Maps of Music

Diana (1980)

Where the lyrics of Diana take you, and where it was really made.

Ross's best-selling studio album was released with no lead single, and the mix the producers had not approved was replaced by a remix they objected to.

Key places

Where the album was originally recorded (1980)

Recording site Power Station Studio — All songs on Diana were originally recorded at Power Station in New York. The original mixes were also made there before the remix. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Lead vocal re-recordings in New York (1980)

Recording site Electric Lady Studios — Ross re-recorded all her lead vocals so they stood out from the music. Part of these re-recordings took place at Electric Lady in New York. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Lead vocal re-recordings in Hollywood (1980)

Recording site The Music Grinder (Hollywood) — Another part of the lead vocal re-recordings was made at a Motown studio in Hollywood. The point is set at the city center, not the building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Diana: eleventh studio album by American singer Diana Ross
• Released 22 May 1980 by Motown Records
• Best-selling studio album of Ross's career
• Spawned three international hit singles, including the number-one hit "Upside Down"
• Written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic
• Over 10 million copies sold worldwide, according to music critic Graham Reid

Background

• Followed the US success of Ross's 1979 album The Boss
• Ross wanted a fresher, more modern sound
• She approached Nile Rodgers after hearing his work at the Manhattan club Studio 54
• Rodgers and Edwards wrote most songs after direct conversations with Ross
• Ross reportedly wanted to turn her career upside down and have fun again
• "I'm Coming Out" was written after Rodgers saw several drag queens dressed as Ross
• Ross was initially unhappy with the results
• Frankie Crocker, a New York disc jockey, warned her that releasing the album in its original state could end her career

Recording

• The album was originally recorded at Power Station in New York
• Lead vocals were re-recorded at Electric Lady in New York and at Motown/Hitsville U.S.A. Studios in Hollywood
• Ross remixed the entire album with Motown engineer Russ Terrana
• The remix removed extended instrumental passages and sped up the tempos
• The master tapes were remixed without the knowledge or approval of Rodgers and Edwards
• The producers publicly objected to the official version and considered removing their names from the credits
• Motown and Ross went ahead, and the more commercial Terrana mix was released
• Mastered at Atlantic Studios in New York
• A 2003 double CD reissue contained the original Chic mixes and the Motown final mixes

Cover

• Cover art photographed by Francesco Scavullo

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Diana Ross was born March 26, 1944 in Detroit, Michigan, and was the lead singer of the Supremes.
• The Supremes joined Motown in 1961 under the name chosen by Florence Ballard, after the group first formed as the Primettes.
• The Supremes became Motown's most successful act in the 1960s and one of the best-selling girl groups of all time.

Members

• The Supremes' members included Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and later Cindy Birdsong.
• Ross left the Supremes in 1970 and began a solo career.

Career

• The Supremes remain the best-charting female group in history, with 12 number-one pop singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Ross's solo career produced six Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Endless Love".
• Ross starred in Lady Sings the Blues (1972), earning Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, and later starred in Mahogany and The Wiz.
• Ross has sold over 100 million records worldwide as a solo artist.
• Ross was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 as a member of the Supremes and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Robert Christgau, writing for The Village Voice, gave the album an A− rating
• Christgau praised the album's sound as a fit for the synergy of Rodgers and Edwards

Reappraisal

• AllMusic's Charity Stafford called the album Ross's best solo record in a retrospective review
• Stafford wrote that Ross sounds more forceful than she had in years
• Stafford found the glossy Chic production had matured better than many similar albums of the era
• BBC Music's Daryl Easlea reviewed the 2003 deluxe edition and described the album as an artistic portrayal of complete freedom
• Easlea linked the writing to Ross breaking free of the shackles of Motown
• Rolling Stone ranked the album No. 394 on its 2020 edition of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list

Records

• Billboard 200: number 2
• Billboard Soul Albums Chart: number 1 for 8 consecutive weeks
• Spent 17 weeks at the top of Billboard's R&B/Dance chart
• "Upside Down" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100
• Two top 10 singles on the Hot 100 in total
• Sold over one million copies in the United States and certified Platinum by the RIAA
• UK: Gold; singles "Upside Down" (No. 2), "My Old Piano" (No. 5) and "I'm Coming Out" (No. 13)
• Over 10 million copies sold worldwide

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Motown released the album without a lead single, which was unusual for the label.
• "Upside Down" made a rare vaulted move in its fifth week, from number 49 to number 10.
• For the cover shoot, Ross borrowed jeans from supermodel Gia Carangi.
• Rodgers and Edwards sued Motown over money owed for the original version, but lost.
• After Ross left Motown, the follow-up album the producers were contracted for was never made.
• "I'm Coming Out" has since become an anthem for the LGBT movement.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

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