The Boss [Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Supremes, Diana Ross | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 18, 1999)
• Original Release Date: 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Motown
• ASIN: B00000J2RF
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,568 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

While hardly as superfine a Ross vehicle as the Chic-produced Diana of a year later, 1979's The Boss does offer a few tracks of prime Ashford and Simpson-helmed disco-pop. Foremost among them are the title track (also heard on this augmented CD reissue in an even better 12-inch remix), "No One Gets the Prize," and "I Ain't Been Licked." All three offer a mix of sass and vulnerability that's among the diva's most pleasing stances. "All for One" and "I'm in the World" try too hard in their ways to reinvent Ross's showbizzy anthem "Reach Out and Touch," but neither truly offends. --Rickey Wright

Product Description

Ashford & Simpson, who had produced Diana's eponymous debut nine years earlier, teamed with her again on this 1979 release. The results, of course, were sensational: a #14 album with unforgettable R&B hits like the title track and It's My House -both of which appear here in their original form and as original 12" remix bonus tracks!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A CLASSIC!!!! The essential Diana Ross album!!!!, May 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Boss (Audio CD)

"The Boss" is the most consistently thrilling work of Ross' storied career. Legendary songwriting, production and vocal duo Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson wrote, arranged and produced the entire affair. Their outstanding efforts were perfectly matched by a Diana Ross in peak vocal form. The opening track, "No One Gets The Prize", features the most assured vocal performance of Diana's career. The title track is one of the few masterpieces of the disco era. These two songs (and "Once In The Morning") make a very compelling argument for Diana Ross as a "disco diva", but even in the midst of this disco inferno it is apparent that her true calling is as an interpreter, and ballads are her forte. On the exquisite "Sparkle", the rhythm rolls like a slow samba and is perfectly complemented by Diana's voice at its sugary sweetest. The highlight of this fantastic collection is "All For One". "All For One" is an impeccably arranged, majestic ode to brotherhood in the tradition of "Reach Out And Touch" but less corny, more poignant and invested with an urgency that only Ross could pull off. The bonus tracks of "It's My House" and "The Boss" included here are called "remixes" but they are more like extended versions because they retain the rhythm arrangements of the originals with extended breakdowns and a few more "ooohs" and "aaahs". Of course, the original versions are so flawless, it would be criminal to remix them anyway. All tracks have been digitally remastered and the sound quality is amazing. If you only ever buy one Diana Ross CD in your life, make it "The Boss".

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Diana Collaborates With Ashford And Simpson, September 8, 2001

By 

disco75 "disco75" (State College, PA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Boss (Audio CD)

When this lp first came out on disc format, the mastering was crude and there were no bonus tracks. This version makes the music crisp and provides two extended mixes. "It's My House" benefits from the extension, which gives the song a focus and does not allow it to be overlooked as it often was on the original lp. "The Boss" was a joyous production that always seemed, at about 4 minutes in the original version, much too brief. The extended version maintains the buoyant, exultant mood and sterling production. I always wondered what Ashford and Simpson would have done with these songs on an album of their own, but I must say, as someone not particularly enamored of Diva Ross, Diana's vocals are expressive, warm, and stirring here. "No One Gets The Prize" is a dramatic piece, "Sparkle" is a lovely, jazzy number, "I Ain't Been Licked" is jaunty, and "I'm In The World" is an understated work of self-assertion. Highly recommended for A&S, Ross, R&B, and disco fans.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Boss all the way through, August 4, 2002

By 

David Garcia (Rockledge, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Boss (Audio CD)

Aside from the work of Donna Summer and Chic nothing represents the music of the Late Seventies for me more than this album. I had always known of Diana Ross from Ain't no Mountain High Enough and other hits, as well as her work with the Supremes, but had never bought her records. All that changed that hot summer night in Miami when I heard the title track on the radio for the first time. From the opening notes which introduce the song in a fanfare, like parting curtains introduce a spectacle of melody and rhythmn, it grabs you and doesn't let go. Diana's voice, rich in nuance and timber, emotes to the theme of the song, which is that no matter how logically we may think we can approach a relationship, love will take over and make us do thing we wouldn't do other wise. Much as this song carries a message of acceptance of the inevitable, the feelings of surrender to the dance floor are overwhelming. The beat is propulsive and Diana's voice has never sounded better as she whoots and hollers at the songs conclusion. No wonder it rose to number one on the Billboard Dance Chart. Unfortunately the song did no better than 19 on the pop charts and it became Diana's sole hit from an album I can only call spectacular. Although it is an album of it's time and the propulsive up-tempo material is blessed with the Disco stamp, the songs are so well written, produced and sung that this may simply qualify as her best album ever. Take for example the first song: No One Gets the Prize, an uptempo ode to a love triangle that finds Diana Ross hitting notes I never knew she could reach. I Ain't Been Licked is pure Diana, the survivor and the Diva. The beat is infectious and belongs in the repertoire of every drag queen who performs on stage. All For One is a ballad, not as successful as Sparkle, which is a treasure, and I'm in the World which was rightfully chosen to close the album. It is typical of Diana's material, but when everything else here is of such high quality, it stands out by wanting. Still, the feeling Diana puts into it , the nuance in her words, and the ability to scoop one along to feel what she is trying to convey with her voice, the mark of a true artist, make it better than what anyone else might have attempted. Of the rest, Once in the Morning is anthemic and It's My House is subtle, an invitation, low key but full of expectation. Ashford and Simpson were the producers of this album, and as with other projects for Diana Ross they are responsible for some of her best material. This album is as much a tribute to them as it is to Ms. Ross. When I found out this album had been remastered and now included the original 12" remix of The Boss as well as the promo 12" of It's My House I was ecstatic. I purchased it right away on Amazon along with Diana, the album she did with Chic a year later; a great album and very successful, which includes the number one Upside Down, but The Boss should have been that album.