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what songs do you think should have been a hit or released as a single
1 now that theres you
2 and if you see him
3 my place
4 all of my life
5 after you
6 come in from the rain/ entire album
7 never say I don't love you
8 you were the one
9 no one gets the prize/aint been licked/entire lp
0 give up
1 who
2 hard for me to say
3 crimes of passion
4 you do it
Possible singles [[but probably not in their album form): And If You See Him, All of My Life, After You, Never Say I Don't Love You, You Were the One.
Definitely should have been singles: No One Gets The Prize, It's Hard For Me To Say.
1. You Were The One tops my list of should-have-been hits. I can’t begin to imagine why What You Gave Me was released instead of YWTO.Quote:
Originally Posted by lucky2012
2. No One Gets The Prize
3. It’s Hard For Me To Say
4. Love Lies
5. My Place
6. Summertime
7. Tenderness, Give Up or Now That You’re Gone. The diana LP needed a 3rd single release after It’s My Turn hit the top 10. I don’t understand why the powers that be just shrugged off additional hits from the LP. The US release of My Old Piano a year later seemed like an attempt to compete with the RCA singles instead of a real plan to keep the momentum of the LP. Too late...
My post has me thinking about To Love Again, the LP and the single One More Chance. Both were meant to capitalize on the success of It’s My Turn and to get new Diana Ross product in the market. In hindsight, the new songs should have been held back for All The Great Hits and promoted as “including 3 new songs” to gain additional sales. OMC could have been released as a single then if Motown truly believed in the song. This would have made it possible to continue with another single release from diana.
I guess I have too much time on my hands...
Numbers 8 and 9 on your list would definitely be on mine, so in addition to "You Were the One" and "No One Gets the Prize":Quote:
Originally Posted by daviddh
"Baby It's Love"
"And If You See Him"
"I Heard a Love Song"
"I Thought It Took a Little Time" [[Should've been re-released after "Hangover")
"You Got It"
"The Same Love That Made Me Laugh"
"Cryin My Heart Out for You"
I think you might be right about releasing ATGH with a couple of new tracks. Personally I don't think "One More Chance" had a real chance, as nice of a song as it is. I much prefer "Cryin My Heart Out for You" personally.Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnnyB
The boss - I know this went gold but that’s an inferior charting for a song this marvelous
Bottom line - wouldn’t have gone number 1 but had it been lead WO single perhaps the project would have had some success
All of my life - perfect follow up to Touch Me
You were the one
My place
Should have followed Boss up w either No One or I Ain’t
Dreaming of you - would have been a major chart hit following EL
Carry on - one of the strongest tracks on Everyday
That's How You Start Over -- that even got some airplay in the Netherlands
It's Hard For Me To Say -- also that song I heard on the Dutch radio before the album was released
i agree with all of the above. we all have good taste
I still cannot believe that "I'm Still Waiting" was not a bigger hit in the States. That song is one of her best.
Sure-Thing Top 10
1 No One Gets The Prize
2 Never Say I Don’t Love You
3 Love Lies
4 Now That You’re Gone
5 We Need You
6 Brown Baby/Save The Children
7 Just Say, Just Say
8 Love Twins
9 All Of My Life
10 Come In From The Rain
11 The Same Love That Made Me Laugh
12 Top Of The World
13 Touch By Touch
14 I Ain’t Been Licked
15 You Were The One
Iffy Top 20
1 Stone Liberty
2 Summertime
3 Crime Of Passion
4 Doobe Doodn Doobe
5 I Can’t Give Back The Love
6 Leave A Little Room
7 I Won’t Last A Day
8 Baby It’s Me
9 Where Did We Go Wrong ‘78
10 Tenderness
11 Who
12 That’s How You Start Over
13 Pledging My Love
Honorable Mention
1 Why [[Must We Fall In Love)
motown screwed this up big time. it was already #1 in UK when motown released the EIE lp but then motown did nothing. no single .wtf. they waited a year after the lp was released to issue this as a single.Quote:
Originally Posted by LoveSupreme
why wasnt NOT OVER YOU YET released as a single here, love that remix
EVERY DAY IS A NEW DAY was Diana's first album to have no single releases.Quote:
Originally Posted by daviddh
Most US labels had stopped releasing singles by that time, wanting customers to buy the whole cd. They would only release promo cds to radio. Around the same time, Smokey, Gladys, and Patti all released albums with no singles and all were unsuccessful.
Because Gordy was so anal about follow ups to hit records in that he one of the same producer to do the follow up hoping he would strike gold like he did with HDH and the Supremes. So he passed on I’m Still Waiting as he wanted to give the follow up to Ashford and Simpson Who produced a great record – eventually… But it was so far after eight no mountain high enough that it had no momentum on its own… Big mistake.
Of course they were exceptions like up the ladder to the roof which surprised to Johnny Bristol contingency expecting the follow up to someday we’ll be together…… However, Johnny Bristol couldn’t come up with anything close to the quality of up the ladder to the roof and, contrary to folklore, he wanted the Supremes to hit.
I agree with your statement, but than BG should have held EIE until a later release. made no sense to me. seems like the left hand didn't know what the right hand wanted to do. a pattern that would repeat itself several times in the 70sQuote:
Originally Posted by TheMotownManiac
Keep An Eye 1970 solo version, Love Twins w/ Mavin, The Same Love That Made Me Laugh, I Ain't Been Licked and the chosen territory only single release Touch By Touch from Swept Away
For the UK:
These Things Will Keep Me Loving You in the summer of 1972 either before or after Doobedo.
There was no new material available at this time and with Tony Blackburn the most influential DJ at that time solidly behind her it was a guaranteed smash.
We Need You in 1974 instead if the insipid Love Me even though it was from the Touch Me rather than Last Time album.
Never Say I Don't Love You - released as the B-side to the UK single No-One Gets The Prize. As the B-side it passed most people by - should have been the A-side.
Still in Love from the much-maligned Silk Electric album as the follow-up to Muscles - Diana was still hot in the UK at the time on the back of Upside Down, Piano and Fools.
And In Your Arms could even have followed Still In Love.
Personally I think Electric is grossly under-rated.
Crime Of Passion was a big opportunity missed as the follow-up to Chain Reaction.
Battlefield as the 5th single from The Force Behind The Power. Heart was a weak choice [[but Diana herself had requested it).
It is pushing it to go for a 5th single from an album but ths was worth a punt, I think it was a 50-50 chance either massive or a flop..
Until We Meet Again to follow Not Over You Yet.
The record comany fully intended this as a single and went as far as issuing promos but for whatever reasons Diana herself vetoed the release.
Hi Florence. Diana did not veto the release of Until We Meet Again. She was not well at this time and felt unable to promote the single. TV appearances had already been scheduled and the single had been sent out to radio and dj's. Initial feedback was good, and it would have probably been a decent size hit.Quote:
Originally Posted by florence
Totally agree on Crimes of Passion. Whatever were the record company thinking in releasing the lovely but unmemorable Experience?
I didn't care for Silk Electric, but i did think that Love Lies was the lost hit from that uneven album. So Close was a poor choice of single.
I always loved Never say i don't love you, but i never thought of it as a hit single, but looking back i tend to agree with you. It is a timeless classic with a beautiful rift.
I totally agree that Motown should have used the Tony Blackburn connection and released more singles. And if you see him, Didn't you know and These Things could all have been UK hits in those quiet months.So many missed opportunities.
We need you sounded like a hit too me too. Lovely song. We agree on many things!
Aplogies re Until We Meet Again, Bluebrock.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluebrock
You mentioned this before but I've picked it up wrong.
I don't think the overall Silk package is as bad as some people state although it's weaker than WDFFIL which is a good album, but not great.
I'm fine with the totally varied approach to the styles - 50s pop, r&b, mega ballads, hard rock, reggae, disco, 80s pop. it really is sort of an attempt to sing 1 song in about every different style and sound. which i think is ok for 1 album.
the problem is that 1) her voice is so muffled and echoed and 2) often she just doesn't push herself enough vocally unlike how other outside producers really pushed her. In My Arms could have been as glorious as a It's My Turn or Do You Know. but she just sort of limps through it.
I liked Silk better than WDFFIL, which I thought was a major disappointment. reminded of her Last Time I saw him mess....
Love Lies was great.
I cant believe not Over You Yet was not released here in the states.wow.stupid.loved the remix.
Very true and also, Silk was better produced than WDFFILQuote:
Originally Posted by sup_fan
But the voice ! Terrible
"Cross My Heart" which I don't know why it wasn't released as a single.
"Not Over You Yet". This should have been Diana's "Believe" a la Cher.
From each album. Not necessarily my faves, but good singles.
1. Diana Ross. These Things Will Keep Me Loving You.
2. EIE. My Place and Baby It's Love.
3. Surrender. And If You See Him.
4. TMITM. I Won't Last A Day. [[UK already had All Of My Life)
5. Diana & Marvin. Just Say Just Say, but UK were spot on.
6. LTISH. No Ones Gonna Be A Fool Forever.
7. Diana Ross 76. No further singles.
8. Baby It's Me. To Shy To Say.
9. Ross 78. Never Say I Don't Love You.
10. TB. It's My House. UK 1st single. No One Gets The Prize, USA.
11. Diana. Have Fun. UK 4th single, USA 3rd.
12.To Love Again. ***STAY WITH ME***. 1st single. Sure fire hit.
13. Why Do Fools. No Further Singles.
14. Silk Electric. Love Lies. 2nd single UK and USA.
15. ross. You Do It. 1st single UK, Let's Go Up USA.
16. SA. Touch By Touch. UK lead single.
17. Eaten Alive. Chain Reaction 1st single UK & USA. EA [[remix) 2nd single.
18. RHR&B. Cross My Heart, Shine.
19. WO. Say We Can. 1st single, Bottom Line. [[remix) 2nd.
20.TFBTP. Waiting In The Wings. UK 5th single.
21.TMH. I Will Survive. USA 1st single.
22.EDIAND. Until We Meet Again [[remix), UK 2nd single, Carry On 3rd single.
^ Good choices! I agree on all your choices, even if I never really warmed up to No One's Gonna Be A Fool & I Will Survive.
But the Velvelettes had a top-40 hit with it in the UK in late 1971.Quote:
Originally Posted by florence
Tenderness is the hit that should have been from 'diana' - what a mess her releases were at that time.
UK Motown had it right 9/10 times from the 70s to the early 90s.
Johnny Bristol had initially planned “These Things Will Keep Me Loving You” as the Supremes follow up to “Someday,” but then decided to give it to Diana as her debut. “These Things” certainly could have gone top 20, but I don’t think it would have been a smash Johnny Bristol intended for it to be. I do wonder how well it could have done riding on the coattails of “Someday” in place of “Reach Out And Touch.”
I still don’t know how “Surrender” charted so poorly. To me, that should have easily sailed up the top 10. I think that’s a big hit that got away.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned “All Night Lover.” I personally think it and “Top Of The World” were far better choices for lead singles than “Gettin’ Ready for Love” and “Your Love Is So Good For Me.”
“You Got It” could have done better too, but the intro is where it loses you. It doesn’t really grab you so you end up losing out on a great song. A new intro with a hook would have given the song a better charting.
For me, these are the songs that I think would have hit the UK charts:
My Place to follow I'm Still Waiting
Carry On to follow Not Over You Yet
'All Of My Life' was a single in the U.K in May 1974.
It reached No.9 in the charts, so is considered a hit single here in Britain.
I had never ever heard "All Of My Life" before, despite it having reached #9 here in the UK [[quite a hit really!) :)
All Of My Life was actually released in the UK in December 1973 and almost got lost in the Christmas rush.
It made the breakers and fortunately manged to break into the the top 50 at the beginning of January 1974 going on to make #9.
It sold around 13k before charting and rather surprisingly managed to outsell Touch Me In The Morning here by a few thousand during the shelf-life of the records.