Diana Ross - Forever Diana (78 tracks) +Album Reviews

A letdown then, and 10 years later

D.V. Lindner | King George, VA, USA | 02/24/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Perhaps the thing you should know first here, before you even think about plunking down the sixty bucks, is that two of Ross's most identifiable, signature hits, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" & "Love Hangover" are in their chopped-up three and a half minute 45 RPM versions. (On their original LP's they ran over six and seven minutes, respectively.) For a work that's supposed to be the exhaustive, definitive and long-awaited retrospective of so important an American singer, this is inexcusable.The last Ross single to even nudge it's way into the top ten (and then just barely, for only a couple weeks) was "Missing You" in January 1985. No Ross single since then has come close. Note that on this set, after you hear the song, you've got a whole disc yet to listen to, much of it then-newly recorded 90s material meant to foster the impression that Diana was a vital, trend-setting force in pop music still. No, not that anymore, though yes, forever a diva.So why did I buy it? In October 1993, it was the first instance Motown released a good number of classic 60s Supremes sides back in their original mono, many that didn't make it to the "Hitsville U.S.A." set, and on that score, it delivers. But this set falls far short of giving fans of the solo Diana (which I remain) the heartening and nostalgia-inducing reacquaintance of her recording career we'd been waiting for. (It was also a side-by-side failure if you'd also bought her alleged `biography,' "Secrets of a Sparrow.")One has only to compare the masterpiece work done on the boxed-sets of Aretha Franklin ("Queen of Soul"), the Temptations ("Emperors of Soul") and James Brown ("Star Time") with "Forever Diana" to know that the lady was done wrong here. Motown, it's been 10 years - scrap this one, forget about it (and we'll try to too), and start over again."

MAYBE FOREVER BUT NOT COMPLETE

Glenn Johnson | Kentucky, USA | 05/14/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's a shame that when box sets like these are put together the artists doesn't take the opportunity to give a complete anthology of their hit singles. It's obvious when looking at the track list of this 4 CD set that there are some hits missing. I don't mind adding album cuts etc but they should at least start with the songs most people are looking for. Also personally speaking a Diana Ross set should focus solely on her solo career. There are many Supremes anthologies out there to take care of that period of her career. That would leave room for all the hits that are omitted like the US top 40 hits One Love In My Lifetime, So Close and Pieces Of Ice and the many UK top 40 hits DooBeDooD'NDooBe DooBeDooD'NDooBe, All Of My Life, Stop Look Listen, No One Gets The Prize, One More Chance, Cryin' My Heart Out For You, Tenderness, It's Never Too Late, Touch By Touch, Experience, Dirty Looks, Mr Lee, Paradise and Heart (Don't Change My Mind). Some of them might not of been huge hits but they were considered good enough to release as singles from their respective albums so they should be included here.

The liner notes say that the songs have been remastered but they don't sound much better than previous releases but they still sound pretty good. For some reason the first two tracks on disc 2 are in mono and are in stereo on other releases.

The first disc containing the Supremes material is all in mono except for tracks 8, 22 and 23. Why this was done is a mystery to me. Motown seem to be doing this a lot on the newer reissues.

and my set DOES have Surrender on track 5 of disc 2"

The Ultimate Diva's Finest Work Showcased on 4 CDs

Glenn Johnson | 08/31/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This collection of Musical History will redefine the reason that Diana Ross was singled out when peforming with The Supremes.There is a certain magic in her voice that is showcased here by all the hits, and some Spectacular Tracks like "HOME" from The Wiz, "COME IN FROM THE RAIN" from "Baby It's Me", "AMAZING GRACE" from "Christmas in Vienna", IF WE HOLD ON TOGETHER" from "The Land Before Time", and the New Material from The Boss found on Disc 4. The 2 standout Cuts are "THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE", my favorite and "YOUR LOVE". Diana's voice is at it's best on these 2 new tracks. If there was ever a collection of songs that will go down in the "History" books, This is It!. Don't miss the opportunity to own this Beautoful collection of songs by the original, One & Only Diva...Diana Ross. You won't be sorry!"

How can we get a reissue of this without Supremes stuff?

T. MacCallum | New York, NY | 05/10/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this in 1993 upon its release. At the time it was disappointing for its lack of creativity (compared to Barbra Streisand's Just for the Record... box set which I rate as the best way to do a "musical memoir"). Diana has so many wonderful songs to select from, that by choosing just the top 40 hits (and even leaving some of them out such as "All Of Me","So Close", "Pieces of Ice"), Motown lost an opportunity to truly showcase how wonderful of an artist she is.

Yes, there are some unexpected treats like "99 1/2" from her 1987 TV special and "Family" from her 1983 Central Park concert, but they are too few for a box set of "memoirs" where special, unique gems should be placed. Just look at how great the The Supremes box set, released in 2000, turned out to be!! Now that there are various "best of the supremes" CDs with exactly the same songs on Disc 1, why not REWORK this Ross box set? Get rid of Disc 1, and start the collection with 1970's Reach Out And Touch, and the FULL 6 minute version of Ain't No Mountain High Enough. Add some live songs from Caesar's Palace or Evening with Diana Ross, and songs performed for her TV shows (from Diana! or diana, and my favorite--the duet she sings with Billy Dee Williams in her 1987 "Red Hot Rhythm and Blues" special "Baby, You Got What It Takes.") Include a few choice album tracks from Surrender, Everything is Everything, Last Time I Saw Him ("When Will I Come Home to You" and "Love Me"), Ross 78 ("Never Say I Don't Love You" and "Where Did We Go Wrong") and so on. Update the collection so it includes some of her 90s work from Take Me Higher and Every Day is a New Day, and hard to find material due to alternate international releases (such as "Promise Me You'll Try"--a dance effort before J-Lo released her ballad version of the same song, "You Are Not Alone" and "Free (I'm Gone)"--one of my favorites that took me a long time to track down.) GET RID OF the last six songs on Disc 4 which were sheer filler and apart from Best Years of My Life, easily forgettable compared to much better and more important work she has recorded. And since it is 2008, it would be easy enough to include a DVD of some interviews from the 70s through the 2000s as well as meaningful live performances (for example, when she sang "Over the Rainbow" at the Academy Awards in 1990). THIS would be a true "musical memoir" of Diana Ross, to nicely complement the Supremes Box Set from 2000.

In the meantime, for an intro to Diana, get The Definitive Collection. When you want to explore her early solo years start with Diana Ross, Touch Me in the Morning, then Diana & Marvin. Quintessential disco Diana: The Boss and Diana. Recently important, her brilliant "Lady Sings the Blues"-inspired discovery Blue. And for the 80s RCA years, although the songs were not entirely well-chosen, Diana Ross - Greatest Hits: The RCA Years showcases how her music away from Motown had a different sound and feel. Every Day Is a New Day was her last attempt at a contemporary album--and it was very good but didn't get the exposure or airplay it deserved. But the non-Motown 2007 I Love You did respectably well, indicating we may be hearing more soon from Diana. In summary, a Diana Ross box set SHOULD be so much better than the 1993 release, but if you are a die-hard fan, you know you have to own this in spite of its shortcomings. As fans, we should petition Motown/Universal for an updated version."

LIVING SOUL LEGEND

ianphillips@uk.dreamcast.com | BOLTON, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND | 06/15/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"An excellent representation of Ross' long standing career.This is a real must have for fans who can no longer obtain her many classic albums of the 70's on the Motown label where some are questionablly unavailable on CD.The Supremes selection show them at their very best and is easy to see how Berry Gordy fell in love with this superstar in 1961. Her solo work has been patchy in terms of sales although the high quality factor of the 60's remained in most of her 70's output. The tracks tend to be of the mellow,soulful, sophisticated range, with the highlights being (apart from the obvious hit selection) "I Ain't Been Licked", "ConfideIn Me", "Reach Out I'll Be There", "The Force Behind The Power" (a wonderful track written by Stevie Wonder) and "The Best Years Of My Life". There are simply too many classics on here to name a favourite.The only complaint here is that it does tend to leave a lot of the funkier,rawish material out (most of the time) in favour of the ballards but on saying that it has to be said that that is where the real beauty and soul in her voice comes out. Recommended to big fans. Casual fans may prefer "The Ultimate Collection" which is a shorter tribute to her career."

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