It’s funny. I have all of her solo albums through 1989, but I don’t think I’ve listened to any of them in 20 or 30 years. I prefer soul/R&B to Easy Listening, so I pretty much tune out. The exceptions would be her first solo album, the duet album with Marvin Gaye (which is great), The Boss and Diana. The rest are pretty forgettable in my book although there are some great singles (Remember Me, Love Hangover, a few others) sprinkled about.
I know the team at Universal want to do them. It has been a long time since the last set, so I hope they are not finished. I remember when those packages sold well. I am glad I got the expanded Where Did Our Love Go when it was new. It goes for big bucks now. I finally filled in the last gap in my collection when I got the Supremes/Four Tops set a few weeks ago. If Refections is next (or Ross ‘78), I will happily purchase it.
I prefer the music she did as a Supreme in the 60s. Most of her albums are spotty, but she also made some real winners: Diana Ross S/T (1970) Diana Ross S/T (1975) odd that she would have two S/T albums just five years apart Baby, It's Me (1977) The Boss (1979) diana (1980) Why Do Fools Fall In Love (1981) Swept Away (1984) And, though spotty, I personally like: Silk Electric (1982) Ross (1983) Red Hot Rhythm & Blues (1987) That "Forever Diana" boxed set was a piece of garbage in both manufacturing and mastering. I was told that Ross' own Ross Records released it and Universal had no say in it.
Big fan of Diana Ross here. Every album from Meet the Supremes through her entire solo career. As far as her solo career is concerned, I love much of what she did in the 1970s, but I really enjoy her '80s output quite a lot, too. Swept Away is a particular favorite from the '80s. The title track, "Missing You," "Telephone," and "Touch By Touch" are all great songs from that album. I think one of the great things about her solo career was that she really didn't repeat herself. Each album sounded different from the one before it. She worked with some of the very best songwriters and producers, too. It all adds up to a tremendously impressive body of work.
I consider myself a fan. I've always loved The Supremes, and her early work is also great. All her albums are really easy to find on vinyl (and cheap) and I recently picked up Everything Is Everything for a fiver. I love it. 'I'm Still Waiting' is an all-time classic and 'Doobedood'ndoobe, Doobedood'ndoobe, Doobedood'ndoo' is a forgotten gem. I don't even mind her Beatles covers.
... and her Diana album from 1980 is a stone cold classic. It's up there with the best work Nile Rogers ever did, IMO (even if the lyrics of 'Upside Down' sound incredibly un-PC in 2020!)
In the 1980s I lived in an apartment building in Sherman Oaks, CA and my neighbors (for a short time) were a buff gay couple. They had a full set of weight training gear in there (could hear it clanging through the walls) and almost every night after their workout I could hear them go at it. The one guy was always screaming "F*** me, Diana, f*** me, Diana" at the top of his lungs. Hard to sleep over that noise.. I wondered who Diana was. One day I had to go in there to try and fix a leak (I was the apt. manager when the real apartment managers were on vacation, which was a lot) and I saw on their walls about 60 framed pictures and giant posters of Diana Ross. Ah, that Diana. Got it. So that was fun. Well, this is a "Diana Ross General Discussion" thread, that was my Diana story. Every time I read the name DIANA ROSS, that is what I think of. Can't help it, damn it. Over and out.
The (billed) Supremes came to Tampa and I was all set to go since they were neck & neck favorites (with The Marvelettes) for girl groups for me but come to find out they were just some hired back-up singers. Not cool, glad I checked this out before hitting the buy ticket button. Mary Wilson should have been involved at least.
Here are my favorite underrated/forgotten Diana solo songs. We Need You from Touch Me In The Morning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXiRUMbYMcc My Mistake Was To Love You from Diana & Marvin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Dj2sux3Co Lady Is A Tramp from Caesars Palace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z86OTceq5k It's My House from The Boss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDPYKteJY-E Up Front from Ross https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn0h8YQ2b5k
Lol. This did not end like I thought it would, with one of them decked out like Diana and the other either Flo or Mary. I always figured Di was a top!
Muscles is a 1982 hit single written and produced by Michael Jackson, and performed by American singer Diana Ross. It was the first single release from Ross's Gold-certified album Silk Electric. The single reached number #7 in Cash Box magazine, and, #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It climbed as high as #4 on the Billboard Soul chart. The kinky (?) song, which was rumoured to be named after Jackson's pet snake, was written for Ross and her desire for a muscle-bound lover. The track featured background vocals by Patti Austin with seasoned session singers Maxine and Julia Waters. It earned Ross a twelfth Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The single's erotic music video featured Ross in bed dreaming of muscular men. In one scene she is shown floating through the air over a landscape which turns out to be a man's muscular body. And, sorry to contradict you, WikiPediaLyte, but everyone I knew at the time thought the song was about Michael's desire for a muscle-bound lover! Haha!
Not a fave where I gobble up whole albums, but some really hot hits I like in playlists Top 5. Missing You - With a voice like that you wouldn't be missing me for long! Where Did Our Love Go - Pure Motown Girl Group Gold Love Child - Groovy and hot expression of an impossible circumstance. Love Hangover - yeah, it's kinda' cheezy, but it's really sexy cheez! Someday, We'll Be Together - So smooooooth.
Silk Electric is a pretty odd album. I knew a guy who was a DJ in that era. He told me that on his last day at an A/C station, he played "Fool For Your Love". I think Diana was on their approved artists list, but who would expect hard rock from her with her yelling out "whaddya want!" for the opening line.
Whenever anyone say's, what use was Diana Ross [in truth this is a one person down time on overnights in the steelworks argument ] somehow we got away from the usual quizzy type arguments [ who were the actors who made up the 'The Magnificent Seven ' ect ] one guy asked a question about the most hits by a female soul singer , i answered , Diana Ross, not sure if i am right but was sure that i was pretty close , another guy said she was not even the best singer in the Supremes and only got where she had got by.....!! I was outraged and said you need to listen to her sing on the 'Diana' album. The following night i brought in my ghetto blaster and during our meal break played a cassette copy of several tracks off 'Diana' , the first track being 'I'm Coming Out' , that incredible opening of Nile Rodgers guitar together with Diana's pure lyric soprano and then the crashing drums before the track moves along with Bernard Edwards bassline .One of the distinctive things about this track is the Trombone solo [ trombone solo!, how many divas would have allowed that. 'I'm Coming Out' should be played very loudly every Saturday night in every house in the land . Just one of the many high water marks that Diana Ross has made in her long career. By the way could you name the seven actors who made up the .Magnificent Seven' without googling?
For ages, I've been trying to figure out which Diana Ross compilation to buy, preferably one that is in print or easy to find. I frequently see this: One Woman: The Ultimate Collection - Wikipedia But, this mostly has single edits. And I already have The Supremes songs. So it's not ideal for me. I was looking at "All the Great Hits" as mentioned in the quoted post All the Great Hits (Diana Ross album) - Wikipedia But it doesn't have the 80's hits, such as those with the Bee Gees and the theme from "The Land Before Time". It doesn't have "I'm Still Waiting" either, which is one of my favourite tunes. So what's a good Diana Ross compilation (without The Supremes)?
I don't have either of these, but going by the tracklistings they look like they have everything you're looking for (but you'll never escape The Supremes on a Diana Ross compilation!). Don't know anything about how well they're mastered, though. Diana Ross - The Greatest Diana Ross - Love & Life - The Very Best Of Diana Ross
This is the best one but it goes for a high price. One of my favorite 2CD comps ever. The Motown Anthology https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005ABO5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_nzMdFb8P3SSGP
