Is that Diana singing with the background singers?

One thing that I've always loved about "Love Child" is the powerful introduction by not only the instruments, but also by the background singers on the Ooo's and Ahs. From the first time I heard this back in 1968, I always felt like that I was hearing, very clearly, Diana's voice shining through in that piercing [[in a good way) voice of hers in the final seconds of the Ooo and Ah pattern before she began the first verse.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone else also 'heard' her voice on the intro? If it isn't her voice, one of those background voices sure does match Diana's in timbre.

Also, is that Diana singing with the background singers on "One More Chance"? Here, I am not just talking about the extra vocal line she sings; but also actually singing along with the background singers.

I know it couldn't and wouldn't possibly be Mary Wilson doing backup on "Leave a Little Room" from Diana's 'Touch Me in the Morning'; however, that alto voice at the end sure does sound like Mary's beautiful voice. Again, I know it's not Mary.

Mine are observations...my opinions.

I always thought she came in at the end of Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye by the 70 Supremes!

Yes, I clearly hear Diana’s distinctive voice on the intro to Love Child.

Yes that’s her. Not Syreeta

I've always heard Diana too.

According to Mary though, she, Diana and FLORENCE recorded "Love Child".

https://youtu.be/Gf9K7VLgtXY

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Originally Posted by marybrewster

According to Mary though, she, Diana and FLORENCE recorded "Love Child".

https://youtu.be/Gf9K7VLgtXY

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https://media.giphy.com/media/gK6eVhX16J63m/giphy.gif

[QUOTE=marybrewster;556193]According to Mary though, she, Diana and FLORENCE recorded "Love Child".

Hey, the guy searches google daily for anything about Wilson, and then clutters this board with it.

There should be a separate Wilson section for him and those interested in whether Wilson buys single or 2-ply toilet tissue.

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Originally Posted by jobucats

One thing that I've always loved about "Love Child" is the powerful introduction by not only the instruments, but also by the background singers on the Ooo's and Ahs. From the first time I heard this back in 1968, I always felt like that I was hearing, very clearly, Diana's voice shining through in that piercing [[in a good way) voice of hers in the final seconds of the Ooo and Ah pattern before she began the first verse.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone else also 'heard' her voice on the intro? If it isn't her voice, one of those background voices sure does match Diana's in timbre.

Also, is that Diana singing with the background singers on "One More Chance"? Here, I am not just talking about the extra vocal line she sings; but also actually singing along with the background singers.

I know it couldn't and wouldn't possibly be Mary Wilson doing backup on "Leave a Little Room" from Diana's 'Touch Me in the Morning'; however, that alto voice at the end sure does sound like Mary's beautiful voice. Again, I know it's not Mary.

Mine are observations...my opinions.

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I don't hear Diana in the intro to "Love Child". Sound like pure Andantes to me. But I definitely think she's singing backup on "One More Chance". It's probably the reason she refused to work with Masser again.:p

That's not Diana with the Andantes. ^_^

That's all Andantes at the beginning of LC.

I think Diana stopped working with Masser because Masser was starting to put his attention on a rising diva:

https://i.makeagif.com/media/11-02-2015/oFgBHZ.gif

;)

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Originally Posted by midnightman

That's not Diana with the Andantes. ^_^

That's all Andantes at the beginning of LC.

I think Diana stopped working with Masser because Masser was starting to put his attention on a rising diva:

https://i.makeagif.com/media/11-02-2015/oFgBHZ.gif

;)

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Diana never worked with Michael Masser again after she left Motown in 1981. He didn't produce Whitney until 1984, when she and Teddy Pendergrass recorded her first hit, HOLD ME, a remake of Diana's IN YOUR ARMS from 1982.

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Originally Posted by reese

Diana never worked with Michael Masser again after she left Motown in 1981. He didn't produce Whitney until 1984, when she and Teddy Pendergrass recorded her first hit, HOLD ME, a remake of Diana's IN YOUR ARMS from 1982.

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I was just joking lol

You know how people are in their assumptions. I know they stopped working after she left Motown. Michael Masser even said that the session they had prior to her leaving Motown was the last they ever had.

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Originally Posted by midnightman

I was just joking lol

You know how people are in their assumptions. I know they stopped working after she left Motown. Michael Masser even said that the session they had prior to her leaving Motown was the last they ever had.

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Soon we’ll give you the nickname Midnighmarv if you keep it up!!

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Originally Posted by midnightman

That's not Diana with the Andantes. ^_^

That's all Andantes at the beginning of LC.

I think Diana stopped working with Masser because Masser was starting to put his attention on a rising diva:

https://i.makeagif.com/media/11-02-2015/oFgBHZ.gif

;)

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Just curious, and not meant to be confrontational...is your assessment of "That's not Diana with the Andantes" your opinion and what you are hearing OR is it based on fact? Thanks!

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Originally Posted by midnightman

I was just joking lol

You know how people are in their assumptions. I know they stopped working after she left Motown. Michael Masser even said that the session they had prior to her leaving Motown was the last they ever had.

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I believe the songs he went on to do with Dionne shortly after were meant for Diana. And Dionne cut some wonderful Masser productions. Big mistake for Diana to cut Masser off. At the very least he could've given more of those RCA albums a few excellent album cuts, if not a few hit singles.

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Originally Posted by jobucats

Just curious, and not meant to be confrontational...is your assessment of "That's not Diana with the Andantes" your opinion and what you are hearing OR is it based on fact? Thanks!

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I know you're addressing Midnight, and he can certainly answer for himself, but my opinion was based off of what I'm hearing. When I responded to your original post, I had to put my headphones on and play "Love Child" to listen for what you might be hearing [[as "Love Child" isn't a song I particularly play often). The only voices I hear is trademark Andantes. I first wondered if maybe you might have been hearing Syreeta, who had a somewhat vocal similarity to Diana and recorded the demo vocal. Perhaps her voice was left on the track during the intro. But as I said, when I listened to it and really didn't hear anybody but trademark Andantes.

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Originally Posted by RanRan79

I know you're addressing Midnight, and he can certainly answer for himself, but my opinion was based off of what I'm hearing. When I responded to your original post, I had to put my headphones on and play "Love Child" to listen for what you might be hearing [[as "Love Child" isn't a song I particularly play often). The only voices I hear is trademark Andantes. I first wondered if maybe you might have been hearing Syreeta, who had a somewhat vocal similarity to Diana and recorded the demo vocal. Perhaps her voice was left on the track during the intro. But as I said, when I listened to it and really didn't hear anybody but trademark Andantes.

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Thanks, RanRan....all I am trying to clarify is if his was just an opinion/personal assessment [[and the way each individual hears it) as opposed as to it being a documented fact. Often, when I read on these forums, opinions are often expressed as facts. You, initially, made it clear that yours was not a documented fact [[or you were not in studio...LOL) which I appreciate. Again, I am not trying to be confrontational. Thanks for your input.

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Originally Posted by RanRan79

I believe the songs he went on to do with Dionne shortly after were meant for Diana. And Dionne cut some wonderful Masser productions. Big mistake for Diana to cut Masser off. At the very least he could've given more of those RCA albums a few excellent album cuts, if not a few hit singles.

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I agree RanRan. Recently listening to an expanded version of Dionne’s No Night So Long, I was struck by the similarities between an outtake, This Time Is Ours, and Diana’s final recordings with Michael Masser. The instrumentation and structure are surprisingly similar and the song is in a key that seems higher than Dionne’s norm. I’m convinced it was meant for Diana...

I am not sure. It does sound like her, but then, if she was singing background, surely we would hear her on background throughout the rest of the song?

This is just the backing track, and I can't really pick up Diana except on the Ooooo - ahhhh from the beginning [[and it gets repeated later)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xcYSWUvA8I

Ref Michael Masser: I always assumed Miss Ross didn't like working with him. I mean, we know from HDH that Miss Ross is very efficient in the recording studio, getting tracks laid down quickly with few takes. Mr Masser is the opposite: he is king of the 500 takes.

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Originally Posted by JohnnyB

I agree RanRan. Recently listening to an expanded version of Dionne’s No Night So Long, I was struck by the similarities between an outtake, This Time Is Ours, and Diana’s final recordings with Michael Masser. The instrumentation and structure are surprisingly similar and the song is in a key that seems higher than Dionne’s norm. I’m convinced it was meant for Diana...

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I would love to have heard Diana sing "No Night So Long".

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Originally Posted by grangertim

Ref Michael Masser: I always assumed Miss Ross didn't like working with him. I mean, we know from HDH that Miss Ross is very efficient in the recording studio, getting tracks laid down quickly with few takes. Mr Masser is the opposite: he is king of the 500 takes.

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Word on the street [[ie, this forum:p) is that she didn't like the way he pushed her in the studio. I think someone recalled that Diana felt Masser was pushing her to do too much vocally. At first I thought this was evidence of Diana preferring her trademark "coo" to asserting her vocal power [[which is sorely underrated). However, clearly when Ashford and Simpson get her in the studio, Diana usually takes no prisoners with the way she attacks a lyric, and she appears to have enjoyed working with them. So it might just be as you suppose, that Masser physically worked her in the studio with too many takes. I can imagine that if you're used to going in and knocking cuts out in as many as a handful of takes, it would be annoying to work with someone who has you doing takes until the cows come home.

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Originally Posted by RanRan79

Word on the street [[ie, this forum:p) is that she didn't like the way he pushed her in the studio. I think someone recalled that Diana felt Masser was pushing her to do too much vocally. At first I thought this was evidence of Diana preferring her trademark "coo" to asserting her vocal power [[which is sorely underrated). However, clearly when Ashford and Simpson get her in the studio, Diana usually takes no prisoners with the way she attacks a lyric, and she appears to have enjoyed working with them. So it might just be as you suppose, that Masser physically worked her in the studio with too many takes. I can imagine that if you're used to going in and knocking cuts out in as many as a handful of takes, it would be annoying to work with someone who has you doing takes until the cows come home.

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I think Masser himself said in an interview that his songs needed multiple takes.

I remember one of the news programs did a profile on Natalie Cole and they showed a little bit of her MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY session with Masser. I think he was pushing Natalie to do another take and she [[in a good way) imitated him saying "You ain't singing. SING!"

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Originally Posted by reese

I think Masser himself said in an interview that his songs needed multiple takes.

I remember one of the news programs did a profile on Natalie Cole and they showed a little bit of her MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY session with Masser. I think he was pushing Natalie to do another take and she [[in a good way) imitated him saying "You ain't singing. SING!"

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Very interesting. Of course as the producer there's a certain something he wants out of a song. For a singer that can sometimes be something different than what the singer wants or thinks is necessary. I do feel a motto of Diana's career, vocally, has often been "less is more". And to that I'd answer "sometimes". Sometimes a song does need full throttle.