Diana Ross - Diana (1980)

Respectfully I say to thee...

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    Votes: 8 100.0%

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  • Total voters
    8
VoR

VoR

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There must be a thread or three already for this iconic album, but I can't seem to find it. I've been blasting it fairly regularly since the tour announcement - I am, like all good homosexuals, taking my mother - and it really is a marvel. Not a weak moment in the bunch.



10 Upside Down
09 Tenderness
09 Friend to Friend
10 I'm Coming Out
08 Have Fun (Again)
10 My Old Piano
09 Now That You're Gone
10 Give Up
 
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I couldn't get disabled tickets, so I can't take my Mum, which is a real shame. Seems it's going to be harder to do ANYTHING like that with her these days. :(

Still, I took her about 10 years ago to see her, so not all bad, and she loved front row at Mary Wilson at the Portsmouth Guildhall, so y'know... :disco:
 
Oh and it's MAGNIFICENT

10 Upside Down
10 Tenderness
07 Friend to Friend
10 I'm Coming Out
09 Have Fun (Again)
10 My Old Piano
10 Now That You're Gone
10 Give Up
 
I can't decide what my 11 is, though, so I've left it out. It's between the three singles, which are all JUST TOO FABULOUS FOR WORDS
 
My mum had tickets to see her in the early 70s when she was at the peak of her stardom and my evil Irish granny decided ON THE DAY to forbid her from going because it clashed with church.

So I'm treating this as a nice full circle moment. :disco:
 
10 Upside Down
10 Tenderness
07 Friend to Friend
10 I'm Coming Out
09 Have Fun (Again)
10 My Old Piano
09 Now That You're Gone
10 Give Up
 
Disco deluxe.

10 Upside Down
10 Tenderness
07 Friend to Friend
10 I'm Coming Out
10 Have Fun (Again)
10 My Old Piano
10 Now That You're Gone
09 Give Up

I wonder if any of this would have went to Sister Sledge had Ms. Ross not threw her nail filer at Niles, or whatever dirty Diana tactic she resorted to. Then again, she did reject I Got Protection and that didn't head over their way (although they were bigger prudes than she).

A song like I'm Coming Out touches the sky and Upside Down is the jewel on the disco crown. Have Fun (Again), Tenderness and Now That You're Gone don't bat an eyelid at the singles they're grouped with, the album only let's some air in on Friend to Friend and even Give Up is still a seizure not to be interrupted.
 
straightorbroken said:
I wonder if any of this would have went to Sister Sledge had Ms. Ross not threw her nail filer at Niles, or whatever dirty Diana tactic she resorted to.
Click to expand...

A lot of the album was written and constructed with her solely in mind. They certainly wrote I’m Coming Out with her in mind- the whole point was that they thought Diana was a such a gay icon, a song based around that would be huge. It was something about seeing drag queens dressed as Diana that provoked it.
 
Well, I think she sought them out backstage, so I don't doubt it as the whole album hangs off of her like chandelier earrings.
 
Do people tend to favour the 'original' versions or the Chic mixes that were first released on Diana Deluxe?

I only ever listen to the Chic version of the album these days. It's just that little bit FUNKIER :disco:
 
I have never actually listened to this album. I know the three singles and that's it. UNTIL NOW.
 
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VoR said:
Do people tend to favour the 'original' versions or the Chic mixes that were first released on Diana Deluxe?

I only ever listen to the Chic version of the album these days. It's just that little bit FUNKIER :disco:
Click to expand...

I prefer the released versions. As much as I love Chic, they were, as you seem to put it, funk tinged with disco, rather than disco tinged with funk, to my ears. That is the difference in the two productions for me, and I am more of a disco than funk kinda guy, so it makes sense.

I love them BOTH, though, and have the pink vinyl Record Store Day release of the Chic version which I play regularly. (It's available for about £15 on The Sound of Vinyl website if people want it, by the way...)
 
UPSIDE DOWN

I know this song the most because my sister had it on 7 inch single and I remember playing it loads when I was a kid. That riff is just ICONIC. I love how the guitar bit gets louder and louder throughout the song!
9/10
 
TENDERNESS

I love Diana's voice on this. I think I prefer the verses to the chorus though, but I like the strings in the chorus. It has this driving beat the whole way through. I can sense a theme throughout this album, if the first two songs are anything to go by. Very good.
8/10
 
FRIEND TO FRIEND

Hmmm...I'm not quite feeling this one as much. It's a bit dreary. Is there even a chorus in this song? She still sounds lovely on this but it's just too forgettable. I don't hate it though, it's just average.
6/10
 
ANYONE who gives 9/10 to UPSIDE DOWN should be MADE AWARE that they've been CANCELLED
 
I'M COMING OUT

What can you say about this song that hasn't already been said? It's a career defining moment, and SO significant to the LGBT community. I can only begin to imagine the number of drag queens who have lip-synced to this, and it has been sampled and covered so many times (least said about the one featuring Iggy Azalea the better). It's NOT her best song however, but it's certainly up there.
9/10
 
AND FOR I'M COMING OUT TOO?

*SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTS IN A POOL OF POPPERS*
 
HAVE FUN (AGAIN)

A jolly little song, this one, isn't it? It's clearly an album track though, and it's a BIT overlong. It's perfectly serviceable though. The FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN bit raised a smile. The fade out and fade in bit is a little strange. Was that common in the day?
7/10
 
MY OLD PIANO

NOW THIS IS IT. The production on this is just amazing. I love the electro keyboard bit in the chorus and the guitar riff in the chorus is brilliant. Then the piano solo towards the end of the song - this is just a really great song and I'm not surprised this was a big hit in the UK, but a shame it flopped in the US, although from what I read wasn't released until 1982 there. Easily my favourite song on the album.
11/10
 
These scores are based on my first listen, I might change some after I've digested the whole album.
 
NOW THAT YOU'RE GONE

Oh this is a bit different. I'm loving the strings on this. I really like the melody too. The chorus is really understated but it works. I think this is the strongest of the non-singles by some distance. Could easily have been the fourth single.
10/10
 
GIVE UP

Interesting that they went with this as an album closer. I would have said Now That You're Gone was a better song to end on. Still this is quite the funk. Strong chorus. And again, a strong melody, there's a hint of jazz/blues to this one.
9/10
 
Ok so reviewing all the scores I'm upgrading Upside Down to a 10.

10 Upside Down
08 Tenderness
06 Friend to Friend
09 I'm Coming Out
07 Have Fun (Again)
11 My Old Piano
10 Now That You're Gone
09 Give Up

Overall it's a brilliant album and certainly a better one than any of the other 80s albums she released. I'll listen to the original Chic ones at another time.
 
I suppose this is as good as place as any to leave this, for those who aren't aware. Apparently a Billboard Dance Club Song #1, whatever that is worth.

 
The reworked album over the original Chic mix for me too, though that deluxe edition is a win all round.
 
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