Well, I just bought a Baby It's Me vinyl copy on Discogs, supposedly in VG+ condition. Cost me $1.99 (if you don't count the many other things that miraculously threw themselves into my cart at the same time). As expensive as it is, I'm sure I'll survive if it doesn't do it for me... For a couple of you also in the Michael Jackson Thriller CD masterings thread, the CRC DIDP-020022 CD somehow added itself to my order, too. I really need to watch out for sneaky discs.
That Thriller thread has totally done my head in. I had to lie down in a darkened room for hours last time I looked at it.
I kept on referencing the long list of variations on page one, and still ended up hopelessly confused. I think I bought a good one... Looking on the bright side, that's the benefit of Diana Ross not having many CD issues of her '70s albums! Much less confusion (but much less opportunity, too).
Through the years I have found many songs by her that still ring true today. I will name a few ... The entirety of The Supremes "Where Did Our Love Go" album is priceless "You Keep Me Hanging On", "You Can't Hurry Love" and "The Happening", again priceless! Her version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is anthem worthy "Theme From Mahogany", "Touch Me In The Morning", "It's My Turn" Niles and Bernard of CHIC teaming up with her was brilliant, especially on "Upside Down" and "I'm Coming Out" Some of the RCA years material was interesting and some interesting collaborations. I also love this beautiful ballad that was produced by Peter Asher (of "Peter & Gordon" fame), which was right from his later Linda Ronstadt ballad producing fame ...
Most people have probably never heard the Donald Fagen song that she cut around 1983 and was produced by long-time Steely Dan producer, Gary Katz
I saw her at Chicago’s Arie Crown theater in January of 1977 (I think). The Google shows a pretty good set list from that year.
Being a 60s kid, I grew up loving the Supremes of course, but Ross's solo career never seemed like much more than an extended exercise in divadom for its own sake. (I need a little more meat on the bones, both musically and, uh, physically.) Her major accomplishment wasn't being the boss (as a 1979 album proclaimed), but sleeping with him. But before I'm dismissed as a total hater/threadcrapper, I'd like to share a surprising (and surprisingly good) 1991 cover of Nick Lowe & Paul Carrack's "I Live on a Battlefield" (curiously titled "Battlefield" here). ")
I was surprised when “Eaten Alive“ was totally ignored by radio and failed to chart which was primarily due to MJ backlash after his over saturation and the Victory tour. That and it wasn’t a very good song...but still.
It’s a catchy song, but I always thought Diana’s vocals sounded a bit too low in the mix. You can’t tell what she’s saying most of the time. Michael Jackson’s presence should have guaranteed a hit, though.
In The Supremes Flo Ballard had the grittier bluesier voice and she could sing rings around Diana Ross but Diana had that breathy light pop voice that was ideal for those great singles. Couple that with the look and the attitude and you see why it wasn't long before The Supremes became Diana Ross and The Supremes and the inevitable solo flight.
Diana Ross,the legend,she's like the famous aunt who shows up one a year at the family reunion and commands all the attention!
(Diana Ross + Ashford & Simpson)= Audio Magic. No one else had better control of her by keeping her focused. Check out her album "The Boss".
Never that big a fan, but her profile seems to have dipped dramatically over the last twenty years. She last made the national news over here for an argument she had over being searched to board a plane, iirc.
I see it's currently in the classifieds as a 2 fer with Touch Me In The Morning, plus several Supremes 2 fers.
Sadly, Universal would not green light the physical release. Someone in Germany actually made some to sell, but, I believe, he ended up in hot water. He was making beautiful expanded editions of Supremes and Diana Ross albums that have not been done by the label. He had a small number of loyal customers and sent out an email one day saying the authorities had come to his door. There were not a lot of extra tracks the way there were on, say, Last Time I Saw Him. I never cared for the song or the album, unfortunately. I remember the first time I ever set foot in a disco (New Years Eve, 1977). The dance floor was packed for hits of the day like LTD's "Back In Love Again". But when Baby It's Me's first single ("Getting Ready For Love") was played, the dance floor was emptied quickly. I love the song, but it is not a dance song.
This is a perfect encapsulation of her solo career (at least my impression of it since the '80s)! She's had some great tracks along the way but her whole thing always seemed to be more about her and her image and "divadom" than the music. That's a pretty fun duet with Jamiroquai, but also highlights a big issue for me - she's a willing heritage artist who only ever relives a few key highlights of her career and never offers anything new (at least for the past ~25 years). She minimizes her own impact by continuing to focus on only a shortlist of hits that she performs at every appearance and in every venue. It makes her feel smaller than she is in reality. Can't necessarily blame her for taking the easy road at 75, but she seemed to give up around 50!
