana's career in the UK where her uptempo numbers did far better than her ballads and I just don't understand why Swept Away was never released as a single especially with the high profile of Daryl Hall at that time and its success in the US.

Had it been handled right the on the back Of Touch By Touch and the title track the Swept Away album the could have been a major seller for Diana in the UK.

Personally I believe it is a better album than any she did for Motown and my second favourite overall.

[Ollie9]

I'm not so sure lacklustre promotion was the reason the Swept Away album failed to produce any UK hits for Diana. After releasing three dud albums in a row, joe public, casual fans and to some extent radio had lost interest in her and moved on. Had say "Missing You" been on SE and released as the second single after "Muscles it probably would have gone huge. By 84 record buyers were getting bored waiting for some decent music from our lady.
I think the reason "Swept Away was not released as a single here was that "Mirror Mirror" had not been the huge hit that was expected. The UK was never really turned on to rock Diana.

[jobeterob]

And that year she turned 40 - old for the kids

[midnightman]

True, Ollie and Rob. I forget all of that. :/

[marv2]

I saw this the night it aired. Lionel Richie introduced her but prefaced his introduction with an almost prayer of thanks because they had just received word that the song had finally entered the Top !0. Unfortunately, after this, there were no more Diana Ross releases on Top 40 radio in America, period! A few more years and then there would be no more Diana Ross releases on Urban or any other type of radio station across the country. Now they don't even play her songs much on Oldies Stations that I know of.

[Bluebrock]

I saw this the night it aired. Lionel Richie introduced her but prefaced his introduction with an almost prayer of thanks because they had just received word that the song had finally entered the Top !0. Unfortunately, after this, there were no more Diana Ross releases on Top 40 radio in America, period! A few more years and then there would be no more Diana Ross releases on Urban or any other type of radio station across the country. Now they don't even play her songs much on Oldies Stations that I know of.
I cannot speak for America, but she sure as hell is still played a lot here in the UK despite not having toured for many years.

[jack020]

Here in Amsterdam I listen mainly to [[national) Radio 6 Blues and Soul and Ross [[solo) or the Supremes are played several times a day. Usually just after the news at the hour when they play a classic.:)

[jobeterob]

She’s on Sirius daily - 70s on 7, 60’s on 6 and soultown

[jack020]

Right now after the 10 0'clock news: Im Coming Out!

[midnightman]

I saw this the night it aired. Lionel Richie introduced her but prefaced his introduction with an almost prayer of thanks because they had just received word that the song had finally entered the Top !0. Unfortunately, after this, there were no more Diana Ross releases on Top 40 radio in America, period! A few more years and then there would be no more Diana Ross releases on Urban or any other type of radio station across the country. Now they don't even play her songs much on Oldies Stations that I know of.

If they play Diana at all, it's usually ANMHE, Touch Me, Love Hangover, Upside Down or I'm Coming Out but that's about it, I think.

[marv2]

If they play Diana at all, it's usually ANMHE, Touch Me, Love Hangover, Upside Down or I'm Coming Out but that's about it, I think.

They don't play any of that stuff. At least not in New York or Detroit.

[khansperac]

One morning during my 35 minute commute SiriusXM played Diana 3 times. They always play her on Soultown, the Groove , and studio 54. I often hear “it’s my house”, “the Boss”, “upside down”, “ain’t no mountain”, “reach out”, “I’m coming out”, “love hangover”, “swept away”, “ Touch me in the morning “, and various Supreme songs. Sometimes they even play a LSTB’s song, usually “God bless the child”. Whenever I’m in my car I always hear a song of hers.

[TomatoTom123]

I know for a fact that in the UK Diana gets played regularly on at least three mainstream stations: Heart, Smooth and Magic.

[vgalindo]

I live in Northern CA and they play Diana all the time on the radio. With and without the Supremes.

[marybrewster]

SWEPT AWAY was certified gold which isn't a bad showing. Diana's next release EATEN ALIVE contained the smash hit CHAIN REACTION.

[Bluebrock]

I know for a fact that in the UK Diana gets played regularly on at least three mainstream stations: Heart, Smooth and Magic.
Radio 2 which is the most popular National Station in the UK play Diana tunes regularly. Ken Bruce who hosts the popular mid morning show played "i thought it took a little time" as the Daily love song just a week or two ago. I have also heard him play "The Boss" "missing you" and "getting ready for love" recently. Steve Wright who hosts the afternoon slot plays both solo and Supremes stuff regularly too. Diana is fondly remembered over here.

[Ollie9]

One of the key factors that led to a reduction of single success while at RCA, 82 - 87 was the consistently bad choice of single releases. It started with "So Close" in 82 [[which never stood a chance) right through to RHRAB. Upfront, Mr Lee, Shockwaves etc etc. Who on earth was making these awful decisions???

[midnightman]

Wasn't RCA going through some turmoil when Diana signed with them?

[marv2]

Wasn't RCA going through some turmoil when Diana signed with them?

No, not to my knowledge, but they sure were when she left. They lost a boat load of money on Ross.

[jobeterob]

One of the key factors that led to a reduction of single success while at RCA, 82 - 87 was the consistently bad choice of single releases. It started with "So Close" in 82 [[which never stood a chance) right through to RHRAB. Upfront, Mr Lee, Shockwaves etc etc. Who on earth was making these awful decisions???

This is somewhat true but I also think just like the Supremes 15 years earlier, the time of non stop hits was ending - just like it did for the Marvelettes, the Vandellas, the Temptations and later for Madonna; it doesn’t go on forever

But Diana, unlike the 70s Supremes, had a massive catalogue as the lead voice on dozens of massive hits which had propelled her career through 50 years

[Ollie9]

This is somewhat true but I also think just like the Supremes 15 years earlier, the time of non stop hits was ending - just like it did for the Marvelettes, the Vandellas, the Temptations and later for Madonna; it doesn’t go on forever

But Diana, unlike the 70s Supremes, had a massive catalogue as the lead voice on dozens of massive hits which had propelled her career through 50 years

Diana's popularity was at it's peak at that moment in time. She could easily have continued with hits a plenty had better song choices been made.

[RanRan79]

Diana's popularity was at it's peak at that moment in time. She could easily have continued with hits a plenty had better song choices been made.

I agree Ollie. Diana could've remained a hit maker well into the 90s had she chosen the right people to work with. My dream 90s Diana project is one where she was produced by Babyface.

[midnightman]

This is somewhat true but I also think just like the Supremes 15 years earlier, the time of non stop hits was ending - just like it did for the Marvelettes, the Vandellas, the Temptations and later for Madonna; it doesn’t go on forever

But Diana, unlike the 70s Supremes, had a massive catalogue as the lead voice on dozens of massive hits which had propelled her career through 50 years

True. Diana's run was 20 years [[1964-1984).

[vgalindo]

[QUOTE=midnightman;498284]True. Diana's run was 20 years [[1964-1984).[/QUOTE

Yes in America and throughout the 90s in Europe.

[jobeterob]

In another sense, Diana's run is about 55 years - she had two #1 Dance Hits last year and was the #3 or 4 dance artist of the year. And the awards and concerts just continue.

It's a bit of a shame that the Supremes got left behind and didn't get much acknowledgement for their part in the change in culture they were part of. If RTL had happened and been successful, that would likely have been different.

[midnightman]

Good point, Rob.

[Ollie9]

In the UK, Diana had a hit record every year from 64 to 96. She also had a top 10 hit in 99 and would i'm sure have gone on to have further hits had promotion for EDIAND not been abandoned.
It's a shame "Going Back" was never released as a single in 2001 to help promote the compilation "Love And Life". If promoted with strategic tv appearances i think it could have done very well here.