why didn't Diana And Marvin chart better

[Boogiedown]

I suspect , judging from the the lack of their blockbuster success, especially considering the novelty of pairing such well-established independent stars onto one recording [[ had this ever been done , off hand I can only think of Frank Sinatra and his daughter Nancy's SOMETHING STUPID ) , that I am not alone in thinking their voices didn't sound all that great together. Competing alley cats to be blunt. I know at the time when their duets came on the AM radio in my Greenbrier van ,when I heard that squawking I changed the station.

So it sort of made sense to me when I learned years later, perhaps on these informative forums that the two didn't even record together. That helps explain the disconnect of their dueting, , perhaps the missing ingredient that happens when people sing together off of each other, instead of being doubled on top of each other at a later date.

I would say DON'T KNOCK MY LOVE comes across rather nicely, it apparently is the only song they actually shared studio time together on [[ and a song choice Diana questioned).
I would say part of what makes it work is that they aren't singing on top of each other , they take turns with the lead ....Diana doesn't even show up on the record for the first 45 seconds lol!
It's believable , imo , that they're having a good time here, certainly giving it their best shot:



I do agree with Diana's bewilderment of treating the song as a duet , it's hardly a love song or an exchange of endearing sentiments between two people....



Also I think the album cover about says it all, as they face each other , back to back ....lol!

[Sotosound]

I suspect , judging from the the lack of their blockbuster success, especially considering the novelty of pairing such well-established independent stars onto one recording [[ had this ever been done , off hand I can only think of Frank Sinatra and his daughter Nancy's SOMETHING STUPID ) , that I am not alone in thinking their voices didn't sound all that great together. Competing alley cats to be blunt. I know at the time when their duets came on the AM radio in my Greenbrier van ,when I heard that squawking I changed the station.

So it sort of made sense to me when I learned years later, perhaps on these informative forums that the two didn't even record together. That helps explain the disconnect of their dueting, , perhaps the missing ingredient that happens when people sing together off of each other, instead of being doubled on top of each other at a later date.

I would say DON'T KNOCK MY LOVE comes across rather nicely, it apparently is the only song they actually shared studio time together on [[ and a song choice Diana questioned).
I would say part of what makes it work is that they aren't singing on top of each other , they take turns with the lead ....Diana doesn't even show up on the record for the first 45 seconds lol!
It's believable , imo , that they're having a good time here, certainly giving it their best shot:



I do agree with Diana's bewilderment of treating the song as a duet , it's hardly a love song or an exchange of endearing sentiments between two people....



Also I think the album cover about says it all, as they face each other , back to back ....lol!

Love your frankness.

[Boogiedown]

Love your frankness.

What makes it all the more odd is that individually I looked forward to their songs.

[Ollie9]

In my opinion it’s a classic duets album. One of the very best.
Contrary to opinion, i think Diana and Marvin’s singing styles really compliment each other. Until I found out they had recorded their respective parts separately i would never have guessed. Diana’s vocals sound soulful and relaxed, while Marvin is probably holding back a little.
As already mentioned, had the album been released in 74 with a stronger lead single it could easily have cracked the top ten USA album charts.