The Best Diana Ross Albums

[jobeterob]

https://www.ranker.com/list/best-dia...list/reference

[florence]

Very interesting list.

Great to see that Silk Electric is in the top half as I love that album but most on the Forum don't rate it at all.

It's a worldwide vote which explains why The Force Behind The Power is in the top 10.

It's my favourite album, her biggest seller in the UK [[Studio albums) although it stiffed in the US.

[PeaceNHarmony]

Truly interesting! I like seeing 'Silk Electric' as well - but I also like the 'Red Ross' better than most do. A cool list; JRob - thanks for finding.

[Bluebrock]

Truly interesting! I like seeing 'Silk Electric' as well - but I also like the 'Red Ross' better than most do. A cool list; JRob - thanks for finding.

We all have different ideas about what should be near the top. Personally i cannot believe how high Silk Electric is but it's different strokes for different folks. We can all make our individual lists and at the end of the day does it really matter whether your personal favourite is at the top?

[masterblaster]

What is this list based on, worldwide sale?
And how does the album 'Making Spirits Bright' rank higher than many of the Supremes albums. Never heard of this release but apparently only 6 of the 12 tracks are sung by Diana Ross with another two tracks recorded with the Supremes in the 60's.

[PeaceNHarmony]

We all have different ideas about what should be near the top. Personally i cannot believe how high Silk Electric is but it's different strokes for different folks. We can all make our individual lists and at the end of the day does it really matter whether your personal favourite is at the top?

It's part of the psychological phenomenon known as 'confirmation-bias', meaning we like to have our opinions validated by others. I have fun with pretty much any list as they jog my memory and get me to listen to titles that I may normally pass up -

[sansradio]

What is this list based on, worldwide sale?
And how does the album 'Making Spirits Bright' rank higher than many of the Supremes albums. Never heard of this release but apparently only 6 of the 12 tracks are sung by Diana Ross with another two tracks recorded with the Supremes in the 60's.

It's basically just an interactive poll; your up-or-down voting affects the ranking.

There are no Supremes tracks on Making Spirits Bright, BTW.

[jobeterob]

What is this list based on, worldwide sale?
And how does the album 'Making Spirits Bright' rank higher than many of the Supremes albums. Never heard of this release but apparently only 6 of the 12 tracks are sung by Diana Ross with another two tracks recorded with the Supremes in the 60's.

I think it's just a voting thing and we can vote if we want; I didn't try to vote

[jobeterob]

It's part of the psychological phenomenon known as 'confirmation-bias', meaning we like to have our opinions validated by others. I have fun with pretty much any list as they jog my memory and get me to listen to titles that I may normally pass up -

And sometimes it makes you go dig up an old cd or listen to some old song

[Bluebrock]

Why is the Boss listed at no.2 and no.6? It's a great album [[quite possibly my personal favourite) but this is surely an error?

[jobeterob]

Why is the Boss listed at no.2 and no.6? It's a great album [[quite possibly my personal favourite) but this is surely an error?

Seems a bit odd alright

[PeaceNHarmony]

And sometimes it makes you go dig up an old cd or listen to some old song

Indeed. I've been happily rewarded many times by re-listening after reading one of this sort of list.

[sup_fan]

Of course there's always a lot of subjectivity to these types of things. Frankly I think they've listed her Supremes work too low. And I would have put Blue and LSTB higher too.

I don't think Baby It's Me is her strongest work. It's a solid, excellent album. But I think Boss is stronger. The Boss set challenges her more vocally. And IMO the material is superior. Same could be said for her other A&S sets. I think they and Masser are the best producers for her. Followed closely by Gil

[RanRan79]

Surrender is probably my favorite Diana Ross album, song for song. Not a "bad" song on it. I can listen to it all the way through without making it a point to skip anything. I'm not sure she has another solo album that I can say that about.

[RanRan79]

I don't think Baby It's Me is her strongest work. It's a solid, excellent album. But I think Boss is stronger. The Boss set challenges her more vocally. And IMO the material is superior. Same could be said for her other A&S sets. I think they and Masser are the best producers for her. Followed closely by Gil

I would add Quincy Jones to that list. I'm still ticked that we never got a Q produced Diana album outside of the Wiz. I wish he had produced her unreleased solo Wiz album.

[sup_fan]

I actually don't have the Wiz soundtrack. Never been a huge fan of it. I do appreciate the recently released Diana Sings Song from the Wiz. If nothing else for her versatility in singing all of the roles and songs. She's quite adept at each one - no surprise lol

[Motown Eddie]

Question; how did Sing Disney Classics make the list of best Diana Ross albums? Outside of a few songs, the album has never been released in full [[at least here in the US). And you come up empty when you click on the title in the list [[the same thing also happens when I tried to click on the We Love Diana Remix Collection).

[RanRan79]

I actually don't have the Wiz soundtrack. Never been a huge fan of it. I do appreciate the recently released Diana Sings Song from the Wiz. If nothing else for her versatility in singing all of the roles and songs. She's quite adept at each one - no surprise lol

I love the Wiz soundtrack [[and the movie). The music is just great, but specifically where Diana is concerned, Quincy has her belting in a way that she rarely- if ever- did before. You mention her versatility. That is one of the reasons I'm such a HUGE fan of her voice, so I would've loved more from the pairing of her with Q if it meant getting some more of this facet of her voice.

As for the Diana's solo album of the songs from the movie, most of it is great, but there's a few tracks that I'm hoping were demo only. But I actually keep a couple of them [[namely "The Feeling We Once Had" and "Wonder, Wonder Why") in rotation on my ipod.

[reese]

Question; how did Sing Disney Classics make the list of best Diana Ross albums? Outside of a few songs, the album has never been released in full [[at least here in the US). And you come up empty when you click on the title in the list [[the same thing also happens when I tried to click on the We Love Diana Remix Collection).

Fans probably are referring to the various Disney tracks that have been released on collections like 25TH ANNIVERSARY and other compilations. I believe there are also some bootlegs floating around as well.

[sup_fan]

I do think it's a true loss that she was never able to wrk directly w Quincy in the 80s. Fascinating to think what might have occurred

I'm not a fan of the Eaten Alive set. Mostly because 1) her vocals are so muddy and muffled and 2) I don't like the Gibbs doing backups. The nasality of their falsetto combined w her natural nasality is a bad combo imo. Too bad that wasn't when she might have worked w Q

[RanRan79]

I do think it's a true loss that she was never able to wrk directly w Quincy in the 80s. Fascinating to think what might have occurred

I'm not a fan of the Eaten Alive set. Mostly because 1) her vocals are so muddy and muffled and 2) I don't like the Gibbs doing backups. The nasality of their falsetto combined w her natural nasality is a bad combo imo. Too bad that wasn't when she might have worked w Q

Horrible decision giving the Gibbs a Diana album. Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, would have been better choices and I think would have yielded her some hits. I try not to think about a Michael Jackson produced Diana album. Makes me sick to think of the greatness we would've gotten but didn't get.

[Guy]

Horrible decision giving the Gibbs a Diana album. Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, would have been better choices and I think would have yielded her some hits. I try not to think about a Michael Jackson produced Diana album. Makes me sick to think of the greatness we would've gotten but didn't get.

I feel that way about a Luther/Ross duet. How did that not happen??? Their voices would have meshed so magically and Luther would have been painstakingly meticulous in his production and arrangement, careful to emphasize the very best aspects of Ross' vocal delivery. So sad...

[jobeterob]

I thought Eaten Alive was one of her best albums.

[sup_fan]

Actually I'm not so sure an MJ produced Diana album would have been a good idea. His style of singing was totally different. His pronunciation and diction was polar opposite to D. Sure his songs r great and his style works for him. But listen the the title track from Eaten Alive. To my ears this is pure Michael. And it doesn't work for Diana. I do think a full Lionel or Luther lp would have been strong

[vgalindo]

I thought Eaten Alive was one of her best albums.

Me too. Love the Eaten Alive album. It's in my top 5 Ross albums.

[Bluebrock]

I do think it's a true loss that she was never able to wrk directly w Quincy in the 80s. Fascinating to think what might have occurred

I'm not a fan of the Eaten Alive set. Mostly because 1) her vocals are so muddy and muffled and 2) I don't like the Gibbs doing backups. The nasality of their falsetto combined w her natural nasality is a bad combo imo. Too bad that wasn't when she might have worked w Q

If she was very going to work with Quincy it would have been on what turned out to be the Why Do Fools Fall In Love album. He agreed to take up production duties but insisted upon finishing work on Patti Austin's Every Home Should Have One album before working with Diana. RCA and Diana herself did not wish to wait an additional 6 months so she took on production duties herself, and we all know how that turned out. Some of the proposed songs were later used by Quincy on Donna Summer's self titled album a couple of years later.

[Bluebrock]

Horrible decision giving the Gibbs a Diana album. Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, would have been better choices and I think would have yielded her some hits. I try not to think about a Michael Jackson produced Diana album. Makes me sick to think of the greatness we would've gotten but didn't get.

I got to hear some of the demos for the propsed MJ produced album, and the songs i heard were mostly downtempo including Your The One which MJ later produced on Jennifer Holliday. He wanted to be in charge of what turned out to be the Silk Electric album, and we all know how badly that one turned out. It is frustrating to think her first pair of RCA albums should have been produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson, and in their place we got WDFFIL and SE. Two real lost opportunities.

[Bluebrock]

Me too. Love the Eaten Alive album. It's in my top 5 Ross albums.

It's not a classic all the way through but it would probably just about make my top 10. Some really good songs on there.

[Bluebrock]

Surrender is probably my favorite Diana Ross album, song for song. Not a "bad" song on it. I can listen to it all the way through without making it a point to skip anything. I'm not sure she has another solo album that I can say that about.

Diana and A&S were wonderful together. I adore all the work they did together. All 3 albums would be in my top 5 or 6.

[Bluebrock]

I feel that way about a Luther/Ross duet. How did that not happen??? Their voices would have meshed so magically and Luther would have been painstakingly meticulous in his production and arrangement, careful to emphasize the very best aspects of Ross' vocal delivery. So sad...

Blame Diana for that. Luther practically begged Diana to let him produce a full album on her, and at one point she was quite receptive to it, but when she heard the album he did with Dionne Warwick she backed out. She had loved the two albums he did with Aretha but did not rate the one with Dionne. Luther was devastated but continued to plug away. Sadly it never happened.

[daviddh]

I have added the first Ross album I bought,,,,DIANA ROSS 76. it has remained a favorite of mine to this day. classic ross for me.
why does she have so many albums with same titles.
I don't get the Disney selection myself. it was never released.
I wish Diana had worked with QJ and some other as well..
I liked the Eaten Alive album. I would change out perhaps 2 songs but some beautiful vocals

[daviddh]

I see some didn't see the list rules at top of page.....
solo albums only and only legit albums.

[RanRan79]

Actually I'm not so sure an MJ produced Diana album would have been a good idea. His style of singing was totally different. His pronunciation and diction was polar opposite to D. Sure his songs r great and his style works for him. But listen the the title track from Eaten Alive. To my ears this is pure Michael. And it doesn't work for Diana. I do think a full Lionel or Luther lp would have been strong

Well yeah, MJ and Diana are two different vocalists, but I don't think he would force her to do an imitation of him. [[Although to be quite honest, I've always heard the influence of Diana in his voice, especially during his J5 days.) She approaches the verses of EA in a whispery sort of way. I wouldn't say that's a trademark of MJ and truth is Diana has "whispered" her way through a couple tunes prior to this. The song has grown on me in recent years, but it wasn't the right fit for her. Michael should've done it himself. "Muscles" on the other hand was brilliant, even if a bit on the corny side IMO. I think MJ could've given Diana a classic album.

[RanRan79]

Diana and A&S were wonderful together. I adore all the work they did together. All 3 albums would be in my top 5 or 6.

I agree. Fantastic pairing. All three albums together are top notch in my book.

[RanRan79]

Blame Diana for that. Luther practically begged Diana to let him produce a full album on her, and at one point she was quite receptive to it, but when she heard the album he did with Dionne Warwick she backed out. She had loved the two albums he did with Aretha but did not rate the one with Dionne. Luther was devastated but continued to plug away. Sadly it never happened.

That was just a dumb decision. Luther tapped into who Aretha is. He helped make the Queen of Soul relevant to the 80s. I know the album he did with Dionne doesn't rate high with some people, but I think the album is much better than some folks give it credit. I think Luther gave Dionne songs that fit Dionne. Whether those songs resonated with the public is something else entirely. The songs sound like they're right up Dionne's alley. There's no reason Luther wouldn't have been able to tap into who Diana is as a vocalist and tailor a project to her gift. The song he did for her on RHRAB I don't care for it, but it's definitely a Diana type song. Her RCA period seems plagued with these kinds of silly decisions and as a result that period isn't highly regarded by the general public. Such a shame too as she was in FINE vocal form during that time. Luther could've really given her something to sink her teeth into.

[daviddh]

I think Diana recording some tracks with Valerie Simpson would be great, perhaps a few with Barry Gibb and perhaps even a Lionel Richie song or 2

[daviddh]

surprised that Last Time I saw Him and I Love You both charted high. both are duds to me

[reese]

Blame Diana for that. Luther practically begged Diana to let him produce a full album on her, and at one point she was quite receptive to it, but when she heard the album he did with Dionne Warwick she backed out. She had loved the two albums he did with Aretha but did not rate the one with Dionne. Luther was devastated but continued to plug away. Sadly it never happened.

That's too bad. I actually enjoy Luther's album with Dionne more than those that the did with Aretha, even though the first, JUMP TO IT, was well done. I found the follow-up, GET IT RIGHT, to be a bit boring.

[Boogiedown]

I don't think Luther's success rate as a producer , including of himself, offers much guarantee on what results he'd have gotten with Diana . Quincy Jones is pretty hit and miss too, including of himself, best when working in conjunction with MJ. The Bee Gees were more consistent although pretty played out by the time Diana got her hands on them.

As far as Michael producing her [[did he produce anybody?? ) Just play MUSCLES five time in a row and that should give you your fill.

[Bluebrock]

surprised that Last Time I saw Him and I Love You both charted high. both are duds to me

I agree David. Along with the dreadful working overtime these are the weakest Ross albums in my opinion. Everything is Everything isn't too hot either , but slightly better than those three.

[daviddh]

Bluebrock, we think a lot a like

[Guy]

Blame Diana for that. Luther practically begged Diana to let him produce a full album on her, and at one point she was quite receptive to it, but when she heard the album he did with Dionne Warwick she backed out. She had loved the two albums he did with Aretha but did not rate the one with Dionne. Luther was devastated but continued to plug away. Sadly it never happened.

Yes, I know. Once she left Motown she just didn't have an 'ear' for the musical settings that would have best complemented her talent. Luther's biographer noted that he once visited Ross backstage and saw she had his 1985 "The Night I Fell In Love" CD. So she was still listening to his music after Dionne's mediocre 1983 album. Even if she didn't want him to produce a whole album they could have done a wonderful duet. It certainly would have been more memorable than the one she did with Al B. Sure. Even hearing them harmonize on that brief clip of "Best Years Of My Life" during RTL, it is clear they would have sounded wonderful together.

[Guy]

That was just a dumb decision. Luther tapped into who Aretha is. He helped make the Queen of Soul relevant to the 80s. I know the album he did with Dionne doesn't rate high with some people, but I think the album is much better than some folks give it credit. I think Luther gave Dionne songs that fit Dionne. Whether those songs resonated with the public is something else entirely. The songs sound like they're right up Dionne's alley. There's no reason Luther wouldn't have been able to tap into who Diana is as a vocalist and tailor a project to her gift. The song he did for her on RHRAB I don't care for it, but it's definitely a Diana type song. Her RCA period seems plagued with these kinds of silly decisions and as a result that period isn't highly regarded by the general public. Such a shame too as she was in FINE vocal form during that time. Luther could've really given her something to sink her teeth into.

I think the truth is Ross didn't think Luther could give her 'pop' hits. She was probably right about that. We would have had a gorgeous R&B/Soul album without much youth appeal or crossover potential. Ross was still feeling competitive with Madonna, Whitney, Janet, etc. and did not want to be pushed into an adult contemporary setting. Sadly, she never had any 'pop' hits after 1984 anyway. So we got "Eaten Alive" and "Workin' Overtime" instead of a quality Vandross production.

[daviddh]

I am surprised she didn't go in and do a few demos with various producers including Luther. but I do think that after being controlled by a man for 20 years she wanted to prove herself. I do think she should have listened to some and allowed herself some room to work with other or more producers. how she hears herself and how we all hear her are different ...I think

[daviddh]

I was looking at the top ten best of DR albums and for the most part I agree. the only exception is leaving out her 1976 album.
I think now Baby Its Me is #1, #2 Diana , #3 Boss, #4 Surrender,#5 Diana ross 1970,#6 Take Me Higher, #7 The Force Behind..Power, #8 Swept Away #9 Touch Me In The morning #10 Blue . I would switch out her 76 lp with Swept Away , but overall , we all have good taste

[RanRan79]

I think the truth is Ross didn't think Luther could give her 'pop' hits. She was probably right about that. We would have had a gorgeous R&B/Soul album without much youth appeal or crossover potential. Ross was still feeling competitive with Madonna, Whitney, Janet, etc. and did not want to be pushed into an adult contemporary setting. Sadly, she never had any 'pop' hits after 1984 anyway. So we got "Eaten Alive" and "Workin' Overtime" instead of a quality Vandross production.

LOL You're pretty much echoing my sentiments in another thread a few months back, in regards to Diana's mentality at the time. She was trying to compete [[and failed miserably) with young women who had something to prove. Meanwhile Diana was already a legend and had nothing left to prove in that aspect. Rather than be herself, she was settling in order to compete with the younger crowd. Aretha didn't do that. Patti Labelle didn't do that. Tina Turner didn't do that. Gladys Knight didn't do that. Four women who started out around the same time as Diana. All of them hit lulls in their careers but were able to churn out hits, hit albums and revitalize careers with projects and working with producers who kept them relevant and allowed them to retain that thing that made them who they were. I think Luther, Lionel, Quincy, even Michael, would have been able to do that had she let them.

[RanRan79]

but I do think that after being controlled by a man for 20 years she wanted to prove herself.

LOL Once again, this is something I said in a previous thread months ago. I think when she left Motown it was like a sheltered kid leaving home. She left Motown and refused to be controlled again, except she clearly needed someone to step in and tell her "bad move" with some of those decisions. I can't imagine that she had anyone other than Yes men and women in her business circle.

[TomatoTom123]

LOL You're pretty much echoing my sentiments in another thread a few months back

LOL Once again, this is something I said in a previous thread months ago.

LOL, all hail the omniscient RanRan

[RanRan79]

LOL, all hail the omniscient RanRan

Finally someone recognizes the truth!!