Maps of Music

Diana & Marvin (1973)

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

Motown billed the album with Diana Ross's name in front of Marvin Gaye's, although Gaye had tried in vain to have it named Marvin & Diana.

Key places

Motown Recording Studios, Hollywood (1973)

Recording site The Music Grinder (Hollywood) — The album's sessions were held at Motown Recording Studios in Hollywood, California, between 1971 and 1973. The point is placed at city-center level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Diana & Marvin: duets album by American soul musicians Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye
• Released October 26, 1973 on Motown
• Recording sessions took place from 1971 to 1973 at Motown Recording Studios in Hollywood, California
• Gaye and Ross were widely recognized at the time as two of the top pop music performers
• Sold over a million copies worldwide
• Remastered and reissued on CD with four bonus tracks on February 6, 2001

Background

• Plans for a Ross and Gaye duet album began as early as 1970
• Gaye was in a personal lull after Tammi Terrell's death, so Motown focused on Ross's solo career instead
• Gaye had promised never again to record a duet with a female performer
• What's Going On, released May 21, 1971, redefined Gaye's career and direction
• After that album, Berry Gordy approached Gaye again about a duet album with Ross

Recording

• Ross and Gaye ended up recording in separate sessions, with Russ Terrana mixing their vocals together
• Album sessions dragged on through 1971 and into early 1973
• Motown held the album back because Ross and Gaye both had solo albums ready for release

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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

• The album received generally positive reviews upon release
• Robert Christgau gave it a B+
• Christgau singled out 'Just Say, Just Say' and 'My Mistake' as the Motown-composed tracks with charm of their own
• Christgau praised the two Bell-Creed songs and the follow-up single 'Don't Knock My Love' as sounding great with the girl-boy duo

Reappraisal

• Diana & Marvin became a critical and commercial success that sold over a million copies worldwide

Records

• Despite a huge promotional push, the album was only a modest success in the U.S., reaching number 26 on the Billboard 200 and number 7 on the R&B albums chart
• In the U.S., the album sold over 500,000 copies
• In the United Kingdom, where Gaye and Ross had substantial fan bases, it reached number 6 on the UK albums chart
• In the UK, it was certified gold for sales in excess of 100,000 copies

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Ross said in a 1973 Blues & Soul interview that the album, produced by Ashford & Simpson, was to be titled Art & Honey and due in September that year
• Gaye tried in vain to get Gordy to name the album Marvin & Diana and give him production credit, but the producer refused
• Gaye later said of the experience that he should have done everything in the world to make Diana comfortable
• The album was remastered and reissued on February 6, 2001 with four bonus tracks

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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