Are you kidding? They had huge hits with Babs, Dionne, and Kenny and Dolly just a few years prior. Maybe the problem wasn't the Bee Gees, but Diana herself.
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Eaten Alive [[single and album) sucked, save for CHAIN REACTION, which is in my top 5 Diana songs of all time.
I think the Bee Gees didn't know what to do with her.
The Eaten Alive album is in my top 5 favorite Diana Ross albums. Loved her with The Bee Gees. Doesn’t get any better than “Experience”. Her voice is crystal clear and beautiful.
Was watching Barry in 'The Great Songwriters' series yesterday and he said when Diana's album was done, she said 'you must have something else for me' and they said 'well...' [[as they had done a Chain Reaction demo, intending to record the 'Motown tribute' as a single themselves). Apparently once Diana heard it, she insisted on doing it.
Some good insights from the series. In the one with Jimmy Webb, Motown insisted he took some songs, that he'd written while on contract with Jobete, with him as they had no use for them.'
I bet when HDH left Motown, Berry wished he had one of these songs - Up, Up & Away - ready to record with the Supremes or another act.
Just a few years prior is SB's point. I don't believe in 1985 anybody but Diana Ross was thinking "The Bee Gees, that's where my next hit is coming from". True enough, "Chain Reaction" proved to be a global monster hit outside the US and the title track to the album hit pretty good R&B and Dance. Some tweaks to the entire project might have saved it, but personally I think this was a mismatch.
Agreed. Had they gotten ahold to Diana in the late 70s, maybe even the period before she left Motown, I think they could've matched up pretty well. By the mid 80s I don't think they really had a good read on the direction to take her. But to be fair, Diana herself apparently did have a good read on what direction to go in either, hence some of the crap we got.
It’s interesting that the “Eaten Alive” album creates as much division regarding fans opinion as does “”Workin’ Overtime”. Personally i think both albums contain some gems.
I have gotten to like “Eaten Alive” more as the years have passed. I just wish Diana’s voice was more prominent on the song.
Sadly the album lacks a killer ballad. Its hard to understand how Diana allowed MJ voice to be so prominent on the EA track yet they never recorded a duet for the album.
An “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” type ballad would have extended interest and provided a commercial follow up to the brilliant “CR”.
^^^ My favorite song from the album is “I’m watching you”. I consider that a killer ballad. As far as “Eaten Alive” and Michael Jackson, I consider that a duet. He is just not credited.
I thought i had previously explained how the Eaten Alive sessions came to be.
Barry had pursued Ms Ross on a few occasions in the early 80's to no avail. He gave a whole album to Kenny Rogers which he had intended for Ms Ross. This included Islands in the stream. He had all but given up on her when she got in touch demanding an album almost immediately. The scheduled producer had pulled out due to "creative differences". She had the studio bookčd but no songs and producer. Barry was anxious to work with her but he was unable to compose 8 new songs in around 10 days so he had to find enough material from previously submitted material along with unused material from Ms Streisand, Ms Warwick and Kenny Rogers. The sessions were rushed. The title track was finished with added input from MJ, and chain reaction which Barry originally intended for the Bee Gees. He played it to her and she begged him to produce it on her. The album was all but finished at this point, and a song had to be binned to make way for CR. They chose what was in my opinion one of the cream cuts. I think. I think it was called it's up to you. It lay festering in the vaults until Ms Streisand heard it and recorded it herself for the Barry helmed Guilty 2 project. She knew a good song when she heard it.
Barry was not happy having to rush the project through despite getting short notice help from MJ amongst others. Maurice Gibb was even more unhappy and resented Ms Ross for having repeatedly turned them down, and then a few years later demanding an album at short notice. He and Miss Ross clashed in the studio to such an extent that Barry barred him from the studio.
I personally like most of the album, but it could and would have been better had Barry been given more time tň prepare.
He would like the opportunity to produce her again, but that will not hŕppen sadly.
Hope this helps.
I had no idea the album was a rush job and that it contained unused songs from the projects of other singers. Do you know why Diana needed the album so quickly?.
“It’s Up To You” is a lovely song. What a shame it couldn’t be used for the expanded EA.
Its interesting that “CR” was the last track recorded for the project as her voice sounds comparatively revitalised on the song.
P.S...Do you Know who the original producer was meant to be?.
What a shame ISLANDS IN THE STREAM didn't get a redo by her for her Bee Gees package. I can easily hear her command it. It likely could have been revitalized, Top 10 again ... Much better redo for her repertoire than I WILL SURVIVE.
Maybe the Gibbs weren't in the habit of redos of their stuff.
I prefer the Workin' Overtime album. It's more street and Diana sounds more like herself, without those annoying Bee Gees-type of vocals.
And I love songs like Say We Can, This House, Paradise, We Stand Together, the title track. I recognize that the production could have been better [[it sounded dated quickly by the early 1990's), but the songs are amazing.
And the songs when performed live gained new dimension.
i don't know the specifics but i'm a bit surprised they were working together again! I've heard Masser had some substance problems so not sure if that was a sticking point or how that might have impacted working in the studio
Masser was super hot around this time with Whitney and of course he had established a long record of hits. so he might have been less willing to compromise things. and of course Diana was heavy in her control phase so she also was probably not willing to compromise things
I love eaten alive. It is cheesy as hell and a guilty pleasure in my collection, but MJ sounds so sexy and the song is such a bop. The thought of MJ singing about oral sex tingles me.
Oh my goodness. Was Miss Ross speaking to Mr. Gordy? What did he think of EA? Why did she leave Motown in the first place? Had she felt overlooked? Were they not listening to her creative needs? Why won't Miss Ross and Barry work together again?
You all have no idea how much I love the song EA. It energizes me in such a way. I want to paint the town red when it comes on. I listened to it 5 times back to back, speakers BLARING, On my way to work today. I think of you all when I listen to it now.
Masser had "issues" which bothered Ms Ross way more than it seemingly bothered Whitney Houston. Masser was a very hard taskmaster in the studio, and we all know how Ms Ross likes to be the boss at all times. She had gotten out of the habit of being bullied in the studio and by all accounts it was a very toxic atmosphere when they met up. It's a great pity he couldn't have got himself clean. They could have made more sweet music together.
of course, Whitney had the same issues even then. I have a friend who worked with MM and you can imagine the stories. I will share this one, the two of them were partying, and Michael told him that he wanted him to hear what he had been working on for the last week and they went to his house had a very excessive speed. When they got there, he said “now just sit down and listen to this” and he played the greatest love of all. My friend didn’t understand why Michael was playing that for him because it was already number one, but he said that Michael was such a perfectionist, that he was still putting tons of man hours into a song that had probably already gone platinum. My friend didn’t know the song all that well he didn’t really hear anything that was different from what he had heard on the radio but Michael was beaming with pride. If he’s that kind of perfectionist, I can see where there would’ve been fireworks with a certain little Miss.
Fascinating divergence of opinions on the Eaten Alive album.
imo I'm Watching You is nothing more than a pleasant little album track.
My favourite tracks from the album are Chain Reaction [[obviously!) THE 1986 dance floor filler in the UK, [[I Love) Being In Love With You, Crime Of Passion and Don't Give Up On Each Other.
It would certainly be interesting to hear Diana's version of It's Up To You - the song sounds to me like it would have made a much better follow-up to CR in the UK than Experience although they unquestionably missed a trick with Crime Of Passion.
He was indeed a perfectionist. An immensely talented guy but a very controlling personality who made almost as many enemies along the way as Ms Ross did. Their working relationship in the 70's was fraught enough. I can just imagine the fireworks in the 80's when she was free from Gordy"s control.
I shudder to think what the sessions with Whitney were like. I would love to have been a fly on the wall in that studio!
Thanks Bluebrock.
Never knew that story before.
Now it makes sense .
I think you have a valid point. Lionel was too busy to do a full album with her. Masser was probably the obvious choice to deliver a classic Diana Ross ballad. If only they could have put their differences aside. We could have had another quality album to enjoy over the next 40 years.
when were Masser and Diana trying to arrange something? makes you wonder if some of the hits he ended up doing with Whitney were intended for Diana. Masser and Whitney started with Hold Me which was released in spring 84, one month prior to All Of You being released.
Re-reading Bluebrock's post re the rush of EATEN ALIVE, it sounds like it would have the Ross/Masser reunion would have taken place sometime in 1985.
I just wonder what happened to make working with Masser again so attractive, yet ultimately unbearable. For Diana to pull out of the project with a studio already booked and a tight deadline looming, and then to expect new songs from the Gibbs in 10 days? It must have been something serious.
and if she needed something so quickly from Gibb, i would assume that work with Masser must have been quite a ways along. potentially partially completed songs. certainly there would have been some tracks already prepared, maybe even initial or demo recordings?
One guess....
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The Masser tracks with Houston -
Saving All My Love [["Whitney Houston" LP)
All At Once [["Whitney Houston" LP)
Greatest Love [["Whitney Houston" LP)
Hold Me [["Whitney Houston" LP)
Didnt We Almost [["Whitney " LP)
Your Still My Man [["Whitney" LP)
After We Make Love [["Im Your Baby Tonight" LP)
Ross had recorded "Hold Me" for Silk Electric then she hears that fresh, young, dynamic voice singing the duet recording. She hears the buzz on Whitney, knows that she's Clive Davis' priority and that he has locked up Masser to produce half of her album. I bet that made her think twice about whether she could endure his shenanigans to keep this new girl off her turf. Otherwise, I don't know why she'd agree to collaborate with him again.
I hear he was hard on Whitney too. But she was young and new and could sing the whole house down, so it worked.
I have to wonder if some are making this Ross/Masser thing more than it is. The same reported issues with Masser she had with him, others did as well. Also it’s not like she decided to work with him after decades of not wanting to. It had only been 4 years since “It’s my turn”. During those years she wanted to try something new. I say it’s no big deal. Also, it should be noted that she had kind things to say about him when he passed.
Who did Masser work post Diana/80 and pre WH/84? That's a good 4 year gap.