I'm waiting for Roberta's post...
#irony
Marv you really need to do research before you say something. What huge hits did Gladys Knight and Patti Labelle have in 1985? Patti's album "Patti" hit #72 and her song "Stir it up" hit #41
Gladys Knight and the Pips hit #126 with their "Life" album and their single "My Time" hit #102. These are huge hits Marv? Lol. Diana Ross' "Eaten Alive" album charted way higher at #45 than Patti's or Gladys' albums. And at least you can call "Chain Reaction" a huge international hit. It topped the charts in other markets including the U.K. I don't believe "My time" or "Stir it up" did that! Also Dionne Warwick benefited from her song being for charity for AIDS and added Elton John, Stevie Winder, and Gladys Knight. Aretha and Tina are the only ones that had big hits that year. I wouldn't call "Who's Zooming who" at #13 huge but it was a hit.
We are not talking about the generality of “being preyed on”. We are talking about a serial rapist who drugs his victims to the point of helplessness and uses them for his own sick desires. Cindy was kidnapped by unknown assailants - Cosby KNEW every one of his victims and once he realized that he could get away with it, he just kept doing it. You can not compare a kidnapping to a sociopath like Cosby.......... both are heinous crimes to be sure, but one is for profit while the other, I don’t even know what it’s for.
Patti relied more on live performances than hits; she had signature songs still as the '80s and '90s went on especially on the R&B charts. Aretha peaked around the same time as Diana [[1986). Dionne Warwick would also peak at the same time. Tina Turner was the only one of that bunch that still had big hits into the '90s least when it came to crossover hits. Aretha would make a mid-to-late-'90s comeback.
By the end of the millennium, the only ones who were still on top from that school of old school divas were Tina, Aretha and Cher.
Last edited by midnightman; 06-09-2018 at 08:02 PM.
You needed to either been born earlier or listen to music other than Diana Ross! Gladys had a HUGE hit as part of Dionne and Friends called "That's What Friends are For" Released in November 1985 [[just 2 months after that Diana Ross album "Eaten Alive")
Patti Labelle had "New Attitude" and "On My Own" Numbers 17 and 1 respectively. Aretha had 6 Top 40 hits to Diana Ross ZERO beginning with "Freeway of Love", "Who's Zoomin' Who","Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves","Another Night", "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "Jimmy Lee". After all of that she started 1987 with another Number 1 with "I Knew You Were Waiting [[For Me)" Where was Diana Ross? Somewhere cleaning toilets? LOL!
Diana Ross has been absent from radio since the early 80s. I cannot believe you few guys still talk about her, but since you do, I am going to add the truth to whatever it is that say.........
Chain Reaction failed to even make a peep in the LARGEST market the United States so you can keep grasping and fantasizing. Diana Ross stopped being a force in the music business over 35 years ago. She had not even been a recording artist in over a decade. She had has had only 2 releases in 20 years and both were HUGE, monumental flops!
Diana Ross needed Berry Gordy if she were going to stay in the game. She walked away and so did her career. Now all they can do is buy awards she couldn't win in competition when she had a recording career. LOL!
Last edited by marv2; 06-09-2018 at 09:30 PM.
Moderator - can you explain to me why you allow rape discussions on your 'music' forum?
I am a huge fan of Gladys Knight and Dionne Warwick. I have every album by each of them. So please don't go there! Like I said the huge hit she had was a few verses on an all star single for charity. Did you forget Diana also had a #1 song around this time with We are the world. Same as Gladys on Thats what friends are for. All star cast for charity!!!
Are you talking about her last studio album that hit #32 on Billboards top 200 album charts or her top 20 duet with Rod Stewart on the Easy listening charts or maybe her remix dance song that hit #1 on the dance charts or could it be her latest album Diamond Diana that went top 5 on billboard top albums sales charts. Please clarify!
Last edited by vgalindo; 06-09-2018 at 09:59 PM.
Oh please I am not in a Mary Wilson thread. You are in a Diana Ross thread and it's putting you in a frenzy!
There's a difference. I don't go on Mary Wilson threads putting her work down. Criticism is fine but you really do cross the line when it comes to Diana Ross. I could have went on your Mary Wilson thread of that video you posted of that remix song that you recently posted and said what I really felt but I chose not too. i didn't want to upset her fans. And I am not like you. I love all the Supremes. Diana is just my favorite.
Gladys Knight was going through a personal and professional funk in 1985.
As I said about Patti, her live performances made her a superstar more than the songs though the songs she released became hits.
Dionne had few chart entries and none in 1985-86. Gladys & Dionne had one with each other and others [[Stevie and Elton). But no solo hits or hits with the Pips in that year for them.
As I mentioned, if you wanna compare, Tina was the only one of those mentioned that had that crossover pop success and the one who constantly had gold and platinum records between 1984 and 1993 whereas the others had tapered off and Patti relied on her huge, strong R&B fan base to keep her relevant after her pop fame peaked.
It's just hard to take someone seriously when they downplay one artist to bring up another artist when you can't really compare what they did on the charts.
But anyway, this is another thread that has run its course because of some dramatic hot mess.
As messy as the move from Detroit to L.A. was for Motown.
Thank you Midnightman. I am a huge fan of all of them. I especially loved Gladys Knight and I was really rooting for her and the Pips to have a big hit at that time and I know they were struggling at this time as well as Diana, Dionne, and Patti. And yes Tina just recently had her big breakout year and was the only one with consistent album sales.
I was speaking loosely
I don’t think Mary ever charted a solo single on the R & B chart and certainly not the pop chart
That album release might have made it to #74 on the Top 75 R & B album chart for 1 week - maybe
But I could never keep up the detail on Mary in the Way Marv has such excellent knowledge of Diane
I think I've given you guys enough to talk about here for the next week or so. It is my pleasure LOL! The truth is out there [[now try to put it back!).
BTW, Mary Wilson scored a U.S. Dance hit in 2016. Billboard Dance Charts #17 "Time to Move On" Now have at it! LOL!
Oh yeah. That was her huge hit.. SMDH..LOL
You also stated that Diana Ross' last 2 releases were and I quote "Huge, monumental flops!" Well she hit #1 on the dance charts. And Mary Wilson hit #17 on the same chart! Well if Diana Ross' was such a huge, monumental flop what does that make Mary Wilsons? LOL
Last edited by vgalindo; 06-10-2018 at 01:12 AM.
Best question I've seen to this dude. Tiny man syndrome? Seems rather hateful. Is he always this negative? Moderator let's him spew which is surprising
I think it is YOU who appears to talk about her more than anyone else on here. Just look at the number of your "contributions" on here, not to mention the other Diana related topics on here. You are obsessed with her for sure. Why not practice what you love to preach and stop talking about her?
hmmm interesting, I didn't think I was blaming anyone per say but my memories of her and the 80s and how I remember it. but yes I do think that Mary helped destroy her career with her jealousy nonsense because she felt she was equal to Diana, when in fact she was to busy sleeping around and partying to even learn her own craft. and yes I do think RCA dropped the ball with that lp, but I think by this point they had moved on to younger artists.
funny how you like to put your twist on things
With all due respect I think the thread still has relevancy! As in - when [[if ...) you play the EA lp now, how does it play for you? IE: are there songs for which you hit 'replay', songs you skip? It's always a good listen for me, with a replay or two of CR, and lots o' 'oohs-and-aahhs' over the sheer beauty of 'I'm Watching', 'Experience', and 'Don't Give', as well as a sing-along to LOTL -
I can't believe y'all really went back and forth with this dude about a woman he claims no one is ever thinking about, despite the fact that he can't seem to stop talking about her. When you see someone is saying something specifically to elicit negative responses, you know what you're dealing with. Block their ass and move on. It's unfortunate that this thread was first derailed by someone's irrational behavior and then that same person joined forces with the King of the Irrational People and then the rest of you egged them on. Leave these folks to their own mental hell. As a Diana Ross fan, nothing anyone can say about her would ever reduce her vocal skills, recorded work, entertainment power, nor her place in music history. It's the same way I feel about people who wish to tear down the place in music that Florence and Mary hold. Your feelings will never erase their contributions. So what's the point in sinking to troll level if they're not even talking about you? For the record, the issue I had in this thread had nothing to do with any idiotic thing being said about Diana Ross, but instead was the personal attack on myself. Diana doesn't need defending. Diana Ross seems to be a happy mother and grandmother, still beloved the world over, and receiving awards and recognition that only come with being a bonafide legend. She is not sitting at home talking about people she claims she doesn't think about. [[At least I don't think she does.) The fact that threads about a woman a person claims they care nothing about is so attractive to that person, should make everyone laugh every time they see him appear in one of those threads. I can't see his posts unless someone quotes him, but just seeing his name in her threads cracks me up. I aint gotta say shit to him. He's shittin on himself with every word, and it's funny to me.
Last edited by RanRan79; 06-10-2018 at 11:21 AM.
I don't know how rushed it was, but it could've been better. Like you said, MJ was on the song and at the time he couldn't do no wrong. Look at "Centipede" by Reebie. Now don't get me wrong, it's the jam. I still play it. Great song. But it's also a dumb song and it never would've done anywhere as well as it did if not for Michael. "Muscles" was another Mike and Diana collab. That song worked because everyone put their best self in it. You hear Michael and his influence and as "sexy" as the record is, it still sounds like a Diana Ross record. "Eaten Alive" doesn't sound like a Diana Ross record and I think the larger audience would rather have heard that song from someone more befitting. Which all goes back to my original complaint that Diana was doing music that her audience didn't want to hear from her. Had she followed the trend of the others and recorded music that was up to date and yet still very much her style, she would've had some more hits.
Well, maybe if she had a better producer than herself. "Fool For Your Love" was a nightmare. "Up Front", produced by Ray parker Jr. was a little better, but if she could have kept doing what she did with "Mirror Mirror", I think she would have done a lot better in the 80s.
THAT said, I thought her 1983 "Ross" album was fine. The five tracks she did with gary Katz were terrific. Too bad she was too difficult to work with. Story has it that she didn't do a damn thing to help herself. Most artists have a hand in picking their own songs, but not Ross. All she wanted to do is come in the studio and sing what was put in front of her, then leave. She didn't even rehearse the songs.
Well, I have my trusty Joel Whitburn book out, and I have to support Marv here.
Patti Labelle has three singles in 1985: "New Attitude" [[Billboard Pop: #14, Billboard R&B: #3), "Stir It Up" [[Billboard Pop: #41, Billboard R&B: #5), and "I Can't Forget You" [[Billboard R&B: #63).
Gladys Knight & The Pips had "That's What Friends Are For" with Dionne & Friends [[Stevie Wonder, Elton John), and that hit #1 on three Billboard charts. Also, Gladys Knight & The Pips had three additional singles on the Billboard R&B chart: "My Time" [[#16), "Keep Givin' Me Love" [[#16), and "'Till I See You Again" [[#85).
No, wait! I have to stop you there. 1980? True, she was looking for a hit, That's why she hired Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers. Her gamble worked. Then, Diana Ross went on to have at least two more hit singles on Motown: "It's My Turn" and "Endless Love" with Lionel Richie. She was back to the maudlin ballads, so everyone was surprised when she came up with "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" on RCA. No denying: that album smokes! And it came with two top ten singles. It had broad appeal just like "diana" from the previous year.
The problems started with that "Silk Electric" album. Too much self-overindulgence...but I do like it.
Diana disappeared from radio in 1985. Now, I do recall radio playing "Chain Reaction", but it was short-lived. Hell, radio played Olivia Newton-John's "Soul Kiss" more. She was another one who started her slide in 1985.
Last edited by soulster; 06-10-2018 at 01:24 PM.
I don't know if you're putting me in this, but I really prefer to talk about the music. I'll make a comment about Ross if I see fit, though. And, you will see several times where I have remained objective concerning what I think about the music. I do not dislike Diana Ross, and I am not particularly a fan, but I have and enjoy several of her albums, and corrected some erroneous information about her popularity in the early 80s.
I don't join forces with anyone. I post independently. I am a lone wolf around here. I don't belong to cliques or alliances. If I agree or disagree with someone, I say it, but you guys have a way of making everything so personal, and every one of these threads wind up attacking Mr. Marv. I do not believe he antagonizes Ross fans. I do believe that the Ross fans get overly defensive.
If some of my views happen to agree with Marv, it is purely a coincidence, but one probably born out of shared experiences with music. We are about the same age. If I happen to agree with, say, Roberta, that's also a coincidence, but I know nothing about her.
These personal attacks are why the moderators delete threads around here, not because of any particular person.
People are allowed their opinions about artists even if they are negative. This isn't a Diana Ross fan site. It's allowed to be critical of her.
Last edited by soulster; 06-10-2018 at 01:44 PM.
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