Customer Reviews

Diana

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Possibly her very best album. It seemed unlikely that she could top 1979's, THE BOSS but she did indeed and this is another landmark in her career. In 1980, when disco was still very much popular, she turned to the hottest R and B writers and producers of that era, Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers. Allegedly there were problems between Ross and these producers as Ross apparently felt her vocals were pushed too far into the background. She proceeded to take the album and remix it herself, pushing her vocals foward and making this much more unique.You simply can't disagree with Ross' decision when you hear the sheer magic of this truly magnificent album. Ritously funky throughout the album, it spun three major classics with the first being UPSIDE DOWN which became Ross' fifth U.S.A solo no.1 hit and narrowly missed the top spot in the U.K. Her impressive, razor sharp vocals are also featured on the other classics, MY OLD PIANO and on one of Ross' strongest performances on record, I'M COMING OUT which is seemingly making a statement of newly found independence. This classic also became a huge gay anthem which still remains popular on the scene today. The rythmically divine, TENDERNESS, aching, FRIEND TO FRIEND, catchy, HAVE FUN AGAIN and the beautiful sparse production of NOW THAT YOU'RE GONE all sound like they could have been classics if lifted as singles. Best of all however is the incredibly funky, GIVE UP to which Ross just lets her hairs down and belts this out with all her heart and soul. A huge triumph in Ross' career with every track a winner and this today remains a well loved classic. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

They say that some things get better with time. But this is something that was great from jumpstreet! Without a doubt, this is Diana Ross' best album from start to finish. Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers of Chic knew exactly what to do to make Ms. Ross sound great. Superior songs and production is what put this album over the top. "Upside Down" and "I'm Coming Out" are classics, and other strong album cuts include "Now That You're Gone", "Tenderness" and "My Old Piano"(a top 5 hit in England). Plus the 24-bit remastering job makes this album explode out of your speakers(Bravo Motown! ) For those who are only familiar with this album's two hit singles via Puff Daddy's sampling, you owe it to yourself to check it out. For those who remember this from the first time around, this is the definitive reissue of this 1980 classic.

Diana Ross was no stranger to disco music with the disco hit "Love Hangover" and the album The Boss, but on diana she joined forces with one of the most formidable disco production teams, Nile Rogers & Bernard Edwards of Chic. Instead of making another disco album, Rogers & Edwards moved away from a heavy disco element into a funk & rock sound that created the edgiest and most creative album Ms. Ross has ever made. "Upside Down" is the perfect synthesis of the sound. The producers lay a funky guitar riff over a string section while Ms. Ross purrs away with sass and style. After this release, Ms. Ross moved back into more familiar territory with such songs as "Endless Love", "It's My Turn" and other more traditional Diana Ross sounds. But on diana, she created an original, innovative and edgy record that has held up better than most albums from this era.

If one is to select Diana Ross's best release after her departure from the legendary Supremes, then this is the one to have in an audio library. Filled with Ross standards "I'm Comin' Out" and "Upside Down," as well as great tracks like "Tenderness," "Have Fun," and "My Old Piano," the album is a party-planner's delight.

Actually the title of this album should've been "CHIC featuring Diana Ross" since it is a Chic album with their own Background vocals, strings, etc. Written, Arranged and Produced by The Great Bernard Edwards & Nile Rodgers, the founders of Chic. The only difference is Diana is singing lead instead of Luci Martin or Alfa Anderson. Anyway, I recently heard this album for the first time in 26 years, only this time on CD and the sound blew me away!!!!! The songs sound just as fresh as they did back then. Every track in addition to "Upside Down" and "I'm Coming Out" is a potential hit especially "Have Fun Again". Bernard's Bass playing is really kicking on that cut! I love it! Overall this album is a must-listen for any person who appreciates R&B music just as it was during the last year of the "Party Hardy Era" that was from 1977-1980.

This CD is the definitely Diana Ross at her best . This is also probably the last Motown sounding album she recorded. Rumour has it that Ross asked Chic (writers and producers of "DIANA") to do a follow up album as her first album at RCA records but they declined because they would'nt give Ross complete control (and rightly so). "Upside Down," the first single from the album is a funky, simple sounding song, that started the Dianamania in 1980. Next was the fantastic "I'm Coming Out," which not only was a great hit on the dance floor but symbolized Diana Ross' separation from Motown to RCA records. Other songs on the album with are some of my favourite songs ever were more of a hit in the UK than in the US. "Tenderness," is a vibrant tune with a classic disco beat, and Diana Ross has never sounded so vibrant. The song "Now That You're Gone" is an ingeniously organized song combined with simple lyrics. I particularly enjoy this song because of the unusual beat and repetitious melody. "Friend to Friend" is the only slow ballad on the album. Diana ross sings this beautifully with a warm and sensitive voice. "My Old Piano" I think has a Supremes sound to it and was a hit in the UK, it reminds me of the Supremes song "You keep Me Hangin' On." I honestly believe that if you enjoy great music and the glamour of Diana Ross you will be more than happy with this purchase.

The Summer of 1980 was one of the last great summers for R&B albums (The Sugarhill Gang Lp, Cameosis by Cameo, Naughty by Chaka Khan, etc). This was another great release from that time period. Most everybody remembers "Upside Down," but the Brits and Black American radio stations knew what time it was with "Have Fun" and "My Old Piano." Enjoy, and see what you may have missed.

Diana Ross had of course been around for a long time and had enjoyed a very successful career before this collaboration with Bernard Edwards & Nile Rodgers. An established diva from the old school, she was reportedly (and quite reasonably) a bit anxious about putting her career in the hands of people she considered young and - compared to her - relatively inexperienced, despite the success they were enjoying at the time.

Well, the gamble paid off and while I'm not sure whether this was her most commercially successful album ever, alongside 1979's The Boss, it's certainly one of my favourites. Just like the Sister Sledge album I reviewed prior to this one, those Chic guys managed to cook up some musical magic that lives in our subconscious and on the airwaves until this very day. It's debateable whether Chic could've penned songs for and produced literally anyone in those days with similarly successful results but with Sister Sledge and Diana Ross they struck pure gold, no doubt.

Chic's music was beginning to evolve by 1980 though and they were making their sound heavier by bringing the bass and drums to the fore. They used the same formula on their own album "Real People" and Sister Sledge's Love Somebody Today, which they also produced that same year. (The latter CD is selling for almost $100 at the moment, so I hope they reissue it sometime soon). Nile Rogers played more lead guitar as opposed to rhythm, for the most part. The keyboards were also brought forward, while the strings were taken back.

The songs on this CD speak for themselves and all sound just as fresh today as they sounded 27 years ago. I have a feeling they'll be sounding just as fresh in 27 years time. The best part of all though, for me, is that the CD keeps the format of the original album - with no gimmicky remixes.

This is how remastering and reissuing is supposed to be done, if you ask me.

Though she had been recording solo albums for ten years up to this point, this album is almost certainly Diana Ross's best solo effort. It spawned the huge hits "Upside Down" and "I'm Coming Out", and the great shoulda-been "Give Up", which is probably the most chug-thumping, bass-heavy party jam she's ever made.

Diana Ross sounds here alive, young, restless - and glad about it. The joyfulness she displays in "Upside Down", "I'm Coming Out" and "Give Up" just about breaks down her fancy image. In other words, she really means "Have Fun (Again)".

"Upside Down", "My Old Piano", "Tenderness" and "Have Fun (Again)" are my favorites, since they manifest in different ways the disco prowess of producers Rodgers and Edwards and are also shakers for dancing. "Now That You're Gone" has a depressive-melancholic ambience, yet I still value it as much as my other favorite songs. I personally don't hold in such high esteem "Give Up" and "I'm Coming Out", although I must give them credit for being good examples of disco artistry. "Friend To Friend", by virtue of being a ballad, is a song I haven't, don't and won't bother to listen to, much less think about.