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  1. #1
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    Let Somebody Know

    Somebody created a video to my favorite track from the Take Me Higher album:


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    One of my all time favourite songs by Diana which was not included on the UK release of Take Me Higher. Big mistake in my opinion.

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    The song is definitely a hidden gem, my favorite song on TMH too and I was also surprised when it was not included on the European edition of the album. It's not as generic as the other main ballads on the album [[Voice of the Heart and Only Love Can Conquer All) and I love the gospel feel of the background vocals without taking over the entire song. Brenda Russell also recorded a version of the song herself for her 2005 Between the Sun and the Moon album, though I agree with a review of the album that states it is not as good as the Ross original version: "Russell also continues her trend of offering up inferior renditions of her own tunes. In this case, it's the gospel-infused ballad 'Let Somebody Know', which she wrote for the Diana Ross's 1995 album Take Me Higher. While Russell's version is certainly passable, there's a sterility that's absent when performed by a polished singer of Ross's magnitude."
    https://www.popmatters.com/russellbr...496046425.html


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    I agree with the gospel aspect on LSK Jaap. Diana's version has a kind of spiritual feel to it which I think is lacking in the Brenda Russell version.

    Diana's voice does seem to be well suited to gospel singer style background vocals.

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    I've heard Brenda's recordings, she doesn't strike me as someone who throws down like that. I imagine Brenda would've done Donna Summer's "Dinner with Gershwin" in a way that wasn't always sophisticated or funky as Donna's song. Or if Tina Turner had recorded a BR track, it would've been turned into a rock-and-soul [[or straight up rock) ballad. The fact that Diana made this a gospel-ish recording is not really surprising, considering that a good chunk of her recordings have a gospel flavor to them.

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    Quote Originally Posted by rovereab View Post
    I agree with the gospel aspect on LSK Jaap. Diana's version has a kind of spiritual feel to it which I think is lacking in the Brenda Russell version.

    Diana's voice does seem to be well suited to gospel singer style background vocals.
    Diana's voice is also suited to gospel singing.

    Her sweet and cooing voice was a marketing ploy which was successful for getting her and her groupmates a bunch of hits. But in the video below, you can see that Diana can get down with the best of them. I keep this video on my phone to show people who diss Diana's ability to sing.

    Berry did the same with Mary Wells. She started out singing the raw "Bye Bye Baby" but then switched to a format that gave her major hits like MY GUY, TWO LOVERS, ONE WHOE REALLY LOVES YOU, etc.

    And who knew? Diana can sing without a wig !!!

    But truth be told, I prefer the sweet cooing voices of Diana Ross and Mary Wells




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    I remember hearing a certain Supreme mention Diana throwing down on the Margie Hendricks part of The Night Time is the Right Time so yeah, she and Mary Wells were almost similar in how they started [[I had to put "almost" in there because certain people will come in here and start another mini-rant that will explode and make the thread meaningless).

    But yeah Diana had gospel in her blood. She was raised Baptist and it seems she takes her religion very seriously. I think Diana said she loved doing You Can't Hurry Love because the music [[and message) reminded her of church. I don't know where I remember that or maybe that's just in my head because whenever I see old Supremes clips of them doing the song, she always looked like she LOVED doing the song.

    Back on LSK, I always loved that track too and love the video that accompanies it. The Take Me Higher photo shoot remains my favorite DR photo shoot for an album to this day [[even over the 1970 DR album, 1977's Baby It's Me, 1979's The Boss and 1980's diana).

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    Regarding the comments about Diana's gospel abilities: that's why those spirituals recorded in the 60s are so disappointing. Her approach to them I'm sure had to do with those weak arrangements. She was never going to attack them the way Gladys Knight or Kim Weston did, but with a more gospel arrangement I think they would've turned out so much better.

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    Regarding the Supremes spirituals, I don't think there was any way Berry Gordy was going to let Diana & the Supremes rip through one of them. He was selling The Supremes softer Pop sound and that's what had to come across on those songs. Still, in later years, it was always a treat to hear Diana rip through a song with that kind of gusto!

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    That's what you call growth. Diana was held back from throwing down a lot by the powers that be at Motown but once she asserted her freedom around the time she worked on The Boss, you started to see it more but it really started with the 1970 debut. Her version of ANMHE was definitely inspired by gospel.

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    Quote Originally Posted by midnightman View Post
    That's what you call growth. Diana was held back from throwing down a lot by the powers that be at Motown.
    If motown were responsible for restraining Diana's vocal performances, how does that account for so many sedate, phone in vocal performaces when Diana was given complete​ control by RCA. On "The Boss" she no doubt followed vocal demo leads by VS. That was how they wanted the songs to sound. The same with her debut album, she was encouraged by the producers. Given the choice and when left to her own devices Diana is generally not known for pushing herself and letting rip.
    Last edited by Ollie9; 10-30-2018 at 04:16 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by thommg View Post
    Regarding the Supremes spirituals, I don't think there was any way Berry Gordy was going to let Diana & the Supremes rip through one of them. He was selling The Supremes softer Pop sound and that's what had to come across on those songs. Still, in later years, it was always a treat to hear Diana rip through a song with that kind of gusto!
    For the record, I don't think there's a Supreme other than Diana on any of those spiritual recordings, although the thought of the original trio tearing into a gospel song is too much to handle consider there's almost no chance anything like that exist. I also don't think anyone- other Gladys and Kim W- actually ripped any of the songs recorded during the Loving Memory album sessions. But my only issue with Diana Ross' voice is that it is pretty thin, which will sometimes make for a bad song pairing when you know a fuller voice would be better suited. Those underwhelming arrangements coupled with Diana's thin voice makes for an underwhelming spiritual experience, IMO. I realize there was probably little to no chance anyone other than Diana was getting the leads on those songs, but had I been producing, Florence would've been my pick for leading those particular songs. I might've even given Mary a try. If Diana was going to cut some gospel at Motown at the time, she was going to have to be given a straight up church arrangement similar to "You Can't Hurry Love" [[which has the church running all up and through it). She just couldn't pull off what she was given.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ollie9 View Post
    If motown were responsible for restraining Diana's vocal performances, how does that account for so many sedate, phone in vocal performaces when Diana was given complete​ control by RCA. On "The Boss" she no doubt followed vocal demo leads by VS. That was how they wanted the songs to sound. The same with her debut album, she was encouraged by the producers. Given the choice and when left to her own devices Diana is generally not known for pushing herself and letting rip.
    Diana had little to no creative control for most of her time at Motown, so who else had the power to have her hold back? I think the decision to have Diana go for the gold or play it safe was up to the producer. Clearly Nick and Val loved Diana going full throttle and so that's the way they often recorded her. HDH seems to have utilized her full range as a particular song calls for it. There's like two threads with a billion pages each that might give you great insight into why some of us think her RCA period was on the bland side, and you will read opinions- like mine- who think that Diana was the last person who should have been in full creative control. Now to be fair of Diana, she produced her Wiz songs album and except for when she was trying to sing in the style of the character [[yikes) she pulled off some phenomenal vocal performances going full throttle, so she definitely wasn't opposed to doing that even when she was at the helm of the project. Also her live vocals during the 70s and 80s definitely gave front and center attention to the fact that she was more than a cooer, and I figure she probably had creative control with the live shows even in the 70s.

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    I would not say Diana is completly opposed to stretching her vocal wings when in control, but generally she plays it safe. It's mostly the producers she has worked with that vocally push her, not Diana herself. In concert is another thing entirely. Here she appears happy to push herself vocally. "My Man" and "Home" being just two examples.
    For me "Sings Songs From The Wiz" would have sounded a whole lot better with a strong producer at the helm. The ballads are fine but the uptempo numbers....Yikes indeed lol. I can fully understand why motown shelved it and not just because the film performed badly at the box office.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ollie9 View Post
    I would not say Diana is completly opposed to stretching her vocal wings when in control, but generally she plays it safe. It's mostly the producers she has worked with that vocally push her, not Diana herself. In concert is another thing entirely. Here she appears happy to push herself vocally. "My Man" and "Home" being just two examples.
    I wonder if she played it safe because that's what she thought the public wanted? It's an interesting issue. Diana's interviews always seem so few and far between, and when she does get around to doing them, rarely do they move beyond the usual mother questions, what she thinks about music today questions, what's her favorite Supreme song and other routine Supremes questions, etc. I would love for someone to ask her something like the question you posed.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ollie9 View Post
    For me "Sings Songs From The Wiz" would have sounded a whole lot better with a strong producer at the helm. The ballads are fine but the uptempo numbers....Yikes indeed lol. I can fully understand why motown shelved it and not just because the film performed badly at the box office.
    Yeah, the ballads on the Sing Wiz album are great [[still hoping there will come a discovery of Diana singing "What Would I Do") but I think in the hands of someone else producing, the decision would've never been made to have her doing those uptempo songs like that. Had I produced this album on her [[assuming that I would've thought it was a good idea in the first place, which I don't), I would've left most of the ballads as is. "Soon As I Get Home" needed some more punch to it, both the arrangements and the vocal. "He's the Wizard" has a great arrangement and had Diana's vocal been as serious as it was playful, it could've been an album highlight. "Be a Lion" works as is, but I think it might have been nice to bring someone in as the Lion to make it a duet. [[I know he was at a different label at this point, but Levi Stubbs would've been a fantastic choice. Rick James could've been an option as well.) I would've punched the arrangement of "Ease On Down the Road" up a trillion notches. I was anxious to hear what Diana would do with "You Can't Win", a song I could hear her singing in my head. I was so disappointed when it ended up in a medley and the arrangement wasn't at all as exciting as the one from the movie. I would've had her record this song by itself. "Don't Bring Me No Bad News" is probably the best of the uptempo recordings. Her vocal is fine, though I might have had her pull back on some of the growl she uses. I also would've brought in a choir for this to back her up. I feel about "So You Wanted to Meet the Wizard" the same way I feel about "He's the Wiz". The arrangement is fine but had Diana taken it seriously instead of being so silly, it would've turned out great. I hate the arrangement of "Brand New Day". It's so boring and slow and Diana's vocal matches it's tone. I would've given it a more gospel arrangement and again brought in a choir. I would've skipped "Slide Some Oil" and "Mean Ole Lion" and instead had her record "What Would I Do", as well as "I Was Born On the Day Before Yesterday", "Who Do You Think You Are", "Y'all Got It", "A Rested Body Is a Rested Mind" from the actual play.

    But ultimately I would've scrapped the idea and had her record an album that would've sold big and produced actual hit records.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
    I wonder if she played it safe because that's what she thought the public wanted? It's an interesting issue. Diana's interviews always seem so few and far between, and when she does get around to doing them, rarely do they move beyond the usual mother questions, what she thinks about music today questions, what's her favorite Supreme song and other routine Supremes questions, etc. I would love for someone to ask her something like the question you posed.
    I agree. Its the equivalent of Olivia Newton-John being asked about the tight leather pants she wore in Grease for the 100,000 time.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
    Yeah, the ballads on the Sing Wiz album are great [[still hoping there will come a discovery of Diana singing "What Would I Do") but I think in the hands of someone else producing, the decision would've never been made to have her doing those uptempo songs like that. Had I produced this album on her [[assuming that I would've thought it was a good idea in the first place, which I don't), I would've left most of the ballads as is. "Soon As I Get Home" needed some more punch to it, both the arrangements and the vocal. "He's the Wizard" has a great arrangement and had Diana's vocal been as serious as it was playful, it could've been an album highlight. "Be a Lion" works as is, but I think it might have been nice to bring someone in as the Lion to make it a duet. [[I know he was at a different label at this point, but Levi Stubbs would've been a fantastic choice. Rick James could've been an option as well.) I would've punched the arrangement of "Ease On Down the Road" up a trillion notches. I was anxious to hear what Diana would do with "You Can't Win", a song I could hear her singing in my head. I was so disappointed when it ended up in a medley and the arrangement wasn't at all as exciting as the one from the movie. I would've had her record this song by itself. "Don't Bring Me No Bad News" is probably the best of the uptempo recordings. Her vocal is fine, though I might have had her pull back on some of the growl she uses. I also would've brought in a choir for this to back her up. I feel about "So You Wanted to Meet the Wizard" the same way I feel about "He's the Wiz". The arrangement is fine but had Diana taken it seriously instead of being so silly, it would've turned out great. I hate the arrangement of "Brand New Day". It's so boring and slow and Diana's vocal matches it's tone. I would've given it a more gospel arrangement and again brought in a choir. I would've skipped "Slide Some Oil" and "Mean Ole Lion" and instead had her record "What Would I Do", as well as "I Was Born On the Day Before Yesterday", "Who Do You Think You Are", "Y'all Got It", "A Rested Body Is a Rested Mind" from the actual play.

    But ultimately I would've scrapped the idea and had her record an album that would've sold big and produced actual hit records.
    I guess for some reason motown thought the film would be huge..Hmmm.
    I dont really enjoy any of the up-tempo songs from the album at all with "Ease On Down" sounding particularly weak. I think the arrangments are pretty awful and Diana's voice sounds quite thin. The ballads are pretty and Diana's voice sounds lovely but the vocals need tightning up a tad. "What Would I Do" seems a natural for Diana. I think it the most poignant song and performance from the film. I wonder why motown never put any of the ballads such as "Wonder Wonder Why" on the Ross album?.
    P.S I also would have loved to have heard her sing "I Was Born On The Day Before Yesterday " from the original production as well. Great lyrics.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ollie9 View Post
    I guess for some reason motown thought the film would be huge..Hmmm.
    I dont really enjoy any of the up-tempo songs from the album at all with "Ease On Down" sounding particularly weak. I think the arrangments are pretty awful and Diana's voice sounds quite thin. The ballads are pretty and Diana's voice sounds lovely but the vocals need tightning up a tad. "What Would I Do" seems a natural for Diana. I think it the most poignant song and performance from the film. I wonder why motown never put any of the ballads such as "Wonder Wonder Why" on the Ross album?.
    P.S I also would have loved to have heard her sing "I Was Born On The Day Before Yesterday " from the original production as well. Great lyrics.
    The reason "Wonder Why" didn't end up on Ross 78 is because, in the words of my grandparents, that would've been too much like right. Almost everything on the album shouldn't have been on the album, and everything that should've been on the album was left on the shelf. Ross 78 was doomed.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
    The reason "Wonder Why" didn't end up on Ross 78 is because, in the words of my grandparents, that would've been too much like right. Almost everything on the album shouldn't have been on the album, and everything that should've been on the album was left on the shelf. Ross 78 was doomed.
    Also, as I remember it, ROSS [[1978) was released before THE WIZ officially opened. So putting any of those recordings on ROSS might have seemed like a waste instead of waiting to see if the film hit big, and then they could rush out Diana's whole WIZ album. That might be also why Motown didn't bother releasing a single from ROSS until three months after its release.

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    It's a huge shame Diana's motown versions of ballads fron The Wiz never got to see the light of day at the time. There really are some great vocal performances on show and at times she does vocally challenge herself. If motown had held back on releasing Ross 78 until after the film, then released the album to include most of the Wiz ballads plus perhaps "You Were The One" and "Never Say", Ross 78 might be regarded today as a classic D.R album as opposed to a confusing ragbag of songs thrown together.
    I really hope an expanded version of Ross gets to see the light of day soon if only to discover on the liner notes who was responsible for putting the disjointed mess together in the first place............As well as any unreleased songs of course lol.

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    Just a reminder that "Sings Songs From The Wiz" was not a finished product. Vocally or instrumentally. Had they continued, there would have definitely been polished vocals, backgrounds, strings etc. We felt there were a lot of good performances there worth hearing but it was definitely a work in progress that was abandoned when the film didn't perform as expected.

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    George, thanks for getting that released. That is one of my favorite Motown hidden treasures. Everything about it was fascinating. Loved Diana‘s character voices, loved The ballads, loved “ don’t nobody bring me no bad news”. Who would’ve thought that Diana could top herself with “Be a lion”. IMO the Soundtrack version of that song was one of Diana’s best vocals, I never would have imagined that she had a version out there that was even better.

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    Quote Originally Posted by George Solomon View Post
    Just a reminder that "Sings Songs From The Wiz" was not a finished product. Vocally or instrumentally. Had they continued, there would have definitely been polished vocals, backgrounds, strings etc. We felt there were a lot of good performances there worth hearing but it was definitely a work in progress that was abandoned when the film didn't perform as expected.
    For an unfinished product Diana's singing on the ballads was very good indeed. I doubt i would ever have enjoyed listening to Diana using different voices on many of the uptempo numbers but thats just my personal taste.
    By way of chance George have you any idea when an expanded Ross might be released, if at all. Any info you could provide would most certainly usher in some early christmas cheer.

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    Quote Originally Posted by George Solomon View Post
    Just a reminder that "Sings Songs From The Wiz" was not a finished product. Vocally or instrumentally. Had they continued, there would have definitely been polished vocals, backgrounds, strings etc. We felt there were a lot of good performances there worth hearing but it was definitely a work in progress that was abandoned when the film didn't perform as expected.
    Thank you George and Andy for getting "Sings Songs from The Wiz" released. I always wanted to hear it and it didn't disappoint me. I love it. Thank you so much. It would really be nice to see it someday as a physical release.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ollie9 View Post
    I really hope an expanded version of Ross gets to see the light of day soon if only to discover on the liner notes who was responsible for putting the disjointed mess together in the first place............
    Yeah, so that we know whose house to stand outside of with our pitchforks.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ollie9 View Post
    As well as any unreleased songs of course lol.
    Well yeah, that goes without saying. Lol

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    Quote Originally Posted by George Solomon View Post
    Just a reminder that "Sings Songs From The Wiz" was not a finished product. Vocally or instrumentally. Had they continued, there would have definitely been polished vocals, backgrounds, strings etc. We felt there were a lot of good performances there worth hearing but it was definitely a work in progress that was abandoned when the film didn't perform as expected.
    I figured that when I noticed none of the songs had background vocals. Interesting to ponder what the finished project would've sounded like. For the effort, you guys did a wonderful job with what you had to work with. I was glad to get it and a few of the songs I play frequently. But I still think it was a dumb idea overall back then. Successful movie or not, Diana had already done most of these songs [[and at the direction of the great Quincy Jones!) already. Who really was rushing out to purchase an album of her doing these same songs again? Besides, wasn't the days of "Artist Sings Songs From [Insert movie, play, genre or artist catalog title here]" so outdated at this point? Just further evidence that Motown wasn't on the mark all of the time when it came to Ross' recording career...and considering her involvement in this particular project, apparently it's evidence that she wasn't much more savvy than the label either.

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    [QUOTE=RanRan79;487229]Yeah, so that we know whose house to stand outside of with our pitchforks.

    Thanks for making me laugh RanRan. It's healthy to retain a sense of humour when one is engaging in long and careful consideration.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ollie9 View Post

    Thanks for making me laugh RanRan. It's healthy to retain a sense of humour when one is engaging in long and careful consideration.
    Absolutely agree. And you're welcome!

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    Let Somebody Know was a great track, wish she would have recorded more songs like this.overall great album

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    Recently been loving this song a lot and was going to start a thread about how great it is, but there already is one, so I thought I'd add this to it instead!

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    Quote Originally Posted by George Solomon View Post
    Just a reminder that "Sings Songs From The Wiz" was not a finished product. Vocally or instrumentally. Had they continued, there would have definitely been polished vocals, backgrounds, strings etc. We felt there were a lot of good performances there worth hearing but it was definitely a work in progress that was abandoned when the film didn't perform as expected.
    Well George. I loved it. I dreamed of this album being released and thanks to you guys I now have it. And I play it often. The ballads are beautiful and the other tracks are so fun.

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    Quote Originally Posted by TomatoTom123 View Post
    Recently been loving this song a lot and was going to start a thread about how great it is, but there already is one, so I thought I'd add this to it instead!
    I haven't got tired of this song in any way. For me, Diana puts her all into her performance. The lyrics are outstanding too, telling us something we need to remember in our busy lives.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
    I wonder if she played it safe because that's what she thought the public wanted? It's an interesting issue. Diana's interviews always seem so few and far between, and when she does get around to doing them, rarely do they move beyond the usual mother questions, what she thinks about music today questions, what's her favorite Supreme song and other routine Supremes questions, etc. I would love for someone to ask her something like the question you posed.
    Interesting point. I didn't even think of it...

    But that could very well be the case. Remember, before Where Did Our Love Go, Diana actually did try to give it her all. Until she was told to sing it low and then, it was like it was with Karen Carpenter later, that the producers found what they were looking for with her.

    So she probably held on to that. Clearly the Diana that was belting her way through "The Boss" wasn't the same one who just smoothed her way through "Touch Me in the Morning"...

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    Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
    The reason "Wonder Why" didn't end up on Ross 78 is because, in the words of my grandparents, that would've been too much like right. Almost everything on the album shouldn't have been on the album, and everything that should've been on the album was left on the shelf. Ross 78 was doomed.
    There were some great songs on the album. Never say i don't love you and To love again are as good a ballad as she ever recorded whilst You were the one could have been a huge single. It was just a lazy ill thought out project that was put together by someone who did not have their finger on the pulse.

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    Quote Originally Posted by midnightman View Post
    Interesting point. I didn't even think of it...

    But that could very well be the case. Remember, before Where Did Our Love Go, Diana actually did try to give it her all. Until she was told to sing it low and then, it was like it was with Karen Carpenter later, that the producers found what they were looking for with her.

    So she probably held on to that. Clearly the Diana that was belting her way through "The Boss" wasn't the same one who just smoothed her way through "Touch Me in the Morning"...
    Hum...not a huge Ross solo fan, but I thought she did a good job on Touch Me. I Esp. liked Brown Baby. I agree she cut through The Boss with a ton of energy.

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    Quote Originally Posted by midnightman View Post
    Interesting point. I didn't even think of it...

    But that could very well be the case. Remember, before Where Did Our Love Go, Diana actually did try to give it her all. Until she was told to sing it low and then, it was like it was with Karen Carpenter later, that the producers found what they were looking for with her.

    So she probably held on to that. Clearly the Diana that was belting her way through "The Boss" wasn't the same one who just smoothed her way through "Touch Me in the Morning"...
    Diana definitely had a different approach to some of the stuff cut before "Where Did Our Love Go". Those 1960-61 cuts contain some underrated Diana vocal performances IMO, but I do think she really found her vocal footing toward the end of 1961 and into 1962. Smokey seems to have liked cutting her in a smooth, Mary Wellsy mode sometimes, like "Your Heart Belongs to Me" or "A Breath Taking Guy", but then switches it up like on "You Bring Back Memories", which I think is another underrated Ross vocal. As much as Gordy apparently liked Diana's ability to sing "pop", it was under his producer eye that Diana sang "Right Way", which of course is infamous among the internet for mistakenly attributing the lead to Florence, in part because a book once made the erroneous claim and in part because some people find it hard to believe that Diana could sing like that. Someone in the forum once claimed that Diana Ross was not an R&B singer. Bull...

    "WDOLG" is an understated lead vocal from Diana, and she really does coo her way through "Baby Love". She does hold back vocally on a lot of those Flo years hits, and honestly most of the time it makes sense. Can you imagine her blowing through "Come See About Me" or "I Hear a Symphony"? It just wouldn't work. But she cut loose on "You Can't Hurry Love". Listen to those verses. She's singing the hell out of that. She also tears into "Love Is Here" with every bit of emotion as anyone out at the time considered to be a "soul singer". Diana Ross was a bad girl even back then, but I think the thinness of her voice is what bothered her detractors so much rather than paying attention to the quality.

  38. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bluebrock View Post
    There were some great songs on the album. Never say i don't love you and To love again are as good a ballad as she ever recorded whilst You were the one could have been a huge single. It was just a lazy ill thought out project that was put together by someone who did not have their finger on the pulse.
    There were some great songs on the album. They just shouldn't have all been on the same album. That was the problem. Personally the only song on the album that I absolutely don't like is "Lovin, Livin and Givin". I'd rather listen to Theme From Mahogany on loop for hours straight than to sit through one play of "LLG". But other than that, the other cuts are good [[most of them) to great [["You Were the One"). The album doesn't have a cohesive sound. There's disco [["Lovin, Livin and Givin" and "What You Gave Me"), r&b [["You Were the One", "Never Say I Don't Love You", "Reach Out"), country [["Sorry Doesn't Always Make It Right"), pop. That's too much going on for a non greatest hits album.

    Obviously for my taste, the album should've been built around "You Were the One" [[an obvious hit single...Diana's career was being run by idiots at this point), "Never Say" and "What You Gave Me", a mix of r&b and disco. Whenever Ross 78 expanded sees the light of day, it'll be interesting to see what- other than some of the Holland tracks we've gotten over the years and "Summertime Livin"- could've made the album.

    Including previously released tracks on Ross 78 was just lazy and uninspired.

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    Was never crazy on LLG, it was just an usual song for Diana to record at the time. Having said that, the Almighty Definitve Mix is terrific. It really brings the song to life and even today would make a great single....Another club hit for sure.
    "Let Somebody Know" is a song Diana sings to perfection. An understated, classy vocal and my favourite ballad from the album.
    Last edited by Ollie9; 05-20-2019 at 01:52 PM.

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    Obviously someone screwed up many of dianas pr on her albums.....Surrender...baby it's me ..Ross 78....glad she finally took control

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    Ross '78 should've never came out.

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    Ross 78 is really a weak overall product, as most everyone here has mentioned. between this and the Wiz situation, her career was differently on the fritz. I realize Berry didn't really want her to do the Wiz and i wonder when people starting thinking "yikes - this doesn't look like it's gonna be a homerun?" where people within the Motown Prod dept really surprised at the poor critical and audience response from it? or did they go into the premier thinking it would be a smash?

    As for Ross 78, there's just such a lack of direction to what was selected. today of course it's quite common to remix or redo tracks. back in the 70s though, that wasn't the case. Had they actually made an effort to really do something new and unique with the tracks, perhaps it would have been better. Most of the canned tracks weren't all that thrilling either. I don't think her work with HDH was anywhere near as interesting, successful or innovative as their simultaneous work with the Sups. Look at Sweet Dream Machine vs Fire Don't Burn or we Can Never Light That Old Flame.

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    as for the initial topic of this thread, i just never really cared for her "love the world" songs like Force Behind the Power or Let Somebody Know. I only really like Reach out an touch because it's so iconic. but i rarely listen to it. I prefer her love/heartache/romance songs to the ones that try and have some sort of ideological theme.

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