Touch Me In The Morning lp - a discussion

[sup_fan]

IMO this is hands down one of the strongest, most sophisticated and enjoyable DR lps. And that's a bit of a surprise given the multiple producers

the arrangements are so lush and mature, stunning vocals.

And Little Girl Blue is just one of the best recordings Diana Ross ever made. perfection

So what do you think? Fav track? in the US, what should have been a 2nd single? Do you think they should have done the To The Baby project?

[Bluebrock]

IMO this is hands down one of the strongest, most sophisticated and enjoyable DR lps. And that's a bit of a surprise given the multiple producers

the arrangements are so lush and mature, stunning vocals.

And Little Girl Blue is just one of the best recordings Diana Ross ever made. perfection

So what do you think? Fav track? in the US, what should have been a 2nd single? Do you think they should have done the To The Baby project?
Love this album.
My only complaint is that it had a short running time.
The UK got another top 10 single in All of my Life, and i do believe We need you could have been a decent sized hit had Motown not rushed out Diana and Marvin and the mediocre Last Time i saw him.

[sup_fan]

Agreed the lp could have held another song.

Given her material in the vault, they could have added I'll Be Here [[When You Get Home) which was completed a year prior to TMITM album release

Where Did We Go Wrong track was recorded a couple months prior but vocals not done until a couple months after. But that could have worked well too

Or frankly either You Are Everything or You're A Special Part Of Me could have been used and a "special appearance by"

[jobucats]

IMO, her voice timbre was particularly warm during this period of time in that it was just prior to when her voice, although still nice and pleasant, began to take on a thinner sound. I always had an image an already scrumptious piece of cake with just enough icing on it for added flavor. One of my favorites is "Leave a Little Room". I always thought that 1st alto [[middle alto) harmonizing on the last syllables of the song sounded like Mary Wilson. And yes, I know it isn't her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkKwDqc6Ols

[daviddh]

Always liked this album. All Of My Life was nice and We Need You.
Wasn't Cupie Doll an out take.love it.
Think Motown rushed out to much product at once then I get nothing. Some nice tracks on To the Baby but I think they should have taken more time with LTISH n held it back till 74.
Blue should have been released in 75.
Some nice out takes from LTISH

[detmotownguy]

IMO this is hands down one of the strongest, most sophisticated and enjoyable DR lps. And that's a bit of a surprise given the multiple producers

the arrangements are so lush and mature, stunning vocals.

And Little Girl Blue is just one of the best recordings Diana Ross ever made. perfection

So what do you think? Fav track? in the US, what should have been a 2nd single? Do you think they should have done the To The Baby project?

Consistent-Cohesive-Sophisticated. She did project sincerity throughout this album. Brown Baby was great although not applicable for radio release IMO.

[RanRan79]

Great album. Excellent. Other than the title track, "Brown Baby/Save the Children" is the cut I play the most. Her voice is divine- a word I never use to describe anything. Her tone on "Brown Baby" knocks me out. Being the huge Marvin Gaye fan that I am, potentially screwing up a classic like "Save The Children", which Marvin did so fantastically, could've turned me off the album. But Diana tackles it very well.

"Imagine" is the only song from the original album that I skip. Hate that song no matter who sings it. But every other song on it is good to great.

Seeing how "All Of My Life" was a big hit overseas I guess it makes sense to release it as the followup to "Morning" over here too. I don't know if it would have been as big over here as it was elsewhere, but it's possible. My money is still on "I Won't Last A Day" as a potential hit. Other than those two, I don't hear another single. To my ears it really wasn't a singles album, aside from the title cut. It was the type of project that you listen to from start to finish in one sitting.

As far as To The Baby, interesting idea, and now that we have the full album, it's very well done. But I think any success it would have had would've been strictly off of the name Diana Ross, and I can't imagine it selling a ton of copies. There are no singles present and with the concept surrounding motherhood, it may have found itself a niche album. Sure, there were tons of mothers- new mothers as well- but would the album appeal to the average woman raising children? Aside from someone being a fan of Diana Ross and willing to buy anything she recorded, including Diana Takes A Shit: Diana Ross Live From Her Bathroom, would an album about motherhood appeal to men or childless women or parents whose children have grown and moved on? Ultimately I think Diana was in baby mode, and that's cool. But she could've recorded those songs for her children and saved them for their ears only while she recorded quality product that everyone could enjoy. To The Baby wasn't it.

[lucky2012]

I love this album and Diana Ross [[1976), both amazing as whole albums in spite of the multiple producers.
I Won't Last a Day should have been the second single. Paul Williams was a hot songwriter in the early 70's, largely because of the Carpenters [[who would make the song a huge hit the next year!)
TMITM and DR[[76) culled some of the best recordings from the unreleased Blue and To the Baby projects. Little Girl Blue, Brown Baby/Save the Children and Smile are among my most favorite Diana Ross recordings.
I have to disagree about Imagine, RanRan. It's one of my favorite songs ever and Diana's take on it is my favorite. She sings it like a prayer for the baby.
I also love Leave a Little Room [[great song) and My Baby, My Own [[great vocal performance).

[Circa 1824]

I liked the cover photo. Leave a Little Room was great. But, as a whole the album was a bit of a downer in tone. It needed a hot uptempo song to make it a bit brighter.

[florence]

On the whole an excellent album.

The first five tracks were stunning plus Diana's version of Imagine was impeccable - she really seemed to get into the song.

But the three "Baby" tracks - Little Girl Blue, My Baby and Brown Baby/ Save The Children leave me cold.

There was a discussion around this just a short while ago and it brought Leave A Little Room back to my attention - I have been playing it non-stop the last couple of weeks.

I had always assumed that a 3rd single in the UK would be We Need You [[and Bluebrock confirmed the UK was considering this) but in retrospect Room would have been the better choice - the chorus is exceptionally strong and I think the lyrics of We Need You might have been a bit too dark for the general UK public.

[kenneth]

I liked the cover photo. Leave a Little Room was great. But, as a whole the album was a bit of a downer in tone. It needed a hot uptempo song to make it a bit brighter.

I agree. Some great tracks including the title track, a real tour de force for Diane, but much of the album is dull, dull, dull. The "Save the Children" medley is especially hard to sit through and Diane's voice sounds almost morose on the vocal. I do think she does an exceptional job on "Imagine," however.

I still think that in her early solo days, too often Gordy was trying to make Ross to be the next Streisand. In fact, I think the entire "Touch Me" album could have made a Streisand album based on the choice of material.

I like the Ross albums where she's allowed to break free a little from the ponderous ballads, like on "Everything is Everything," "Baby It's Me," and yes, even "Last Time I Saw Him." On "Touch Me" everything is just so damn serious! Still, no one could get her to sing a ballad like Michael Masser, so the title track itself is exceptional but the filler tracks sound like Masser knock-offs and are, well, filler.

[daviddh]

i like the out takes To The Baby, a Special Gift...Cupie Doll , great out takes that would sit in the vault yet motown released the mess Lasty Time I Saw Him

[RanRan79]

I love this album and Diana Ross [[1976), both amazing as whole albums in spite of the multiple producers.
I Won't Last a Day should have been the second single. Paul Williams was a hot songwriter in the early 70's, largely because of the Carpenters [[who would make the song a huge hit the next year!)
TMITM and DR[[76) culled some of the best recordings from the unreleased Blue and To the Baby projects. Little Girl Blue, Brown Baby/Save the Children and Smile are among my most favorite Diana Ross recordings.
I have to disagree about Imagine, RanRan. It's one of my favorite songs ever and Diana's take on it is my favorite. She sings it like a prayer for the baby.
I also love Leave a Little Room [[great song) and My Baby, My Own [[great vocal performance).

I think if I loved the song "Imagine" [[which I first heard performed by the great Tracie Spencer) at all, I would probably be crazy about Diana's version. But I don't think there's a singer alive or dead that could make me like it. Just one of those songs for me.

I absolutely forgot to mention "My Baby, My Own". I agree that it's a great vocal performance by Ross.

[RanRan79]

i like the out takes To The Baby, a Special Gift...Cupie Doll , great out takes that would sit in the vault yet motown released the mess Lasty Time I Saw Him

The good thing is that Motown had the good sense to pull "Lasty Time I Saw Him" from release and put out "Last Time I Saw Him" instead.:p

[RanRan79]

Sorry David, but I'm pretty sure for the rest of my life I'm going to sing "Lasty time I saw him" whenever I listen to this song.;)

[Bluebrock]

I agree. Some great tracks including the title track, a real tour de force for Diane, but much of the album is dull, dull, dull. The "Save the Children" medley is especially hard to sit through and Diane's voice sounds almost morose on the vocal. I do think she does an exceptional job on "Imagine," however.

I still think that in her early solo days, too often Gordy was trying to make Ross to be the next Streisand. In fact, I think the entire "Touch Me" album could have made a Streisand album based on the choice of material.

I like the Ross albums where she's allowed to break free a little from the ponderous ballads, like on "Everything is Everything," "Baby It's Me," and yes, even "Last Time I Saw Him." On "Touch Me" everything is just so damn serious! Still, no one could get her to sing a ballad like Michael Masser, so the title track itself is exceptional but the filler tracks sound like Masser knock-offs and are, well, filler.
It was a very mature and sophisticated album which made perfect sense after Lady sings the Blues. It would have been wrong to release a throwaway album like Last time i saw him after Diana's groundbreaking performance in LSTB. It was a "fine and mellow" album which perfectly captured her unique star quality and ever growing versatility.
I do agree with you that it would have made for an excellent album for Streisand. That is a great compliment to draw comparisons to one of the greatest female voices of all time. That would greatly please Diana.
The only song i don't care for much is Imagine. I love John Lennon's version, but have never really appreciated anyone else's rendition, including Diana. That apart this is one of Diana's crowning glories and will forever be regarded as a classic. It is one of her own personal favorites too.

[Ollie9]

^
Agree. TMITM is a mature and sophisticated album that proved Diana could compete with the best. Motown was out to prove Diana was more then just a singer of pop songs. A jolly or upbeat number would have completely destroyed the theme and mood of the album. There is no filler to be found here as every song is a gem. A D.R classic in every way.

[TomatoTom123]

As far as To The Baby, interesting idea, and now that we have the full album, it's very well done. But I think any success it would have had would've been strictly off of the name Diana Ross, and I can't imagine it selling a ton of copies. There are no singles present and with the concept surrounding motherhood, it may have found itself a niche album. Sure, there were tons of mothers- new mothers as well- but would the album appeal to the average woman raising children? Aside from someone being a fan of Diana Ross and willing to buy anything she recorded, including Diana Takes A Shit: Diana Ross Live From Her Bathroom, would an album about motherhood appeal to men or childless women or parents whose children have grown and moved on? Ultimately I think Diana was in baby mode, and that's cool. But she could've recorded those songs for her children and saved them for their ears only while she recorded quality product that everyone could enjoy. To The Baby wasn't it.

RanRan, I know for a fact that Diana Takes A Shit would have had MASSIVE appeal, as every single person on this earth shits. Motown missed the [[skid)mark there. :p

[RanRan79]

RanRan, I know for a fact that Diana Takes A Shit would have had MASSIVE appeal, as every single person on this earth shits. Motown missed the [[skid)mark there. :p

Glad to have you back Tom!!:D

[masterblaster]

I always loved the single 'Touch Me In The Morning' and played it continually, so bought the album on the strength of it. However, i remember being disappointed when the title track on the album cut out much sooner than the single version, when I actually thought I was going to hear an extended version on the album.

[reese]

I always loved the single 'Touch Me In The Morning' and played it continually, so bought the album on the strength of it. However, i remember being disappointed when the title track on the album cut out much sooner than the single version, when I actually thought I was going to hear an extended version on the album.

That was my problem also. I "borrowed" my cousin's single and loved it so. When I finally bought the album [[the Kory reissue), it had the edited version and I was so disappointed. At first, I thought it might have been because it was a reissue. But I later learned that the initial print of the album had the edited version but I believe it was corrected later.

[masterblaster]

Funny enough, I bought the Kory version of the album and thought it had the edited version by mistake, I later bought the album on CD and that too had the edited version. I finally got the single version on the expanded edition of the album released in 2009 which also features two alternate versions.