Customer Reviews

Everything Is Everything Expanded Edition

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Motown writer and producer Deke Richards who played a major role in the Supremes "Love Child" single and album was as he put it, "given the keys to the Rolls Royce of Motown." Along with Hal Davis and Berry Gordy, they masterminded Diana Ross' second solo album originally released in 1970, and only now available in North America in an expanded compact disc format. Worth the wait? You bet!
In the liner notes, Richards recalled Gordy wanting "something different out on Diana yesterday" and although "Everything Is Everything" is somewhat heavy with cover tunes, Ross finds nooks and crannies in familiar songs to weave her magic.
Diana Ross was in her vocal prime at the time of this recording and standout tracks include the Anna Gaye and Marvin Gaye composition "Baby It's Love" featuring alto sax riffs which took place during back-to-back overdub sessions for Marvin's classic "What's Going On," an Aretha Franklin cover, "I Love You (Call Me)," which earned Ross a nomination for Best Female R&B Performance Grammy, and "I'm Still Waiting," which was a huge hit in England, not once, but twice, the second time around with a 1990 remix version featuring a percolating bass line.
Two Lennon/McCartney songs hit the bulls eye as well, and a previously unreleased version of George Harrison's "Something" is included as a bonus. Richards had a future project in mind, "Diana Takes On The Beatles" that never materialized. As an extra bonus, an 1982 "Revelations" remix of "Come Together" is included, but it lacks the punch and vitality of the original session.
Ross offers up a commanding performance of the Bacharach/David standard "(They Long To Be) Close To You," but it's the previously unreleased bonus tracks, "Wish I Knew" and "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?" that stand out.
Once again Hip-O Select has done a masterful job dusting off a classic recording adding bonus tracks, with informative notes and previously unpublished photos. Diana Ross is one of those rare recording artists who deserves to have all her solo Motown albums released in CD format. Hopefully "Surrender" and "Baby It's Me" are due for re-release in the near future.

With the 11 original tracks and seven bonus numbers - six that were previously unreleased - Hip-o-Select has taken an oftentimes forgotten classic from Diana Ross and created a real gem.

The album - her 1970 sophomore solo effort - included the Grammy-nominated, I Love You (Call Me) and I'm Still Waiting, which soared to #1 on the UK single's chart.

The bonus cuts deliver a peak into the sessions for the album and include the Beatles' Something, alternate vocal on Baby It's Love and alternate lyrics for Ain't No Sad Song. Interesting remixes of Come Together (1982, Revelations) and I'm Still Waiting (1990, Phil Chill) simply demonstrate the powerful and lasting legacy of Ross.

An elaborate booklet is worth the price of admission, as it includes an in-depth interview with producer Deke Richards, which covers a number of topics concerning the development of the album.

For fans of Ross and collectors of the Motown sound, Hip-O-Select proves that everything means something for everyone.

Everything Is Everything has always been my favorite Diana Ross album of all time. I am an avid Diana Ross fan and have everything she ever made. Even though this album did not produce a major U.S. hit, the songs are all gems. I love Diana Ross' Ashford and Simpson's hits but these songs on Everything Is Everything are different and show another side of Diana. I could play this album over and over. The front cover picture is beautiful and has always been my favorite photo of Diana. Diana in the 1970's was way ahead of her time in music and fashion. Listen to "How About You", "I'm Still Waiting", "Baby, It's Love" and "My Place"...you will fall in love with this album.

This followup to Miss Ross' powerful Ashford & Simpson-produced debut album sounds like a collection of filler scraped from the vaults. Third rate Motown songs like "My Place", the title track, and the Bacharach rip-off "How About You" co-exist with pointless covers of "(They Long To Be) Close To You", "I Love You (Call Me)" and "Come Together" (in which Miss Ross gets on down with her baaad self). Only on the Marvin Gaye co-write "Baby It's Love", the pretty "I'm Still Waiting" and "The Long and Winding Road" does Diana seem to put some "uumph" into her performances.

Of the 7 bonus tracks, "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life" features one of Diana's loveliest vocals, while her version of the Beatles' "Something" tries to be big-band and pop at the same time, but ends up sounding too Vegas-like. Great remastered sound and detailed liner notes make this lackluster album a treat for Ross completists.

where did 'everything is everything' fall in diana ross' career? if i am not mistaken it was just before her film debut.

but it, along with her debut solo album produced by ashford and simpson, are tops on my list. i am loving the remix of 'i'm still waiting' and the extended version of 'baby it's love'. they are both very special! and i like the inclusion of her unreleased versions of 'something' and 'what are you doing the rest of your life?'.

which leaves the remastering of the original album content. even in its original form 'i'm still waiting' is a wonderful ballad. wistful, touching, excellenly written and arranged for ross' uniquely youthful voice. and equally sweet is the title track. it's light, airy and buoyant. being in love should sound so good! and also high on the list is her cover of 'call me'. this arrangement is better than aretha franklin's version but (and it hurts a little to say it) the arrangement is the star. the strings are clear as a bell and the andantes are in top form on the backing vocals. those women were the graces of motown and no one should ever forget it!

now on to what maybe shouldn't have happened. like 'come together'. every time i mention this cover to someone british, i can hear their toenails retract. i think it's funny. lennon meets vegas. it's really funny! and the other version with the shrieking synthesizer is funnier than that! and the blatant crossover attempts with 'the long and winding road' and 'close to you' are shameless. maybe it's because they lack integrity. they don't show off what makes ross so unique.

but i don't care--i have it on vinyl and now i will have it on cd! it's a done deal.

I simply want to say this CD is magnificent and should be purchased pronto. You surely won't regret listening to the beautifully remastered voice of Diana with the extra bonus tracks. I think it's funny that Michael J owns the Beatles Library and here Diana triumphantly sings 2 songs Michael owns. Still supporting eachother it seems.

Those who criticize Diana Ross should take a listen to her music between 1970 and 1980. Simply put, the music she created for the first decade of her career was top-notch. Everything is Everything is pretty much forgotten, but thanks to this remaster, it is getting a second chance. There are some gems, most notably "I'm Still Waiting", which was a flop in America but went to number one in the U.K. It's an engaging love song with a great vocal performance from Ross. The rest of the album is also excellent. Even the unnecessary 1990 mix of "I'm Still Waiting" sounds good with these tracks.

released too quickly behind her first solo album, while ain't no mountain high enough was still charting. a very pleasant album, i enjoy her renditions of other artists' material. too bad i'm still waitin wasn't appreciated here like in europe. love the expanded material also! ENJOY!!

Following hot on the heals of 'Let The Music Play' a double album of unreleased Diana Ross & The Supremes material, comes this Hip-o-select release of the second solo album from Diana Ross 'Everything Is Everything'.

Wheras her first and third album were written and produced by Nick Ashford and Val Simpson, this one was more of a rat-bag collection. I'm not saying it is bad, each song is at least passable, but it doesn't hang together too well as an album. It was rush-released towards the end of 1970 to cash in on the success of the first album.

There are some brilliant tracks. 'I'm Still Waiting' was debuted on here. Top British radio DJ Tony Blackburn picked up the song and kept playing it until they released it as a single. It shot to No 1 in the UK. When Diana Ross was busy in production of 'Lady Sings The Blues', the British market was hungry for material, so Doobe Dood(etc!) was released and made the upper reaches of our charts. It might have been even bigger, but people were embarassed to go in stores and say the title.

Diana's version of Aretha Franklin's 'I Love You Call Me' was Grammy nominated. No not the original, this version, no kidding. I would say it holds up well to the original, but I know some soul fans who would blanche at the thought of it!

The covers of the Beatles songs, and 'They Long To Be Close To You' are also noteworthy. Tracks 12 to 18 are bonus tracks, including George Harrison's 'Something', and the Phil Chil remix of 'I'm Still Waiting', which charted here in 1990.

I was considering giving this only four stars, but I know some of you guys would never forgive me. This is the last time that Diana Ross smiled on an album cover. Considering that she has the most beautiful smile in the world, that alone makes it worth five stars! The bonus tracks and tantalising snippets of studio chat seal the deal, so it is top marks!

This one and the above mentioned Diana Ross & The Supremes release, has satisfied for a while, my demand for new product from Motown's top Diva

I adore this Diana Ross cd. I actually like it better than her first solo album. I love the music from her early solo career and happened to have missed this one so finding it on cd is a true gift.

The remastering is superb and the sound will come from your speakers in glorious clarity. Have some favorite songs here - MY PACE, I'M STILL WAITING, HOW ABOUT YOU. The beatle interpretations are very interesting. For me COME TOGETHER works but THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD is overdone and lacks emotion. I was very impressed with her interpretation of Streisand's WHAT ARE YOU DOING THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? It is lovely. But the Carpenter's CLOSE TO YOU is an overblown failure. It totally lacks the subletly and raw emotion brought to it by Karen Carpenter. But maybe it was a period song that many artists attempted at the time.

Overall this cd is amazing with a wide variety of songs and 6 great bonus tracks. It shows Diana Ross in her prime and is a must for any Diana or Motown fan.