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It may be hard to believe, but I'm listening for the first few times, the "Everything is everything" LP. I was expecting a dull album made of different styles and rejected songs from her first sessions.
it's very good to excellent, maybe dated but in a pleasant way.
Currently my favorites are "Call me" , "how about you", "my place", Ain't no sad sad song", "baby it's love", "come together".
Diana’s “Call Me” is outstanding. Her version was nominated for a Grammy.
My feelings regarding this album have changed over the years. At first, I really liked it. Then I started thinking it was lacking. But recently I've started liking it again.
I think my problem was that I was comparing it to her Ashford and Simpson material instead of taking it on its own merits. But it has some great songs like MY PLACE, BABY IT'S LOVE, CALL ME, THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD, and HOW ABOUT YOU. The outtakes such as WISH I KNEW are pretty good as well.
EIE gets lots o' traction here; it's a testament to Diana that even the lower-sales lps still generate interest among fans. I largely agree with what you say, though I have always near-loved the LP. A tad odd, to be sure, with the Busby Berkeley-ized productions of the cover songs and it probably would have been a 'better' lp with all new songs but it is what it is and for me always a great re-listen. As Deke says, 'the little album that could'. Wish I Knew was a wonderful find on the EE; such a haunting vocal.Quote:
Originally Posted by reese
Wasn't there something funky about the timing or the catalogue number assigned to this album? Like maybe it came out later than another one but had an earlier number or something like that? I just seem to have something like that wayyy back in my brain.
Some of the catalog#s in Motown's discography are whacky in terms of release dates. Looking at #s, it appears some albums were released earlier [[or later) than they were.Quote:
Originally Posted by daviddesper
DIANA ROSS [[1970), catalog # is M-711.
DIANA! [[TV soundtrack), M-719
SURRENDER, M-723
EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING, M-724
Looking at the above, one would think that EIE was Diana's fourth solo album, when in fact it was her second. EIE was released in 9/70, followed by DIANA! in 3/71, and later, SURRENDER in 7/71.
Plus, most of the singles from SURRENDER were released way ahead of the parent album, while EIE didn't have a single release for almost a year.
But she was Berry’s girlfriend at the time, so this must have been in her best interest.
Maybe they didn’t promote it because Berry was annoyed with her at the time - like Motown bought all the full page trade ads got the Supremes but still never supported them or promoted them
That shows how silly those arguments are!
^^^ Be that as it may, the inconsistancy between release dates and catalogue numbers does leave the impression that there was some internal wrangling at Motown.
The numbers would often be curious with other Motown artists. For example, the Marvelettes' pink album was Tamla 274 and a year or so later Sophisticated Soul was 286, which made sense. But then another year later came In Full Bloom, which was 288, giving you the impression that only one other album had been released on Tamla in that one-year period.
EIE is one of my favorite Diana Ross albums. As much as I enjoy several of her other albums I find EIE the most relaxing and easiest to listen to. Just a nice Adult Contemporary, Easy-Listening album. I've not listened to any of the cover songs in quite a while, sticking mostly to the Motown originals, for the most part. I'm not as fond of "Waiting" as I once was but I still love the other Motown originals.
My recollection is that the "Surrender", or second A&S album, was still in production and would not be ready for the Fall 1970 promotion and Motown Sales Convention, which featured about 35+ albums released August through October of that year, so Berry asked Deke Richards to get a new Diana Ross album ready to promote ASAP. That would explain the Motown catalogue numbering.
I remember seeing a color ad on the front page of Billboard of EIE about the time of the sales convention and when the bulk of the Fall 1970 albums became available in the stores. This was about a month before EIE was actually released. The ad showed the three colors of the title rather than the one color which was on the eventual release [[although years later some albums with the three colors in the title popped-up in cut-out bins). So I guess the cover was available for the Sales Convention even though the album itself was not. I assume no singles were planned from EIE because the release schedule was probably pre-determined based on the A&S proposed album and the planned TV Special for April 1971.
Not one of Diana's personal favorites,and not one of mine either. It was neither cohesive or consistent, but it did contain a few gems as well as a few songs that should never have made it onto the album. I find it more listenable now than i did back in the day, but i would say it was her weakest 70's album aside from Last time i saw him.
I find Last Time I Saw Him dreadful...
But I do like EIE for the most part. I found the expanded edition had several nice out takes .
I think it's a bit dated on some songs ....can't get it to Doobe Do...Doobie...
But some nice tracks.should have been held back a bit.....seems like a rush job in some places
The album's title suggests that the record is either a mess or some other type of mélange. Or it hints that the songs are so bland and blah that nothing stands out.
It is said that the title was a phrase that was part of the vernacular in certain areas of the country, but those who did not reside in those areas found it meaningless. The phrase was neither as ubiquitous nor as meaningful on its own as "right on," which everyone understood and which helped move The 70s Supremes' first album.
Also, Everything Is Everything is the weakest, least appealing song on the album, although I did not care much for Call Me by Aretha Franklin and thought it was peculiar that Diana would include it on her album and in concert for years [[as she did later with I Will Survive), seemingly taking credit for someone else's hits, at least in the minds of audience members who couldn't specifically recall who introduced what.
The rest of the album was mostly delightful then and continues to be. I first heard the extended version of Come Together on an 8-track tape and found it fascinating, and I liked Diana's version of The Long And Winding Road as much as, or more than, The Beatles' version.
The outtake What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life is exquisite, and should have been included when the album was released. It would have been a much, much better title song, and it could have attracted the adult audience that Motown and Diana wanted to reach both when she was a Supreme -- as evidenced by the There's A Place For Us, I Hear A Symphony, Rodgers And Hart and other nightclub material, for instance -- and as she began her solo career.
I think the album is underrated. It suffers from that horrible release schedule that Motown inflicted upon Diana so early in her career. But there's a lot of great Diana vocals to be found on it, namely: "My Place", "Aint No Sad Song", "Doobedoo", "Call Me", "How About You" and "Close To You". I actually play this album much more than I play the debut.
Diana may have included that song in concert because she was Grammy Nominated [[Best Female R&B Vocal Category) for that track on the Everything Is Everything album.Quote:
Originally Posted by benross
Listening to the back catalogue, I understand why her RCA years are despised by many. At Motown, good or not, she always did her best with her voice.
I like that exit
https://youtu.be/cPcXE3j8_Vs
The Long and Winding Road sounds like it would fit nicely into Baby Its Me....its one of my fav DR cuts.....
DR's Come Together jumps and pulses....its got life. Much better than the dismal New Ways Supremes version
[QUOTE=Albator;558189]Listening to the back catalogue, I understand why her RCA years are despised by many. At Motown, good or not, she always did her best with her voice.
I have to agree. Even on weaker motown songs she vocally still sounds great. At RCA that Ross magic was often the missing ingredient.
yeah it's hard to sound better than when DR is engaged. even on weak tracks she can give it a spark and some passion. Her ability to convey the emotion and lyric is unparalleled.
it's shocking that even much of her weaker motown material is preferable to much of her RCA output. from what i gathered, she just really wasn't focused or as concerned about the music at RCA. and since she was producing much of her own vocals, would simply coast by. the result speaks for itself
I don't find the Supremes New Ways version of Come Together dismal at all. They were obviously going for a very specific vibe on that song and it totally works for me. I also love Diana's version, but, again, she had a totally different interpretation.Quote:
Originally Posted by gman
i agree. Diana's is more traditionally soulful. the Sup version is pretty avant guard but i enjoy it. i think it works well with the overall sound on NWBLSQuote:
Originally Posted by thommg
the only other cover of Come Together other than DR's I like is Ike and Tina Turners.
Tina baked those rock standards....I Want To Take You Higher, Honky Tonk Woman, Get Back...Ike's band was tight in concert...their live versions make the studio work seem like "practice"....I've heard many Long and Winding Roads...its a pop ballard that adapts well to many performers styles...Diana's is my fav after the original Beatles.