Middling albums by Diana Ross?

[sup_fan]

I think the time for a more funky, dance orientated album should have been in the followup to ”DR76”. The fact the public welcomed “Love Hangover ” with open arms should have given Motown some indication as to where she should be heading.
”Getting Ready For Love” though a really nice song, doesn’t quite cut the mustard....imo.

the whole Baby it's me project was mis-timed. everything about it is stellar but to release in fall 77 right on top of Saturday Night Fever was a terrible move. the dance tracks on it just weren't anywhere near powerful enough and fun, light pop tunes were not what people were wanting. BIM would have been perfect in 75 or hell even 81 instead of WDFFIL. you could have simply held the entire project and released it in the early 80s

so you're absolutely right. with the success of LH, motown should have gone full-on disco with her and made a major smash. and i guess they sort of tried with the subsequent Hal Davis productions and then the HDH stuff. but all of it was far inferior to LH. it's like they shot their shot with that first one and had nothing else left for her

[Ollie9]

the whole Baby it's me project was mis-timed. everything about it is stellar but to release in fall 77 right on top of Saturday Night Fever was a terrible move. the dance tracks on it just weren't anywhere near powerful enough and fun, light pop tunes were not what people were wanting. BIM would have been perfect in 75 or hell even 81 instead of WDFFIL. you could have simply held the entire project and released it in the early 80s

so you're absolutely right. with the success of LH, motown should have gone full-on disco with her and made a major smash. and i guess they sort of tried with the subsequent Hal Davis productions and then the HDH stuff. but all of it was far inferior to LH. it's like they shot their shot with that first one and had nothing else left for her

The priority should have been in finding another “Love hangover”. It’s odd when you consider the high quality dance material HDH were producing on the Supremes that Diana was never taken in that direction for a complete album.
“Your Love Is So Good For Me” might have done well with a funked up remix to breath some oomph into it. The 12” version is a lot better but even so.

[Spreadinglove21]

The priority should have been in finding another “Love hangover”. It’s odd when you consider the high quality dance material HDH were producing on the Supremes that Diana was never taken in that direction for a complete album.
“Your Love Is So Good For Me” might have done well with a funked up remix to breath some oomph into it. The 12” version is a lot better but even so.

Then again the Mary Scherrie and Susaye album which is chock full of Holland Brother Disco songs, didn't even chart so maybe that's why Motown didn't go full Disco with Diana Ross albums? In a way, it may have helped her as she didn't get saddled with a Disco diva tag.

[Ollie9]

Then again the Mary Scherrie and Susaye album which is chock full of Holland Brother Disco songs, didn't even chart so maybe that's why Motown didn't go full Disco with Diana Ross albums? In a way, it may have helped her as she didn't get saddled with a Disco diva tag.

As opposed to Diana herself, the Supremes profile was by then quite low.
I don’t see why you might think she would be considered a disco diva by simply recording a few more songs in that vein.
As mentioned, the “BIM” album was all wrong for the time being why most of it’s singles died a death.

[sup_fan]

The priority should have been in finding another “Love hangover”. It’s odd when you consider the high quality dance material HDH were producing on the Supremes that Diana was never taken in that direction for a complete album.
“Your Love Is So Good For Me” might have done well with a funked up remix to breath some oomph into it. The 12” version is a lot better but even so.

IMO the quality of the HDH productions for the supremes was FAR higher than the music they recorded with Diana. frankly i find the Diana tracks to be second rate, at best. nowhere near the quality she needed and laughable follow ups to LH. I can completely understand why they were canned

Greg Wright sort of tapped into something with You Were The One. it's a great song. i don't know if it's at LH level though

[sup_fan]

Then again the Mary Scherrie and Susaye album which is chock full of Holland Brother Disco songs, didn't even chart so maybe that's why Motown didn't go full Disco with Diana Ross albums? In a way, it may have helped her as she didn't get saddled with a Disco diva tag.

i think the MSS project suffered from a variety of things working against it.

1. the wrong first single - Wheel is a fine dance floor track but not radio friendly
2. disjointed campaign with the djs and discos - with the HE set, Walking was really the sole tune the djs were focusing on. sure the title track got some action. but everyone really was focused on Walking. i don't know if this was a strategically planned effort by the group and it's management [[doubtful lol) or just the fact that Walking is head and shoulders above everything else on the lp. it's the clear standout. with MSS, according to the disco charts, it was all over the place. some focused on Wheel. some on Wheel and LYG. or Wheel/LYG/love i never knew or only LYG and LINK or LYG and Don't wanna be tied down, etc. without having that focus in the clubs, momentum on 1 song never materialized and so the hopes of a crossover hit dimmed
3. mary's announcement of leaving - the lp came out in mid to late oct. according to mary's book, she announced her departure from the group in mid Dec. at which point apparently motown stopped all promotion
4. berry managing the group - this is certainly speculation but if mary had declined berry's offer, that would have done nothing to garner any support or interest from him or the label

[Ollie9]

IMO the quality of the HDH productions for the supremes was FAR higher than the music they recorded with Diana. frankly i find the Diana tracks to be second rate, at best. nowhere near the quality she needed and laughable follow ups to LH. I can completely understand why they were canned

Greg Wright sort of tapped into something with You Were The One. it's a great song. i don't know if it's at LH level though

That’s what doesn’t make sense. The songs HDH recorded on Diana were generally pretty awful, with their production on the Supremes albums being both slick and contemporary.
Perhaps Diana just hated dance music.

[masterblaster]

I bought The ‘Last Time’ album when it was first released in 1975 and always considered it an okay ‘middling’ album, playing it only occasionally. It spawned two top 40 hits in the UK, the title track and ‘Love Me’.
I recently acquired the album on CD and now have a new respect for it. Diana explores different genres throughout the album, from Country, ballads and gospel. In addition to the two ‘hits’, I like ‘Sleepin’, ‘Stone Liberty’ and for me, the stand out track is the gospel tinged ‘You’. I just love the way the song builds to an all out crescendo and is one of those lost gems that could have made the album a classic.

[RanRan79]

I think the time for a more funky, dance orientated album should have been in the followup to ”DR76”. The fact the public welcomed “Love Hangover ” with open arms should have given Motown some indication as to where she should be heading.
”Getting Ready For Love” though a really nice song, doesn’t quite cut the mustard....imo.

Oh I definitely think the follow up album should have been a dance album. I guess for me DR76 should've sounded more like a Natalie Cole album than what we got. Lol

[RanRan79]

As mentioned, the “BIM” album was all wrong for the time being why most of it’s singles died a death.

I disagree. The real problem with BIM is that Motown bungled the release schedules for both the album and the singles. It was one big "who the hell is making the decisions at Motown" piss show. The singles did fairly well in some markets. The problem was that the album was on the street for awhile before Motown even dropped the first single. By then various markets were playing various songs. The singles started dropping and by then it was too late for a national hit.

I recall someone making the argument that the BIM project sounded like music that would be made a couple years later. I actually agree with that. I also think that worked in BIM's favor, as Diana was ahead of the game. I don't think we can accurately judge how well received the singles were because of the way Motown messed it up. With some of the dumb decisions made regarding Diana from 1970 onwards, it's a wonder the lady ever had a hit at all.

[sup_fan]

That’s what doesn’t make sense. The songs HDH recorded on Diana were generally pretty awful, with their production on the Supremes albums being both slick and contemporary.
Perhaps Diana just hated dance music.

there might be some timing issues too. plus the Hollands had been working closely with Scherrie at Invictus. the early HDH disco songs with the Sups are fine but not special. even much of HE is still what i call "generic disco" Only You and High Energy are both great songs but it's possible to hear plenty of others singing them. Walking is unique and special. the power of the lyrics fits perfectly with the power of Scherrie's voice. and the exciting backing vocals are so well suited for the supremes and the tone of the song.

i think it was that success which gave the Scherrie lineup a "sound" and they developed MS&S off of that.

with Diana, they were probably just exploring different things that they had available. rather than tapping into a new custom sound

[Ollie9]

there might be some timing issues too. plus the Hollands had been working closely with Scherrie at Invictus. the early HDH disco songs with the Sups are fine but not special. even much of HE is still what i call "generic disco" Only You and High Energy are both great songs but it's possible to hear plenty of others singing them. Walking is unique and special. the power of the lyrics fits perfectly with the power of Scherrie's voice. and the exciting backing vocals are so well suited for the supremes and the tone of the song.

i think it was that success which gave the Scherrie lineup a "sound" and they developed MS&S off of that.

with Diana, they were probably just exploring different things that they had available. rather than tapping into a new custom sound

I was thinking more of “MS&S” with its eclectic mix of songs and high production values. “Fire Don’t Burn” doesn't really compare, while i have never considered “BIM” choc full of potential hit singles despite its quality.

[sup_fan]

I was thinking more of “MS&S” with its eclectic mix of songs and high production values. “Fire Don’t Burn” doesn't really compare, while i have never considered “BIM” choc full of potential hit singles despite its quality.

no i completely agree. MS&S is top notch but my point was that HDH got to that point AFTER quite a bit of trial and error. Where Do I Go From Here is fine enough. definitely better than Fire Don't Burn. but still it's not in the same league as the MS&S set.

with the diana tunes, it seems to me that they just went into the studio and had her record whatever. they hadn't had time to explore and come up with a new sound

[sup_fan]

I disagree. The real problem with BIM is that Motown bungled the release schedules for both the album and the singles. It was one big "who the hell is making the decisions at Motown" piss show. The singles did fairly well in some markets. The problem was that the album was on the street for awhile before Motown even dropped the first single. By then various markets were playing various songs. The singles started dropping and by then it was too late for a national hit.

I recall someone making the argument that the BIM project sounded like music that would be made a couple years later. I actually agree with that. I also think that worked in BIM's favor, as Diana was ahead of the game. I don't think we can accurately judge how well received the singles were because of the way Motown messed it up. With some of the dumb decisions made regarding Diana from 1970 onwards, it's a wonder the lady ever had a hit at all.

i think market timing definitely played a role here. once Sat Night Fever was on the streets, the entire BIM set was just too tame. SNF was such a major cultural change. you could almost liken it to the arrival of the Beatles to the US in 64. sure american artists were still releasing good things but they just went nowhere due to the entire pop market audience shifting to something else.

[Ollie9]

I disagree. The real problem with BIM is that Motown bungled the release schedules for both the album and the singles. It was one big "who the hell is making the decisions at Motown" piss show. The singles did fairly well in some markets. The problem was that the album was on the street for awhile before Motown even dropped the first single. By then various markets were playing various songs. The singles started dropping and by then it was too late for a national hit.

I recall someone making the argument that the BIM project sounded like music that would be made a couple years later. I actually agree with that. I also think that worked in BIM's favor, as Diana was ahead of the game. I don't think we can accurately judge how well received the singles were because of the way Motown messed it up. With some of the dumb decisions made regarding Diana from 1970 onwards, it's a wonder the lady ever had a hit at all.

It might have had some effect, but i still don’t consider the album to be choc full of potential hit singles. The fact that nearly all the singles died a death in the UK, normally one of her strongest markets gives some indication as to their commercial potential.
Had the album been released in 81 it would be following the biggest selling album of her career. “You Got It” is no “Upside Down” and “Getting Ready For Love” no “Mirror Mirror”. It would have been just to tame a follow up.
Hit singles are not always an indication of a good album, with “BIM” remaining a classy affair without them.

[TheMotownManiac]

I believe I said this exact thing once in the forum, that "Brown Baby/Save the Children" would have been interesting as a single. I could see it hitting big, but I could also see it flopping. Would love to hear someone tackle a single edit for it.

I see it the exact, same way, but hit or flop, it might prove to be an important single. I’m surprised Deke didn’t do a single edit, the medley was his idea when he sequenced the album.

[TheMotownManiac]

the whole Baby it's me project was mis-timed. everything about it is stellar but to release in fall 77 right on top of Saturday Night Fever was a terrible move. the dance tracks on it just weren't anywhere near powerful enough and fun, light pop tunes were not what people were wanting. BIM would have been perfect in 75 or hell even 81 instead of WDFFIL. you could have simply held the entire project and released it in the early 80s

so you're absolutely right. with the success of LH, motown should have gone full-on disco with her and made a major smash. and i guess they sort of tried with the subsequent Hal Davis productions and then the HDH stuff. but all of it was far inferior to LH. it's like they shot their shot with that first one and had nothing else left for her

They did that. Exactly that how dave is came up with don’t leave me this Way and ross refused to record it. You can lead a stubborn Mule to water………. I think Thelma Houston was absolutely ideal for the song, but Diana would have hit with it also. Maybe not as big. She like to doing a variety of songs.

I think that Saturday night fever wasn’t big competition because it didn’t come out until Christmas time and baby. It’s me was came out in September. That was plenty of time to release a couple singles. I would’ve released top of the world in July. Then a follow up in September, and then the album I probably would have released come in from the rain second and a reworked same love that made me laugh. If those were hitting, OK, fourth single would’ve been baby it’s me. I’m very curious to see how it would’ve done.

[florence]

I still don’t consider the album to be choc full of potential hit singles. The fact that nearly all the singles died a death in the UK, normally one of her strongest markets gives some indication as to their commercial potential.

Isn't this the period Bluebrock has told us someone at EMI was actively trying to sabotage Diana's UK career?

BIM was the really odd album in the UK which never charted but which remained just outside for a long period and wasn't far short of Gold status.

Interestingly Top Of The World and Your Love Is So Good For Me never made the Official chart but they did make the Gallup chart.

I'd put Touch Me In The Morning album north of middling.

In addition to Touch Me and Life, Leave A Little Room and I Won't Last A Day would surely have been at least top 20 although it looked as is they were ready to go with We Need You as the 3rd single - I have reservations about this, I think the lyrics may have been too dark for the UK public.

I think Diana does a good job on Imagine but what ruins the album for me are the other three tracks Little Girl Blue, my Baby and Brown Baby/Save The Children, not for me at all.

I wouldn't even class diana as middling - yes Upside Down was brilliant and My Old Piano was pretty good but didn't like the rest of the tracks not even I'm Coming Out.

[sup_fan]

They did that. Exactly that how dave is came up with don’t leave me this Way and ross refused to record it. You can lead a stubborn Mule to water………. I think Thelma Houston was absolutely ideal for the song, but Diana would have hit with it also. Maybe not as big. She like to doing a variety of songs.

I think that Saturday night fever wasn’t big competition because it didn’t come out until Christmas time and baby. It’s me was came out in September. That was plenty of time to release a couple singles. I would’ve released top of the world in July. Then a follow up in September, and then the album I probably would have released come in from the rain second and a reworked same love that made me laugh. If those were hitting, OK, fourth single would’ve been baby it’s me. I’m very curious to see how it would’ve done.

How Deep Is Your Love was released in Sept 77. the full album soundtrack in Nov and was More than a Woman. plus You Should Be Dancing had been released the year prior and was now coming back strong [[though not officially released as a single). Plus there was just huge buzz about the Bee Gees, the film and everything associated with it.

BIM and Getting Ready for Love were issued in Sept and Oct 77 respectively. a single usually takes a month or so to enter the charts so the timing really is just totally off here. maybe if the releases had been spring or even early summer but still, this music was just a bit too safe and "nice" for what was going on. it didn't push Diana into anything new and exciting.

[Boogiedown]

For Berry Gordy to miss the boat when he was actively trying to develop Motown's film empire seems hard to believe. Maybe being west coast didn't help, disco erupted out of NYC. But once SNF hit, he should've noticed. Maybe he was just too old, and things like PIPPIN attracted him instead.

But Motown's embarrassingly limp participation in THANK GOD ITS FRIDAY proved they hadn't caught on.... even when some of their biggest records recently were disco. Pity that with the ready made roster of performers they had, they didn't use it as vehicle for movie and music success. As stupid as TGIF was, so was SNF [and so was MAHOGANY].... so the standard to beat seemed a completely doable target.
"BOOGIE DOWN" was begging to be their cash in project .... especially with Diana so eager to be a film star and with nowhere to go...

[RanRan79]

i think market timing definitely played a role here. once Sat Night Fever was on the streets, the entire BIM set was just too tame. SNF was such a major cultural change. you could almost liken it to the arrival of the Beatles to the US in 64. sure american artists were still releasing good things but they just went nowhere due to the entire pop market audience shifting to something else.

I think you're giving SNF too much power. Fleetwood Mac and Linda Ronstadt finished off 1977 and into 1978. Yeah, no denying how huge SNF became, with a ton of weeks at #1, but a bit of hodgepodge artists with number one albums afterwards. And don't forget, when BIM dropped, Debby Boone was on her way to number one for ten whole weeks...a song about as far from SNF as one might get. Lol

Disco really had it's coming out party as 1978 got underway, but it didn't force other artists and songs into obscurity. People outside of disco were still hitting and selling big. When it was all said and done, BIM still did respectfully well, and that's with Motown's bungling of the singles. Imagine how much better it might have done if Motown didn't screw it up.

[RanRan79]

what ruins the album for me are the other three tracks Little Girl Blue, my Baby and Brown Baby/Save The Children, not for me at all.

You are officially dead to me.

[RanRan79]

How Deep Is Your Love was released in Sept 77. the full album soundtrack in Nov and was More than a Woman. plus You Should Be Dancing had been released the year prior and was now coming back strong [[though not officially released as a single). Plus there was just huge buzz about the Bee Gees, the film and everything associated with it.

BIM and Getting Ready for Love were issued in Sept and Oct 77 respectively. a single usually takes a month or so to enter the charts so the timing really is just totally off here. maybe if the releases had been spring or even early summer but still, this music was just a bit too safe and "nice" for what was going on. it didn't push Diana into anything new and exciting.

I think BIM's singles had a chance but how could they win when different markets were playing different album cuts at the same time because no singles were released for more than a month? By the time the singles dropped, some areas had already played it enough off the album that it didn't make sense to start playing it again just because Motown finally issued it as a single.

To my ears, BIM doesn't sound like much of anything that was out at the time. Maybe the ballads are of it's time, but the other songs come across as new. Even "All Night Lover" with it's throwback Supremes style seems pretty hip. I don't fault Motown for going in this direction with Diana in 1977. I fault them for not having their stuff together in giving the album the chance it needed to follow DR76's success. Diana78 on the other hand was a complete mess. It really should have been a breakout album had they gone with a disco lineup, maybe one ballad on each side if they were too scared to go full on disco.

[sup_fan]

I think you're giving SNF too much power. Fleetwood Mac and Linda Ronstadt finished off 1977 and into 1978. Yeah, no denying how huge SNF became, with a ton of weeks at #1, but a bit of hodgepodge artists with number one albums afterwards. And don't forget, when BIM dropped, Debby Boone was on her way to number one for ten whole weeks...a song about as far from SNF as one might get. Lol

Disco really had it's coming out party as 1978 got underway, but it didn't force other artists and songs into obscurity. People outside of disco were still hitting and selling big. When it was all said and done, BIM still did respectfully well, and that's with Motown's bungling of the singles. Imagine how much better it might have done if Motown didn't screw it up.

now i might be jumping the gun a bit by saying SNF was starting to wipe everything else out in fall of 77. and it isn't that no other song or music broke through. but facts are facts Ran and you're wrong on this one

the soundtrack ended up selling over 40 million copies. was the biggest selling soundtrack until The Bodyguard and the biggest selling record until Thriller. it topped the record chart for 24 straight weeks

How deep is your love - went #1 and was in the top 10 for 17 weeks! selling nearly 2 million copies in the US

Stayin Alive - wasn't even released as a single yet but the trailers during the fall of 77 for SNF forced the singles release. it too topped the charts for weeks and sold nearly 4 million copies.

Night Fever - #1 for 8 weeks selling 2.5 million. and for 5 of the weeks NF was #1, SA was #2. and HDIYL was still in the top 10

i don't disagree that the soundtrack is a bit all over the place. some tunes are amazing and some are... But this thing just took music industry by storm. Fleetwood's Rumours was a huge phenomenon too. but at the beginning of the year. it was released in early Feb 77 and the final single was released in Sept 77. again, maybe if BIM was released in spring 77 it would have had time to find it's own place. totally agree motown's promotional efforts were haphazard.

[sup_fan]

I think BIM's singles had a chance but how could they win when different markets were playing different album cuts at the same time because no singles were released for more than a month? By the time the singles dropped, some areas had already played it enough off the album that it didn't make sense to start playing it again just because Motown finally issued it as a single.

To my ears, BIM doesn't sound like much of anything that was out at the time. Maybe the ballads are of it's time, but the other songs come across as new. Even "All Night Lover" with it's throwback Supremes style seems pretty hip. I don't fault Motown for going in this direction with Diana in 1977. I fault them for not having their stuff together in giving the album the chance it needed to follow DR76's success. Diana78 on the other hand was a complete mess. It really should have been a breakout album had they gone with a disco lineup, maybe one ballad on each side if they were too scared to go full on disco.

i agree that BIM doesn't sound like anything else in late 77 or into 78. maybe a good way to describe the situation is similar to the mid60s music. by 66 and 67, music was becoming less cute. rock was kicking in more, bands and groups were getting more aggressive with their sound. HDH definitely became more adventurous with things like Love is Here, YKMHO, Reflections, 7 rooms of gloom, bernadette, etc.

top songs of 78 include the SNF tunes, Andy Gibb, various songs from Grease, Dance Dance Dance by chic, Boogie Oogie Oogie, two out of three aint bad, last dance, use ta be my girl, hot blooded, we are the champions. As i've said, mabye the BIM set was just too cute and not adventurous enough.

[Boogiedown]

when you have at your fingertips Stevie and Marvin and Diana and Eddie ,and all those songwriters, this is an opportunity tailor made. Combine your existing music talent with your film aspirations. Not with a SNF knock off . Something more clever, along the lines of CAR WASH. Look what Whitfield did with that !!

[Boogiedown]

For me the SNF album was mostly ho-hum. It was just in the right place at the right time for an under informed audience looking for something new. It was amazing working in the record store at the time. For every three people in line at the register, two of them had the SNF ST.

[sup_fan]

For me the SNF album was mostly ho-hum. It was just in the right place at the right time for an under informed audience looking for something new. It was amazing working in the record store at the time. For every three people in line at the register, two of them had the SNF ST.

i agree. and don't forget it was a DOUBLE ALBUM!! problem is there's more than enough material for it to have been 1 disc, although maybe if you dropped Jive and You Should Be Dancing since they were previously released songs. all of the instrumental stuff isn't very exciting. or you play it once and then moved the needle. but i guess they needed the tunes to fill in the rest of the album

[Boogiedown]

i agree. and don't forget it was a DOUBLE ALBUM!! problem is there's more than enough material for it to have been 1 disc, although maybe if you dropped Jive and You Should Be Dancing since they were previously released songs. all of the instrumental stuff isn't very exciting. or you play it once and then moved the needle. but i guess they needed the tunes to fill in the rest of the album

Yes a two record set, brilliant. Neil Bogart surely took notes. What people wanted most was the Bee Gees stuff ...

Nobody could have foreseen how that soundtrack would take off and over. Would be so interesting to learn how it was compiled and by who and how much thought was put into it. I'm sure KC was kicking himself for not contributing a stronger cut than BOOGIE SHOES. But , was also at the same time glad he got something on there.

A diverse array was tapped into. Was Motown approached if they were interested in getting something included??

added from wiki:

The Bee Gees's involvement in the film did not begin until post-production. As John Travolta asserted, "The Bee Gees weren't even involved in the movie in the beginning ... I was dancing to Stevie Wonder and Boz Scaggs."^[8]

[sup_fan]

Yes a two record set, brilliant. Neil Bogart surely took notes. What people wanted most was the Bee Gees stuff ...

Nobody could have foreseen how that soundtrack would take off and over. Would be so interesting to learn how it was compiled and by who and how much thought was put into it. I'm sure KC was kicking himself for not contributing a stronger cut than BOOGIE SHOES. But , was also at the same time glad he got something on there.

A diverse array was tapped into. Was Motown approached if they were interested in getting something included??

added from wiki:

given how tepid motown's interest was in disco, i'd be surprised if the SNF people wanted to do much with them. however you did have some huge hits like LH, Don't leave me this way, Walking, got to give it up. maybe the problem was motown didn't have a strong reputation in the area of disco even though they certainly had a lot of hits. they hadn't really produced a big disco LP. DR 76 was big but not as a disco album. Any Way You Like It [[thelma's album that included Don't Leave Me) wasn't a mega force.

[Boogiedown]

given how tepid motown's interest was in disco, i'd be surprised if the SNF people wanted to do much with them. however you did have some huge hits like LH, Don't leave me this way, Walking, got to give it up. maybe the problem was motown didn't have a strong reputation in the area of disco even though they certainly had a lot of hits. they hadn't really produced a big disco LP. DR 76 was big but not as a disco album. Any Way You Like It [[thelma's album that included Don't Leave Me) wasn't a mega force.

Motown was a bit wishy washy concerning disco.They tried, or did they. They even put out those special disco compilations that just seemed to have little to offer in their content. Again, they tried, or did they ? Those types of missteps probably suggested to them it wasn't worth the effort.

Since SNF was willing to go a little retro in some of the selections [a huge no no in discoland where it was all about the very latest new record] such as DISCO INFERNO, then Motown had a real treasure to offer right off with The Originals DOWN TO LOVE TOWN which went to #1 on the disco chart but got stiffed everywhere else. Like DISCO INFERNO, that one could have gotten new life and the attention it deserved if it had found its way to that ST.

I added this to my post above:

wiki: The Bee Gees's involvement in the film did not begin until post-production. As John Travolta asserted, "The Bee Gees weren't even involved in the movie in the beginning ... I was dancing to Stevie Wonder and Boz Scaggs."^[8]

because if they were already using Stevie's music to develop the dancing, surely they approached Motown with an interest in actually using it???

[sup_fan]

Motown was a bit wishy washy concerning disco.They tried, or did they. They even put out those special disco compilations that just seemed to have little to offer in their content. Again, they tried, or did they ? Those types of missteps probably suggested to them it wasn't worth the effort.

Since SNF was willing to go a little retro in some of the selections [a huge no no in discoland where it was all about the very latest new record] such as DISCO INFERNO, then Motown had a real treasure to offer right off with The Originals DOWN TO LOVE TOWN which went to #1 on the disco chart but got stiffed everywhere else. Like DISCO INFERNO, that one could have gotten new life and the attention it deserved if it had found its way to that ST.

I added this to my post above:




because if they were already using Stevie's music to develop the dancing, surely they approached Motown with an interest in actually using it???

Robert Stigwood produced Saturday Night Fever and also owned RSO records, which the Bee Gees were signed to and which released the soundtrack to SNF. so i would imagine the idea of ever using anyone BUT the Bee Gees and other RSO stars was probably rather remote. clearly they did use some though. Stigwood was an Aussie living in London. and with RSO being an independent label, maybe there was some competition or something between the independents.

given he was in the UK and from Australia, i went to see how the motown acts did over there with disco music. these are just the pop charts. i don't know if there were separate disco charts

Thelma Don't Leave Me - #13 UK, #6 Australia
Love Hangover - #10 UK, #67 Australia
Love Machine - #3 UK, #89 Australia
Dancing Machine - couldn't find this one on wikipedia
I Wish Stevie Wonder - #5 UK, #51 Australia
got to give it up - #7 UK, no Australia info


none of the Supremes' disco tunes charted in UK or Australia

[Boogiedown]

interesting. good stuff. how were the Bees Gees faring there at this time?

True about Stigwood and the British angle ...but Saturday Night Fever was all about NYC ...and was based on a magazine article describing the scene in where ? [maybe the New Yorker?] . [This article was later admitted to be mostly imaginary] He therefore really should have included some music by acts like Crown Heights Affair or Patrick Adams.

The Bee Gees claim they were writing the material in Europe [France?] without a thought to the movie or even disco [lol] in their compositions... they had it , so they used it ....

Not sure why Stigwood didn't delve more into what was happening in the UK,

would love to have seen a similar approach to the Northern Soul scene, or maybe the glam scene or punk rock. Instead Stigwood turned his attention to more Americana ....GREASE.

Although some great disco emerged from the UK, they were late to the dance party overall. The 'Serious' dancers/clubbers [is that an oxymoron?] were into Northern Soul and were highly resistant to disco. Punkers hated it. There was not a major disco there until 1980 , Heaven, DJ'd by, incidentally, Ian Levine , the one DJ who saw the bigger picture.

[sup_fan]

interesting. good stuff. how were the Bees Gees faring there at this time?

True about Stigwood and the British angle ...but Saturday Night Fever was all about NYC ...and was based on a magazine article describing the scene in where ? [maybe the New Yorker?] . [This article was later admitted to be mostly imaginary] He therefore really should have included some music by acts like Crown Heights Affair or Patrick Adams.

The Bee Gees claim they were writing the material in Europe [France?] without a thought to the movie or even disco [lol] in their compositions... they had it , so they used it ....

Not sure why Stigwood didn't delve more into what was happening in the UK,

would love to have seen a similar approach to the Northern Soul scene, or maybe the glam scene or punk rock. Instead Stigwood turned his attention to more Americana ....GREASE.

Although some great disco emerged from the UK, they were late to the dance party overall. The 'Serious' dancers/clubbers [is that an oxymoron?] were into Northern Soul and were highly resistant to disco. Punkers hated it. There was not a major disco there until 1980 , Heaven, DJ'd by, incidentally, Ian Levine , the one DJ who saw the bigger picture.

the Bee Gees were definitely scoring hits as their albums pre SNF were big and they were scoring chart successes with Jive Talking and You Should Be Dancing.

and you had groups like ABBA going bonkers on the charts. so much for the hate of disco lol