The Diana Ross Project - Take Me Higher - the B Sides

[jobeterob]

The Diana Ross Project

Album-by-album…track-by-track…The Boss & her music
Jan 06 2013

3 Comments
Non-LP Single

Take Me Higher B-Sides [[1995)


TMH Bsides


“What a sweet surprise, can’t believe my eyes…this has really made my day…”

Diana Ross’s 1995 studio album Take Me Higher, released during her second tenure with Motown, is without a doubt one of the singer’s best offerings ever. From start to finish, the album is fresh and exciting, featuring contemporary and classy songs that are perfectly suited to Diana’s gorgeous, mature vocals. Though the album wasn’t a huge seller in the United States, it did give her a #1 dance hit with the title track, and song still beloved by club-goers. The set’s closer, “I Will Survive,” has been adopted by Diana as her own latter-day theme song, often closing her own shows with it and performing it to appreciative audiences. Between those two upbeat anthems, Take Me Higher includes some absolutely stellar mid-tempo numbers and ballads, some of the best of Diana’s storied career and certainly among the most underrated.

Incredibly, as strong as Take Me Higher‘s twelve released tracks are [[eleven on the US version plus “Swing It,” a song included on EMI’s international release in place of the ballad “Let Somebody Know”), there were more. There are three b-sides that didn’t make it onto final pressings of the CD, but did manage to find release from other venues. According to Diana’s biographer, J. Randy Taraborrelli, the song “Soul Kiss” was featured on a Canadian promo cassette. Another song, “Too Many Nights,” showed up on the international single for “Take Me Higher,” while the ballad “I’m So Happy [[To See You Again)” featured on an international single for “Gone.” This wasn’t uncommon for Diana Ross in the 1990s; because Motown handled her domestic releases and EMI released her work internationally, what ended up on store shelves often varied country to country.

The three songs continue working relationships with people who already figure prominently on Take Me Higher; “Soul Kiss” and “Too Many Nights” are Nick Martinelli songs, while “I’m So Happy [[To See You Again)” is a Brenda Russell tune. While the album as released doesn’t suffer from any of these songs being left off, all three could have easily been added to Take Me Higher and maintained the high level of quality set by the collection of contemporary soul and dance tracks. Each of the three b-sides feature strong production values and gorgeous, soulful work from Diana Ross. This was a peak time for Ross, who was embracing her maturing voice and showing off her deepened range, and these three songs are the perfect way to “extend” an album that was already pretty much perfect.

***

Soul Kiss: A cool, beat-heavy mid-tempo tune written by Diana’s longtime collaborator Nick Martinelli, this is probably the funkiest work the two turned out together. The track is driven by a thick, heavy bass and metallic-sounding guitars that provide a more angular [[almost Chic-like) musical bed for Diana’s smooth and soulful work. Miss Ross provides a breathy, sexy vocal here that works perfectly with lyrics like, “All you have to do is breathe with your lips close to mine…” She sounds loose behind the mic, offering up a lot of sighs and spoken snippets that make the piece feel intimate and warm [[the same kind of thing she’d done back in 1976 with her #1 “Love Hangover”). The chorus is light and airy, memorable without being overtly “hook-y,” and probably would have sounded really good on adult R&B radio had it made its way onto the finished album. “Soul Kiss” isn’t necessarily stronger than any songs on the album, but it would have been a nice change of pace had it been included thanks to the unique instrumental track; a few lines sound similar to the melody of “Don’t Stop,” which did feature on the CD, which may be why “Soul Kiss” ended up getting left off. Much of Diana’s work with Nick Martinelli was rooted firmly in the pop world [[especially the duo’s work on Forever Diana and, of course, A Very Special Season), so it is nice to hear something different from them. Anyway, bottom line, “Soul Kiss” is a nice “hidden” treasure in the Diana discography that fans of her mid-90s work really need to hear.

Too Many Nights: Another sexy Nick Martinelli track; the vibe here is pure, cool sophisticated soul, with Diana Ross yet again offering up a sublime vocal that shows off just how great she was sounding during the sessions of this album. It says a lot about Take Me Higher that a song this good was left off the finished album; Diana was recorded so many good songs at this time that obviously there just wasn’t room for them all. On any other album, “Too Many Nights” would have been a welcome addition; it would have sounded particularly good among the other sophisticated R&B tunes on her next studio album, Every Day Is A New Day, and in fact bears a similarity to “Free [[I’m Gone),” a Japanese bonus track from that album. “Too Many Nights” is classic mid-90s R&B; the track doesn’t differ much from the work being released by artists like Brandy or Faith Evans, with its cool, head-bopping beat and soulful instrumental flourishes. Miss Ross sounds confident and mature on the vocal, keeping it low-key and allowing the deeper end of her range to do much of the work. Listen to her sing beginning at the 2:00 mark; her voice lightly dusts the lyrics “Now I’m as serious as a heart attack, ’cause I’ve decided baby, we’re through…,” riding the melody with the perfect mix of attitude and detachment to create the perfect kiss-off. Again, had “Too Many Nights” been added to the Take Me Higher tracklist, it would have merged in seamlessly while also managing to sound unique; the closest song to it, in terms of production and tone, is “Keep It Right There” [[and, perhaps, “If You’re Not Gonna Love Me Right”), and it doesn’t really sound too much like that. Instead, the song was a pleasant surprise to those who found it, and remains a great supplement to the album.

I’m So Happy [[To See You Again): It should go without saying that this a lush, gorgeous track; after all, Diana’s work on Brenda Russell tracks is always near-perfect. “Let Somebody Know,” from the Motown release of Take Me Higher, was one of the standouts of the entire work, and her recording of “What About Love” on 2006′s I Love You is among her most moving performances ever — and both of these are Brenda Russell songs. “I’m So Happy [[To See You Again)” was also co-written by the great Ms. Russell, and the result here is another standout ballad, a melody-driven song that really allows Diana Ross to shine. Diana shows off far more range on this song than on the previous two; not only does she use her lower tones, but she also spectacularly displays her still-supple upper range, with her higher-notes on the verses ringing out clear and strong. Just the opening line [[referenced earlier in this post), as her voice spills down the scale singing “What a sweet surprise, can’t believe my eyes…,” is so pitch-perfect and full of emotion that it’s impossible to not be moved. There’s a bit more of a beat on the chorus, which adds some nice variation to the piece and certainly makes the song sound more contemporary and memorable. That chorus [[with the bouncy “I’m So Happy To See You Again” repetition — reminiscent of a slowed down “Real Love” by Mary J. Blige) absolutely would have sounded perfect on R&B radio in 1995; this song could have easily been pushed as a single had it found a domestic release. Again, Take Me Higher isn’t worse for missing this song, but it would have been just as good had it been added to the project. What a sweet surprise, indeed.

***

Nearly twenty years later, Take Me Higher remains one of the single best discs ever turned out by Diana Ross; it is still a vibrant listen and shows Diana Ross at her vocal best. There’s not a single dud on the project, and there’s not one among the b-sides, either. It would be interesting to hear from Diana Ross herself — executive producer of her later projects, including this one — what goes into choosing which songs make it onto the CD and which get left off. Certainly quality has nothing to do with why these three songs were left off; they all match the high standard set by the others. Whatever the reason, at least the songs saw the light of day at all — giving fans the chance to extend the CD to fifteen total tracks [[not to mention additional remixes of “Take Me Higher,” “I Will Survive,” and “If You’re Not Gonna Love Me Right”). This remains a high point in Diana’s career, and these additional songs take Take Me Higher…well…even higher.

Best Of The Bunch: “I’m So Happy [[To See You Again)”

[nomis]

I have from when I worked at EMI Diana's dicaphone recording where she talks about the tracks on the album [[I rescued the tape from rubbish bin in the office) she mentions the B side and non album tracks stating they were all recorded after the album was mastered and ready to release she basically says that she was at the time enjoying a creative phase that she didnt want to end and she wanted to record the bonus songs to give the fans something extra.

[jobeterob]

It now seems that Take Me Higher is regarded by the fans as one of the highlights of Diana's entire career.

Too bad Motown wasn't as strong at the time as it had been and couldn't make the CD a big hit.

[762rob]

Interesting to read such positive things about an album I always thought was great.

[jobeterob]

With time, TMH has gotten better.

I think, at the time of release, there was a feeling that it still was an attempt to stay current. And now, all that is behind everyone and there is a recognition it was a very good CD, one of her best ~ up there with The Force Behind the Power.

[reese]

With time, TMH has gotten better.

I think, at the time of release, there was a feeling that it still was an attempt to stay current. And now, all that is behind everyone and there is a recognition it was a very good CD, one of her best ~ up there with The Force Behind the Power.

I loved both of those albums. So many great songs that went unheard.

And of course, it didn't help that in each case, the albums weren't in the stores when Diana was touring to promote them. I remember going to see both THE FORCE BEHIND THE POWER and TAKE ME HIGHER tours, while the albums weren't released until months later.

[jobeterob]

Motown was in fairly significant turmoil in those days; in retrospect, perhaps Diana should have moved to some company other than Motown. But just like in 1972, interest in the Supremes and Temptations collapsed, by the time Diana was 50 years old, interest as a current artist was on the wane and another record company may not necessarily have made a difference.

But the product was excellent and Diana's place in history was already secure.

[RossHolloway]

Can any of these b-sides be found anywhere? I've never heard any of these songs.

[skooldem1]

Diana Ross/ I'm so Happy to see you Again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-0kbq5ZhXQ

Diana Ross/ Swing It:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcxWJJtKgiU

Diana Ross/ Soul Kiss:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACkIaG00RAg

Diana Ross/ Too Many Nights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG_AokEv64k

[skooldem1]

In my opinion this is one of Diana Ross's best albums/CD's. Easily in the top 5. The sound was current and age appropriate. The songs were soulful, and she was in great voice. She had just turned 50 and was FINE. A body to die for. At that time radio stations were not playing the title track because it was too "dance". I called one station, and that is what they told me when I requested it. However, more importantly, it was a big hit on video channels. That video was HOT HOT HOT. It was like a mini comeback for Diana. Of course we all know that it did actually go to number one on Billboards Dance chart. I love the song "Take me Higher". That is a great track, and the remixes were out of this world and rocked the dance clubs. I was surprised to hear "If you're not gonna love me right" on urban stations, as well as hearing "Voice of the heart" on AC stations.

[skooldem1]

My favorite tracks are:

"Take Me Higher" [[Sally Jo Dakota, Nikita Germaine, Narada Michael Walden)
"If You're Not Gonna Love Me Right" [[Monty Seward)
"Let Somebody Know" [[Hull, Russell)
"Gone" [[Jon John)
"Only Love Can Conquer All" [[Sally Jo Dakota, Preston Glass, Narada Michael Walden) -
"I Never Loved a Man Before" [[Gerry Goffin, Tom Snow)
"I Thought That We Were Still in Love" [[Tom Snow, Liz Vidal)

[skooldem1]

[thommg]

My favorite tracks are:

"Take Me Higher" [[Sally Jo Dakota, Nikita Germaine, Narada Michael Walden)
"If You're Not Gonna Love Me Right" [[Monty Seward)
"Let Somebody Know" [[Hull, Russell)
"Gone" [[Jon John)
"Only Love Can Conquer All" [[Sally Jo Dakota, Preston Glass, Narada Michael Walden) -
"I Never Loved a Man Before" [[Gerry Goffin, Tom Snow)
"I Thought That We Were Still in Love" [[Tom Snow, Liz Vidal)

Definitely think this was the best of her Return to Motown recordings. I never warmed to Force Behind The Power. The entire cd didn't really gel to me. Just a lot of songs sorta thrown together. Take Me Higher was just a triumph. I Thought The We Were Still In Love is just brilliant and Diana's vocal is superb. Have any of the remixes of Take Me Higher ever appeared on cd? I had a cassette of them and they were fantastic but have never found them on cd [[though, I admit I haven't looked very hard).

[skooldem1]

Here is Diana singing "I thought that we were still in love".....LIVE

[RossHolloway]

Diana Ross/ I'm so Happy to see you Again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-0kbq5ZhXQ

Diana Ross/ Swing It:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcxWJJtKgiU

Diana Ross/ Soul Kiss:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACkIaG00RAg

Diana Ross/ Too Many Nights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG_AokEv64k

Thanks Skooldem!

[jobeterob]

Swing It and I Thought We Were Still in Love were very different songs but two of the best Diana Ross songs of all time.

[alanbill1074]

There is a very different version of "I Thought That We Were Still In Love" out there, taken from a promo cassette I believe. It is much more synthesised. Gives the song a completely different feel.

Many "Take Me Higher" remixes came out on CD in Europe/UK [[although not the ones on the US CD Single). There are still some vinyl only and I understand unreleased mixes too. "I Will Survive" had a few mixes on CD single, although most were vinyl only. The Overdose Mix did appear only on a DJ promo compilation CD which is very rare now. Again, the US mixes weren't released in the UK.

[jobeterob]

Is there more than one version of Swing It available?

[nomis]

great album..pity Motown/Polygram dropped the ball in the US..the album charted at a respectable position in the UK..I know in the UK the was a promo only double "12 set of "I Will Survive" remixes..I believe "Im So Happy" only appeared on a UK cassingle and something like a dutch CD single..cant remember."Soul Kiss" was only on a promo cassette and the other 2 tracks were on the UK "Take Me Higher" cd single

[Bokiluis]

To me, a lifelong fan, Diana's 90s releases, easily rivals her domestic 70s peak. Critically, from 1991's "The Force Behind the Power", personally tied with "The Boss" to 1997's "Everyday is a New Day"....it was a most exciting decade. 3 holiday albums and encompassing Greatest Hits and 2 excellent remix albums...as a fan I could have asked for nothing more. As the second class Motown of the 90s kept dropping the ball commercially, EMI ran with the ball and made the decade commercially potent internationally. Simply put, she became even a bigger Superstar Diva internationally. Timing was perfect that international sales now outpaced domestic sales 60/40%! Stated another way, she made multi-millions for EMI.
Somewhere in all this critical and commercial success was "Take Me Higher", a simply flawless album.
The debut single remains one of her very best dance songs. "If You're Not Gonna Love Me" has the hot pop soul of "diana". Like "Upside Down" the closing instrumental groove was like the encore of one of her best concert performances. The pop ballads "Voice of the Heart" and "Only Love Conquers All" boldly reminds American radio how she really is in her own pop stratosphere.
Then she even find room to salute her movie debut with the fragile heartbreak of "I Thought We Were Still in Love". At the Universal Ampitheater date, she held the audience in a silent awe as Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson proudly stood in honor of the Queen of Motown thankful of their role in understanding she had long proven them that she became the global phenomenon, they knew early on.
Then she transformed another anthem into a hit again and made me not resist the song so......saluting her gay fans who had indeed survived the Big "A", the iconic video into the Super Bowl stunner as none other than a helicopter took her higher becoming one of the Top 10'Super Bowl half-time shows still a quarter of a century later. Motown once again fumbled the bowl while EMI brought it to the edges of the international Top 10!
Were that enough, as the main reviewer, fans marveled in 3-5 b-sides/bonus cuts my favorite being "Too Many Nights" proving to her fans there is no such thing when you under the wonders of Ross!
The international stadium tour with The Two Tenors, another entry into the Guinness World of Records, a 2nd declaration by Billboard as Entertainer of the Century [[1976/1994), the plethora of Lifetime Achievement Awards from the World Music Awards to the Grammys to the Kennedy Center Honors......the Lady indeed meant it when she sang "Take Me Higher" into the millennium years!!!!

[daviddh]

there are some gem out takes and one of her best albums. I am surprised she didn't record or work with these producers again.
strange to me .
but lucky for us these albums are all coming back in expanded editions ..so far scheduled for November.....
a lot more out takes and alter mixes...and maybe her Christmas album which has 6 out takes may also get a usa release with bonus tracks

[longtimefan]

there are some gem out takes and one of her best albums. I am surprised she didn't record or work with these producers again.
strange to me .
but lucky for us these albums are all coming back in expanded editions ..so far scheduled for November.....
a lot more out takes and alter mixes...and maybe her Christmas album which has 6 out takes may also get a usa release with bonus tracks

I'm curious to know the source for noting November as the release month for these expanded editions. Thank you!

[PeaceNHarmony]

I as well - is it Funktown Grooves who will be doing the expandeds? They did a superb job on the RCA releases -

[vgalindo]

there are some gem out takes and one of her best albums. I am surprised she didn't record or work with these producers again.
strange to me .
but lucky for us these albums are all coming back in expanded editions ..so far scheduled for November.....
a lot more out takes and alter mixes...and maybe her Christmas album which has 6 out takes may also get a usa release with bonus tracks

Sounds exciting. Who will be doing these releases?

[daviddh]

I will find out for sure . don't want to give incorrect info. I know that Working OT, The Force, TMH, EVERYDAY are in the works with bonus tracks and alt mixes. I thought EMI but I will check.

[Bluebrock]

there are some gem out takes and one of her best albums. I am surprised she didn't record or work with these producers again.
strange to me .
but lucky for us these albums are all coming back in expanded editions ..so far scheduled for November.....
a lot more out takes and alter mixes...and maybe her Christmas album which has 6 out takes may also get a usa release with bonus tracks

I have not heard of any definite plans for the Christmas album David, but there there certainly are some outtakes so who knows?

[djessie]

I have not heard of any definite plans for the Christmas album David, but there there certainly are some outtakes so who knows?

I am very excited about expanded CD's of these albums! An expanded version of the Christmas album would be most welcomed as well. Looking forward to some more info, thanks guys!

[thommg]

I have not heard of any definite plans for the Christmas album David, but there there certainly are some outtakes so who knows?

One of the great mysteries is, why didn't someone pick up her Christmas album and release it in the US? It would sell very well, I think. It's a lovely holiday album. One of a handful that I play every year.

[reese]

One of the great mysteries is, why didn't someone pick up her Christmas album and release it in the US? It would sell very well, I think. It's a lovely holiday album. One of a handful that I play every year.

I totally agree. This past weekend, I played it in its entirety for the first time since I bought it. It really holds up well, and Diana's vocals are great.

[Bluebrock]

One of the great mysteries is, why didn't someone pick up her Christmas album and release it in the US? It would sell very well, I think. It's a lovely holiday album. One of a handful that I play every year.

I never knew until recently that it was not given a USA release. It was recorded with the UK market in mind, but i assumed it would have gone beyond Europe and Japan. It is a great holiday album which i play every year without fail alongside a few other seasonal gems that remain close to my heart.

[greg jones]

Her album Making Spirits Bright was released here in the US through Hallmark Card Stores the same year that A Very Special Season came out. What I've always wondered, which album was started 1st, Making Spirits Bright or A Very Special Season ?

[djessie]

Her album Making Spirits Bright was released here in the US through Hallmark Card Stores the same year that A Very Special Season came out. What I've always wondered, which album was started 1st, Making Spirits Bright or A Very Special Season ?

Combining Diana´s songs from Making Spirits and A Very Special Season on one release with some unreleased recordings would make for a beautiful release. I hope it will happen.

[Bluebrock]

Her album Making Spirits Bright was released here in the US through Hallmark Card Stores the same year that A Very Special Season came out. What I've always wondered, which album was started 1st, Making Spirits Bright or A Very Special Season ?

She recorded most of Special Season in London during Jan and Feb but i cannot recall the exact year without checking my journals.It is my understanding the Making Spirits Bright sessions took place either the previous year or the year before that. She was vocally spot on during the London sessions, and to my ears she sounded better than she did on The Spirits Bright sessions.

[reese]

She recorded most of Special Season in London during Jan and Feb but i cannot recall the exact year without checking my journals.It is my understanding the Making Spirits Bright sessions took place either the previous year or the year before that. She was vocally spot on during the London sessions, and to my ears she sounded better than she did on The Spirits Bright sessions.

It must have been January and February of 1994, as the cd was released later that year. Its producer, Nick Martinelli, gave an interview to the REACH OUT fan club in which he discussed working on it. From what I remember, it sounded like they only had a small window of time in which to work on it.

Not sure when MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT was recorded, but it was released in 1994 as well.

[JohnnyB]

I remember that Reach Out interview. Mr. Martinelli described the project coming together quickly with only limited time to complete it in order to release the CD at the start of the holiday season. I believe Diana's vocals were recorded over a four-day period to meet the deadline. It was an interesting read...

[reese]

I remember that Reach Out interview. Mr. Martinelli described the project coming together quickly with only limited time to complete it in order to release the CD at the start of the holiday season. I believe Diana's vocals were recorded over a four-day period to meet the deadline. It was an interesting read...

I just re-read the REACH OUT interview. In it, its producer Nick Martinelli says that Diana called him mid-September 1994 and told him that she wanted to do an Xmas album, and that it had to be done by the second week of October. She wanted it to be "no drums, more symphonic." Then she, Nick, and EMI went about finding songs. In the end, the album was completed October 1st. The backing tracks were done in London, with Diana's vocals done in NY and CT.

Nick also said that there was a possibility of a duet with Boyz II Men, written by Frankie Knuckles, but Boyz II Men couldn't do it because of some other duets they were doing.