Hollywood Palace 1969

[copley]

And now for something completely different!

[Circa 1824]

Diana, at one time, was always reaching to do exciting new professional things.

She is not a graceful dancer. Her moves are jerky and amateurish rather than fluid and beautiful. But, she pushed the envelope.

[sup_fan]

i think most everyone at the time would understand that Diana Ross wasn't Ginger Rogers. But the point here is that she's showing an appreciation for things outside of her primary wheelhouse. at this time, the chasm between the older and younger generation was becoming wider and in a more shocking and concerning manner than previous. the defiance and rejection by the youth generation of their parents and predecessors was a huge problem and concern.

then you have Motown and the supremes coming onto the scene, and dealing not only with the generational problem but the racial ones too. and yet the motown entertainers were always shown as polished, talented, accomplished. and that was due not only to Artist Dev but their ability to successfully incorporate material that was not their own.

Diana and the Supremes were the most successful with this. adding things like this dance routine allowed the general US public to say "wow this young lady and a BLACK young lady is not so defiant. she seems pretty good and so i'll like her"

[sansradio]

Diana and the Supremes were the most successful with this. adding things like this dance routine allowed the general US public to say "wow this young lady and a BLACK young lady is not so defiant. she seems pretty good and so i'll like her"

I'd argue that this particular dance routine was just the converse: an effort to provide Diana with some street cred to Black audiences. DRATS, with their Vegas glitz and show tunes, had become the poster children for crossover success, which caused many African-Americans to look askance at them and refer to them as sellouts, fairly or unfairly. Moments like this and "Afro-Vogue" were calculated to inject some more soul into their image, to shore up more support with Black folk in this fraught Civil Rights/Black Power Movement era, IMHO.

[reese]

In addition to this spot, she also did a dance number with Sammy Davis, Jr. on THE HOLLYWOOD PALACE. I think spots such as this show just how special Diana was, especially when you consider how well they came off [IMO], and probably had no more than a week to rehearse and tape these spots. I can't imagine any of her peers doing the same and looking as natural doing it.

[sup_fan]

I'd argue that this particular dance routine was just the converse: an effort to provide Diana with some street cred to Black audiences. DRATS, with their Vegas glitz and show tunes, had become the poster children for crossover success, which caused many African-Americans to look askance at them and refer to them as sellouts, fairly or unfairly. Moments like this and "Afro-Vogue" were calculated to inject some more soul into their image, to shore up more support with Black folk in this fraught Civil Rights/Black Power Movement era, IMHO.

completely agree. add in the Fats Waller medley. diana's short afro wig during these years. the look of the LC album and all

one thing that is a little surprising is that they didn't try to do some sort of tribute, in the recording studio, to some of the songs famous by african american artists. I understand Berry's concern with going too hard to the r&b world which was often associated [[fairly and unfairly) with drugs and other elements. Certainly their R&H book was a nod to Ella's magnificent songbooks. and i'm sure they were thrilled that Ethel was booked on the Hollywood Palace too so she and diana could do a duet.

[Boogiedown]

Other than I think the ending doesn’t suit the routine and looks tacked on,

this seems brilliant. Diana has a terrific amount of chutzpah to take this on, and pulls it off splendidly. Was it live ?

My Diana Ross rating score just increased two points .

[sansradio]

completely agree. add in the Fats Waller medley. diana's short afro wig during these years. the look of the LC album and all

one thing that is a little surprising is that they didn't try to do some sort of tribute, in the recording studio, to some of the songs famous by african american artists. I understand Berry's concern with going too hard to the r&b world which was often associated [[fairly and unfairly) with drugs and other elements. Certainly their R&H book was a nod to Ella's magnificent songbooks. and i'm sure they were thrilled that Ethel was booked on the Hollywood Palace too so she and diana could do a duet.

Yes, lots of imponderables here. This was also a post-Aretha world, who had become an alternate gold standard of popular Black women entertainers to rival DRATS, vocally and image-wise. And you nailed it about the hair choice; Nikki Giovanni's famous poem "Ode to Aretha" even includes the line "...and even Diana Ross had to get an Afro wig."

[TomatoTom123]

Well, I don’t know much about dance, but I thought that was quite fun to watch.

[sup_fan]

Yes, lots of imponderables here. This was also a post-Aretha world, who had become an alternate gold standard of popular Black women entertainers to rival DRATS, vocally and image-wise. And you nailed it about the hair choice; Nikki Giovanni's famous poem "Ode to Aretha" even includes the line "...and even Diana Ross had to get an Afro wig."

mary made a comment about how a reviewer told DRATS to "get back to the church baby" and how she called out the industry racism of a singer needs to be white to sing MOR or black to sing r&b.

DR's voice is more pop oriented that aretha's. and that's ok both singers have amazing talents for what they do

[sansradio]

mary made a comment about how a reviewer told DRATS to "get back to the church baby" and how she called out the industry racism of a singer needs to be white to sing MOR or black to sing r&b.

DR's voice is more pop oriented that aretha's. and that's ok both singers have amazing talents for what they do

Absolutely. They both are my two favorite singers, for entirely different reasons; they scratch different itches for me, flawlessly, each peerless in their own lanes.

[sup_fan]

Absolutely. They both are my two favorite singers, for entirely different reasons; they scratch different itches for me, flawlessly, each peerless in their own lanes.

i just wish we had more instances of them recording same songs but in their own wonderful styles. two totally different and totally worthy interpretations of a song

on a similar note, i enjoy the Sups and Aretha's two different takes on Bridge Over Troubled Water. yes the sups have those annoying sound effects at the very beginning. but their group approach to the song is stunning. 3 ladies sharing leads and then 3 part harmonies. so theirs is an r&b group approach to the song

meanwhile aretha does an amazing version. the gospel side of her vocals makes for a totally different approach. and while there are backing vocalists and they play an important part, this is aretha's song. she's not sharing anything lol

[sansradio]

^LOL!

One example that occurs to me is The Supremes' take on "Make Someone Happy," especially the Copa '65 versions, which owe a tremendous debt to Aretha's Columbia recording. It's a striking instance of Aretha influencing Diana's interpretations even before Ree's Atlantic superstar heyday. Take a listen:

[SatansBlues]

Here's Aretha's version of Reach Out and Touch [[Somebody's Hand) from 1971. I think the two ladies had a mutual respect for one another and their mutual talents. I believe one of Aretha's sons was a big fan of Diana Ross.

[SatansBlues]

Here is Aretha's 1981 version of It's My Turn. It reached # 29 on the R&B charts.

[bradsupremes]

I think the two ladies had a mutual respect for one another and their mutual talents. I believe one of Aretha's sons was a big fan of Diana Ross.

I don't think either lady saw the other as a threat musically. It helped too they both knew each other since they were kids growing up in Detroit and rose up from similar environments. They knew they were two different performers and artists so it may explain why there was never any beef between them.