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  1. #1
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    Eaten Alive single

    I'm listening the extended mix and the single mix. As a Diana Ross fan, it's frustrating because what she does is a featuring, but the song isn't that bad. I certainly don't think it is the worse on the album.
    And the clip was very interesting.

    #10 on the R&B isn't that bad

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    But, who wants to listen to a line like , " I don't want to get eaten alive" over and over?

    And I can do better percussion, and often do, banging pots and pans.

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    I have to admit that I didn't like the single on first listen and little has changed since. I think Diana sounds quite fine on it but the song itself, IMO, is no great shakes. It sounds like a third-rate SWEPT AWAY. I wonder what would have happened if CHAIN REACTION had been the first single.

    Re its #10 chart R&B chart placing, that's not bad at all. It followed the #13 TELEPHONE. For the most part, the r&b audience stuck with Diana up through the TAKE ME HIGHER album. They weren't all hits but at least they had some interest. Pop radio stopped listening after CHAIN REACTION.
    Last edited by reese; 04-15-2021 at 01:45 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by reese View Post
    I have to admit that I didn't like the single on first listen and little has changed since. I think Diana sounds quite fine on it but the song itself, IMO, is no great shakes. It sounds like a third-rate SWEPT AWAY. I wonder what would have happened if CHAIN REACTION had been the first single.

    Re its #10 chart R&B chart placing, that's not bad at all. It followed the #13 TELEPHONE. For the most part, the r&b audience stuck with Diana up through the TAKE ME HIGHER album. They weren't all hits but at least they had some interest. Pop radio stopped listening after CHAIN REACTION.

    Ya I'd be interested to see the rest of that Top 10.

    This is about when the R&B chart pretty much dissolved into the sh*ts....

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    i think the backing track of the song is rather strong. the problems though with the overall song are:

    1. confusing oddball lyrics - almost as bizarre as Pieces of Ice.
    2. idiotic choices with Diana's vocal production - whoever thought this was good was fucking fool. she's so buried, blurred and muddied. just a dumb decision
    3. Michael and Gibbs are too prominent - the backing vocals are too identifiable.

    so basically you have an instrumental track that was solid and the rest sort of sucks.

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    Name:  eaten.jpg
Views: 660
Size:  44.8 KB


    I love Eaten..particularly the extended mix..the obscure lyrics dont bother me..putting Diana,MJ and the Gibb brothers together on one song was always going to end up with a somewhat Frenzied performance..

    Michael heard an early mix of the track and Barry invited him to add some lyrics however there was contention with arranger Albhy Galuten over the final mix..

    the video fits the song premise perfectly - frantic,primal,sensual and dangerous..

    I once played some of Diana's music videos to a friend who was 21 or 22 and knew nothing of Diana's music and career..he loved 'Eaten Alive' more than anything else..
    Last edited by nomis; 04-15-2021 at 06:07 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Boogiedown View Post
    But, who wants to listen to a line like , " I don't want to get eaten alive" over and over?
    But we have no trouble with, "Thriller Night! I can feel ya more than any ghoul would ever dare twice."

    I loooooove Eaten Alive so much. I don't have a problem with the lyrics. I saw somewhere it's supposed to be about giving a woman oral sex, which just adds to the hilarity of it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by JLoveLamar View Post
    But we have no trouble with, "Thriller Night! I can feel ya more than any ghoul would ever dare twice."

    I loooooove Eaten Alive so much. I don't have a problem with the lyrics. I saw somewhere it's supposed to be about giving a woman oral sex, which just adds to the hilarity of it.
    LOL. That's "I can thrill you more than any ghost would ever dare try," but I feel ya.

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    I absolutely love eaten alive it’s fierce it’s rocking her vocals are stunning she runs to the top of the mountain with this one

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    Quote Originally Posted by JLoveLamar View Post
    I loooooove Eaten Alive so much. I don't have a problem with the lyrics. I saw somewhere it's supposed to be about giving a woman oral sex, which just adds to the hilarity of it.
    I suspect something like that too

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    weird or unorthodox lyrics aren't necessarily bad. even indistinguishable lyrics don't automatically doom a song - listen to much of Janet Jackson's work for examples of both of these lolol.

    Part of the power of Diana Ross though, IMO, was her amazing way to convey emotion and the story of a song through lyric. part of her talent is her storytelling. the way she combines her musical phrasing with lyric. Also her vocal tone was always "the sound." from the early Sup days until later solo work, the timber of her voice was always able to penetrate even big heavy tracks like Lovelight or It's My Turn.

    Someone brought up the odd lyric of Thriller - yep and it works. I'll bring up Janet's big hit If. one of the most muddied and muted lead vocals ever released to the public. but it's a hot song and was a major hit.

    I will give her credit for experimenting with EA but experimenting shouldn't mean completely tossing aside the foundation of your sound or singing. it should be new ways of interpreting that sound. Look at Madonna - so many different styles but they're all still "madonna"

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    What if
    Chain reaction was the first track on the album and..., first single.
    Eatin was track 5 and only released as a dance single n video with the second single, Crimes of Passion, being released.
    Kinda thought EA was dark but was hoping for me like bro @andys lp shadow dancing.more pop. i thought the album came off more soulful than pop
    Last edited by daviddh; 04-17-2021 at 08:48 AM.

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    I'm with Sup on this. I do like the song, but it wasn't what she should've been doing at the time. MJ is prominent on it, which IMO is a selling point. But Diana's success for the longest time hinged on her unique voice and how she could convey a lyric. She seemed to get to a place where choosing songs that showed off her vocal abilities and her interpretation skills were of no concern. Look at what hit for her at RCA: "Mirror, Mirror", "Muscles", "Swept Away", "All Of You" and "Missing You". Of those, "Muscles" might be the weakest cut. It's so campy, and even on the corny side, and Diana is certainly not going full throttle vocally, but that track is sexy as hell, her vocal approach, while soft, seems right on the money for such a song, and again, MJ is involved, always a plus. "Mirror, Mirror" was no "Baby Love", but it was still Diana Ross. "Swept Away" was no "Mountain High Enough" but it was still Diana Ross. "Missing You" wasn't "Touch Me In the Morning" but it was still Diana Ross. And her branded stamp on these cuts is why the public bought into them. Look at the stuff that didn't hit. It's easy to see how the public could've been disconnected, even if the songs weren't always bad.

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    "Tie me to a tree, crawl all over me
    You can rip my shirt, drag me in the dirt
    I will be your slave, anything you say
    I don't ever wanna be eaten alive"






  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by daviddh View Post
    What if
    Chain reaction was the first track on the album and..., first single and
    Eatin was track 5 and only released as a dance single n video with the second song Crimes of passion, being released.
    Kinda thought EA was dark but was hoping for me like bro @andys lp shadow dancing.more poo
    "Chain Reaction" in the hands of another producer might have yielded a better result here in the States.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
    Diana's success for the longest time hinged on her unique voice and how she could convey a lyric. but it was still Diana Ross. And her branded stamp on these cuts is why the public bought into them. Look at the stuff that didn't hit. It's easy to see how the public could've been disconnected, even if the songs weren't always bad.
    Nail on the proverbial head post.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
    I'm with Sup on this. I do like the song, but it wasn't what she should've been doing at the time. MJ is prominent on it, which IMO is a selling point. But Diana's success for the longest time hinged on her unique voice and how she could convey a lyric. She seemed to get to a place where choosing songs that showed off her vocal abilities and her interpretation skills were of no concern. Look at what hit for her at RCA: "Mirror, Mirror", "Muscles", "Swept Away", "All Of You" and "Missing You". Of those, "Muscles" might be the weakest cut. It's so campy, and even on the corny side, and Diana is certainly not going full throttle vocally, but that track is sexy as hell, her vocal approach, while soft, seems right on the money for such a song, and again, MJ is involved, always a plus. "Mirror, Mirror" was no "Baby Love", but it was still Diana Ross. "Swept Away" was no "Mountain High Enough" but it was still Diana Ross. "Missing You" wasn't "Touch Me In the Morning" but it was still Diana Ross. And her branded stamp on these cuts is why the public bought into them. Look at the stuff that didn't hit. It's easy to see how the public could've been disconnected, even if the songs weren't always bad.
    Both EA and Pieces of Ice violated one of Berry Gordy's most important tenents to a song: the ability to understand the lyrics. When I first played both the 45 and EA album I knew it would be a flop. To this day I still don't know the lyrics to either songs.
    Last edited by SatansBlues; 04-16-2021 at 10:05 PM.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by daviddh View Post
    What if
    Chain reaction was the first track on the album and..., first single and
    Eatin was track 5 and only released as a dance single n video with the second song Crimes of passion, being released.
    Kinda thought EA was dark but was hoping for me like bro @andys lp shadow dancing.more poo
    I don't know. MAYBE if CR was the first single it might have helped salvage the project. but IMO the project was a shitpile. sorry guys - but i'd listen to Silk Electric on endless repeat versus EA.

    there is certainly potential on EA but the combination of Diana's own nasality to her voice and the Bee Gee falsettos is one of the harshest, most cringeworthy combination of sounds in her entire discography. I absolutely hate it.

    then add to that the horrible production of her vocals. More and More should have been a gorgeous song but her vocals are so weak, so thin and so out of tune. totally unlistenable

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    Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
    "Chain Reaction" in the hands of another producer might have yielded a better result here in the States.
    Chain reaction sounds perfect to me..I don't think another producer was needed... RCA in the u.s dropped the baton as it's success internationally proved..

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    Quote Originally Posted by nomis View Post
    Chain reaction sounds perfect to me..I don't think another producer was needed... RCA in the u.s dropped the baton as it's success internationally proved..
    Yes, an utterly perfect and hit-ready single. But, the market was not really looking for performers of Diana's age.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    Part of the power of Diana Ross though, IMO, was her amazing way to convey emotion and the story of a song through lyric. part of her talent is her storytelling. the way she combines her musical phrasing with lyric. Also her vocal tone was always "the sound." from the early Sup days until later solo work, the timber of her voice was always able to penetrate even big heavy tracks like Lovelight or It's My Turn.
    All this is true and that's why I said that "for a Diana Ross fan" it's frustrating. But if you don't look for her sound, it's quite a good song. Your remarks apply to the whole Eaten Alive album. Her distinctive tone is missing or elusive or intermittent.
    Even "Chain Reaction" is on the razor.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Albator View Post
    All this is true and that's why I said that "for a Diana Ross fan" it's frustrating. But if you don't look for her sound, it's quite a good song. Your remarks apply to the whole Eaten Alive album. Her distinctive tone is missing or elusive or intermittent.
    Even "Chain Reaction" is on the razor.
    The joyous “Chain Reaction” is pure Diana Ross to me.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ollie9 View Post
    The joyous “Chain Reaction” is pure Diana Ross to me.
    She doesn't sing it very well in concert, to my ears. She can sing and act at the same time her Supremes songs, but not this one.

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    Quote Originally Posted by nomis View Post
    Chain reaction sounds perfect to me..I don't think another producer was needed... RCA in the u.s dropped the baton as it's success internationally proved..
    Sounds perfeçt to me. A glorious throwback to the 60's with some 80's gloss added to the mix.
    Barry did a great job on this
    The UK, Ireland and Australia certainly recognised a good tune when they heard it. I never tire of hearing it.

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    can somebody post a youtube link for this version??

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    Quote Originally Posted by Albator View Post
    She doesn't sing it very well in concert, to my ears. She can sing and act at the same time her Supremes songs, but not this one.
    Sadly I agree. The sped up live version is way to Cabaret for my taste. Waste of a terrific song.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sup_fan View Post
    i think the backing track of the song is rather strong. the problems though with the overall song are:

    1. confusing oddball lyrics - almost as bizarre as Pieces of Ice.
    2. idiotic choices with Diana's vocal production - whoever thought this was good was fucking fool. she's so buried, blurred and muddied. just a dumb decision
    3. Michael and Gibbs are too prominent - the backing vocals are too identifiable.

    so basically you have an instrumental track that was solid and the rest sort of sucks.
    I think the instrumental track is the root of the problem otherwise I agree with all, except No. 3. Thinking about the Francois K 12" mix, it really heats up when all three voices are smashed together in discordant chaos. The whole track is a rhythmic mess, it's like two different songs playing at the same time; but those immediately identifiable voices all together make it sound like an event -- a catastrophic event but an event nonetheless. I still occasionally listen to it when I'm doing cardio.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
    "Chain Reaction" in the hands of another producer might have yielded a better result here in the States.
    Too retro...

    I never heard a hit single. 'Chain Reaction' was a nice album track but I couldn't imagine folks buying the single, and in the U.S. they did not.

    I was only a little surprised it was such a hit in the UK. That was the same year I learned Sister Sledge's "Frankie" hit No. 1 in the UK. So clearly there is more appetite for throwbacks in the UK.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Guy View Post
    Too retro...

    I never heard a hit single. 'Chain Reaction' was a nice album track but I couldn't imagine folks buying the single, and in the U.S. they did not.

    I was only a little surprised it was such a hit in the UK. That was the same year I learned Sister Sledge's "Frankie" hit No. 1 in the UK. So clearly there is more appetite for throwbacks in the UK.
    the UK loves nostalgia - big hits in this period were "Reet Petite","Stand By Me" "Under the broadwalk" and Madonna 60'sesque "True Blue" among others

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    Quote Originally Posted by nomis View Post
    Chain reaction sounds perfect to me..I don't think another producer was needed... RCA in the u.s dropped the baton as it's success internationally proved..
    I love the song as is. But I do think in the hands of another producer the sound may have had a bit more soul to it, more bite. Not to mention the one thing about the song that I don't like is the background vocals. Without any Gibb involvement, different backing vocalists would've been utilized and I do think that would've been an improvement of sound. To me "Chain Reaction" was very Motowny. There were a lot of songs out at the time that were going for that sound. I think the Gibbs were going for that also, but the track sounds more "generic 80s" than it might otherwise have sounded in the hands of someone else. And maybe then the song wouldn't have tanked in the States.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Guy View Post
    Too retro...

    I never heard a hit single. 'Chain Reaction' was a nice album track but I couldn't imagine folks buying the single, and in the U.S. they did not.

    I was only a little surprised it was such a hit in the UK. That was the same year I learned Sister Sledge's "Frankie" hit No. 1 in the UK. So clearly there is more appetite for throwbacks in the UK.
    I disagree. That retro 60s sound was one of the rage of the 80s music in the States. The problem is the track was a little stale and the backing vocals were...yikes.

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    Quote Originally Posted by nomis View Post
    the UK loves nostalgia - big hits in this period were "Reet Petite","Stand By Me" "Under the broadwalk" and Madonna 60'sesque "True Blue" among others
    "True Blue" was big over here too, among others with that throwback sound. Honestly, this may have been where Diana could've really garnered some big sales. Her voice is one of the hallmarks of the 60s. Had they figured out a way to pair that with something retro yet very fresh, that didn't make Diana look like a has been trying to reclaim a former glory, she might have had a winner.

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    Quote Originally Posted by RanRan79 View Post
    "True Blue" was big over here too, among others with that throwback sound. Honestly, this may have been where Diana could've really garnered some big sales. Her voice is one of the hallmarks of the 60s. Had they figured out a way to pair that with something retro yet very fresh, that didn't make Diana look like a has been trying to reclaim a former glory, she might have had a winner.
    I agree Billy Joel Had huge success with the Frankie Valli/Four Season's homages "The Longest Time" & "Uptown Girl"

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    This song is fierce it will make you thing not every thing is Normal but she takes this song out of the Hat and Delivers Forcefulness soulfulness and above all the signature voice that is Diana Ross

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    Eaten Alive is a hot sexy record. Diana Ross and Michael Jackson are always magic together. It should have been a bigger hit. I prefer Diana when she sings about love andhope and uplift and inspiration, but songs like Eaten Alive are fun and sexy. This song makes me want to dance. I love back in the day going to the clubs and I always got on the floor to dance my you know what off when the DJ played us some Diana Ross.

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    Quote Originally Posted by nomis View Post
    Name:  eaten.jpg
Views: 660
Size:  44.8 KB


    I love Eaten..particularly the extended mix..the obscure lyrics dont bother me..putting Diana,MJ and the Gibb brothers together on one song was always going to end up with a somewhat Frenzied performance..

    Michael heard an early mix of the track and Barry invited him to add some lyrics however there was contention with arranger Albhy Galuten over the final mix..

    the video fits the song premise perfectly - frantic,primal,sensual and dangerous..

    I once played some of Diana's music videos to a friend who was 21 or 22 and knew nothing of Diana's music and career..he loved 'Eaten Alive' more than anything else..

    I love that picture of Diana and Michael. So much love. So much magic.

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    This single coming out during the wane of Michael's incredible club run with the THRILLER stuff obviously had a lot to do with its success ......the continuance of that voice [and the haunting/ zombie theme) was readily welcomed , and what a clever combo when it includes of all unexpected things, the Bee Gees. And Diana Ross.

    Her best moments were missed I think by not honing in on stylizing her vocals as heard at :29---

    Last edited by Boogiedown; 04-18-2021 at 02:52 PM.

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    To me, the big problem with the single is that it sounds like a Michael Jackson song - so far, all great - sung by Bee Gees - I hate their style of singing, it sounds dated and very waning-like.

    If Diana sang like herself, with her personal vocal style, the result would have been a million times better.

    In fact, this is the problem with the entire album. She is singing as if she were someone else.

    Michael Jackson's style suits her much better than the Bee Gees's style.

    So, the Bee Gees type of vocals take away the oomph of the song and of the entire album.
    Last edited by Nitro2015; 04-18-2021 at 01:35 PM.

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    The Bee Gees were date and passe at this point. Was it the record label's idea to pair DR and the Bee Gees together?

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    The problem with this song is that it is just too darn good just listen to those vocals it’s a fun song so have fun with it

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    Quote Originally Posted by SatansBlues View Post
    The Bee Gees were date and passe at this point. Was it the record label's idea to pair DR and the Bee Gees together?
    Are you kidding? They had huge hits with Babs, Dionne, and Kenny and Dolly just a few years prior. Maybe the problem wasn't the Bee Gees, but Diana herself.

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    Eaten Alive [[single and album) sucked, save for CHAIN REACTION, which is in my top 5 Diana songs of all time.

    I think the Bee Gees didn't know what to do with her.

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    The Eaten Alive album is in my top 5 favorite Diana Ross albums. Loved her with The Bee Gees. Doesn’t get any better than “Experience”. Her voice is crystal clear and beautiful.

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    Was watching Barry in 'The Great Songwriters' series yesterday and he said when Diana's album was done, she said 'you must have something else for me' and they said 'well...' [[as they had done a Chain Reaction demo, intending to record the 'Motown tribute' as a single themselves). Apparently once Diana heard it, she insisted on doing it.

    Some good insights from the series. In the one with Jimmy Webb, Motown insisted he took some songs, that he'd written while on contract with Jobete, with him as they had no use for them.'

    I bet when HDH left Motown, Berry wished he had one of these songs - Up, Up & Away - ready to record with the Supremes or another act.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marybrewster View Post
    Are you kidding? They had huge hits with Babs, Dionne, and Kenny and Dolly just a few years prior. Maybe the problem wasn't the Bee Gees, but Diana herself.
    Just a few years prior is SB's point. I don't believe in 1985 anybody but Diana Ross was thinking "The Bee Gees, that's where my next hit is coming from". True enough, "Chain Reaction" proved to be a global monster hit outside the US and the title track to the album hit pretty good R&B and Dance. Some tweaks to the entire project might have saved it, but personally I think this was a mismatch.

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    Quote Originally Posted by marybrewster View Post

    I think the Bee Gees didn't know what to do with her.
    Agreed. Had they gotten ahold to Diana in the late 70s, maybe even the period before she left Motown, I think they could've matched up pretty well. By the mid 80s I don't think they really had a good read on the direction to take her. But to be fair, Diana herself apparently did have a good read on what direction to go in either, hence some of the crap we got.

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    It’s interesting that the “Eaten Alive” album creates as much division regarding fans opinion as does “”Workin’ Overtime”. Personally i think both albums contain some gems.
    I have gotten to like “Eaten Alive” more as the years have passed. I just wish Diana’s voice was more prominent on the song.
    Sadly the album lacks a killer ballad. Its hard to understand how Diana allowed MJ voice to be so prominent on the EA track yet they never recorded a duet for the album.
    An “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” type ballad would have extended interest and provided a commercial follow up to the brilliant “CR”.

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    ^^^ My favorite song from the album is “I’m watching you”. I consider that a killer ballad. As far as “Eaten Alive” and Michael Jackson, I consider that a duet. He is just not credited.

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    I thought i had previously explained how the Eaten Alive sessions came to be.
    Barry had pursued Ms Ross on a few occasions in the early 80's to no avail. He gave a whole album to Kenny Rogers which he had intended for Ms Ross. This included Islands in the stream. He had all but given up on her when she got in touch demanding an album almost immediately. The scheduled producer had pulled out due to "creative differences". She had the studio bookčd but no songs and producer. Barry was anxious to work with her but he was unable to compose 8 new songs in around 10 days so he had to find enough material from previously submitted material along with unused material from Ms Streisand, Ms Warwick and Kenny Rogers. The sessions were rushed. The title track was finished with added input from MJ, and chain reaction which Barry originally intended for the Bee Gees. He played it to her and she begged him to produce it on her. The album was all but finished at this point, and a song had to be binned to make way for CR. They chose what was in my opinion one of the cream cuts. I think. I think it was called it's up to you. It lay festering in the vaults until Ms Streisand heard it and recorded it herself for the Barry helmed Guilty 2 project. She knew a good song when she heard it.
    Barry was not happy having to rush the project through despite getting short notice help from MJ amongst others. Maurice Gibb was even more unhappy and resented Ms Ross for having repeatedly turned them down, and then a few years later demanding an album at short notice. He and Miss Ross clashed in the studio to such an extent that Barry barred him from the studio.
    I personally like most of the album, but it could and would have been better had Barry been given more time tň prepare.
    He would like the opportunity to produce her again, but that will not hŕppen sadly.
    Hope this helps.

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    Quote Originally Posted by khansperac View Post
    ^^^ My favorite song from the album is “I’m watching you”. I consider that a killer ballad. As far as “Eaten Alive” and Michael Jackson, I consider that a duet. He is just not credited.
    By killer ballad I was thinking top 5. “”I’m Watching You” is a charming song and probably my favourite from the album. I seriously doubt it had the potential to climb that high though.
    I agree that EA sounds more like a duet.........unfortunately.

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