Diana (album)
| Diana | ||||
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| Studio album by Diana Ross | ||||
| Released | May 22, 1980 | |||
| Recorded | December 1979 – March 1980 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 34:17 | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Diana Ross chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Diana | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |
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| Robert Christgau | A- |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |   |
| Smash Hits | 5/10 |
Diana (stylized as diana) is the tenth studio solo album by American singer Diana Ross, released on May 22, 1980 by Motown Records. The album is the biggest-selling studio album of Ross's career, selling nine million copies worldwide and spawning three international hit singles, including the U.S. #1 hit "Upside Down." All songs are composed, played and produced by Chic members Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards.
Following the U.S. success of her 1979 album The Boss, Ross wanted a fresher, more modern sound. Having heard production team Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers of Chic's work in the famous Manhattan disco club, Studio 54, Ross approached the two about creating a new album of material for her that stated where she felt she was in her life and career at the time.
Rodgers recently reiterated on an episode of TVONE's "Unsung" that the majority of the songs were crafted after direct conversations with Diana. She had reportedly said to Nile and Bernard that she wanted to turn things "Upside Down" in her career and "Have Fun (Again)". After running into several drag queens in a club dressed as Diana, "I'm Coming Out" was born. Only "My Old Piano" came from their normal songwriting processes.
Initially, Ross was not pleased with the album's results. Following a preview of the record to be released in the aftermath of the anti-disco backlash, Frankie Crocker, an influential New York City disc jockey warned Ross that releasing the album in its original state would even lead to the end of her career. Ross remixed the entire album, assisted by Motown engineer Russ Terrana, removing extended instrumental passages and speeding up the tracks' tempos. The new mix also put Ross's vocals front and center.
The remixing of the master tapes and the re-recording of all of Ross's lead vocals were performed without the knowledge or approval of Rodgers and Edwards. When they were presented with the "official" version of diana, the producers publicly objected and, at one point, even considered removing their names from the album's list of credits. Motown and Ross persisted and the version released was Terrana's smoother, more commercial mix of the album.
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