Accuracy of the charts ?

[reese]

yeah i've never really figured out what all DR Enterprises was handling. the day to day management? photo shoots? promotion and marketing? she wasn't Exec Producing her lps. Gordy was EP on Boss. how was EP on diana 80 and To Love Again?

if she was really doing this, then i would have thought there would have been some sort of re-negotiation of her agreement. her motown contract and royalty structure would have been accounting for motown doing this and taking this cost up front. But if she was doing it, was motown then reimbursing her?? And i think she only had a small staff at these offices. maybe just the PR work?

Not sure. I gather DRE probably handled her bookings and tour arrangements and whatever else was associated with that. DRE also produced her 1979 and 1981 tv specials.

Re albums, I think Berry stopped being EP after ROSS. I don't have them in front of me but I don't think THE BOSS and DIANA had EP credits at all. TO LOVE AGAIN was EP by Suzanne dePasse, I believe, and was Diana's first album to include fan club info. Maybe DRE was going to help with that venture as well.

[reese]

That makes a lot of sense regarding the change. Although I think the stage show would've had to change anyway. It worked well for the time. What Diana did with the stadiums and the round stages was right in line with the mega acts of the 80s.

I would agree. After THE BOSS, Diana's image became younger, sexier, and less-Vegas like. Her in-the-round shows reflected the "new" Diana. I enjoyed those in-the-round shows of the 80s just as much as I did AN EVENING WITH... and TOUR '79.

[reese]

Gordy also realized that Diana was stubborn and didn't always want/know what was best. i think he realized that she was an amazing entertainer but not necessarily an amazing entertainment manager. just like him - an amazing manager but probably can't sing a single note! lol possessing talent in one most certainly does NOT guarantee talent with the other.

Diana once said that Berry was the thinker, and she was the do'er.

[marv2]

I've heard that too but if you go to oldies record store and collectables, there are always tons of sup promo 45s with the white labels. I don't know that it was an issue that the record wasn't sent out as clearly there are tons of these kicking around today. But rather it was that the act was out of date and out of touch with the programmers are the radio stations. the stations probably rolled their eyes at another silly Sups record and didn't care. or didn't keep it around or whatever.

Well 47 years ago when "Bad Weather" came out, you could not find it, yet you could get a free copy of the "Diana Ross & the Supremes Farewell" album with the purchase of a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken in the summer of 1973. Remember that stupid promotion?

The stations not receiving the record was the issue. I just told you that and I don't have to lie about something this trivial now some 47 years later. The calls the fans made to all those radio stations were what we call in Marketing today "test calls" and the results came back negative! They didn't have the record. I remember calling my station at the time, WKLR 3 times over a month and nope! No, "Bad Weather". So, it wasn't the Supremes, it was Motown's lack of work on their behalf. Just like years earlier when a request came in from folks wanting Florence Ballard to audition for certain acting roles.

[marv2]

Diana once said that Berry was the thinker, and she was the do'er.

LOL!!!! hehehehehehehehehe,......I can't, LOL!!!!

[sup_fan]

I would agree. After THE BOSS, Diana's image became younger, sexier, and less-Vegas like. Her in-the-round shows reflected the "new" Diana. I enjoyed those in-the-round shows of the 80s just as much as I did AN EVENING WITH... and TOUR '79.

i agree - i think her updated stage format worked beautifully for the 80s. her image and sound from 80 - 82 was, for the most part, spot on. fresh, hip, dynamic.

I remember finding an old yearbook at college from those years and she was voted top female artist by the campus. and i remember hearing her stuff everywhere during those years.