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  1. #1
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    Force Behind The Power lp - a discussion

    seems like most fans were happy that Diana had returned to a more adult pop/soul sound after the craziness of Workin' Overtime.

    What are your thoughts on this lp? There were a few variations of track listings by regions/countries. Do you think one lineup is better than another?

    Fav tracks?

    And what about the whole nonsense of Motown US' promotion? she was out touring for months prior to the album release, then a complete schizophrenia regarding which song to promote and when

    Do you think Motown robbed her of a US hit? do you think the US audience would have accepted a song from her?

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    One of Diana's best albums in my opinion. My favorite songs are CHANGE OF HEART, WHEN YOU TELL ME THAT YOU LOVE ME, BATTLEFIELD, BLAME IT ON THE SUN, WAITING IN THE WINGS, and ONE SHINING MOMENT.

    I saw Diana in concert in August of 1991 and she sang six of the songs during the show. To me, it sounded like she had a great new album and I couldn't wait for it to be released. But with Motown's baffling promotion, the project seemed doomed. Too bad because I think if this had been her back to Motown album instead of WORKIN' OVERTIME, it might have done much better in the US.

    But things just seemed to work against it. She goes on Arsenio and does a great performance of the title track but neither that single or album is available. Then she goes on VIDEO SOUL to world premiere the video of the title track. Still no single or album. Plans for the first single change and now she's singing WHEN YOU TELL ME THAT YOU LOVE ME on the Tonight Show. Yet still no single or album for a month or so. Sure the diehards were going to buy the album once it was finally released. But I'm sure a lot of sales were lost from casual buyers who might have purchased the album after liking the songs in concert or hearing them on television. Of course, the same thing happened with the TAKE ME HIGHER cd as well. But I digress...

    It was nice that other markets appreciated the album. I was in Europe in 1992, right when ONE SHINING MOMENT was a hit. Every night, I would rush back to my hotel to watch a music video show that was showing the video. My friends thought I was crazy but I figured I would never see it again because the album was dead by that time in the US. As an aside, I will also say that it was a pleasure to meet its writer, Vanesse Thomas, and tell how much I loved the song and how much I heard it on that European trip.
    Last edited by reese; 06-29-2019 at 09:50 PM.

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    Great album.
    Great concert tour.
    Once again the album was delayed . strange. We kept waiting. But love the album.
    Waiting in the wings is my favorite song.
    Change of heart was my 2nd .
    Motown wasnt supportive of her .I just don't know how things were not in place to support this album.
    One of her top ten albums

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    I loved Blame it On the Sun but, I knew it would never be released as a single. I was also aware of the Motown battle. Diana looked good and sounded good.

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    I was unimpressed by the album as a whole. It is not hot enough, more a like a MOR/pop album.

    Song to song, I think it's good.
    - I like FBTP much more now than in 91. A great song, should have stayed in her act.
    - "Change of heart" reminds me of her RCA Ross in 1983. Love it.
    - "Heart don't change my mind" much better than by Babs
    - "WYTMTYLM" saccharine sweetness arrangment.

    The rest is OK, to me. Nothing exciting, honest.

    I remember the album was available in Europe in the summer, June or July, while it wasn't available in the US.

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    I also remember me thinking [[at that time), her style and wardrobe was old-fashioned to the max.
    Her appearance at the Tonight show was a jump back into the seventies

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    Great album, and one of Diana's personal favorites. She really believed in this album. Motown USA really screwed up with this one, but here in Europe it gained the attention and sales it deserved. Loved it back then, love it now.

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    For us Brits, this album was bang on the nail. This album showcased the Diana Ross that the British public had loved for years. Both the music and the way she presented herself. I remember watching her sing 'One Thing Moment' on Top of the pops' [[which was THE pop programme on TV at the time). It could have been 1971 and her singing 'I'm still waiting' all over again.
    It was like she went back to what she was loved for after all the madness of experimenting in the previous years. The album was a real return to form.

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    I like this album. Wish it had been her return-to-Motown album. As I listened to the first two tracks, Change of Heart [[great track, should have been first single) and When You Tell Me [[bombastic but a good vocal), I actually got misty, feeling Diana had found her way back after the long RCA detour and the WO wreckage.
    My favorites are Change of Heart, Waiting In The Wings and One Shining Moment. The rest of the album is also fine. Surprisingly, the title track was the only real disappointment.
    The cover art, like the album's style and production, was gorgeous but, as mentioned in another post, a bit old-fashioned. None of this was going to restore her pop relevance in that time of Whitney, Janet and Mariah, but I welcomed this return-to-form album anyway. I'm glad to know she believed in it herself. I wish Motown had.

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    I Europe, we had bonus tracks "If we hold on" and "no matter what you do" adding even more different styles to this eclectic album.

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    A solid effort if a trifle safe and vanilla. I much prefer the edgy vibe of Workin' Overtime where Diana sings like she means it.

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    Diana hadn't been played on the radio downunder much since Chain Reaction was a mega-hit. I'd bought all her albums since Eaten Alive, but hadn't really enjoyed any of them.

    I didn't actually get this album since a double-single CD was released here which included FBTP, One Shining Moment, If We Hold on Together & WYTMTYLM. I liked all those songs and was pleased that Diana was having chart success in the UK again after a few lean years.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Levi Stubbs Tears View Post
    Diana hadn't been played on the radio downunder much since Chain Reaction was a mega-hit. I'd bought all her albums since Eaten Alive, but hadn't really enjoyed any of them.

    I didn't actually get this album since a double-single CD was released here which included FBTP, One Shining Moment, If We Hold on Together & WYTMTYLM. I liked all those songs and was pleased that Diana was having chart success in the UK again after a few lean years.
    She was never that big in Australia as i recall, but then again neither was Michael Jackson until Off the wall broke big. Soul music always had a tough time Down Under. When i lived in Sydney in the early 80's it was virtually impossible to hear a soul song on the radio. When i returned to live there briefly in the 90's things had improved and soul music was much more accessable .Diana always sold out her concerts over there, but after the no.1 with Chain Reaction we had trouble getting her another hit.

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    i agree with some of the assessments that's it's a bit vanilla. i too saw the concert during this time and would play album tracks for friends. they thought it was ok but nothing overly exciting. Same with Take Me Higher. I think her most "spot on" album in terms of sounds and trends was Everyday.

    completely agree that motown wasted this album. When You Tell Me is nice enough but not strong enough to be a top US hit. should have at least made top 40 though. Force [[the song) is ok too but nothing special. to me the lyrics are that overdone "self help" nonsense that Diana seems to really love. i think if it had been a more traditional set of lyrics like love, heartbreak and romance, it might have clicked. the backing track sounded hot

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bluebrock View Post
    She was never that big in Australia as i recall. Soul music always had a tough time Down Under. When i lived in Sydney in the early 80's it was virtually impossible to hear a soul song on the radio.
    Motown had quite some success in the 60s & early 70s. Before my time, but I note that 'When the Lovelight' did quite well downunder & even the Supremes/Tempts live version of 'Rhythm of Life' went Top 10.

    Of course, Upside Down went #1 but the 'disco sucks' backlash was even stronger in Australia than elsewhere and most radio stations moved to rockier [[and 'classic hits') formats. Even now I cringe when listening to commercial radio [[in my sister's car when visiting her) & it is just back-to-back Guns & Roses and PearlJam and..... I guess you can imagine the rest of the format).
    Last edited by Levi Stubbs Tears; 07-03-2019 at 12:47 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Levi Stubbs Tears View Post
    Motown had quite some success in the 60s & early 70s. Before my time, but I note that 'When the Lovelight' did quite well downunder & even the Supremes/Tempts live version of 'Rhythm of Life' went Top 10.

    Of course, Upside Down went #1 but the 'disco sucks' backlash was even stronger in Australia than elsewhere and most radio stations moved to rockier [[and 'classic hits') formats. Even now I cringe when listening to commercial radio [[in my sister's car when visiting her) & it is just back-to-back Guns & Roses and PearlJam and..... I guess you can imagine the rest of the format).
    In the days before the internet it was very difficult to obtain soul albums/cd's. I recall having great trouble ordering an Angela Bofill cd. After lots of frustrating attempts i finally gave up and bought the cd on a visit back to the UK.

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    To determine commercial success, I still wonder how accurate are the charts? In the US, for exemple, it seems blacks artists were under estimated. Look at Teddy Pendergrass, he had most of his LP certified gold or platinum, yet his rankings are not spectacular on the billboard charts.

    Than in UK, the Eaten Alive album charted rather high at #8, helped by the number 1 hit Chain Reaction and yet, it's not even silver.

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    in the US, there's a disproportionate emphasis on the pop chart rankings when judging success of a record. a #1 on adult contemp or dance or r&b is usually not viewed as "successful" as pop. and it's Billboard's chart rankings, not Cashbox or any others.

    Part of this would be due to historic economics. White US audiences tended to follow the Pop charts more than R&B and, in years past, the white audiences tended to have more discretionary spending power for things like lps, lots of 45s for the kids, tickets to clubs and high-end venues.

    Another part would have to be the general apathy for all non-white forms of entertainment. basically racism. the overall population tended to only consider "white entertainment" to have any major redeeming values.

    Finally, chart rankings can be deceiving. Everyone wants a #1, even if it means your record or album races up the charts, hits the top spot and then sinks like a rock. Everyone wants to be the top and have that title whereas the more profitable viewpoint is to have a song that lingers for weeks in the upper ranges. a song that sits in the top 20 or 10 for many weeks probably outsold that previous example. in the 60s, a lot of the Sup releases flew quickly up the charts, hit #1 and then began to descend. Motown was putting all of the promotional oomph behind them in order to help drive the high chart placements. but the Sup songs are rarely the biggest sellers of the year. Bayou on here has made several excellent posts on this throughout the years. I think he said in 66 the top seller was What Becomes of Brokenhearted. Track of my Tears [[i think) is another he mentions. neither hit #1 but both charted high and charted long.

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    A superlative album with many hits as Europe showed us

    Force was not the best first single by any stretch but maybe it had to be released because Stevie wrote it

    True Motown wasn’t what it was either and they didn’t do the best job; but Diana took a lot of time off to have children as well

    The first single should have been WYTMTYLM

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    Quote Originally Posted by jobeterob View Post
    A superlative album with many hits as Europe showed us

    Force was not the best first single by any stretch but maybe it had to be released because Stevie wrote it

    True Motown wasn’t what it was either and they didn’t do the best job; but Diana took a lot of time off to have children as well

    The first single should have been WYTMTYLM
    ?????? This wasn't the first single in the US?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Albator View Post
    ?????? This wasn't the first single in the US?
    WYTMTYLM was the first US single release, but it appears Force may have been considered. The Force had been performed on Arsenio Hall and it’s video was airing on BET. I made several trips to a local record store waiting for this single to be released and was confused when I finally found WYTM instead...

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    I wasn't feeling FBTP at all. I hated WO but then the Al B. Sure duet came along. It may have been ill-advised to sing a sexy duet with a much younger man but her vocals were fabulous and dreamy and sensuous -- really the best she'd sounded in a long time. It meshed so well with that sonic template. I thought she was onto something and I thought she'd go that direction on her next project.

    Then came FBTP. The title track and its video were so awful. All of those treacly pop ballads [[!) Olivia Newton-John had rejected all of those songs because she thought they sounded "too white" [[lol, not really). I felt like Ross didn't make any real effort to find a suitable urban contemporary sound. This on the heels of WO and it made me retreat from Ross pretty much until "Everyday Is A New Day." I ignored "Take Me Higher" upon its release and only discovered it [[and loved it) in retrospect -- post-EIAND

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    Quote Originally Posted by Guy View Post
    Then came FBTP. The title track and its video were so awful. All of those treacly pop ballads [[!) Olivia Newton-John had rejected all of those songs because she thought they sounded "too white" [[lol, not really). I felt like Ross didn't make any real effort to find a suitable urban contemporary sound. This on the heels of WO and it made me retreat from Ross pretty much until "Everyday Is A New Day." I ignored "Take Me Higher" upon its release and only discovered it [[and loved it) in retrospect -- post-EIAND
    This speak to me. I also ignored TMH, even so I bought it.

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    definitely agree with these two prior posts. to me much of the content on Force and Take is just sort of generic, adult r&b/pop. basically she's just singing sort of the same old stuff will slightly different backing tracks. none of it was truly unique or special.

    and frankly this was the case with some of her late 80s work too [[RHR&B). she sort of latched onto an image and sound and never deviated from it. Thick mane of hair, sequin gowns, singing some sort of middle of the road ballad, etc.

    now i'll admit she attempted a totally different sound and look with WO. and it wasn't a success. And I do think Everyday broke out of this mold too. at least with content and production. the album at least has a theme, albeit a sad one.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    in the US, there's a disproportionate emphasis on the pop chart rankings when judging success of a record. a #1 on adult contemp or dance or r&b is usually not viewed as "successful" as pop. and it's Billboard's chart rankings, not Cashbox or any others.

    Part of this would be due to historic economics. White US audiences tended to follow the Pop charts more than R&B and, in years past, the white audiences tended to have more discretionary spending power for things like lps, lots of 45s for the kids, tickets to clubs and high-end venues.

    Another part would have to be the general apathy for all non-white forms of entertainment. basically racism. the overall population tended to only consider "white entertainment" to have any major redeeming values.

    Finally, chart rankings can be deceiving. Everyone wants a #1, even if it means your record or album races up the charts, hits the top spot and then sinks like a rock. Everyone wants to be the top and have that title whereas the more profitable viewpoint is to have a song that lingers for weeks in the upper ranges. a song that sits in the top 20 or 10 for many weeks probably outsold that previous example. in the 60s, a lot of the Sup releases flew quickly up the charts, hit #1 and then began to descend. Motown was putting all of the promotional oomph behind them in order to help drive the high chart placements. but the Sup songs are rarely the biggest sellers of the year. Bayou on here has made several excellent posts on this throughout the years. I think he said in 66 the top seller was What Becomes of Brokenhearted. Track of my Tears [[i think) is another he mentions. neither hit #1 but both charted high and charted long.
    I was really surprised that one of my favorite songs ever “The tracks of my tears” didn’t even hit Billboards top10. I believe it peaked at #16. However it did hit #2 on Billboards R&B charts. It’s funny because the version by Johnny Rivers hit the top ten.

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    That was a bad album and I told my friend who was in Motown's Marketing Dept. at the time that they were going to have problem selling it. I was right. Even cover art was bad. The album title didn't even make sense.
    Last edited by marv2; 07-05-2019 at 11:37 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    That was a bad album and I told my friend who was in Motown's Marketing Dept. at the time that they were going to have problem selling it. I was right. Even cover art was bad. The album title didn't even make sense.
    I actually like the album a lot Luke and Marv.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Roberta75 View Post
    I actually like the album a lot Luke and Marv.
    You tell them Roberta! Ha ha ha.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    That was a bad album and I told my friend who was in Motown's Marketing Dept. at the time that they were going to have problem selling it. I was right. Even cover art was bad. The album title didn't even make sense.
    Well we didn't listen to you over here in Europe where it was a big seller. What did you tell your friend in Motown's Marketing Dept about that? And did you lend your invaluable advice to your friend regarding Mary Wilson's debut album?

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    Well I loved the album. It was back to classic Diana Ross!!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Roberta75 View Post
    I actually like the album a lot Luke and Marv.
    Hi Roberta. I like it too!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bluebrock View Post
    Well we didn't listen to you over here in Europe where it was a big seller. What did you tell your friend in Motown's Marketing Dept about that? And did you lend your invaluable advice to your friend regarding Mary Wilson's debut album?
    It was a bad album. Didn't even make the Hot 100. None of the songs on it even charted at all. The public did not like or buy it. Radio hated it too.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    It was a bad album. Didn't even make the Hot 100. None of the songs on it even charted at all. The public did not like or buy it. Radio hated it too.
    Perhaps from a USA perspective marv2 but the opposite is true in the UK. Fortunately, Diana Ross' popularity isn't USA-centric.

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    I love Diana's "Force Behind The Power" album. Diana was back to doing what she does best -- love songs and power ballads. My favorite tracks are "When You Tell Me That You Love Me"; "Battlefield", "Heart Don't Change My Mind", "One Shining Moment", and "If We Hold On Together".

    Surprisingly, Diana's "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" was a hit as a duet with Westlife, although I much prefer her solo version.

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    Quote Originally Posted by rovereab View Post
    Perhaps from a USA perspective marv2 but the opposite is true in the UK. Fortunately, Diana Ross' popularity isn't USA-centric.
    true, the early 80’s were very successful for her, she sold large amount of records, uk, Japan, France, Germany...

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    Quote Originally Posted by Albator View Post
    Than in UK, the Eaten Alive album charted rather high at #8, helped by the number 1 hit Chain Reaction and yet, it's not even silver.
    Eaten Alive didn't really sell that well.

    On the back of Chain Reaction it climbed into the top 20 but only spent 3 weeks there reaching #11. I think a lot were expecting more songs of the same ilk and were disappointed.

    It may or may not have sold 60k to go Silver.

    Some people claim that EMI [[and Diana was still under their umbrella in the UK even after her move to RCA) didn't bother claiming certifications on her catalogue after an albums initial sales run and many albums are under-certified

    The Greatest Hits 2 album in 1976 sold over 400k but a Platinum certification [[300k) was never claimed.

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    Quote Originally Posted by florence View Post
    Eaten Alive didn't really sell that well.

    On the back of Chain Reaction it climbed into the top 20 but only spent 3 weeks there reaching #11. I think a lot were expecting more songs of the same ilk and were disappointed.

    It may or may not have sold 60k to go Silver.

    Some people claim that EMI [[and Diana was still under their umbrella in the UK even after her move to RCA) didn't bother claiming certifications on her catalogue after an albums initial sales run and many albums are under-certified

    The Greatest Hits 2 album in 1976 sold over 400k but a Platinum certification [[300k) was never claimed.
    Is she the most undercertified singer in the world?

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    Quote Originally Posted by marv2 View Post
    It was a bad album. Didn't even make the Hot 100. None of the songs on it even charted at all. The public did not like or buy it. Radio hated it too.
    In your opinion Luke. You really need to try adding IMO [[in my opinion) when making general statements.

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    Maybe this is a US/UK thing.

    This is my very favourite Diana Ross album packed with great pop tracks, many of which would make good singles and the UK would seem to agree.

    We are one of the few territories and indeed maybe the only one where Force outsold the mega diana album and by over 2:1.

    Although Diana has numerous Gold albums in the UK Force is the only studio-produced one to be certified Platinum with over 500k sold.

    I must admit to some surprise at some of the less than enthusiastic comments about When You Tell Me That You Love Me - it's one of my favourite Diana tracks building to a magnificent crescendo and Diana's vocals are faultless.

    In a period of low sales it sold over 300k in the UK and was one of the top 20 selling singles of 1991 and it's almost certain that but for the sad demise of Freddie Mercury and the resultant re-issue of Bohemian Rhapsody Diana would have had her 3rd UK #1.

    At the time it was Diana's 5th biggest selling single in the UK.

    It received heavy rotation on the UK's leading radio station Radio One and it was such a joy to hear Diana once again ruling the airwaves.

    At the time Diana performed three sell-out shows at Wembley Arena.

    One Shining Moment another beautiful ballad was an insipired choice for a single here and its success kept the album selling then the issue of If We Hold On Together at Christmas 1992 saw further huge sales for the album - although it stalled at #11 it was one of the UK's top 100 selling singles for that year.

    I was sorta miffed because I bought my albums on vinyl at that time and Together wasn't on the vinyl version in the UK!

    Change Of Heart seems very popular in some quarters and was destined to be a single and Bluebrock has explained how it kept being replaced by other tracks but while I like it I couldn't see it being more than a moderate hit, reminds me of Getting Ready For Love, slightly lightweight.

    Waiting In The Wings with its reggae beat and a great vocal from Diana seemed to me a great candiddate for success in the UK with Diana promoting it.

    I wonder why they didn't release a single between Moment and Together but then it probably would have been Change Of Heart.

    I really think another successful single could have psuhed the album double Platinum.

    Diana herself wanted Heart [[Don't Change My Mind) released as the fifth single but while a nice song it wasn't commercial enough to be a big hit.

    My second favourite track on the album is Battlefield written by Nick Lowe and Paul Carrack. It's a really infectious pop/soul number reminiscent of The Supremes and I would have taken a punt on it as a single here.

    It would have done nothing or gone mega.

    Many sections of the Media which generally wrote Diana's albums off singled this track out for praise.

    You're Gonna Love It and You And I are two superior album tracks and for Europe we had the bonus of Diana's successful 1990 r'nb duet with Al B Sure in No Matter What We Do.

    Heavy Weather, Blame It On The Sun - not a dud track on Force.

    A stunning album superbly marketed by Bluebrock and his team in the UK.

    From all reports Motown does seem to have mishandled Force in the US and you do have to wonder how this might have gone down had it been Diana's return album to Motown but maybe after the mid-80s nothing Diana released in her homeland was going to be uber-successful.

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    If the public wasn't buying it, it was most likely because they never had a chance to hear it. Diana was getting little to no airplay here in the U.S at the time. Other than the fans who keep up on such things, most of the public probably didn't even know that the "Force Behind The Power" album was available. Between that and the current-day Motown playing games and screwing her over by purposely delaying the LP release that they KNEW she was out touring and promoting, the LP didn't stand a chance. It was a classic example of Diana working hard to live up to her end of the deal while the new Motown just didn't bother. Disgusting!!!

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    Florence, I didn't see your post in time before posting mine. You made some good points, and I agree with pretty much everything you said except one -- I LOVE "Heart [[Don't Change My Mind). I think it would have made a great single. Everybody I've played it for loved it, too. If it were to get airplay, I think the public would have followed suit.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Philles/Motown Gary View Post
    Florence, I didn't see your post in time before posting mine. You made some good points, and I agree with pretty much everything you said except one -- I LOVE "Heart [[Don't Change My Mind). I think it would have made a great single. Everybody I've played it for loved it, too. If it were to get airplay, I think the public would have followed suit.
    In 1984, most of Streisand fans didn't understand it wasn't the single of her Emotion LP

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    I always loved Change of Heart and it would made a logical single choice as it was written by Graham Lyle and Terry Britten, who also wrote "What's Love Got To Do With It." If I remember correctly, the album was initially announced as "Change of Heart" but was changed when Stevie Wonder delivered Force Behind the Power.

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    Quote Originally Posted by florence View Post
    Maybe this is a US/UK thing.

    This is my very favourite Diana Ross album packed with great pop tracks, many of which would make good singles and the UK would seem to agree.

    We are one of the few territories and indeed maybe the only one where Force outsold the mega diana album and by over 2:1.

    Although Diana has numerous Gold albums in the UK Force is the only studio-produced one to be certified Platinum with over 500k sold.

    I must admit to some surprise at some of the less than enthusiastic comments about When You Tell Me That You Love Me - it's one of my favourite Diana tracks building to a magnificent crescendo and Diana's vocals are faultless.

    In a period of low sales it sold over 300k in the UK and was one of the top 20 selling singles of 1991 and it's almost certain that but for the sad demise of Freddie Mercury and the resultant re-issue of Bohemian Rhapsody Diana would have had her 3rd UK #1.

    At the time it was Diana's 5th biggest selling single in the UK.

    It received heavy rotation on the UK's leading radio station Radio One and it was such a joy to hear Diana once again ruling the airwaves.

    At the time Diana performed three sell-out shows at Wembley Arena.

    One Shining Moment another beautiful ballad was an insipired choice for a single here and its success kept the album selling then the issue of If We Hold On Together at Christmas 1992 saw further huge sales for the album - although it stalled at #11 it was one of the UK's top 100 selling singles for that year.

    I was sorta miffed because I bought my albums on vinyl at that time and Together wasn't on the vinyl version in the UK!

    Change Of Heart seems very popular in some quarters and was destined to be a single and Bluebrock has explained how it kept being replaced by other tracks but while I like it I couldn't see it being more than a moderate hit, reminds me of Getting Ready For Love, slightly lightweight.

    Waiting In The Wings with its reggae beat and a great vocal from Diana seemed to me a great candiddate for success in the UK with Diana promoting it.

    I wonder why they didn't release a single between Moment and Together but then it probably would have been Change Of Heart.

    I really think another successful single could have psuhed the album double Platinum.

    Diana herself wanted Heart [[Don't Change My Mind) released as the fifth single but while a nice song it wasn't commercial enough to be a big hit.

    My second favourite track on the album is Battlefield written by Nick Lowe and Paul Carrack. It's a really infectious pop/soul number reminiscent of The Supremes and I would have taken a punt on it as a single here.

    It would have done nothing or gone mega.

    Many sections of the Media which generally wrote Diana's albums off singled this track out for praise.

    You're Gonna Love It and You And I are two superior album tracks and for Europe we had the bonus of Diana's successful 1990 r'nb duet with Al B Sure in No Matter What We Do.

    Heavy Weather, Blame It On The Sun - not a dud track on Force.

    A stunning album superbly marketed by Bluebrock and his team in the UK.

    From all reports Motown does seem to have mishandled Force in the US and you do have to wonder how this might have gone down had it been Diana's return album to Motown but maybe after the mid-80s nothing Diana released in her homeland was going to be uber-successful.
    Thank you for your kind words. It was a pleasure and an honour to help this great album to be a deserved success in the UK. I still think we could have got another hit out of the album, but we always had to schedule a single release when Diana was available to promote it.
    It was a wonderful time for me to be able to work directly with my all time favorite female performer. I will treasure those special times for the rest of my life

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    Quote Originally Posted by rovereab View Post
    Perhaps from a USA perspective marv2 but the opposite is true in the UK. Fortunately, Diana Ross' popularity isn't USA-centric.
    Marv/Luke cannot seem to grasp the fact that there is a market for music outside of the US of A. The whole world does not revolve soley around the USA. Even Mary Wilson occasionally gets the chance to perform outside of the USA. It is a big big world out there, and i have lived and worked in many parts of that big world unlike yourself.
    It has broadened my horizons and given me invaluable experience that continues to inspire me to this very day . You need to look at the big picture and realise that life exists and thrives way beyond your limited boundaries.

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    Quote Originally Posted by rovereab View Post
    Perhaps from a USA perspective marv2 but the opposite is true in the UK. Fortunately, Diana Ross' popularity isn't USA-centric.
    Glad that you can understand that rovereab. Sadly a certain person is not as enlightened as your very good self.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bluebrock View Post
    Glad that you can understand that rovereab. Sadly a certain person is not as enlightened as your very good self.
    Thinking about it, I cannot recall a period of time when Diana Ross hasn't been popular in the UK

    FBTP is a quality release and at the time the crisp sound of the album was quite exceptional. The drum sound and other instruments on the title track are magic on a quality sound system, even to this day.

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    This was a lovely album, which I played to death on release. Still one of my regulars in the CD player. I don’t think there is actually a duff track on it, although the title track and You And I were probably at the bottom, quality wise. I wouldn’t have picked Force as a single, but I expect Diana wanted it.

    Waiting In The Wings is beautiful, and a carbon copy of the Andy Hill demo. Battlefield deserved to be a single, and although I used to skip it occasionally, Heavy Weather has grown on me.

    I was always waiting for Change Of Heart to be a single. There is a US cassingle out there of it apparently but I’ve never seen firm evidence of it [[same as Bottom Line).

    I definitely wouldn’t have put Heart [[Don’t Change My Mind) out as a 5th single. I’d have opted for Change/Battle or Wings. Then maybe Heart as a sixth single. Too many ballads in succession.

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    Quote Originally Posted by alanconnor_1 View Post
    This was a lovely album, which I played to death on release. Still one of my regulars in the CD player. I don’t think there is actually a duff track on it, although the title track and You And I were probably at the bottom, quality wise. I wouldn’t have picked Force as a single, but I expect Diana wanted it.

    Waiting In The Wings is beautiful, and a carbon copy of the Andy Hill demo. Battlefield deserved to be a single, and although I used to skip it occasionally, Heavy Weather has grown on me.

    I was always waiting for Change Of Heart to be a single. There is a US cassingle out there of it apparently but I’ve never seen firm evidence of it [[same as Bottom Line).

    I definitely wouldn’t have put Heart [[Don’t Change My Mind) out as a 5th single. I’d have opted for Change/Battle or Wings. Then maybe Heart as a sixth single. Too many ballads in succession.
    Hi Alan. It was Diana herself who pushed for Heart to be a UK single . It was not my ideal choice despite it being a lovely song

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    Just before the Force album was released, I had a phone number to someone directly connected to Miss Ross. I called occasionally, and I asked what we could expect. I was told a new single called Change of Heart would be released several weeks before the Force Behind the Power album.

    So, that was the initial plan. It is ding-dang shame the plan was changed. BTW, I loved this album. I think it was genius.
    Last edited by Circa 1824; 07-06-2019 at 06:15 PM.

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