Silk Electric: Diana Ross' RCA Years

"The '80's were about creating a new life."

Disregarding the obvious holes in Diana Ross' '70's output, Ross' tenure at Motown is stuff of legend. Everyone knows of her rise as a Supreme during the '60's, but it was her work the following decade that intertwined dramatic, emotional, and pretty soul-pop threads to create a sonic tapestry familiar to many.

The start of the '80's had begun with a bang, the monopolizing victory of diana (1980) proved she had done everything she could at Motown. Now, Ross was ready to fly and explore new realms, proving once and for all that she was more than a mere thrall, romantic or otherwise, to Berry Gordy and his label.


Polygram, Casablanca, and Geffen all began to court Ross to join their ranks, but it was RCA Records who snared Ross with a $20 million price tag and promises of creative fulfillment. Diana Ross signed to RCA Records in 1981, the label, at various times during her stint there, would house Hall & Oates, the Eurythmics, and the Pointer Sisters. Diana Ross was another jewel added to their crown, and would remain there until 1987.

For some, the RCA period was seen as one of '80's excess, a span recognized for indulging in Ross' more garish pop fantasies. It has been leveled that this era could be viewed as a blotch on a pristine recording history.

That, of course, is only a surface assessment. There are portions of the RCA work that are not as peerless as her Motown material, but even that had its own flaws which many revisionists tend to forget. The freedom exercised at RCA was without equal, mirroring the peaks and valleys of the most transitional decade in black music. Where others feared to tread, Diana dared, and even when she missed her mark, the effort could be applauded.

Ross gave an eloquent statement about her time at RCA Records in her 1993 memoir, Secrets of a Sparrow:

I was given the opportunity to produce my own records, from finding the musicians, to setting up studio time, mixing, mastering, layering the music onto the tracks, finding the engineers, overseeing the photographs, creating the title, choosing the costumes, the names, the liner notes, every single ingredient. I also inspected the label copying, the layouts for the (album) jacket, selected the release dates, and most important sat through hours and hours of producing. It was a magnificent experience.

On the thirtieth anniversary of Diana Ross taking a seminal role in her career, that has spanned five (and counting) decades, a longing glance back at the albums that defined a time of change, fearlessness, and abandon, is definitely in order...

Why Do Fools Fall in Love
Released: 10/4/81
Produced By: Diana Ross
Chart Placements: U.S. Pop #15, U.S. R&B #4, U.K. # 20

Singles: "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," "Mirror, Mirror," "Work That Body," "It's Never Too Late"

The first Diana Ross serving to emerge off of the RCA label was a solid seller, continuing her upward commercial trend which kicked off again in 1979. The title track was a cute, to the point of contention for some, cover of the Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers doo-wop cut of the same name. The remainder of Why Do Fools Fall in Love concerned itself with balancing established comforts and a few surprises. The familiar sonic forms sported whipped disco-lite delights in "It's Never Too Late" or pretty, if at times candy spun treats like "Sweet Nothings" and "Sweet Surrender".

Ross' surprises were of note here, such as the camp kicking "Work That Body" or the razor-edge rock and funk bump of "Mirror, Mirror," a dual pop and R&B format crossover smash. Amongst a canvas of hefty, (but never overdone) guitar, prominent drums and bass, "Mirror, Mirror" was cutting edge.

Why Do Fools Fall in Love would be Ross' best selling album from RCA, though it wasn't her strongest in regards to what she would do with her creative reach.

"Mirror, Mirror" music video









Silk Electric
Released: 9/10/82
Produced By: Diana Ross
Chart Placements: U.S. Pop #27, U.S. R&B #5, U.K. #33

Singles: "Muscles," "So Close," "Who"

Evidenced in its Andy Warholian cover, Ross' true RCA freedom came to fruition, with some miscalculations, on Silk Electric. Once again in the driver's seat when it came to production, Silk Electric was a surprisingly crisp, clean, and spontaneous set of black pop tracks. The record is most loved for housing the Michael Jackson penned hit "Muscles," the first, genuine Diana Ross guilty pleasure showcased a fantastic middle eight break. "Who" was bewitching and solid, culled from much of the same soul satin cloth songs like "Once in the Morning," "Tenderness," and "Mirror, Mirror" were cut from in the last few years.

A fascinating take on conceptual momentum is heard in "Turn Me Over," which on the vinyl copy was an eerie, but lush call to the listener to turn the record over before side one concluded. Ross was breaking the third wall to reach her listeners. Sadly, the energy occupying Silk Electric was focused on most of the uptempo songs, as the slow jams became mired in adult contemporary sogginess that tied up the ballad vehicle that normally allowed Ross to hit paydirt.

Silk Electric was Ross' big, luminous step forward making good on the premise of more artistic breathing room.

"Muscles" music video









Ross
Released: 6/9/83
Produced By: Gary Katz, Ray Parker Jr., Diana Ross
Chart Placements: U.S. Pop #32, U.S. R&B #14, U.K. #44

Singles: "Pieces of Ice," "Up Front," "Let's Go Up"

Ross was the RCA era's lone long player to play as a coherent album. Diana Ross decided to bring in producers Gary Katz and Ray Parker Jr., assured and accomplished in fields of jazz, pop, and R&B, to guide the album. Diana herself would self-produce the funk rave-up "Girls" to amazing effect. Split into two sides, Katz handled the first half of Ross, while Parker Jr. took the second half, the previously mentioned "Girls" closed side two.

Both producers sewed a seamless pattern of classic Diana Ross and the future bound ambitions heard on Silk Electric. The warm, giddiness of "You Do It" manages to sit comfortably next to the tense questioning in "Love or Loneliness". Ross' voice charges "Up Front" with heat, yet takes on an affirming hue on the album opener "That's How You Start Over."

However, "Pieces of Ice" steals the spotlight on Ross. It stands as Diana Ross' most enigmatic work without equal. With a suspenseful gong instrumental opening, it leads into sharp, shooting synths that pound, guitars that lick at the muscular bass rhythms, all the while Ross rides the cryptic lyrical analogy of sexual attraction with skill.

This song, along with several others, were highlighted in her Central Park concert in New York City on July 21, 1983. Ross had now adapted to the art of the music video, and "Pieces of Ice" also managed to be a successful venture into the medium. Though the most commercially disappointing of the RCA output, this record is the only one that exists outside this particular age.

"Pieces of Ice" music video





Swept Away
Released: 8/2/84
Produced By: Raymond Arcusa, Arthur Baker, James Anthony Carmichael, Bernard Edwards, Daryl Hall, Richard Perry, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross
Chart Placements: U.S. Pop #26, U.S. R&B #7, U.K. #40

Singles: "All of You," "Swept Away," "Touch By Touch," "Missing You," "Telephone"

The salve to the sales slump of Ross, Swept Away was a multi-helmed recording that included ingredients from several producers, including Diana herself. Tying with Silk Electric as her most pop leaning record of this grouping, it also circled Silk Electric in its fragmented pacing. "Missing You," a cross genre hit, would be Ross' last major Top 10 pop hit, but was a luscious swan song. "Missing You" incorporated the sincerity that connected the dots between her and her audience on her best ballads, this being no exception.

Daryl Hall (of Hall & Oates), a fellow label mate, was one of the many production hands in Swept Away's pot. He and John Oates were at the peak of their powers with Big Bam Boom, also out the same year as this album from Lady Ross. Lending his pen, background vocals, and ear for sharp dance-pop precision, he steered the sound of the title track. The refreshingly tropical swirls in "Touch By Touch" were arranged just so, while the more spidery and jittery "No One Makes Me Crazy Like You" came on with alluring pressure.

"Telephone," another of Ross' many R&B hits from this time, was rendered by Bernard Edwards of CHIC. CHIC themselves had disbanded after their last release in 1983, Believer. Both he and former bandmate Niles Rodgers had moved into the lucrative market of behind-the-board wizardry for many artists of the '80's, and had of course led Ross' diana album to heady heights four short years earlier. The tart song would be sampled by hip-hop king LL Cool J for his G.O.A.T. (2000) album staple "Hello".

A few other jewels lined Swept Away ("It's Your Move"), but there were errors such as the schmaltz shocker duet with Julio Iglesias on "All of You". Swept Away's function as a high-octane, state-of-the-art, crossover album was executed well even if it was uneven majority of its spinning time.

"Missing You" music video










Eaten Alive
Released: 8/23/85
Producers: The Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten, Michael Jackson, Karl Richardson
Chart Placements: U.S. Pop #45, U.S. R&B #27, U.K. #11

Singles: "Eaten Alive," "Chain Reaction," "Experience"

Stepping away from producing her own records, Diana began to pick others to lead her records to traverse new sound fields, possibly looking to expand her appeal once more. By this time, Ross was only making contact with her two major markets: U.S. R&B and U.K. Pop. "Eaten Alive," the lone track Jackson co-produced, was ambitious if a bit too busy, and a customary U.S. R&B chart grazer.

The bulk of the record was handled by The Brothers Gibb, known commonly as The Bee Gees. The harmonizing trio slicked up Eaten Alive, sometimes a bit too slick, but it was far more organized than its predecessor Swept Away.

Excusing the exquisite heartache in "Experience," "Chain Reaction" was the star of this record. This stomping, sweet Motown salute gave Diana Ross her second U.K. chart topper since "I'm Still Waiting" a decade prior in 1971 from her second record Everything Is Everything. The British pop act Steps would score a decent hit with their accomplished cover of it in 2001 from their Gold: Greatest Hits.

The remainder of Eaten Alive found Ross in good voice, emoting here ("More and More"), seducing there ("Oh Teacher"), but in a fashion, Eaten Alive felt like a holding pattern for something a bit more engaging.

"Chain Reaction" music video










Red Hot Rhythm & Blues
Released: 6/9/87
Produced By: Tom Dowd, Luther Vandross
Chart Placements: U.S. Pop #73, U.S. R&B #39, U.K. #47

Singles: "Dirty Looks,"
"Tell Me Again," "Shockwaves," "Mr. Lee"

The final RCA offering was meant to restore Ross to a semblance of chart succession, but ended up tying her best RCA record Ross in quality, even if its quantity didn't stack up in her favor chartwise. The album was proceeded by a successful television special of the same name which looked back to black music at its halycon days, and forward to where it was headed.

The late Tom Dowd, who had paired with greats like Dusty Springfield, Aretha Franklin, and Otis Redding brought a mature and balanced air to Red Hot Rhythm & Blues. A loose concept record that juggled covers of soul chestnuts with contemporary cuts was an intriguing approach. Led off with the cool "Dirty Looks," her final RCA hit at #12 U.S. R&B; it was slinky, sexy, and posh.

The covers ranged from the moody vocal sketch of the Leonard Cohen penned "Summertime," one of Ross' finest moments ever recorded, to the blushing, knowing Motown wink of the Jackie Ross diamond "Selfish One". Original work was also promising, as the now departed Luther Vandross produced and backed Ross on the revealing "It's Hard For Me to Say," also "Stranger in Paradise" was an after hours treat to be savored.

The British version of the album featured additional songs in "Mr. Lee" (a single there), and "Tell Mama". Though this record failed to find an audience in 1987, it has as much of its demure charm and pull as it ever did.

"Dirty Looks" music video






With the RCA era ending on the quiet hush of Red Hot Rhythm & Blues, Diana Ross collected herself and spirited away back to her home of Motown Records. This time taking a hand in owning a percentage of the company, keeping the lesson of control from the RCA experience close to the hilt, Ross would steady onward at Motown Records from 1988 through 2000. There, she experienced somewhat of a second British blossoming as she achieved victories with records like The Force Behind the Power (1991) and Take Me Higher (1995). She still stands in 2011 undiminished as a live act globally, specifically in England and the United States.

Taking stock of Diana Ross' run during the 1980's, even with her bumps and stumbles, she racked up an impressive number of awards and charts hits. Focusing on the latter perspective, Diana Ross placed a combined total of 28 singles on the U.S. R&B and Pop charts. Of the 28, 15 were R&B scores with the highest entry of "Missing You" (#1), and the lowest entry of "Chain Reaction" (#85). Pop stood strong with 13 scores, featuring the highest entry with "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (#7), and the lowest entry with "Chain Reaction" (#95). The United Kingdom birthed 18 chart hits in this period, their highest entry seen with "Chain Reaction" (#1), and lowest entry with "Let's Go Up" (#79).

Six records were released in the span of 1981-1987, all reaching the Top 50 on the three previously mentioned market charts, except Red Hot Rhythm & Blues with a #73 position in the U.S. Pop chart. In America Why Do Fools Fall in Love achieved platinum security, and gold was locked in for Silk Electric and Swept Away.

However, record labels have to pay to have records re-certified, it has been rumored that many of these records have gone on to sell gold and platinum units in all three areas Ross appeared. Of course, this was pre-Soundscan era, and adjustments for current inflation would need to be made, but until they are re-certified one cannot be sure.

Critically, division occurs for this section of Diana Ross' music. It also remains yet to be completely anthologized properly, though the 1997 released package Greatest Hits: The RCA Years made a decent, if disappointing effort. There is still not a major set that has collected all of these singles in one space outside of the well known ones. Interestingly enough, Joseph F. Laredo, the liner note essayist in the just mentioned RCA best of, summed up the ethos of this time perfectly:

They (The RCA Years) were challenging, transitional years for her (Diana Ross) during which continued commercial success, as well as the occasional setback, were attended by a level of creative freedom and artistic independence she had never known.

Diana Ross has been popular in terms of her discography being revisited in detail recently, starting with the unreleased, and divine, Blue in 2006. The reissues for her Motown catalogue have been constant since. It could be that the RCA works are waiting in the wings for their second chance at remastered life, as majority of these are out of print in the U.S.A. and only up for purchase as Japanese imports currently.

Performing "Touch By Touch" @ the American Music Awards '87


A toast then to the Diana Ross who braved the unknown and usually won out, to a Diana Ross who knew no boundaries for what black music could be or do. Here's to the odd, beautiful, and refined touch of her silky soul that became "electric" during the '80's.

[Editor's Note: Again, all of these records are available, via Amazon, or other Internet music outlets as Japanese imports. It looks as if Silk Electric is the only one of the six here to go out of print recently.-QH]