| Diana Ross | |
| Type: | Album |
| Artist: | Diana Ross |
| Cover: | Diana76.jpg |
| Released: | February 10, 1976 |
| Recorded: | 1975 |
| Genre: |
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| Length: | 33:00 |
| Label: | Motown M6-861S1 |
| Producer: |
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| Prev Title: | Live at Caesars Palace |
| Prev Year: | 1974 |
| Next Title: | Diana Ross' Greatest Hits |
| Next Year: | 1976 |
Diana Ross is the seventh studio album by American singer Diana Ross, released on February 10, 1976 by Motown Records. It is her second self-titled record after her 1970 debut. It reached #5 in the USA (4 R&B) and sold over 900,000 copies.
The album was Ross' biggest-selling album since 1973's Touch Me in the Morning, reaching #5 on the US Billboard 200 album chart, #4 on the US Billboard R&B Album Chart and the Top 5 in the UK, where it was awarded a Gold disc for sales in excess of 100,000 copies.[1]
Two of the tracks included on Diana Ross were #1 hits: "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" (released as a single in 1975 from the Mahogany soundtrack), and the disco anthem, "Love Hangover".
The album's official lead single "I Thought It Took A Little Time" was on its way to becoming a hit when its chart life was circumvented by "Love Hangover", which was rushed to release alongside a competing version by The 5th Dimension. "I Thought It Took A Little Time" became a Top 5 Adult Contemporary single despite its shortened run on the Billboard Hot 100. A final single, the disco-flavoured "One Love In My Lifetime" become a Top 10 US R&B hit.
The album also included cover versions of the Charlie Chaplin standard "Smile" and "Ain't Nothin' But A Maybe" that had previously been recorded by its writers Ashford & Simpson and Rufus & Chaka Khan. "After You" was subsequently recorded by Roberta Flack on her classic 1977 album Blue Lights In The Basement while R&B starlet Stacy Lattisaw covered 'I Thought It Took a Little Time" on her 1985 album I'm Not The Same Girl. British soul singer Joss Stone covered "One Love In My Lifetime" for her 2012 album The Soul Sessions Vol. 2.
The album's #1 singles, "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" and "Love Hangover" have been covered by many artists including Mariah Carey, Shirley Bassey, Johnny Mathis, Jody Watley and Tina Arena, keeping this classic album relevant for over four decades.
Ross was also nominated for a Grammy for "Love Hangover" (Best R&B Performance, Female Artist), and an Academy Award for "Best Song" for "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)", which Ross performed live via satellite from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where it was still dark in the early morning hours. Victor Skrebneski photographed Diana's iconic album art, which was later chosen by the Italian Fan Club association as 'The Most Beautiful Album Art'. She performed many of the tracks from the album on her Tony Award-winning, An Evening with Diana Ross Broadway show, tour, television special and album.
In 2012, Motown/Universal re-released the album in an Expanded Edition, including tracks recorded for the original sessions that were shelved (including cover versions of contemporary tunes by Elton John and Sly and the Family Stone) and alternative versions of many of the album tracks.
Track listing for 2012 2-CD set issued on the Hip-o-Select label.
Tracks 1 to 9 include a remaster of the complete 1976 album Diana Ross
Tracks 10 and 11 non-album single tracks issued as A and B-side in 1975
Tracks 12 to 14 edited/remixed single versions taken from the 1976 album Diana Ross
Tracks 15 and 16 alternative versions of tracks taken from the 1978 album Ross
Track 17 alternative version of a track taken from the 1993 Motown album Christmas in the City
Track 18 previously unreleased mix of 1975 advert soundtrack for Coca-Cola, issued on Motown promotional single only
Tracks 1 to 8 and 11 include alternative takes from the 1976 album Diana Ross
Tracks 9 and 10 alternative takes of non-album single tracks issued as A and B-side in 1975
Tracks 12 to 14 previously unreleased tracks recorded in 1975 and 1976
Track 15 January 1976 interview for TWA Airlines; conducted by Don Pietromonaco
| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[2] | 39 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[3] | 27 |
| Chart (1976) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[4] | 18 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[5] | 20 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[6] | 38 |
| US Billboard 200[7] | 41 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] | 18 |
