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Workin' Overtime (1989)

Where the lyrics of Workin' Overtime take you, and where it was really made.

The album that brought Diana Ross back to Motown as a part-owner became the lowest-charting studio album of her entire solo career.

Key places

Additional recording at Record Plant (1989)

Recording site Record Plant (Los Angeles) — Record Plant in Los Angeles hosted additional recording for Workin' Overtime. The album credits list it as a recording location alongside the main Skyline Studios session. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Additional recording at Atlantic Studios (1989)

Recording site Atlantic Studios (New York City) — Atlantic Studios in New York is credited as an additional recording location for Workin' Overtime. Its credit is listed separately from the main Skyline Studios session. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Workin' Overtime: 18th studio album by American singer Diana Ross
• Released June 6, 1989 by Motown Records
• Her first Motown album with new material since To Love Again (1981)
• Made after a short stint with RCA Records
• Reunited with frequent collaborator Nile Rodgers, chief producer of Diana (1980)
• Attempt to appeal to a much younger audience with new jack swing and house music productions

Background

• Followed Red Hot Rhythm & Blues (1987); Ross gave birth to her son Ross and became pregnant with Evan, which led to a hiatus from work
• Ross left Motown for a then record-breaking $20 million deal with RCA
• Berry Gordy, Jr. had sold the label to MCA Records and placed Jheryl Busby at the head of Motown
• Ross was reluctant to return to her old label at first
• Gordy promised her a lot for her return, including part-ownership of the label

Recording

• All songs produced by Nile Rodgers
• Recorded and mixed at Skyline Studios, New York
• Additional recording at Record Plant, Los Angeles and Atlantic Studios, New York
• Tracks 3, 4 and 7 are alternate mixes for the European and Japanese releases

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

At release

• AllMusic editor Ron Wynn wrote that the album was the first product of the new contract and its results were not very encouraging
• Wynn noted no moderate or small hits, and the album left the R&B and pop charts within a couple of weeks
• Wynn wrote that Ross sounded completely lost
• Wynn judged the production, arrangements and compositions weak and thin next to New Jack and hip-hop works
• Critics gave the album negative reviews on release

Records

• Peaked at number 116 on the US Billboard 200, the lowest-charting studio album of Ross' solo career
• Reached the top thirty in Sweden and the United Kingdom
• Title track reached number three on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
• Spent 19 weeks on the Billboard R&B albums chart despite the weak reception
• Singles 'This House' and 'Bottom Line' and a Shep Pettibone remix of 'Paradise' failed to revive sales
• Commercially failed on release

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Ross spent time off from work watching BET during her hiatus, and later said she was a risk taker.
• Shep Pettibone remixed 'Paradise', one of the album's additional releases alongside 'This House' and 'Bottom Line'.
• The album was supported by the Workin' Overtime World Tour.
• Tracks 3, 4 and 7 are alternate mixes made for the European and Japanese releases.

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

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