Maps of Music

Eaten Alive (1985)

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

Michael Jackson co-wrote and performed on the title track of this Diana Ross album, but he received no credit for it.

Key places

Recorded at Bill Schnee Studios (1985)

Recording site The Music Grinder (Hollywood) — The album's recording credits list Bill Schnee Studios as a place where it was recorded. The point marks the Hollywood city centre, not the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Middle Ear Studio (1985)

Recording site The Hit Factory Criteria — The album's recording credits also list Middle Ear Studio as a place where it was recorded. The point marks the Miami city centre, not the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Eaten Alive: 16th studio album by American R&B singer Diana Ross
• Released 24 September 1985 by RCA Records in the US; EMI Records distributed it elsewhere
• Ross' fifth of six albums released by the label during the decade
• Mostly written and produced by Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees
• Co-writing by Gibb's brothers Andy, Maurice and Robin
• Michael Jackson, Ross' friend, co-wrote and performed on the title track without credit

Background

• Barry Gibb conceived the album; earlier that decade he had co-written and co-produced successful albums for Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick and Kenny Rogers
• Most tracks were written by Gibb with at least one brother, plus Albhy Galuten and Michael Jackson
• "Chain Reaction" was written last to give the album an obvious single
• It was meant to sound like a Motown song Ross might have recorded with The Supremes
• When first played the song, Ross rejected it for that reason

Recording

• Recorded at Bill Schnee Studios and Middle Ear Studio
• Mixed at Middle Ear Studio, Lion Share Recording Studios and Studio 55, Los Angeles
• Mastered at Sterling Sound
• Engineers listed: Jack Joseph Puig and Karl Richardson

Sources: en.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

Reappraisal

• AllMusic critic Ron Wynn gave the album 3 out of 5 stars in a retrospective review
• Wynn wrote that Ross got a lot of mileage from it, though it did not duplicate the success of Swept Away
• The title track was a Top Ten R&B hit, partly thanks to Michael Jackson's background vocals
• Ross biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli blamed the weak US performance on the title track being released as the first single

Records

• US Billboard 200: peak No. 45, about 300,000 copies sold, 20 weeks on the chart
• Top 10 in the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland
• No. 11 in Australia and the UK
• Top 20 in Germany, Italy, Austria and Japan
• "Chain Reaction" topped the charts in the UK and Australia

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Michael Jackson recorded a demo of the title track, but it has not surfaced to date.
• Barry Gibb's demos of the songs were released as downloads on iTunes in October 2006.
• Those demos contained most of the songs except the title track and "Chain Reaction".
• In August 2011 the Barry Gibb demos reappeared on iTunes shortly after his official website opened its download store.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact