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Post by mpn1jco on Oct 21, 2016 17:27:42 GMT
The Force Behind the Power is a 1991 album, released by Diana Ross on the Motown label. Its first single, "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" became an international hit, reaching #2 in the U.K., #4 in The Netherlands, #4 in Zimbabwe and #6 in Norway as well as making the Top 40 R&B and Adult Contemporary charts in the United States.
In the UK the album certified platinum for sales exceeding 300,000 copies.[2] It yielded five UK top 40 hits, including "One Shining Moment" (UK #10), "If We Hold on Together" (#11), "Heart (Don't change my mind)" (#31, also another top 10 single in Zimbabwe) and the title track (#27). "You're Gonna Love it" reached #24 on the US dance charts as well as charting just outside the top 10 (11) in Zimbabwe, and "Battlefield" became a top 40 it in Poland.
The album also went Gold in Japan and various European territories. [3]
"If We Hold on Together" was from Don Bluth's 1988 animated adventure film The Land Before Time. It rose to prominence after released as a single worldwide in 1989 (most prominently in Japan in 1990, after it was used as the theme song for the TBS drama Omoide ni Kawaru Made).[4] It reached #1 on the Japanese International single charts for 12 contiguous weeks making it the biggest selling record by a foreign artist; and in total, sold over 465,000 copies.[5][6]
The international edition of The Force Behind the Power has two additional tracks, "No Matter What You Do," a Top 5 R&B duet with Al B. Sure!, as well as "You And I".
The album was successful enough internationally that Ross' "Here and Now" World Tour lasted nearly 2 years, often hitting markets twice.
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jaap
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Post by jaap on Oct 23, 2016 17:32:58 GMT
In a revealing front cover interview in the Sunday magazine insert, USA Today Diana revealed that she consulted with Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder. It was a conversation with Stevie that became a pivotal moment in this project's destiny. Strangely enough, though she had covered his songs on her studio albums and in concert, this would be the first time Stevie would write a song specifically for her. Stevie was unsure this was the type of song that Diana wanted to record, partly because she had previously gravitated on record and in live performances to his love songs like "Too Shy to Say", "Ribbon in the Sky" and "I Just Called to Say I Love You". But Diana was so moved by it's universal message that "The Force Behind the Power" became the overriding theme and title of the album. It magically felt like the golden thread this project needed. Filled with a lyric of love and universality, it is almost a spiritual song. The inclusion of the Andre Crouch choir as her backup only underscores that point. Diana sings this song with conviction and plays off the call and response chorus with annointed ease. Suddenly songs like "Heavy Weather" and/or "If We Hold on Together" have a unifying thread.
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Post by tonyturner on Oct 23, 2016 17:43:26 GMT
the Top 3 duet with Al B. Sure, "No Matter What You Do" would be included in the International Edition of the album. EMI had wisely negotiated it's inclusion from Al B. Sure's label, Warner Bros. Why Motown would not do the same when the song was a hit in the U.S., remains a mystery.
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Post by vgalindo on Oct 24, 2016 20:14:32 GMT
Diana opted to play it safe with this album by NOT following any music trends. She enlisted the services of British producer Peter Asher, with whom she worked with in 1988 - he produced the classic "If We Hold On Together", which went down a storm in Japan - it remained in their top 20 charts for 2 years! Diana also teamed up with James Carmichael and old Motown label mate, Stevie Wonder.
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Post by ollie9 on Oct 24, 2016 20:16:57 GMT
On its release, the album quickly gained platinum status is the UK. It also signalled a magnificent run on the UK pop singles charts for Diana. All 5 singles lifted from the album were hits, and two of them (the beautiful "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" and "One Shining Moment") made the Top 10.
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Post by soulster on Oct 24, 2016 20:19:37 GMT
La Ross' "Force Behind the Power" set stalled at an underwhelming #102 in the United States and its very sleek title cut never even made a dent on any chart as it is was never released - a huge oversight on the part of her U.S. label Motown Records as for the U.S market it seemed an obvious choice for a single that could have worked reasonably well at R & B radio - and if treated to the right remixes could have become a huge anthem in the clubs. Luckily, EMI in Europe saw the commerical viablity of such a product in its totality which would prove very well suited to the then-finer tastes of the British marker and all was not lost : the set spawned five top-forty singles on the British charts( "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" peaked at #2, "One Shining Moment" peaked at #10, "If We Hold On Together" which was also a huge smash in Japan peaked at #11, the title cut peaked somewhere in the mid-20s and finally "Heart(Don't Change My Mind" peaked somewhere in the '30s) and would eventually go on to sell in excess of 300,000 copies in that country alone - well in excess of Platinum status almost approaching double platinum as of March of 1993.
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Post by PedrobeatMary on Oct 25, 2016 0:06:22 GMT
Diane should've done some Pu**y popping anthems not draggy ballads 2 get back 2 da top in America. Called up C&C Music Factory like Ree Ree did and got her dance on. The musics nice but she sounds old not fresh like Paula or Whitneys stuff did in 91.
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jaap
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Post by jaap on Oct 25, 2016 11:54:56 GMT
Ray Chew, who arranged and played on Why Do Fools Fall In Love (1981) and Silk Electric (1982), emphasizes that “Produced by Diana Ross” was more than a vanity credit. The artist took a serious, active role in producing her own music:
“This was the liberation of Diana Ross. These were the first records where she was a producer. She was in on all of the rhythm sessions. She’s in there all day with us for twelve hours. She was there from start to finish, giving her input on things that she liked and things that she didn’t like. That was a great experience for all because we got to see Diana Ross in a different way. At Motown, a lot of the stuff was already done when she’d come in and do her vocals. In this case, we’re in the studio with her. She’s in there working it out with all of the takes.”
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Post by captainjames on Oct 25, 2016 11:56:53 GMT
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Post by roberta75 on Oct 25, 2016 12:02:48 GMT
As the ‘80s continued, she scored major hits in the U.S. and UK through high-profile partnerships with Michael Jackson (“Muscles”), Daryl Hall (“Swept Away”), Lionel Richie (“Missing You”), and Barry Gibb (“Chain Reaction”). Throughout the late-‘90s, she hit the U.K. Top 20 more than a dozen times with singles produced by Peter Asher, Stevie Wonder, Ric Wake, and Narada Michael Walden. “She always managed to stay current,” says Brenda Russell, whose “Let Somebody Know” and “What About Love” appeared on the singer’s Take Me Higher (1995) and I Love You (2006) albums. “Sometimes people get stuck in an era and she didn’t do that. She kept growing and blossoming. That makes her different from a lot of her peers from that time.”
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Post by hector on Nov 26, 2016 0:30:51 GMT
"The Force Behind the Power", that album sucked to high Heaven and deserved to fail! Luckily, most people in American never got the chance to hear that drivel (thank God for small favors!). She should have quit after the epic FAIL of her "Working Overtime" garbage album.
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Post by mpn1jco on Nov 26, 2016 3:47:02 GMT
"The Force Behind the Power", that album sucked to high Heaven and deserved to fail! Luckily, most people in American never got the chance to hear that drivel (thank God for small favors!). She should have quit after the epic FAIL of her "Working Overtime" garbage album. Missing You and Muscles sold the Swept Away and Silk Electric albums. Every one I knew who purchased those albums hated them. This is another factor why every album after Swept Away flopped in the States. How many times can you rip the public off with mediocre product? Diana Ross as a solo artist does not have a body of work that new generations are discovering. Her legacy is with the Supremes. If you listen to any stations that play 70s and 80s music you never hear any Diana Ross music except for the Chic album.
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Post by hector on Nov 26, 2016 3:56:34 GMT
"The Force Behind the Power", that album sucked to high Heaven and deserved to fail! Luckily, most people in American never got the chance to hear that drivel (thank God for small favors!). She should have quit after the epic FAIL of her "Working Overtime" garbage album. Missing You and Muscles sold the Swept Away and Silk Electric albums. Every one I knew who purchased those albums hated them. This is another factor why every album after Swept Away flopped in the States. How many times can you rip the public off with mediocre product? Diana Ross as a solo artist does not have a body of work that new generations are discovering. Her legacy is with the Supremes. If you listen to any stations that play 70s and 80s music you never hear any Diana Ross music except for the Chic album. and what the Hell is a "Pieces of Ice"? What was that song all about? It was shit like that that killed Diana Ross' career, not Mary Wilson or anyone else!
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Post by mpn1jco on Nov 26, 2016 18:30:59 GMT
and what the Hell is a "Pieces of Ice"? What was that song all about? It was shit like that that killed Diana Ross' career, not Mary Wilson or anyone else! The song was about a cold, unfeeling lover. When I look into your eyes all I see is "Pieces of Ice"
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With Madonna, Tina Turner, Sade, Janet Jackson, Patti Labelle, Whitney Houston, Anita Baker breaking around or about the time that Ross bottomed out. These ladies were making strong albums with multiple hits. Ross was usually good for one hit off an album, with a few exceptions. Ross' albums on RCA were in no way remotely competitive to the product these ladies put out.
"There are new love goddesses out now. No one cares about Ross anymore!"
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Post by hector on Nov 26, 2016 19:28:27 GMT
and what the Hell is a "Pieces of Ice"? What was that song all about? It was shit like that that killed Diana Ross' career, not Mary Wilson or anyone else! The song was about a cold, unfeeling lover. When I look into your eyes all I see is "Pieces of Ice"
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With Madonna, Tina Turner, Sade, Janet Jackson, Patti Labelle, Whitney Houston, Anita Baker breaking around or about the time that Ross bottomed out. These ladies were making strong albums with multiple hits. Ross was usually good for one hit off an album, with a few exceptions. Ross' albums on RCA were in no way remotely competitive to the product these ladies put out.
"There are new love goddesses out now. No one cares about Ross anymore!"
I recall RCA had begun promoting Ross' product to R&B Stations as they were doing with Evelyn Champagne King. Some cried foul because they thought Ross was above that. Evelyn was the better singer in my opinion.
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