Take Me Higher Album Appreciation Thread

[nomis]

a favourite album of mine.. "Ive Never Loved A Man before" is one of her greatest under rated tracks..i love the title track, "If Your Not Gonna Love Me Right","Gone" & "Swing It"..I dont like "I Will Survive" at all.. it just dosent beat the original for me the artwork for the project is superb would love to hear your views on this period..[[ also like the B side "Let Somebody Know")

[reese]

I think TMH was the best of Diana's back-to-Motown albums. When I saw her in August 1995, the album had not yet been released but she sang six or seven of the tracks. I was happy to hear that she had such a strong album and the audience response was good. It was just sad that she was promoting an album that the audience couldn't go out and buy.

That said, my faves are the title track, IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA LOVE ME RIGHT, VOICE OF THE HEART, LET SOMEBODY KNOW, DON'T STOP, GONE, I THOUGHT THAT WE WERE STILL IN LOVE, and I WILL SURVIVE.

[nomis]

same thing happened in the U.S with "Force" she was apparently exasperated to be promoting the project without the album in stores...

[reese]

same thing happened in the U.S with "Force" she was apparently exasperated to be promoting the project without the album in stores...

Yes. I saw Diana in 1991 and she sang many songs from FORCE. The audience response was strong but again, the audience couldn't buy the album because it had yet to be released.

With TAKE ME HIGHER, I was actually surprised to find an import copy at Tower Records weeks before the US release date. Of course, I snapped it up.

[dickiemint]

TMH is a Great Album as is FBTP strong especially in the UK with top 10 hits and high profile TV appearances to promote, sad that they did have the success in the U.S.

[sup_fan]

for whatever reason, i've tended to overlook her 90s work. every now and then i'll remember to play one of these albums and i do very much enjoy them. TMH was a very strong set with some really good tracks.

i do have to say that i prefer the sound/style of Everyday. just personal pref - happen to find the dance music of 99/00 preferable to 95/96.

[daviddh]

I loved TMH set.love it.
I would replace Survive with To Many Nights.
Otherwise great set.
Great tour
Why no TMH 2

[nomis]

i bought the cassette single of Gone to get Im so happy [[to see you again) but dont have a tape deck..still havent heard it

[SatansBlues]

i bought the cassette single of Gone to get Im so happy [[to see you again) but dont have a tape deck..still havent heard it

[TNSUN]

"I'm so Happy To See You Again". Great song and video. Excellent productions, audio and visual!

[nomis]

thanks S blues are these visuals from Best Years Of My Life ? the youtube clip wont play in my region..[[sigh)

[rovereab]

TMH is a very strong album, covering several forms of song which Diana takes in her stride. I'm So Happy [[To See You Again) is, for me, one of her best recordings. It was a shame that it didn't make the UK album release. However, with the prospect of an expanded album release of TMH I'm hopeful for this and other unreleased gems from the sessions.

[Circa 1824]

TMH is one album I did not buy or hear. “I’m So Happy....” I heard for the first time today.

Vocally and lyrically it is quite good. Musically it is dull, unimaginative, dark, and anything but happy and beautiful. Musically it sounds like canned computerized elevator music. I don’t know who produced it, but it has Ross’ stamp all over it. The background vocals at the end are also anything but happy and joyous. Wasn’t this supposed to be a love song?

A star of Ross’ magnitude is expected to have a rich lush sound to her ballads. Instead, costs and corners were consistently cut.

[Ollie9]

I rate TMH as a classic Diana Ross album. A quality product that still sounds fresh today.
I like “I’m So Happy”, but overall it's probably the weakest song recorded for the project. I can certainly understand why it was left off.
I wish she had recorded a whole album with the Boom Brothers. “Don’t Stop” is a terrific song and probably my favourite cut on the album.
Any further news of an expanded edition Mr B?.

[nomis]

I have an audio cassette from an EMI EPK [[Electronic Press Kit) of Diana Talking at length about making the album..its very interesting she says how much she enjoyed working with the Boom Brothers she also touches on the subject of hostility and negativity in rap music [[she dosent mention the genre by name but thats whats she implying) she says with a heavy sigh that "violence begets violence" on a happier note she says she dancing round the room to "I Will Survive" she also mentons time constraints on trying to nail Babyface to write a track

[daviddh]

Not sure if the expanded edition is in the works but hopefully....
This album is in my top ten classic Ross albums.
I thought sure if your not gonna love me right was going to hit big but Motown released I'm Gone.
Beautiful ballad but....I think it spoiled the album momentum

[daviddh]

Also ....Soul Kiss was a nice out take..
Swing It .....
All gems in my book
Bring on that expanded edition.
If this was released in 80 s prob smash

[Bluebrock]

I rate TMH as a classic Diana Ross album. A quality product that still sounds fresh today.
I like “I’m So Happy”, but overall it's probably the weakest song recorded for the project. I can certainly understand why it was left off.
I wish she had recorded a whole album with the Boom Brothers. “Don’t Stop” is a terrific song and probably my favourite cut on the album.
Any further news of an expanded edition Mr B?.

Nothing at the moment Ollie.
I am hoping they will proceed irrespective of Ms Ross's cancelled tour. Summer of 2020 promised to be a memorable one for UK fans, but covid 19 put paid to that of course.
I seriously doubt she will reschedule the tour. I fear the time has passed for that.
However, that does not mean the expanded editions are dead in the water, and the tv programmes will surely proceed.

[Bluebrock]

Not sure if the expanded edition is in the works but hopefully....
This album is in my top ten classic Ross albums.
I thought sure if your not gonna love me right was going to hit big but Motown released I'm Gone.
Beautiful ballad but....I think it spoiled the album momentum

Gone was the wrong choice for the 2nd single. I was not involved much during this time due to personal issues, and i had no say in the matter.
Take Me Higher is an outstanding album. It only just misses out on my top 5 Ross albums. Had i been more focused at the time we could have had another Force Behind The Power type success in the UK.
She was in great shape both physically and vocally, and she really believed in the album. There were so many potential hits on here. Such a missed opportunity.

[Ollie9]

Nothing at the moment Ollie.
I am hoping they will proceed irrespective of Ms Ross's cancelled tour. Summer of 2020 promised to be a memorable one for UK fans, but covid 19 put paid to that of course.
I seriously doubt she will reschedule the tour. I fear the time has passed for that.
However, that does not mean the expanded editions are dead in the water, and the tv programmes will surely proceed.

I certainly look forward to seeing them. In truth, i always had mixed feelings about this Top Of The World tour. It sounded a massive undertaking for a lady born in 1944.
I for one would have been really happy with Glastonbury, a clutch of tv appearances and a few nights at the Royal Albert Hall lol.
If in 2022 Diana does indeed decide to tour again, i really hope it’s a much scaled down version of the 2020 plans.

[nomis]

I think ageism played a part in the reception of TMH..I was living in London at the time of release and working in a record shop I Played the album in store one day and a co worker was like "shes not cool anymore.." "Swing It" & "Dont Stop" imo are as good as single releases by the likes of TLC or SWV at the time but Diana was deemed by certain radio [[and especially MTV) as "Too Old" its such as shame also the urban feel of some of the tracks i think didnt appeal to the audience who bought "Force Behind" in the UK by the truckload..once more Diana was stuck between and a rock and a hard place..

[Ollie9]

I think ageism played a part in the reception of TMH..I was living in London at the time of release and working in a record shop I Played the album in store one day and a co worker was like "shes not cool anymore.." "Swing It" & "Dont Stop" imo are as good as single releases by the likes of TLC or SWV at the time but Diana was deemed by certain radio [[and especially MTV) as "Too Old" its such as shame also the urban feel of some of the tracks i think didnt appeal to the audience who bought "Force Behind" in the UK by the truckload..once more Diana was stuck between and a rock and a hard place..

I agree on all points made nomis. By the time 95 rolled around, Diana was considered rather passé, especially when attempting to be a little more urban and/or contemporary.
In The UK at least, the mainstream pop vibe of FBTP would have been more readily acceptable to the masses as opposed to for example “If Your Not Gonna Love Me Right”.
She was indeed caught between that rock and hard place.

[nomis]

I had no idea the US version replaced Swing It with Let Somebody Know..Swing It is such a strong commercial song

[Jaap]

I had no idea the US version replaced Swing It with Let Somebody Know..Swing It is such a strong commercial song

But also the other way around! I bought the US version before the European one, and I was shocked that the latter didn't include Let Somebody Know, which is one of the best songs on the album. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised that the European version of "Don't Stop" included a "rap" [["you can't touch the boss!")...

[smallworld]

What were the release dates for the album in the US and the UK?

[Circa 1824]

Gone was a very decent song, but the production was drab. Again, the Ross stamp was all over it.

Gone had a Madonna-ish feel to it, but Madonna would made it much less drab and it would have been a hit.

[JohnnyB]

What were the release dates for the album in the US and the UK?

September 26th was the US release date; I believe it was released 3 weeks earlier in the UK. I had already seen Diana in concert a month prior, performing songs from the upcoming release...

[nomis]

But also the other way around! I bought the US version before the European one, and I was shocked that the latter didn't include Let Somebody Know, which is one of the best songs on the album. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised that the European version of "Don't Stop" included a "rap" [["you can't touch the boss!")...

the tracklist numbering in both releases is different which is an unusual practice for releases.. usually the Japan market might get a extra track

[JohnnyB]

But also the other way around! I bought the US version before the European one, and I was shocked that the latter didn't include Let Somebody Know, which is one of the best songs on the album. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised that the European version of "Don't Stop" included a "rap" [["you can't touch the boss!")...

The Take Me Higher project is one of my favorite Diana LP’s; it is in my top three. The alternate tracks and single-only additional songs were an added surprise. Regarding the sequencing, I personally feel the UK version flows much better than the US version.

I know Motown cut the rap from the US version of Don’t Stop because they felt it inappropriate for Diana, but I would love to know the reasoning behind the other edits. Voice Of The Heart, I Never Loved A Man Before and Keep It Right There feature alternate mixes between the UK/US releases, removing a chorus or an instrumental passage. The promotional CD includes further edits on I Will Survive and If You’re Not Gonna Love Me Right. The edits, in my opinion, add nothing and lessen the overall production. Why was this necessary?

[nomis]

The Take Me Higher project is one of my favorite Diana LP’s; it is in my top three. The alternate tracks and single-only additional songs were an added surprise. Regarding the sequencing, I personally feel the UK version flows much better than the US version.

I know Motown cut the rap from the US version of Don’t Stop because they felt it inappropriate for Diana, but I would love to know the reasoning behind the other edits. Voice Of The Heart, I Never Loved A Man Before and Keep It Right There feature alternate mixes between the UK/US releases, removing a chorus or an instrumental passage. The promotional CD includes further edits on I Will Survive and If You’re Not Gonna Love Me Right. The edits, in my opinion, add nothing and lessen the overall production. Why was this necessary?

Johnny B - I had no idea there were edits in the US version as well

[JohnnyB]

Johnny B - I had no idea there were edits in the US version as well

Yes, the US version removes the third chorus of Voice Of The Heart and the Don’t Stop rap. The promo version edits the spoken passage on IYNGLMR and the “dedicated to my girls” I Will Survive intro...

[Ollie9]

She was in great shape both physically and vocally, and she really believed in the album. There were so many potential hits on here. Such a missed opportunity.

The knowledge that Diana really believed in this wonderful album makes Motown’s mismanagement of it even more a crime.
After the previous scheduling fiasco of FBTP, it’s almost as if they were purposely trying to derail her career. It’s all the more a shame when “I Will Survive” would most probably have provided DR with that allusive pop hit in her homeland.
The fact they went on to remove the rap section from “Don’t Stop” speaks volumes about Motown’s lack of interest and/or creative vision.

[Bluebrock]

The knowledge that Diana really believed in this wonderful album makes Motown’s mismanagement of it even more a crime.
After the previous scheduling fiasco of FBTP, it’s almost as if they were purposely trying to derail her career. It’s all the more a shame when “I Will Survive” would most probably have provided DR with that allusive pop hit in her homeland.
The fact they went on to remove the rap section from “Don’t Stop” speaks volumes about Motown’s lack of interest and/or creative vision.

Truth of the matter is she had a few enemies in the US office. I don't wish to discuss that, but she was a popular lady in the UK office. She always arrived with gifts for the members of staff and made time to speak to everyone. This of course made the staff go that extra mile for her, and pretty much nothing was too much trouble for them. She often said she wished she could move the UK office across the pond!

[sup_fan]

I like Gone a lot - an outstanding album track. but i'm not sure it's really a good single. wonder if a remix might have done better? a producer totally re-imagining it as a dance track. sort of like Whitney's Its Not Right

If you're not gonna love me right is ok but again, not powerful enough [[in the album format) for a big US pop hit.

keep it right there is decent too. again though a remix to give it more life and dance-ability

I thought that we were still in love is a stunning track. beautiful in every regards. not a single [[as in an A side) but if they did a remix of one of the above, i'd vote to at least include this on the cassingle or the cd single.

[khansperac]

So all these years I have been listening to an edited version of “Voice of the heart”? Can someone post the edited, and non edited versions? Also, in concert, what version did she sing?

[Jaap]

So all these years I have been listening to an edited version of “Voice of the heart”? Can someone post the edited, and non edited versions? Also, in concert, what version did she sing?

UK album version [[4:54 minutes):


US album version [[4:18 minutes):

[khansperac]

Thanks Jaap. Unfortunately the UK video is not available for me.

[JohnnyB]

[QUOTE=khansperac;607038]Thanks Jaap. Unfortunately the UK video is not available for me.[/QUOTE

Although it did not appear on any versions of the LP, I also have an alternate mix of I Thought That We Were Still In Love with a longer intro and much more dramatic instrumentation throughout. It’s beautiful.

There is also an uptempo version of I Never Loved A Man Before that apparently was from an earlier session before the version we are familiar with was produced. I’ve never heard it, but it does exist—somewhere...

[daviddh]

Come on with the expanded edition ....

Hopefully we don't have to wait until 2025

[Jaap]

Thanks Jaap. Unfortunately the UK video is not available for me.

Here's another one of the UK version:

[florence]

Each to his/ her own.

There seems a lot of love here for this album but it wouldn't rank among my favourites.

It's not a bad album, the tracks are solid but there's nothing outstanding that had hit stamped all over it - unless I Will Survive might have succeeded if released in the US.

Favourite track - Voice Of The Heart.

It looks like it did well in the UK reaching #10 in the chart but this is really illusuionary.

Quite simply most of the fans went out and bought it in the first week of release so it went 10-22-48-85.

Not a big seller in the UK - it is one of the Diana's few albums in the UK not to even reach Silver status.

Baby It's Me for example which didn't break make the charts sold about 3 times as much.

[grangertim]

I love TMH. I bought it at the same time as I bought my first house. Whenever I put it on, it takes me back to those times - buying furniture, decorating, the hard work of renovating....

My friends recall many dinner parties at that time ending with us drunkenly all singing along to I Will Survive.

I thought the album had a lovely contemporary feel. The only song that jarred on it for me was If You're Not Gonna Love Me Right - it's not the song that a strong, independent 50-something woman should be singing - she'd have dumped the guy long before the relationship reached the point she sings about in the song.

I was living in Sydney at the time, and we got the EMI/UK version of the album.

I will always remember being on a Singapore Airlines flight from Sydney to London in 1997 and looking through music videos of the on-demand inflight entertainment, and seeing a video for Gone. I hadn't see it before; I thought it was a lovely video for a harrowing song; although in my opinion Diana might have worn a little less make up - she's veering towards drag queen territory. [[BTW the guy in the video is hoooooot.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAVkHXEBG7c