What Is Left In The Vaults For Diana Ross / Supremes ?

[Bluebrock]

I purchased Silk Electric on leave from boarding school. I was initially disappointed with the album. However, my best friend said the album was 'slick'. He went to her concert around the time and was not pleased with her performance. He had seen her when she was promoting 'The Boss" and 'An Evening With' and described these concerts as life altering events. This time around he said the set was threadbare and it seemed like she was not interested in what she doing and really wanted to get home. The crowd response, he said,was off, possibly fueled by her apparent indifference. The real highlights of the show, were "So Close" and "Fool For Your Love". which seemed to get the crowd going. He said these songs worked well live. People say 'Silk Electric' went gold because of 'Muscles'. Maybe, maybe not. It should be taken into consideration her live promotion of the album live. If you strip away all the guitars from "Fool For Your Love", it has the same basic beat of "Where Did Our Love Go".

Yeah, but those guitars....... Oh dear.

[JohnnyB]

I remember when tickets went on sale for the SILK ELECTRIC concert in my state. The response was so strong that it actually made the evening news.

I missed that concert, but she came around again about five months later with the FOR ONE AND FOR ALL tour. I caught the second show of the tour, about two weeks after Central Park. Diana was good, but seemed to be working on low voltage. The set listwasn't quite together yet, and she didn't even sing PIECES OF ICE, which was her current single at the time. Plus the audience was rowdy. At one point, one female fan socked another fan who was blocking her view. Finally during ENDLESS LOVE, Diana left the stage and did not come back. I was so disappointed. But I saw her again the next year during the SWEPT AWAY tour, and she was great.

I saw For One And For All in September of '83. It was a great show, but Pieces Of Ice wasn't included although it was still the current release, nor was Up Front. Let's Go Up was the only song from the Ross LP that was on the set list. I wonder if Pieces Of Ice was ever performed live...

[thommg]

Yeah, but those guitars....... Oh dear.

And, yet, that song probably embodies the title of the album more than some of the others - Silk being Diana's voice and electric being a more rock oriented sound. Perhaps Love Lies embodies the theme best [[and it's my favorite song on that LP).

[JohnnyB]

And, yet, that song probably embodies the title of the album more than some of the others - Silk being Diana's voice and electric being a more rock oriented sound. Perhaps Love Lies embodies the theme best [[and it's my favorite song on that LP).

I hated Love Lies and FFYL when the album was released. But now I hear Love Lies differently. I think it would have been a perfect choice for the second single release.

[Bluebrock]

Do you have any feedback Bluebrock of Diana's feelings as regards the "Eaten Alive" album. For me it was at least a return to some form after some real dodgy albums. This and RHR&B are the only two rca albums i ever listen to. I am sad to admit that i really do find most of her rca output glossy pap.

I agree with you Ollie. The first three RCA albums were workmanlike to say the very best. I thought things began to improve with "swept away" and then with "eaten alive" a project that should have happened three years earlier. I know Barry Gibb quite well and i got his thoughts on the project along with Diana's own. Barry originally wanted him and Diana to duet on "islands in the stream". Diana turned him down but Barry was not to be detered. After working with Streisand and Dionne his other ambition was to work with Diana and Dusty Springfield. Dusty was not at all interested but Diana finally saw the potential. Barry clinched the deal by involving Michael Jackson. Diana and Barry hit it off but Diana and Maurice Gibb clashed quite frequently. I will not go into that here. Chain Reaction was the last song to be recorded for the project and was included at the last minute whilst a ballad from the sessions was canned. Another song from the sessions also remains in the vault.
Diana is a fan of the Bee Gees and she liked the album. Barry was also pleased with the results and the pair decided to work together again, but the relative failure of the album in the States put that idea on the backburner. I think it remains one of her most consistent RCA efforts along with RHRAB. Sadly RCA had had their fill of Diana by this time and the album was not promoted property. Barry was pissed by this and made his feelings plain.
Years later Diana approached Barry to record another album together but Barry had more serious worries at this time and the plan never came to fruition.
Hope the above helps.

[Bluebrock]

“What if” are interesting games to play, and yes, with different choices, the RCA years of Ross could have been [[even) more successful. Yet, the post-disco 1980s were tough for all African American female "pop" singers of the same generation as Ross. Aretha and Donna both had some hits but many misses, like Ross struggling to find the right niche in a changing pop market. Tina Turner is one exception, but her success was partially based on her comeback narrative and the surprise hit of “What’s Love Got To Do With It.” And then there was of course Janet with Control and Whitney. Just imagine if Ross would have made those records [[which would have fitted her image), but they wouldn’t have had the extra narrative that made these records successful: Janet’s Control had the same surprise factor as the “diana” album six years earlier and the album also reinforced Janet’s personal story of wanting to get control over her own life away from her famous family, father, and brother. For Whitney, the big difference was her voice. The material on her debut album is actually rather formulaic [[as was recognized at the time) – her voice and her youth made the difference. Just imagine that Ross would have made the exact same album [[4 of the 10 songs were Michael Masser ballads); it would have been a nice album, but would not have had the same impact, as it probably wouldn’t have been a “surprise” record that stood out in the way “Whitney Houston” did. One of the biggest missed opportunities and “what if’s” of the 1980s is the fall-out that Michael Jackson had with Ross. She would have been perfect for the “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” duet of 1987. I’m not a big fan of the song, but it would have been a match made in heaven. And of course, a full Luther Vandross produced album… that would have been nice.

Diana would have recorded IJCSLU with MJ but by this time they were not so close as they once were. MJ was upset when Diana chose Stevie over him to give her away at her wedding. He felt that he owed her no favours even though she needed a hit at this time. It would have been perfect for Diana . and i do like the song. The Luther album has been discussed many times here and was a real lost opportunity. Luther would have done two or three albums with Diana, but she was having none of it for reasons best known to herself.

[vgalindo]

I purchased Silk Electric on leave from boarding school. I was initially disappointed with the album. However, my best friend said the album was 'slick'. He went to her concert around the time and was not pleased with her performance. He had seen her when she was promoting 'The Boss" and 'An Evening With' and described these concerts as life altering events. This time around he said the set was threadbare and it seemed like she was not interested in what she doing and really wanted to get home. The crowd response, he said,was off, possibly fueled by her apparent indifference. The real highlights of the show, were "So Close" and "Fool For Your Love". which seemed to get the crowd going. He said these songs worked well live. People say 'Silk Electric' went gold because of 'Muscles'. Maybe, maybe not. It should be taken into consideration her live promotion of the album live. If you strip away all the guitars from "Fool For Your Love", it has the same basic beat of "Where Did Our Love Go".

Wow. I have seen Diana over 20 times and the "Silk Electric" tour was one of her most exciting for me.

[Bluebrock]

I hated Love Lies and FFYL when the album was released. But now I hear Love Lies differently. I think it would have been a perfect choice for the second single release.

Love lies could have been a potential single i agree, though i am not overly keen on it it is one of the better songs on the album.

[Bluebrock]

Wow. I have seen Diana over 20 times and the "Silk Electric" tour was one of her most exciting for me.

Good for you, but i cannot agree with you on that one. She was angry, distant and unfocused for various reasons , but i am glad you appreciated the tour.

[vgalindo]

Good for you, but i cannot agree with you on that one. She was angry, distant and unfocused for various reasons , but i am glad you appreciated the tour.

Well I sure didn't get that vibe at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. She was on fire. The show got great reviews. Over 20,000 fans were on their feet adoring her all night. Spoke to many people after the show and everyone loved the show. The Oakland news paper the next day said something like all other female singers need to watch and learn from Diana. They compared her show to Olivia Newton Johns show who was there the week before and favored Diana's show over Olivia's. I am not saying other shows were like this but the one I saw during this tour Diana was in all her glory!

[keith_hughes]

"It's a game of give and take".....

If Universal doesn't want physical format, then lease to a company that does. ACE has found success. There are many others.

Just noticed this reference to Ace, and thank you, Mary Brewster.

We hope to satisfy demand for unreleased Supremes tracks in a small way in the next volume of our "Motown Girls" series. [[We have George and Andy's blessing!)

Keith

[Bluebrock]

Well I sure didn't get that vibe at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. She was on fire. The show got great reviews. Over 20,000 fans were on their feet adoring her all night. Spoke to many people after the show and everyone loved the show. The Oakland news paper the next day said something like all other female singers need to watch and learn from Diana. They compared her show to Olivia Newton Johns show who was there the week before and favored Diana's show over Olivia's. I am not saying other shows were like this but the one I saw during this tour Diana was in all her glory!

That is fair enough vgalindo. Glad you loved the show. I have never seen Olivia in concert but in my opinion she lacks the charisma of Diana, and i would suspect lacks her stage presence too.

[Bokiluis]

How funny Bluebrock. I thought Diana did a really good job on FFL. It really wasn't one of my favorites but she rocked it live. I will never forget when she did it at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. It was one of the many highlights of the concert!

I was at that show. The live version of "Fool For Your Love" was much more soulful.

[Bokiluis]

I agree with you Ollie. The first three RCA albums were workmanlike to say the very best. I thought things began to improve with "swept away" and then with "eaten alive" a project that should have happened three years earlier. I know Barry Gibb quite well and i got his thoughts on the project along with Diana's own. Barry originally wanted him and Diana to duet on "islands in the stream". Diana turned him down but Barry was not to be detered. After working with Streisand and Dionne his other ambition was to work with Diana and Dusty Springfield. Dusty was not at all interested but Diana finally saw the potential. Barry clinched the deal by involving Michael Jackson. Diana and Barry hit it off but Diana and Maurice Gibb clashed quite frequently. I will not go into that here. Chain Reaction was the last song to be recorded for the project and was included at the last minute whilst a ballad from the sessions was canned. Another song from the sessions also remains in the vault.
Diana is a fan of the Bee Gees and she liked the album. Barry was also pleased with the results and the pair decided to work together again, but the relative failure of the album in the States put that idea on the backburner. I think it remains one of her most consistent RCA efforts along with RHRAB. Sadly RCA had had their fill of Diana by this time and the album was not promoted property. Barry was pissed by this and made his feelings plain.
Years later Diana approached Barry to record another album together but Barry had more serious worries at this time and the plan never came to fruition.
Hope the above helps.

i worked in the RCA Distribution office [[soon to be BMG). The weak ass RCA field staff may have been weary of having to work, but, the RCA brass wanted her to resign. She agreed to tour the BMG branches while on the "Red Hot Rhythm & Blues Tour". She stopped by the San Francisco office and that was the first time I met her and had a nearly 2 hour face to face conversation with her. She invited me to the listening party at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Believe me, if RCA was "tired of her", they would never had spend the money for an expensive event at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Unfortunately, well that's not unfortunate, but, she was pregnant with Ross and had to cancel the tour. Before she canceled the tour, she did a soldout date at the Shoreline Ampitheater.
i had an advance cassette of "Red Hot Rhythm and Blues". I kept yelling for her to sing "Cross My Heart" and "Tell Me Again". But even though their were "Red Hot Rhythm & Blues tee-shirts [[one is on sale at eBay now) and "Dirty Looks" sunglasses for promo use, even "Dirty Looks" wasn't included in the San Francisco date though it had been released and was already Top 10 @ KSOL and getting AirPlay on KMEL.

[Bokiluis]

Yes she loved that song. The problem with Diana was that she would have all these great ideas about what to record. She would record them but by the time it came to the mixing stage she would have fallen out with them and wanted to can them and record another batch of songs. This she duly did for the WDFFIL project, but RCA quickly tired of her behaviour. They had deadlines to adhere to, and did not take kindly to these sudden change of heart, pardon the pun! It all began to turn mighty sour. Diana lacked a strong person such as Berry who would stand up to her and guide her gently the way i attempted to do in the late 80's and 90's. The 80's could have been a glorious period for her with every man and his dog lining up to work with her. Instead she turned them away, went with her own instincts and look what happened there. She quickly disowned Ross83 the way she quickly disowned SE and of course WO later in the decade. If only, if only..........

That's in total contradiction to what I heard and what she has said. She made a commitment to Robert Summers, former president of RCA, that the album would be ready for the holiday selling season. Personally, I think it was her wanting to keep her word, that made "Why Do Fools" such a disappointment following "diana". Though it was admirable that she wanted to keep her word, the artistic process cannot be held hostage to a deadline. I would have rather her wait until Nile & Bernard were available for round two or wait for Michael Gore who had produced "Flashdance". She still could've had creative input but not carry the burden of getting a new album out, setting up Mgmt offices, etc. amongst her other commitments.

[Bluebrock]

That's in total contradiction to what I heard and what she has said. She made a commitment to Robert Summers, former president of RCA, that the album would be ready for the holiday selling season. Personally, I think it was her wanting to keep her word, that made "Why Do Fools" such a disappointment following "diana". Though it was admirable that she wanted to keep her word, the artistic process cannot be held hostage to a deadline. I would have rather her wait until Nile & Bernard were available for round two or wait for Michael Gore who had produced "Flashdance". She still could've had creative input but not carry the burden of getting a new album out, setting up Mgmt offices, etc. amongst her other commitments.

I can only relay what i know and what i heard. Believe me, don't believe, it is all irrelevant now.

[vgalindo]

i worked in the RCA Distribution office [[soon to be BMG). The weak ass RCA field staff may have been weary of having to work, but, the RCA brass wanted her to resign. She agreed to tour the BMG branches while on the "Red Hot Rhythm & Blues Tour". She stopped by the San Francisco office and that was the first time I met her and had a nearly 2 hour face to face conversation with her. She invited me to the listening party at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Believe me, if RCA was "tired of her", they would never had spend the money for an expensive event at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Unfortunately, well that's not unfortunate, but, she was pregnant with Ross and had to cancel the tour. Before she canceled the tour, she did a soldout date at the Shoreline Ampitheater.
i had an advance cassette of "Red Hot Rhythm and Blues". I kept yelling for her to sing "Cross My Heart" and "Tell Me Again". But even though their were "Red Hot Rhythm & Blues tee-shirts [[one is on sale at eBay now) and "Dirty Looks" sunglasses for promo use, even "Dirty Looks" wasn't included in the San Francisco date though it had been released and was already Top 10 @ KSOL and getting AirPlay on KMEL.

I attended that show as well as the one at the Concord Pavilion and didn't understand why she didn't do anything from Red-hot rhythm and blues.

[Bokiluis]

I attended that show as well as the one at the Concord Pavilion and didn't understand why she didn't do anything from Red-hot rhythm and blues.

We can only speculate, but, I think her pregnancy was a wonderful new surprise for her. But that doesn't explain preparation. I do recall her looking puzzled in my direction as I yelled out song titles that audiences shouldn't have known. She didn't realize that advances were circulating on cassette. It was before CD advances had become the standard.
By the time of "The Force Behind the Power", she actually included 6-7 in that set before Motown got that album out.
so what is better, not including new unreleased material or practically doing an entire new album, as she did on the "Here and Now Tour".
i saw the opening dates on that tour up and down the east coast, and if Motown would have had "The Force Behind the Power" in stores beginning ith the opening date in Poughkeepsie, that album would have been Top 10 in all the tour markets. The tour began in June 1991 but Motown did not get the album in stores until September. In the U.K., they pre-released the album to compliment her appearance on the Queen's Variety special which set the album up to eventually go Double Platinum in the U.K.

[Bluebrock]

We can only speculate, but, I think her pregnancy was a wonderful new surprise for her. But that doesn't explain preparation. I do recall her looking puzzled in my direction as I yelled out song titles that audiences shouldn't have known. She didn't realize that advances were circulating on cassette. It was before CD advances had become the standard.
By the time of "The Force Behind the Power", she actually included 6-7 in that set before Motown got that album out.
so what is better, not including new unreleased material or practically doing an entire new album, as she did on the "Here and Now Tour".
i saw the opening dates on that tour up and down the east coast, and if Motown would have had "The Force Behind the Power" in stores beginning ith the opening date in Poughkeepsie, that album would have been Top 10 in all the tour markets. The tour began in June 1991 but Motown did not get the album in stores until September. In the U.K., they pre-released the album to compliment her appearance on the Queen's Variety special which set the album up to eventually go Double Platinum in the U.K.

Thats right. We scheduled the album in the UK around the time of the Royal Variety Performance knowing full well this show got audiences of around 15 million. We also booked a couple of other TV appearances as well, and got great support from Radio 1 and 2. We knew we had a winner here, Diana firmly believed in the album and was the ultimate professional. Great memories. Thank you for reminding me.

[Ollie9]

I believe "RHR&B also had huge potential that was thwarted by terrible single choices and no real promotion in Europe, Diana's best sales market. Had songs such as "It's Hard For Me To Say", "Shine" or "Cross My Heart" been released as singles and promoted on various UK and other european tv shows, much in the way FBTP was it's fate could have been very different indeed.

[Bluebrock]

I believe "RHR&B also had huge potential that was thwarted by terrible single choices and no real promotion in Europe, Diana's best sales market. Had songs such as "It's Hard For Me To Say", "Shine" or "Cross My Heart" been released as singles and promoted on various UK and other european tv shows, much in the way FBTP was it's fate could have been very different indeed.

Your probably right Ollie. That was just before I came on board. The album had potential hits, and indeed so did EATEN ALIVE which also suffered from a poor choice of singles CHAIN REACTION aside of course. What I could have done with those albums........

[Jaap]

The first song I heard from RHR&B was "It's Hard For Me To Say" which they played on the Dutch radio, even before the album was officially released. The same with "That's How You Start Over." In both cases, I was convinced that these songs would be released as singles! I guess "Shockwaves" was chosen in the aim to repeat the success of "Chain Reaction." I was hoping for "Shine" -- not a big fan of Simply Red but I loved that song and was hoping for a good 12 inch version.

[sup_fan]

Eaten Alive [[the song) was much better live than recorded. for whatever reason, the Jacksons love unintelligible, mushy vocals. Michael, Janet and the others consistently have recordings where you have to STRAIN to figure out what the heck they're singing. Enunciation is not their forte lol. And apparently/obviously it works for them. It wasn't a good idea though for Diana. her fans were used to decades of crystal clear songs and articulation.

I'm not saying EA would have been a #1 single. but the track isn't bad and the song could have at least charted respectably had people been able to understand it.

[sup_fan]

as for RHRB I think the released album, in the US, was very uneven.

[lakedistrictlad1]

I believe "RHR&B also had huge potential that was thwarted by terrible single choices

I have to agree. There were some gems on that album. I thought 'Shine' could have been a hit. I remember hearing 'Mr Lee' being played on Radio 1 when it was a single and the dj whipped the track off after about 30 seconds, saying it was rubbish. I had to agree with him. Whoever made the singles choices from that album, at least for the U.K, really messed up i.m.o.

[Ollie9]

"Thats How You Start Over" "Chain Reaction" and "Shine" were to my ears the obvious choice for lead single selection from their prospective albums. This is not said in hindsight, as this is what i believed when the albums were first released.
I think RHR&B would be better remembered today had it produced at least a couple of hits. It has a light/bright, summer feel to it which is appealing. "Dirty Looks" is an ok album track, while "Shockwaves" is in nowhere near the same league as "Chain Reaction". "Mr Lee" as a single leaves me speechless. Who made these decisions??.
The album garnered some very nice reviews in the UK, summer of 87 with one reviewer calling it timeless.

[144man]

Just noticed this reference to Ace, and thank you, Mary Brewster.

We hope to satisfy demand for unreleased Supremes tracks in a small way in the next volume of our "Motown Girls" series. [[We have George and Andy's blessing!)

Keith

It's strange how such an important post as this has been overlooked, especially as it's on-topic.

[JohnnyB]

It's strange how such an important post as this has been overlooked, especially as it's on-topic.

It definitely got my attention; I hope additional
Information is coming!

[carole cucumber]

Just noticed this reference to Ace, and thank you, Mary Brewster.

We hope to satisfy demand for unreleased Supremes tracks in a small way in the next volume of our "Motown Girls" series. [[We have George and Andy's blessing!)

Keith

As no one else has mentioned it, I did note that Mr. Hughes has not indicated whether the Supremes' track[[s) are Diana or post-Diana.

[keith_hughes]

Oh definitely pre, Miss Cucumber. Ace do put out 70s Motown material from time to time [[more of it in the planning stage right now), but that's not what I have in mind for the Supremes in Motown Girls 3.

Do I dare to tell you, publicly, that I'm more of a Mary fan than a Diana fan? No, I think better not. Too big a clue. Plus who knows whether MG3 will ever happen?

[marv2]

Do I dare to tell you, publicly, that I'm more of a Mary fan than a Diana fan? No, I think better not. Too big a clue. Plus who knows whether MG3 will ever happen?

So am I. I dare say it loud!!! Love Mary!

[carole cucumber]

Oh definitely pre, Miss Cucumber. Ace do put out 70s Motown material from time to time [[more of it in the planning stage right now), but that's not what I have in mind for the Supremes in Motown Girls 3.

Do I dare to tell you, publicly, that I'm more of a Mary fan than a Diana fan? No, I think better not. Too big a clue. Plus who knows whether MG3 will ever happen?

Who knows? Well you certainly know, Mr. Hughes..... but thank you for sending the clue and letting us in on the possibility!

[captainjames]

Interesting discussion
I would have picked stranger In Paradise and Tell Me Again.

[lakedistrictlad1]

Oh definitely pre, Miss Cucumber. Ace do put out 70s Motown material from time to time [[more of it in the planning stage right now), but that's not what I have in mind for the Supremes in Motown Girls 3.

Do I dare to tell you, publicly, that I'm more of a Mary fan than a Diana fan? No, I think better not. Too big a clue. Plus who knows whether MG3 will ever happen?

Ooooh Mr Hughes, you are such a tease!

[keith_hughes]

Who knows? Well you certainly know, Mr. Hughes..... but thank you for sending the clue and letting us in on the possibility!

You're unfair on me. I DON'T KNOW whether it will happen. We have to make a track list, get it approved by Ace, then get it cleared by Universal. I'm just saying there IS some stuff - i.e answering the thread question - and that I'd like to get it out there.

[carole cucumber]

Mr. Hughes,

I apologize for my remark. I thought that you were hinting that it was on the docket for next year. I had assumed that the Motown Guys/Girls series had sold well enough to continue. If it's meant to be, then it will happen. If Ace or Universal have reservations, it will not.

[Bluebrock]

So am I. I dare say it loud!!! Love Mary!

I am more of a Jean fan than both Diana and Mary so I hope that means we have a 70's Supremes lost and found on the way!!

[RossHolloway]

Oh definitely pre, Miss Cucumber. Ace do put out 70s Motown material from time to time [[more of it in the planning stage right now), but that's not what I have in mind for the Supremes in Motown Girls 3.

Do I dare to tell you, publicly, that I'm more of a Mary fan than a Diana fan? No, I think better not. Too big a clue. Plus who knows whether MG3 will ever happen?

I'm going to guess an Expanded Edition of Red Hot, Mary's first solo album.

[marv2]

I'm going to guess an Expanded Edition of Red Hot, Mary's first solo album.

Mary Wilson's first solo album was titled "Mary Wilson".

[keith_hughes]

Mr. Hughes,

I apologize for my remark. I thought that you were hinting that it was on the docket for next year. I had assumed that the Motown Guys/Girls series had sold well enough to continue. If it's meant to be, then it will happen. If Ace or Universal have reservations, it will not.

Well of course we want to do another Motown Girls, ma'am, and indeed the series sells well. I'm just saying there are some steps between wanting and getting. We [[I) don't tell you when we have an idea, and it gets turned down somewhere along the line. The reasons why that happens are many and various. We roll with it, and if a proposal fails, we try to come up with something different - which might include the same tracks we previously proposed, under a different project title!

When I write my autobiography, I'll list all the projects I've proposed that have been turned down, and why. I hope you hope, as I do, that I'll have better things than that to do for a long time to come ...

[Bokiluis]

Thats right. We scheduled the album in the UK around the time of the Royal Variety Performance knowing full well this show got audiences of around 15 million. We also booked a couple of other TV appearances as well, and got great support from Radio 1 and 2. We knew we had a winner here, Diana firmly believed in the album and was the ultimate professional. Great memories. Thank you for reminding me.

You're welcome. It also gave me the benefit of having the import CD months before the U.S. release. EMI International even made singles boxes to house the CD/cassette single of "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" cross promoting the Royal Variety Performance including a great appearance on Des O'Connor. Diana believed she had a hit, but, more importantly...so did EMI and they treated the album accordingly for an entire year. As Motown stumbled at every turn. I often felt like the Motown staff might as well been given a classical record to work, they were that clueless.

[Bokiluis]

I'm going to guess an Expanded Edition of Red Hot, Mary's first solo album.

An expanded edition of an album that reportedly sold less than 7,000 copies? On new release day/week, I couldn't even find a "new" copy to buy. I ended up buying a promo copy in Kenmore Square/Boston.
I did like the instrumental of "Red Hot". But the rest of the album sounded like Hal Davis only recorded the first take with little to no eq-ing.
it would be interesting to hear what Gus Dudgeon [[Elton John) had recorded on her since I really like the first "Elton John", "Madman Across the Water", etc. He was an interesting choice as a producer to go from a generic disco album to a rock/pop direction.
Frank Wilson would have also been an interesting choice as a producer since he honed her vocals on the early Supremes 70s albums.
But I certainly wouldn't be too excited about more tracks from the "Mary Wilson" Mary Wilson debut. [[Mary Hartmann, Mary Hartmann).

[Thornton]

Thanks to everyone who's contributed info about Diana Ross' RCA years. I've wrongly overlooked them for many years. I even forgot I had a copy of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and have been listening to the album for the past few days. If you put it up against "diana" 1980 it doesn't sound as strong, but on it's own I think it's a fun album, and shows Ross trying something new. I've also added the rest of her RCA albums to my too long "To Buy" list.

[Bluebrock]

An expanded edition of an album that reportedly sold less than 7,000 copies? On new release day/week, I couldn't even find a "new" copy to buy. I ended up buying a promo copy in Kenmore Square/Boston.
I did like the instrumental of "Red Hot". But the rest of the album sounded like Hal Davis only recorded the first take with little to no eq-ing.
it would be interesting to hear what Gus Dudgeon [[Elton John) had recorded on her since I really like the first "Elton John", "Madman Across the Water", etc. He was an interesting choice as a producer to go from a generic disco album to a rock/pop direction.
Frank Wilson would have also been an interesting choice as a producer since he honed her vocals on the early Supremes 70s albums.
But I certainly wouldn't be too excited about more tracks from the "Mary Wilson" Mary Wilson debut. [[Mary Hartmann, Mary Hartmann).

I also share your fears. It was a very poor album and i can think of far more worthy efforts to concentrate on , but it would be interesting to hear any unreleased tracks which could hardly be worse than some of the stuff on that ill conceived album. I would probably buy the damn thing out of respect for Mary , but i would much prefer to hear some Jean Terrell led vaulted songs.

[Bluebrock]

You're welcome. It also gave me the benefit of having the import CD months before the U.S. release. EMI International even made singles boxes to house the CD/cassette single of "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" cross promoting the Royal Variety Performance including a great appearance on Des O'Connor. Diana believed she had a hit, but, more importantly...so did EMI and they treated the album accordingly for an entire year. As Motown stumbled at every turn. I often felt like the Motown staff might as well been given a classical record to work, they were that clueless.

Yes we were very creative with those cd singles. We were given a large budget to work on, and Diana could not do enough to help us. I spent many happy hours discussing cd cover designs and future single choices. Wonderful happy memories.

[marv2]

Oh definitely pre, Miss Cucumber. Ace do put out 70s Motown material from time to time [[more of it in the planning stage right now), but that's not what I have in mind for the Supremes in Motown Girls 3.

Do I dare to tell you, publicly, that I'm more of a Mary fan than a Diana fan? No, I think better not. Too big a clue. Plus who knows whether MG3 will ever happen?

I do hope it is an expanded version of the lp "Mary Wilson". Since she is the only one of the Supremes to have a hit recently, it makes sense. Besides there's been enough released on Diana Ross to fill up 3 garbage cans!

[bradsupremes]

An expanded edition of an album that reportedly sold less than 7,000 copies? On new release day/week, I couldn't even find a "new" copy to buy. I ended up buying a promo copy in Kenmore Square/Boston.
I did like the instrumental of "Red Hot". But the rest of the album sounded like Hal Davis only recorded the first take with little to no eq-ing.
it would be interesting to hear what Gus Dudgeon [[Elton John) had recorded on her since I really like the first "Elton John", "Madman Across the Water", etc. He was an interesting choice as a producer to go from a generic disco album to a rock/pop direction.
Frank Wilson would have also been an interesting choice as a producer since he honed her vocals on the early Supremes 70s albums.
But I certainly wouldn't be too excited about more tracks from the "Mary Wilson" Mary Wilson debut. [[Mary Hartmann, Mary Hartmann).

Mary's debut album deserved better. Better material, better producer, etc. No offense to Hal David, but she needed someone like the Holland Brothers. They should have guided her in the direction of those brilliant ballads she did on the final Supremes albums. With that being said, those 4 Gus Dudgeon tracks deserve to see the light of day. Those should have been her debut album. The style was different for her, but it fit. She excels on them. "Save Me" and "Love Talk" should have been singles. I think "Save Me" could have been a hit if given the right promotion. It's a shame Motown dropped her because those 4 tracks with Gus had so much potential to become something great.

I'd love to see what more Ace has in store for other deserving Motown artists who haven't had the releases yet. Gladys Knight & the Pips especially.

[Bluebrock]

Mary's debut album deserved better. Better material, better producer, etc. No offense to Hal David, but she needed someone like the Holland Brothers. They should have guided her in the direction of those brilliant ballads she did on the final Supremes albums. With that being said, those 4 Gus Dudgeon tracks deserve to see the light of day. Those should have been her debut album. The style was different for her, but it fit. She excels on them. "Save Me" and "Love Talk" should have been singles. I think "Save Me" could have been a hit if given the right promotion. It's a shame Motown dropped her because those 4 tracks with Gus had so much potential to become something great.

I'd love to see what more Ace has in store for other deserving Motown artists who haven't had the releases yet. Gladys Knight & the Pips especially.

I have said that so many times. Mary deserved better material than she was given, but we all know it was just a ploy by Motown to get rid of her.
As regards Gladys and the Pips - oh yes indeed my friend!

[RossHolloway]

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't George Solomon do a remix of Mary's single RedHot and it was played on Midnight Johnny's show? And if I recall correctly the remix was excellent!

[Bokiluis]

I do hope it is an expanded version of the lp "Mary Wilson". Since she is the only one of the Supremes to have a hit recently, it makes sense. Besides there's been enough released on Diana Ross to fill up 3 garbage cans!

The more things change......