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07-11-2013, 06:55 PM
THE DIANA ROSS PROJECT
A TRACK-BY-TRACK ANALYSIS OF THE DIVA'S DISCOGRAPHY
Main menuSkip to contentHomeMY PLACE: About Me/ContactPost navigation← Older postsJul
6
2013
Standing Room Only: Diana Ross [[1980 Television Special)
If ever there’s a moment that brilliantly and perfectly illustrates the star-power possessed by Diana Ross, it is the opening of her 1978-1979 stage show, captured on tape for this Home Box Office television special. Beginning with the star’s face projected on a large screen, mouthing the words to her #1 hit “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” the scene cuts to Miss Ross [[draped in furs and jewels, of course) sauntering down a white, almost surreal staircase. At the bottom of the stairs – during the joyous, climactic crescendo of the song – she suddenly bursts from the screen and onto the stage, greeted by the screams and cheers of an overwhelmed audience. Those lucky enough to be at these shows literally watched a superstar come to life before their eyes; incredibly, the impact is equally great when watched on a television screen decades later.
The HBO special, first aired in early 1980 as part of the network’s “Standing Room Only” series, was taped at Caesar’s Palace as Diana promoted her then-current album, 1979’s The Boss. This was a peak time in the diva’s career; she’d dazzled audience around the world with her demanding, Tony Award-winning An Evening With Diana Ross show, then given her voice an even greater workout belting the songs for her 1978 film The Wiz. She further strengthened her vocal chords recording The Boss with writers/producers Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, the result being a hit album and songs that showed off a range and power that many had forgotten Diana Ross possessed.
The concert/special focuses on songs from The Boss; aside from the title track, she performs “No One Gets The Prize,” “I Ain’t Been Licked,” “It’s My House,” and “All For One.” Being that these are all standout Diana Ross songs, this emphasis on a 1979 LP doesn’t date the special at all. Better yet, she sounds fantastic on each one, proving that her vocal acrobatics on the recordings weren’t studio creations. There are also some songs here that fans would rarely hear in concert again; Diana offers lovely readings of Stevie Wonder’s “Too Shy To Say” [[from Baby It’s Me) and “Home” from The Wiz. The good news – this special is widely available today, albeit in lower-quality copies. Even without a crystal-clear picture, it’s essential viewing.
***
1. Opening/Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: As mentioned before, this is a breathtaking, impeccably conceived and staged introduction to the concert/special. Diana Ross – larger-than-life – bursts forth from the screen to greet her fans, looking as glamorous as a 1940s Hollywood star. That said – how many classic film stars would follow an entrance like that with the words, “My designer’s would just die if you didn’t recognized coat. And this mother’s heavy!”?
2. Too Shy To Say: Diana quickly segues into this Stevie Wonder song from her classic [[and underappreciated) 1977 LP Baby It’s Me. Her performance on the recorded version was lush, warm, and dreamy, resulting in a hypnotic quality that would be almost impossible to replicate in the company of hundreds of fans. Thus, she’s brassier and breathy here, but makes it work by turning the song into an audience dedication rather than an intimate declaration to a lover. It’s a lovely performance, with Diana’s technical skills on full display; her head-voice high notes at the end of the song are incredibly beautiful.
3. Dedicated to “all the men in the house,” Diana offers up a quickly paced version of her 1973 #1 hit “Touch Me In The Morning;” though it’s one of her most successful singles, the version here is so abbreviated that it passes by almost unnoticed. She looks and sounds good while singing the song, but it’s not one of the standout moments here, mainly because there are such incredibly stronger performances to come.
4. I Wanna Be Bad: An A Chorus Line-ish production number where Diana gets to dance with her top-hat-and-tails-clad dancers. It’s nice to see Diana shake her stuff here; her energy appears boundless, and while the song isn’t exactly a showstopper, it’s a fun addition that mixes up the hits a little bit.
5. I Ain’t Been Licked: Here’s where the HBO special really kicks into high gear; after a quick moment off-stage, Diana runs back on, wild mane of hair set free, and rips into this triumphant number from The Boss. As she sings the opening line, “Roll down the gangway…,” she makes a large, swooping arm motion, as though she’s lobbing a bowling ball into the audience. There’s something about this gesture – something in its grand simplicity – that instantly establishes Diana’s connection to the song. She’s a bundle of energy here, skipping back and forth across the stage, bobbing her shoulders and raising her arms to the roof; without a single dancer onstage with her, Diana creates her own visual spectacle [[three dancers do eventually leap across the stage for a brief interlude). But best of all, she sounds fantastic; her brassy voice hits every note she goes for, with her periodic “Woah-oh-oh-oh-yeah!” reverberating through the theatre. This is Diana belting at her best, proof how powerful her pipes really are.
6. Speaking of belting…Diana launches into “Home” from The Wiz, in what may be her best live recorded version of the song. Technically, she is dead-on here; her voice doesn’t sound nearly as wobbly during the climax as it does in other performances of it, and her confidence continues until her very final, “Like home!” Wisely, the director of the special chooses to keep most of the performance on a tight close-up shot of Miss Ross, and it’s fascinating to watch her appear so emotionally invested in the lyrics. In incredible contrast to her previous energetic performance, here she creates a visual spectacle just by standing still and singing a great song.
7. Diana immediately introduces her “latest song,” her 1979 single “It’s My House.” The crowd wildly responds to the number, further proof that it was a far bigger hit with listeners than its R&B #27 chart position would suggest. Interestingly, although it was her current single, this is an extremely truncated version of the song, passing by in about two minutes. She sounds great, but this brief number is eclipsed by what comes next.
8. No One Gets The Prize: One of the great cuts off of The Boss LP becomes one of Diana’s great performances here, again allowing her to display incredible vocal power. As on “I Ain’t Been Licked,” she is a riveting in her energetic presence, and her voice is full and dynamic. Toward the end of the [[also truncated) song, she misses a few notes, but it’s a thrill to hear her go for them anyway. She also effortlessly manages the rapid-fire second verse [[“She-schemed-and-dreamed-and-told-him-dirt-that-I-was-wrong-for-him”) with an ease defying the fact that at that point, she had been singing constantly for around 20 minutes. This song is a fan favorite but it didn’t remain in her stage show for long, so it’s a treat to hear and see in this special.
A TRACK-BY-TRACK ANALYSIS OF THE DIVA'S DISCOGRAPHY
Main menuSkip to contentHomeMY PLACE: About Me/ContactPost navigation← Older postsJul
6
2013
Standing Room Only: Diana Ross [[1980 Television Special)
If ever there’s a moment that brilliantly and perfectly illustrates the star-power possessed by Diana Ross, it is the opening of her 1978-1979 stage show, captured on tape for this Home Box Office television special. Beginning with the star’s face projected on a large screen, mouthing the words to her #1 hit “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” the scene cuts to Miss Ross [[draped in furs and jewels, of course) sauntering down a white, almost surreal staircase. At the bottom of the stairs – during the joyous, climactic crescendo of the song – she suddenly bursts from the screen and onto the stage, greeted by the screams and cheers of an overwhelmed audience. Those lucky enough to be at these shows literally watched a superstar come to life before their eyes; incredibly, the impact is equally great when watched on a television screen decades later.
The HBO special, first aired in early 1980 as part of the network’s “Standing Room Only” series, was taped at Caesar’s Palace as Diana promoted her then-current album, 1979’s The Boss. This was a peak time in the diva’s career; she’d dazzled audience around the world with her demanding, Tony Award-winning An Evening With Diana Ross show, then given her voice an even greater workout belting the songs for her 1978 film The Wiz. She further strengthened her vocal chords recording The Boss with writers/producers Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, the result being a hit album and songs that showed off a range and power that many had forgotten Diana Ross possessed.
The concert/special focuses on songs from The Boss; aside from the title track, she performs “No One Gets The Prize,” “I Ain’t Been Licked,” “It’s My House,” and “All For One.” Being that these are all standout Diana Ross songs, this emphasis on a 1979 LP doesn’t date the special at all. Better yet, she sounds fantastic on each one, proving that her vocal acrobatics on the recordings weren’t studio creations. There are also some songs here that fans would rarely hear in concert again; Diana offers lovely readings of Stevie Wonder’s “Too Shy To Say” [[from Baby It’s Me) and “Home” from The Wiz. The good news – this special is widely available today, albeit in lower-quality copies. Even without a crystal-clear picture, it’s essential viewing.
***
1. Opening/Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: As mentioned before, this is a breathtaking, impeccably conceived and staged introduction to the concert/special. Diana Ross – larger-than-life – bursts forth from the screen to greet her fans, looking as glamorous as a 1940s Hollywood star. That said – how many classic film stars would follow an entrance like that with the words, “My designer’s would just die if you didn’t recognized coat. And this mother’s heavy!”?
2. Too Shy To Say: Diana quickly segues into this Stevie Wonder song from her classic [[and underappreciated) 1977 LP Baby It’s Me. Her performance on the recorded version was lush, warm, and dreamy, resulting in a hypnotic quality that would be almost impossible to replicate in the company of hundreds of fans. Thus, she’s brassier and breathy here, but makes it work by turning the song into an audience dedication rather than an intimate declaration to a lover. It’s a lovely performance, with Diana’s technical skills on full display; her head-voice high notes at the end of the song are incredibly beautiful.
3. Dedicated to “all the men in the house,” Diana offers up a quickly paced version of her 1973 #1 hit “Touch Me In The Morning;” though it’s one of her most successful singles, the version here is so abbreviated that it passes by almost unnoticed. She looks and sounds good while singing the song, but it’s not one of the standout moments here, mainly because there are such incredibly stronger performances to come.
4. I Wanna Be Bad: An A Chorus Line-ish production number where Diana gets to dance with her top-hat-and-tails-clad dancers. It’s nice to see Diana shake her stuff here; her energy appears boundless, and while the song isn’t exactly a showstopper, it’s a fun addition that mixes up the hits a little bit.
5. I Ain’t Been Licked: Here’s where the HBO special really kicks into high gear; after a quick moment off-stage, Diana runs back on, wild mane of hair set free, and rips into this triumphant number from The Boss. As she sings the opening line, “Roll down the gangway…,” she makes a large, swooping arm motion, as though she’s lobbing a bowling ball into the audience. There’s something about this gesture – something in its grand simplicity – that instantly establishes Diana’s connection to the song. She’s a bundle of energy here, skipping back and forth across the stage, bobbing her shoulders and raising her arms to the roof; without a single dancer onstage with her, Diana creates her own visual spectacle [[three dancers do eventually leap across the stage for a brief interlude). But best of all, she sounds fantastic; her brassy voice hits every note she goes for, with her periodic “Woah-oh-oh-oh-yeah!” reverberating through the theatre. This is Diana belting at her best, proof how powerful her pipes really are.
6. Speaking of belting…Diana launches into “Home” from The Wiz, in what may be her best live recorded version of the song. Technically, she is dead-on here; her voice doesn’t sound nearly as wobbly during the climax as it does in other performances of it, and her confidence continues until her very final, “Like home!” Wisely, the director of the special chooses to keep most of the performance on a tight close-up shot of Miss Ross, and it’s fascinating to watch her appear so emotionally invested in the lyrics. In incredible contrast to her previous energetic performance, here she creates a visual spectacle just by standing still and singing a great song.
7. Diana immediately introduces her “latest song,” her 1979 single “It’s My House.” The crowd wildly responds to the number, further proof that it was a far bigger hit with listeners than its R&B #27 chart position would suggest. Interestingly, although it was her current single, this is an extremely truncated version of the song, passing by in about two minutes. She sounds great, but this brief number is eclipsed by what comes next.
8. No One Gets The Prize: One of the great cuts off of The Boss LP becomes one of Diana’s great performances here, again allowing her to display incredible vocal power. As on “I Ain’t Been Licked,” she is a riveting in her energetic presence, and her voice is full and dynamic. Toward the end of the [[also truncated) song, she misses a few notes, but it’s a thrill to hear her go for them anyway. She also effortlessly manages the rapid-fire second verse [[“She-schemed-and-dreamed-and-told-him-dirt-that-I-was-wrong-for-him”) with an ease defying the fact that at that point, she had been singing constantly for around 20 minutes. This song is a fan favorite but it didn’t remain in her stage show for long, so it’s a treat to hear and see in this special.