I always thought that Diana and MM stopped working together was because Motown/BG did not give him an exclusive deal, but I think Clive Davis at Arista Records did give him an exclusive deal.
Printable View
I always thought that Diana and MM stopped working together was because Motown/BG did not give him an exclusive deal, but I think Clive Davis at Arista Records did give him an exclusive deal.
i think it's a different type of soul. A&S were much more gospel inspired with piano-heavy tracks and big gospel backing choruses. Masser was more symphonic soul. thick lush strings, female backing vocalists but softer/subtler than the choral effect used by A&S. Also Masser seems to push for a smoother vocal from Diana where A&S went for a little more rougher.
they stopped working together cuz Diana left motown ;) hehe
seems that the relationship between D and Masser cooled a bit after the tracks were completed following It's My Turn. While some have said he was overly demanding in the studio, i think he also had some personal problems. this might have also contributed to the breakdown.
it is a bit surprising that he never had a Diana Ross lp to himself. i'm guessing that if she had stayed with Motown, the To Love Again set would have been a full album of new Masser material. it was halfway completed.
You want the truth in black and white?
Masser was a very hard taskmaster in the studio, and whilst Diana had to tolerate him working her hard in the studio whilst signed to Motown there was no way she was going to work that hard when she didn't have to. Masser would have been distraught at Diana's lack of passion with her vocals on the Fools and Silk Electric albums. She wouldn't work with anyone who took her out of her comfort zone anymore. That was a great pity because he knew how to get the best out of her.
So now you know, and it is time to move on.
There some good vocal performances on those albums.
I agree with MM and I say that as a fan of Mirror Mirror lol
So did Masser not produce "In Your Arms" on Silk Electric?
There is nothing "skim milk" about "Work That Body". Nothing. Bad thing about that song is the ridiculous lyrics. Had the song had a "Physical" by Olivia N John storyline, that song could've been huge. I also wouldn't put "Think I'm In Love" or "Sweet Surrender" in the "skim milk" category either. However, ultimately, while at RCA, it's definitely clear that r&b was not always Diana's priority, ruling out this type of issue having anything to do with her decision to never work with him again.
^^^ and it’s a great vocal.
i agree that different lyrics were necessary for WTB. I'm ok with one campy/silly song on an album and frankly Sweet Nothings is the better choice IMO. it at least has a LITTLE bit of substance when compared to WTB.
the backing track on Work could easily have lent itself to some steamy, sizzling lyric and made a great follow up to Mirror.