Maps of Music

Silk Electric (1982)

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

The best-known track on this Diana Ross album was written and produced by Michael Jackson, not by Ross.

Key places

Tracks 2–10 recorded at the Power Station (1982)

Recording site Power Station Studio — Tracks 2 to 10 of Silk Electric were recorded at the Power Station in New York. Larry Alexander engineered these tracks and Ted Jensen mastered the album at Sterling Sound. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Track 1 recorded in Hollywood (1982)

Recording site The Music Grinder (Hollywood) — Track 1 of Silk Electric was recorded at Hollywood Sound Recorders in Hollywood, California. This point is placed at the city centre, not the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Silk Electric: thirteenth studio album by American R&B singer Diana Ross
• Released 10 September 1982 by RCA Records
• Second of six albums Ross released with the label during the decade
• Peaked at No. 27 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 5 on the R&B albums chart
• Reached No. 33 on the UK Albums Chart
• Cover designed by Andy Warhol

Background

• Lead single Muscles was written and produced by Michael Jackson
• Muscles was a US Top 10 single and Grammy-nominated
• Ross produced all other tracks herself
• So Close followed as a US Top 40 single, with prominent background vocal arrangements by Luther Vandross
• Top 20 chart placements in Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands

Recording

• Track 1 recorded at Hollywood Sound Recorders in Hollywood, California
• Tracks 2–10 recorded at the Power Station in New York
• Track 1 engineered by Ross Pallone and Tom Perry, produced by Michael Jackson
• Tracks 2–10 engineered by Larry Alexander, assisted by Dave Greenberg
• Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in New York

Cover

• Cover art by Andy Warhol
• Edited and produced by Stuart Kusher
• An artist and title sticker, also designed by Warhol, was attached to the shrink wrap on some copies

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

• Released 10 September 1982 by RCA Records
• Ross' second of six albums released by the label during the 1980s
• Cover art by Andy Warhol
• Muscles, written and produced by Michael Jackson, was Ross' US Top 10 single and Grammy-nominated
• So Close followed as a US Top 40 single

Reappraisal

• Remastered and re-released on 2 September 2014 by Funky Town Grooves as an Expanded Edition with bonus material
• The reissue adds bonus tracks to the original 1982 album

Records

• US Billboard 200: No. 27
• US Top R&B Albums: No. 5
• UK Albums Chart: No. 33
• Top 20 in Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands
• Netherlands Albums Top 100: No. 14
• Muscles nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1983
• United States: RIAA Gold, with sales above 500,000 copies in the US alone
• United Kingdom: BPI Silver
• Estimated worldwide sales of about 800,000 copies

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

Trivia

• Lead single Muscles was written and produced by Michael Jackson, although all other tracks were produced by Ross
• So Close featured background vocal arrangements by Luther Vandross
• The song In Your Arms, written by Linda Creed and Michael Masser, was later covered by Teddy Pendergrass and Whitney Houston as Hold Me
• The album credits for I Am Me were wrong on a later compilation, which listed Cindy Birdsong instead of Janie Bradford
• Some copies carried an artist and title sticker designed by Andy Warhol, attached to the shrink wrap

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

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact