40 Years Ago! August 1979............

[marv2]

Motown releases the album "Mary Wilson" !

16113

[gman]

I am one of the biggest MW fans....but this was one lackluster LP. the "Red Hot" 12" version is a better mix and better structured version. "Warm Summer Night" is the only other keeper here IMHO....I like 3 of the 4 songs recorded for the unfinished 2nd LP. "You Danced My Heart...." remains one of [[if not) her best vocals...I know many folks like Green River....but I like the orig. and think MW's version is a hot mess

[marv2]

I loved this song from it. It had a similar sound to Teddy Pendergrass' "Close the Door":


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuaLzbMkWX0

[marv2]

Another one of my favorites from the album and small preview of what she'll be doing on "Dancing With the Stars"! LOL!:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J44MIj8_iPY

[annettewainwright]

I've always loved the album cover - it is a fantastic portrait of Mary and those gold pants...chiiiiiiild!

[sup_fan]

much of this album was SOOOOOOO the wrong direction for mary. barely passable

now the Gus tracks are a radically different story. that's absolutely the direction they should have gone with her

[marv2]

Mary performs this cut, "You Make Me Feel So Good" on television in early 1980:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NdJhVVAKCE

[marv2]

I loved the intro to this one, another favorite cut of mine from the album:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kyr7R04XXw

[marv2]

My most favorite in all versions [[which is still being remixed sporadically today)......."Red Hot"!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBXA3pG1ui0

[Roberta75]

Motown releases the album "Mary Wilson" !

16113

What a memorable day that wAs. Hehehehehehehehehe

[sup_fan]

What a memorable day that wAs. Hehehehehehehehehe

ahh yes

It was the 23rd of Aug, 1979. Another sleepy dusty delta day

lololol

[Roberta75]

ahh yes

It was the 23rd of Aug, 1979. Another sleepy dusty delta day

lololol

A major milestone in history. When you ask historianns what they remember about 1979 9 out if 10 of them say Mary Wilsons solo album.

[vgalindo]

A major milestone in history. When you ask historianns what they remember about 1979 9 out if 10 of them say Mary Wilsons solo album.
Lol lol lol !!

[annettewainwright]

A major milestone in history. When you ask historianns what they remember about 1979 9 out if 10 of them say Mary Wilsons solo album.

Having been active in the garage/club scene at the time, I can tell you, we were NOT listening to "Red Hot" but rather this:

https://www.soultracks.com/story-the-boss-40

[marv2]

Mary's duet here with Billie Woodruff was also nice.......


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-MTu0eGc1Q

[marv2]

Here is another one that I really like a lot! "I Got What You Need"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBw3suQZz2E

[marv2]

40 years? Where did the time go? LOL!!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caY6Ad-R1ks

[Roberta75]

40 years? Where did the time go? LOL!!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caY6Ad-R1ks

Hard to believe but thank God for you remminding us all about this timeless classic.

[annettewainwright]

Hard to believe but thank God for you remminding us all about this timeless classic.

You ain’t lying Miss Roberta! My nephew’s American History class textbook for Fall 19 arrived - Iran Contra has been replaced in the curriculum so that the students can study and analyze the historical significance of “Red Hot”!

[Bluebrock]

It was a poor album. Sub standard material with mediocre vocals. Only three tracks were of an acceptable standard in my opinion. Pick up the pieces, warm summer night and The light that guides my way.
A UK company obtained the rights to release an expanded edition a few years ago, but eventually decided against it. I suspect they made the correct decision.

[RanRan79]

I loved this song from it. It had a similar sound to Teddy Pendergrass' "Close the Door":


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuaLzbMkWX0


This is the direction the album should have gone in. IMO it's far and above the best song on the lp. I had in constant rotation on my ipod for a long time. That groove is great. Mary's strength at the time was in the sexy quality of her voice. To not capitalize on that was criminal, with all of those great 70s grooves available.

[marv2]

This is the direction the album should have gone in. IMO it's far and above the best song on the lp. I had in constant rotation on my ipod for a long time. That groove is great. Mary's strength at the time was in the sexy quality of her voice. To not capitalize on that was criminal, with all of those great 70s grooves available.

I do not think that the people that claim that it is such an awful album and how much they hate it have ever really sat down and listened to it. It is far from the worst thing I've ever heard, in fact it is rather good!

[midnightman]

Motown did her dirty. That's all I'll say about this project.

[sup_fan]

I do not think that the people that claim that it is such an awful album and how much they hate it have ever really sat down and listened to it. It is far from the worst thing I've ever heard, in fact it is rather good!

Ur right Marv. 🙄

[gman]

I've seen Mary live about 12 times since '85....Red Hot was a spectacular live cut. she used the 12" version for live performances and it always got one of the best responses of the night....Stoned Love and How Lucky Can You Get also got lots of applause.

[Bluebrock]

I do not think that the people that claim that it is such an awful album and how much they hate it have ever really sat down and listened to it. It is far from the worst thing I've ever heard, in fact it is rather good!
I was actually one of the few people who bought this album when it first came out. I tried to like it but i found it to be a very disappointing project. The quality of the material was quite simply not good enough with the exception of the three tracks i mentioned in my previous post. I listened to it all again a few years ago when it was being considered for an expanded release. My opinion of it had not changed. It still sounded sub standard and quite simply not good enough to be reissued. We did not think it would be financially viable to reissue the album. If you think otherwise then why not e-mail a few Record Companies and start a campaign for its reissue? Good luck with it.

[Ollie9]

Motown did her dirty. That's all I'll say about this project.

Agree, but was Mary made to record this type of ill-fitting material. I would love to know the backstory to the recording of this album.

[Bluebrock]

Agree, but was Mary made to record this type of ill-fitting material. I would love to know the backstory to the recording of this album.
I do believe she was. It is hard to imagine she would have liked those sub standard songs.

[RanRan79]

I do not think that the people that claim that it is such an awful album and how much they hate it have ever really sat down and listened to it. It is far from the worst thing I've ever heard, in fact it is rather good!

Well remember, there's two kinds of reviewers critical of Mary Wilson's work: one is unbiased and simply has a negative opinion of that album but not of Mary herself, the other is going to speak negatively of anything Mary does [[or says, or looks, etc).

I agree that the album is far from the worst album I've ever heard, but I definitely disagree that it's good. Most of it is mediocre disco. Perhaps a Thelma Houston could've made more of it because she had a voice that was a good fit for that style of music, even though I still think people would regard the album as mediocre. The biggest problem with the album is that the music doesn't fit Mary's voice. Mediocre songs coupled with Mary's unsuited style makes for a passable album. Her incomplete second album with Gus D would've probably ended up a critical success because the songs were perfect for Mary's voice.

I have not listened to the album in quite some time, but I'll put it on my to do list to revisit and see if I end up with a different opinion.

[Ollie9]

A lot the songs on the album might have been better suited to Diana's voice. I can hear her singing "Red Hot", although it's not the strongest of songs. Likewise, i think many of the songs on WDFFIL would have worked well for Mary.
The album received a lot of media attention at the time. I remember feeling quite angry with motown for not playing to Mary's strengths and wasting such an important opportunity for her.
Was this really motown's plan or just extremely bad management of an artist?.

[sup_fan]

they basically gave her the record deal to get her to drop her lawsuit. but by this time she had completely ruined her relationship with motown [[not that she was totally to blame). between her locking horns w berry during the supremes 70s years, the whole Pedro fiasco, the lawsuit, etc. But Mary took the record deal w Motown because no one else would give her a deal. clearly it was a last resort for her. So everyone raced into the studio to do this 1 project. And because this was 79, disco was king and motown wanted dance content.

[PeaceNHarmony]

they basically gave her the record deal to get her to drop her lawsuit. but by this time she had completely ruined her relationship with motown [[not that she was totally to blame). between her locking horns w berry during the supremes 70s years, the whole Pedro fiasco, the lawsuit, etc. But Mary took the record deal w Motown because no one else would give her a deal. clearly it was a last resort for her. So everyone raced into the studio to do this 1 project. And because this was 79, disco was king and motown wanted dance content.Yes, a good re-cap. This is decades-known information; I guess we have some young posters here! The lp is widely regarding as a hot steamin' turd and a rusty ding in Motown's crown but Wilson can't be blamed for its quality given the circumstances under which it was recorded. Anyhoo, summer of '79 was all about Diana's 'The Boss'!

[sup_fan]

in her book she mentions seeing a poster of the album up on Tower Records [[i think) in LA. But was there any other promotion at all? she didn't do any US tv gigs for it, did she? obviously there was the NY NY opening concert. did she do anything in the NYC area to promote?

[PeaceNHarmony]

in her book she mentions seeing a poster of the album up on Tower Records [[i think) in LA. But was there any other promotion at all? she didn't do any US tv gigs for it, did she? obviously there was the NY NY opening concert. did she do anything in the NYC area to promote?I don't recall any promo here in the Manhattan area other than the NY NY gig.

[reese]

in her book she mentions seeing a poster of the album up on Tower Records [[i think) in LA. But was there any other promotion at all? she didn't do any US tv gigs for it, did she? obviously there was the NY NY opening concert. did she do anything in the NYC area to promote?

She sang RED HOT and PICK UP THE PIECES on the Mike Douglas show. I didn't see any other US appearances at the time.

[PeaceNHarmony]

She sang RED HOT and PICK UP THE PIECES on the Mike Douglas show. I didn't see any other US appearances at the time.I think RH was lip-synced on some other music shows; not sure though.

[Ollie9]

Yes, a good re-cap. This is decades-known information; I guess we have some young posters here! The lp is widely regarding as a hot steamin' turd and a rusty ding in Motown's crown but Wilson can't be blamed for its quality given the circumstances under which it was recorded. Anyhoo, summer of '79 was all about Diana's 'The Boss'!

I love "The Boss", but it did not exactly set the charts ablaze with hit singles, that summer of 79.

[sup_fan]

well there really wasn't a huge about of tv promotion for Boss either. Diana did a wonderful performance on Tonight Show. but were there any others? the HBO special aired in 80 i think but taped earlier.

And of course we don't really have much in terms of records of what was done with dj's and station managers. the publicity kits were sent out to accompany the promo copy of the lp. what was done at trade shows, etc

same for MW. although i think we know the answer - none

and for Partners too. S&S did a Mike Douglas show and that's about all i've ever heard

[reese]

well there really wasn't a huge about of tv promotion for Boss either. Diana did a wonderful performance on Tonight Show. but were there any others? the HBO special aired in 80 i think but taped earlier.


Diana sang THE BOSS during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade that fall. She rode on the Big Apple float.

There was also a tv commercial for the album but I didn't see it until years later.

[midnightman]

BG had a fallout with DR over The Boss.

[PeaceNHarmony]

Diana sang THE BOSS during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade that fall. She rode on the Big Apple float.

There was also a tv commercial for the album but I didn't see it until years later.Yes! I witnessed that live! Went to the parade just on the rumour of a Miss Ross sighting!

[PeaceNHarmony]

I love "The Boss", but it did not exactly set the charts ablaze with hit singles, that summer of 79.Actually ... well, 'ya had to be there. 'Tow the discos DOWN!

[johnjeb]

well there really wasn't a huge about of tv promotion for Boss either. Diana did a wonderful performance on Tonight Show. but were there any others? the HBO special aired in 80 i think but taped earlier.

And of course we don't really have much in terms of records of what was done with dj's and station managers. the publicity kits were sent out to accompany the promo copy of the lp. what was done at trade shows, etc

same for MW. although i think we know the answer - none

and for Partners too. S&S did a Mike Douglas show and that's about all i've ever heard

I saw Diana Ross in Boston in mid-April 1979...It was one of the first dates of her "new" tour which lasted about a month...amazingly at the Boston show there was not a word, pic, or hint that she had a single and album coming out within weeks...it was the same show I saw at Radio City in the Fall of 78 when she sang a couple of songs from the Ross 78 LP...it was the same show that eventually included several songs from The Boss album which was recorded for HBO in October 1979 and aired in January 1980...

When The Boss album came out I was amazed that I never heard a word about it, or read anything in Billboard or Soul Magazine, or that it was never mentioned during her April Boston performance...wtf...so that is how Motown did business and continually dropped the ball...at the very least, The Boss single should have been promoted during the April-May 1979 concert tour...

So, if they did a lousy job promoting Diana Ross' The Boss in 1979 then you can imagine promotion for Mary's album would be non-existent.

[Ollie9]

they basically gave her the record deal to get her to drop her lawsuit. but by this time she had completely ruined her relationship with motown [[not that she was totally to blame). between her locking horns w berry during the supremes 70s years, the whole Pedro fiasco, the lawsuit, etc. But Mary took the record deal w Motown because no one else would give her a deal. clearly it was a last resort for her. So everyone raced into the studio to do this 1 project. And because this was 79, disco was king and motown wanted dance content.

Ta for the info sup. In truth i had entirely forgotten about the legal battle Mary was going through with motown etc etc. Did she receive any financial settlement at all or was it just the album deal she was offered?.
Perhaps if motown had taken just a little tender loving care with the album it might have, god forbid done well. Hal Davis was most certainly not the right producer and motown must have by then realised that for the most part uptempo was not really Mary's forte no matter what the trends of the time. Those final two Supremes albums were a clear indication of the kind of material her voice worked best on. Could they really not have added a couple more ballads?.....hmmm.
It appeared the company had already washed their hands of her before a single note had even been recorded. A massive disappointment as songs like "You Are The Heart Of Me" and "Teardrops" proved she could produce the goods given the right songs.

[Bluebrock]

BG had a fallout with DR over The Boss.
That is quite true Midnightman, and i think that is part of the reason why there was not much promotion for The Boss from Motown. Diana and Berry's relationship was broken beyond repair and he took no further active part in her Motown career.

[PeaceNHarmony]

That is quite true Midnightman, and i think that is part of the reason why there was not much promotion for The Boss from Motown. Diana and Berry's relationship was broken beyond repair and he took no further active part in her Motown career.Yes, true and well documented. But The Boss remains among Diana's career best lps.

[benross]

There was minimal, if any, promotion in Manhattan for Mary's debut. It was almost by accident that I saw a brief mention of the upcoming New York, New York appearance in a newspaper column, not an ad, on Sunday [[a day or two before the opening). I called the club and was told I could get a ticket if I went to the club that day.

I did go to the club and was presented with the blue and black poster, which was not overly helpful from a promotional standpoint; while it repeated a small copy of The Supremes' image from their Lincoln Center appearance, the main illustration seemed very generic; Mary's face was not recognizable; the woman could have been anyone.

On a more positive personal note, Mary was rehearsing downstairs in the club when I went to get tickets, and I was told I could go down and watch. I did. When Mary took a break after practicing several songs, I approached her and shared a short fun chat with her. She seemed welcoming and seemed not to wonder why a complete stranger was able to walk in, but I thought this lack of security was unusual, making the event seem small-scale and of little importance in the overall scheme of things.

The show I attended was well-attended and well-received. Mary performed well on her own [[that is, as a solo act, although she had two female backup singers). But later, I could not help but compare the event and venue with any of the Diana Ross concerts I had attended, especially her initial tour as a solo performer just as Ain't No Mountain High Enough was nearing the top of the charts and her Evening With extravaganza.

It was obvious, both from the debut concert and from the so-so initial album, that Mary was not getting the same support, guidance and promotion that she had enjoyed as a Supreme, and I felt sad; she deserved better. She projected the attitude of a one who has earned success, but she seemed to have learned little from her prior experience, perhaps in part because her role had diminished from the early days, even as her star ascended. She spent less and less time in the recording studio as the years passed; the various producers and The Andantes worked the magic in her stead. Maybe she expected that some similar production tricks would turn the tracks she recorded for her solo album into something akin to her previous work, including the final Supremes' albums; those, also, included some unexceptional material, but much of it came across better than one might have imagined due to the increased production values and the still-important but fading Supremes' name on each record jacket.

[RanRan79]

A lot the songs on the album might have been better suited to Diana's voice. I can hear her singing "Red Hot", although it's not the strongest of songs.

That's because Diana has a voice that transcends many genres and styles. Mary didn't possess that gift. Mary knew her way around a ballad; damn near terrific with the perfect song. That was one of her gifts and the album doesn't speak to that at all. Mary also had this sexy quality to her voice that I never thought Diana possessed, making Mary's voice perfect for any type of sexy groove. The album plays around with this only a little, once again failing to play on the strength of the singer. In a disco diva's hands, this album would be mediocre but still listenable. In Mary Wilson's hands the album is still mediocre and passable, because there's little about it that is interesting enough to make time for.

[RanRan79]

But Mary took the record deal w Motown because no one else would give her a deal. clearly it was a last resort for her. So everyone raced into the studio to do this 1 project. And because this was 79, disco was king and motown wanted dance content.

Looking over her book, I didn't get this impression. There's no mention [[unless I missed it) of Mary or Pedro shopping her around. Until Motown kicked her out the door, I don't believe for a second that Mary really wanted to be anywhere else. The fact that she was still referring to Motown as some kind of "home" and "family" even during the lawsuit, pretty much tells me all I need to know about Mary wanting to be elsewhere. Remember this lady was not a risk taker. She was always playing it safe, hence why she didn't leave Motown with Jean and Lynda. Also Mary's representation was Pedro, not only a horrible excuse for a human being at the time, but also clearly unqualified to represent anyone, even his wife, in an industry full of sharks. Was he savvy enough to shop his wife around? Doubtful. I don't know whether Mary would've been signed anywhere or not. As I always point out, my music collection is chocked full of singers who floated from label to label, barely scoring a hit, some of whose voices were no "better" than Mary's, so if they could do it, she could do it, I'm sure. But a singer has to put themselves out there. They have to knock on the doors. The only ones who have people knocking on their doors is the Diana Rosses of the world. Mary was a Supreme, but she was no Diana Ross. If Mary didn't knock, and knock often, she was always going to be stuck with an oldies act.

[RanRan79]

I love "The Boss", but it did not exactly set the charts ablaze with hit singles, that summer of 79.

Yeah, the summer of 79 was all about Donna Summer. Blame Motown for that. Not that anyone was going to best "Bad Girls" or any of Donna's hits that year, but album for album tracklist, The Boss lp had it all over Bad Girls lp. At the very least if Donna was going to be number one, Diana should've been a close number two, instead of a distant number two or third. The Boss was an excellent album.

[RanRan79]

and for Partners too. S&S did a Mike Douglas show and that's about all i've ever heard

Is it safe to assume that Mike loved him some Supremes, as a group and as soloists?

[RanRan79]

Maybe she expected that some similar production tricks would turn the tracks she recorded for her solo album into something akin to her previous work, including the final Supremes' albums; those, also, included some unexceptional material, but much of it came across better than one might have imagined due to the increased production values and the still-important but fading Supremes' name on each record jacket.

Mary's leads on those last two Supremes albums were typically the highlight for me. I think what Mary probably thought about her solo debut album was that it was disco and it was current and thus it would sale. She's said that she didn't care for the disco sound, but there she was attempting to capitalize on it. In addition to the mediocre tracks and the less than ideal fit with Mary's voice, one has to also take into account the disconnect between the material and the singer. How could she effectively sing an album's worth of this stuff if she didn't care for it as a genre? All in all I think Mary was just glad to have her very own Motown album recorded and released. She probably would've happily gone into the studio to record Mary Wilson Sings Sesame Street or Mary Wilson Sings Disco Mother Goose or Mary Wilson Produced and Arranged By Jan Lewan [[the Polka King). I think Mary was one of those people you could dangle something nice and shiny in front of and she was become so enamored with it that she would quickly lose focus on any big picture. The only thing that might- MIGHT- have given her pause is if Motown wanted her to record Mary Wilson Sings Diana Ross.:p

[marv2]

She sang RED HOT and PICK UP THE PIECES on the Mike Douglas show. I didn't see any other US appearances at the time.

She performed both on the "Dinah" show. The clip in this thread is from that show.

[detmotownguy]

I loved this song from it. It had a similar sound to Teddy Pendergrass' "Close the Door":


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuaLzbMkWX0

Mary does such a great Job on this song, she always puts a smile on my face.

[detmotownguy]

Another one of my favorites from the album and small preview of what she'll be doing on "Dancing With the Stars"! LOL!:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J44MIj8_iPY

The Audience sure liked that performance! Mary is definitely the consummate performer !

[marv2]

The Audience sure liked that performance! Mary is definitely the consummate performer !

I thought she looked, sounded and moved great in this performance. The audience had no choice but to love her.....................hehehehehehehe!

[midnightman]

The album should have more ballads. Imagine if she recorded Spend the Nights with Me.

[carlo]

I hadn't listened to this album in quite a few years, until this discussion sparked me to go back and re-visit it this week. When I originally got a hold of a vinyl copy in 2004, I immediately loved it and played it several times. Keep in mind I was a young fan at the time. Not having listened to it almost at all since then, and hearing it with more mature ears, I can honestly say I did not love it nearly as much, but did not hate it either. I can definitely agree that the songs were not suited to Mary's voice. The disco production does not really bother me, as I love cheesy disco [[ie. Grace Jones' early albums, which don't feature any spectacular vocals either). I think the issue more lies in the mismatch between the songs and Ms. Wilson. The songs themselves and the vocal delivery could have used a bit more polishing as well. There are way too many screetchy "oww's!" throughout some of the songs, especially Red Hot. In my opinion, the songs would have been better without those vocal moments. I also thought that overall, the material she was given was not only a mismatch for her ballad-oriented voice, but very sub-par. For instance, the chorus of "Warm Summer Nights" has that disco beat that repeats in equal tempo after "on the beach and kiss...", which makes the song really basic and uninspiring instead of being a rhythmic disco song.

However, if it comes out on CD, I will definitely purchase a copy lol. Gotta complete the collection!

[marybrewster]

Still don't understand why this isn't on CD.

PARTNERS by S&S and INCREDIBLE by SP and IHTFIL by JT have been released, so why not this? You can't tell me any of those sold more than Mary's solo LP.

[Roberta75]

Still don't understand why this isn't on CD.

PARTNERS by S&S and INCREDIBLE by SP and IHTFIL by JT have been released, so why not this? You can't tell me any of those sold more than Mary's solo LP.

I bought it and loved the front and back of the album cover and Mary Wilson looked real lovely but as for the album itself its filled with boring dreck and not worth listening to imo. Its up there with Working Overtime another real boring album not worth another listen.

[Bluebrock]

Still don't understand why this isn't on CD.

PARTNERS by S&S and INCREDIBLE by SP and IHTFIL by JT have been released, so why not this? You can't tell me any of those sold more than Mary's solo LP.
As i have said previously the rights to reissue the album in an expanded form were secured a few years back, but after careful consideration the Company in question decided the album was not deemed to be of sufficient quality to go to the time, trouble and expense of reissuing. Many of these releases sell less than 1000 copies worldwide which hardly makes them a viable proposition to the Record Companies. This album was thought in all likelihood to struggle to sell more than that amount. Therefore it remains unreleased. If you really desire to see it on the streets i suggest you e-mail the likes of real gone music etc etc and put your case forward.

[Ollie9]

I bought it and loved the front and back of the album cover and Mary Wilson looked real lovely but as for the album itself its filled with boring dreck and not worth listening to imo. Its up there with Working Overtime another real boring album not worth another listen.

Much like you Roberta, i love the album cover [[front and back) but agree the music is sadly subpar. Workin' Overtime on the other hand has some great mid tempo songs, "Bottom Line" being one and some beautiful classy ballads in "This House" and "Stand Together". I know many fans are not into the WO vibe, but to compare it to being on a par with the MW album is being very harsh indeed.....All imo of course.

[PeaceNHarmony]

Much like you Roberta, i love the album cover [[front and back) but agree the music is sadly subpar. Workin' Overtime on the other hand has some great mid tempo songs, "Bottom Line" being one and some beautiful classy ballads in "This House" and "Stand Together". I know many fans are not into the WO vibe, but to compare it to being on a par with the MW album is being very harsh indeed.....All imo of course.I must agree about WO, Ollie, in a rare disagreeance with my friend Ms. Roberta!

[jim aka jtigre99]

I remember buying Mary Wilson's album in college. I thought it was good, but not what I expected or hoped for. I liked Warm Summer Nights,Light That Guides My Way and Midnight Dancer well enough. It was nice midtempo disco but after her work on the last 3 Supremes albums, I expected more in that vein. When I heard her unreleased songs from her unreleased second album I loved those and thought that was more in keeping of what she should be doing but Motown did not. Red Hot, as I could see years later, was her version of James Brown so I now see where they were going with it. Still, it was not what was expected and even if the result was not what we wanted it was not bad at all. What was bad was Motown not releasing a sophomore LP that would have soared.

[Roberta75]

Ollie snd PeaceNHarmony, on WO we are going to resorctfuly agree to disagree my dears. LOL

Its the only Diana album I cant listen to.

Fondly.

Roberta

[Bluebrock]

I must agree about WO, Ollie, in a rare disagreeance with my friend Ms. Roberta!
Ms Roberta is quite correct. WO is awful from start to finish. In fact if i had to choose between listening to this pair of turkeys i think i might actually side with Mary Wilson. Despite the lousy songs and sub standard vocals the quality of the production is not bad at all, and it does contain 2 or 3 listenable tunes unlike WO which is consistently bad throughout. It is on a par with I Love You for being the career low for the lady. She deserved much better, and so did we.

[PeaceNHarmony]

Ms Roberta is quite correct. WO is awful from start to finish. In fact if i had to choose between listening to this pair of turkeys i think i might actually side with Mary Wilson. Despite the lousy songs and sub standard vocals the quality of the production is not bad at all, and it does contain 2 or 3 listenable tunes unlike WO which is consistently bad throughout. It is on a par with I Love You for being the career low for the lady. She deserved much better, and so did we.But then why do I like it? :)

[vgalindo]

But then why do I like it? :)
I like it too. I wore it out when it was first released! Lol

[daviddh]

I liked Warm Summer Night

[lucky2012]

I was disappointed by both and have not grown to like either. I probably should try harder but find listening to both difficult. I was hoping Mary Wilson's debut would be as good as the album cover. I was hoping Diana Ross's return to Motown would be triumphant.

[Ollie9]

I like it too. I wore it out when it was first released! Lol

And i love it as well.....so that's at least three of us from this forum lol. That's not overlooking the thousands, if not millions of Diana fans or even casual buyers from all corners of the globe who, if online reviews are to be believed also derive much pleasure from listening to this fun album. Musical taste is a very personal thing to each individual. One man's marmite sandwich is another's chocolate sundae.
Same applies to the M.W album i guess.

[Bluebrock]

But then why do I like it? :)
Heaven only knows! Everyone is allowed the odd lapse in judgement. Just don't make a habit of it my friend.Ha ha.

[Bluebrock]

I was disappointed by both and have not grown to like either. I probably should try harder but find listening to both difficult. I was hoping Mary Wilson's debut would be as good as the album cover. I was hoping Diana Ross's return to Motown would be triumphant.
Agree with you on both counts. Mary looked sensational on the cover which initially gave me hope that the contents of the album could be worth a spin. It was like picking up a book with a exciting front cover and finding the contents to be of the standard of The National Enquirer.
WO on the other hand offered no such hope. That ghastly front cover quite frankly scared me, but that was nothing in comparison to the terror level which moved up a few more notches when i actually put the record on the deck and subjected myself to the grooves. It was all the more surreal because just a few weeks later i would have to help in the promotion of the album that i hated here in the UK. Strange days indeed.

[marv2]

Someone just uploaded the album version of "Midnight Dancer"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFm0w1-be4Y

[alanconnor_1]

I think this will eventually see a CD release. If Flo’s album and Partners can make it out, so can this. I expect it will be a no-frills Japanese release eventually. It would easily do 1,000 globally.

Unless a US company picks it up for an expanded edition, I doubt it would get through UK licensing with extra tracks unfortunately as that adds a whole level of complexity to things.

I thought Walk The Line was better personally, with a great title track and re-recording of You Keep Me Hangin’ On, but I wouldn’t even know where to start working out who owns that one to get a re-issue!

Great cover art too - better than the material.

[Bluebrock]

I think this will eventually see a CD release. If Flo’s album and Partners can make it out, so can this. I expect it will be a no-frills Japanese release eventually. It would easily do 1,000 globally.

Unless a US company picks it up for an expanded edition, I doubt it would get through UK licensing with extra tracks unfortunately as that adds a whole level of complexity to things.

I thought Walk The Line was better personally, with a great title track and re-recording of You Keep Me Hangin’ On, but I wouldn’t even know where to start working out who owns that one to get a re-issue!

Great cover art too - better than the material.
She did a remake of You keep me hanging on? I didn't know that.
As regards the Motown album it was very easy to secure the rights a few years ago when we first looked into reissuing it. Not sure if anything has changed in the intervening years.

[marv2]

The original album version of "Red Hot"!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f0ASBz2M8w

[marv2]

The album version of "Pick Up the Pieces". It was uploaded an hour ago and already has over 500 views LOL!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBb-b3Ktoqo