Diana & Marvin
Encyclopedia
Diana & Marvin is a duets album by soul
musicians Diana Ross
and Marvin Gaye
, released October 26, 1973 on Motown. Recording sessions for the album took place in 1972 and 1973 at Motown Recording Studios in Hollywood, California
. Featuring vocal collaborations by Gaye and Ross, widely recognized at the time as two of the top soul and pop performers, respectively. Diana & Marvin became a multi-chart success but it did not equal the sales of the two singers' previous efforts, even though it managed to sell near a million copies worldwide. The album was remaster
ed and re-released on compact disc
with four bonus track
s on February 6, 2001.
s of songs by The Stylistics
. The Ross/Gaye version of "Stop, Look, Listen" would later be sampled in 2002 for both Ja Rule
and Ashanti
's hit "Mesmerize" and Smilez and Southstar
's hit "Tell Me", creating controversy when both songs entered the market at the same time. A year later, singers Michael McDonald
and Toni Braxton
redid the Ross/Gaye version of "Stop, Look, Listen" for McDonald's second album of Motown covers, titled Motown II. "Stop, Look, Listen" was also included on the Bridget Jones's Diary (film)
soundtrack.
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
musicians Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
and Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, released October 26, 1973 on Motown. Recording sessions for the album took place in 1972 and 1973 at Motown Recording Studios in Hollywood, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Featuring vocal collaborations by Gaye and Ross, widely recognized at the time as two of the top soul and pop performers, respectively. Diana & Marvin became a multi-chart success but it did not equal the sales of the two singers' previous efforts, even though it managed to sell near a million copies worldwide. The album was remaster
Remaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ed and re-released on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
with four bonus track
Bonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
s on February 6, 2001.
History
Several of the album's songs, including "Stop, Look, Listen" and "You Are Everything", were cover versionCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of songs by The Stylistics
The Stylistics
The Stylistics are a soul music vocal group, and were one of the best-known Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. They formed in 1968, and were composed of lead Russell Thompkins, Jr., Herbie Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. All of their US hits were ballads, graced by the...
. The Ross/Gaye version of "Stop, Look, Listen" would later be sampled in 2002 for both Ja Rule
Ja Rule
Jeffrey Atkins , better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper, singer, and actor.Born in Hollis, Queens, he began his career in the group Cash Money Click and debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its single "Holla Holla"...
and Ashanti
Ashanti (singer)
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, and model. She rose to fame in the early 2000s. Ashanti is most famous for her eponymous debut album, which featured the hit song "Foolish", and sold over 503,000 copies in its first week of release...
's hit "Mesmerize" and Smilez and Southstar
Smilez and Southstar
Smilez and Southstar hip-hop duo based in Orlando, Florida. They had a Top 40 hit with the song "Tell Me" in late 2002. Their music has been played on stations nationwide and their videos have appeared on MTV and BET-Early success 2002-2003:...
's hit "Tell Me", creating controversy when both songs entered the market at the same time. A year later, singers Michael McDonald
Michael McDonald (singer)
Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...
and Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
redid the Ross/Gaye version of "Stop, Look, Listen" for McDonald's second album of Motown covers, titled Motown II. "Stop, Look, Listen" was also included on the Bridget Jones's Diary (film)
Bridget Jones's Diary (film)
Bridget Jones's Diary is a 2001 British romantic comedy film based on Helen Fielding's novel of the same name. The adaptation stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget, Hugh Grant as the caddish Daniel Cleaver, and Colin Firth as Bridget's "true love", Mark Darcy...
soundtrack.
Side one
- "You Are EverythingYou Are EverythingAnother cover was by one-time Motown singing duo, Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye. Released as the second UK single from their Diana & Marvin album, the song reached #5 in the UK Singles Chart in April 1974. It also reached #13 on the Dutch charts and #20 on the Irish Singles Chart...
" (Thom BellThom BellThomas Randolph "Thom" Bell is an American songwriter and producer, best known as one of the creators of the Philadelphia style of soul music in the 1970s. He moved to Philadelphia as a child.-Biography:...
, Linda CreedLinda CreedLinda Creed also known by her married name Linda Epstein, was an American singer-songwriter and lyricist who teamed up with songwriter-producer Thom Bell to produce some of the most successful Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s.-Career:Born in Philadelphia in 1949, Creed was raised in the...
) – 3:10 - "Love Twins" (Mel Bolton, Marilyn McLeod) – 3:28
- "Don't Knock My Love" (Wilson PickettWilson PickettWilson Pickett was an American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter.A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, and frequently crossed over to the US Billboard Hot 100...
, Brad Shapiro) – 2:20 - "You're a Special Part of MeYou're a Special Part of Me"You're a Special Part of Me" was a successful duet single for soul singers and Motown label mates Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye, released in 1973. The original duet was one of the few originals featured on their famed album, Diana & Marvin, and was among the most successful of the songs the Motown...
" (Harold Johnson, Andrew Porter, Gregg Wright) – 3:35 - "Pledging My LovePledging My Love"Pledging My Love" is a blues ballad. It was written by Ferdinand Washington and Don Robey and published in 1954.The song's theme is captured in the title and the opening lines:-Johnny Ace:The most popular recording of the song was done by Johnny Ace...
" (Don RobeyDon RobeyDon Robey was an American record label executive, songwriter and record producer, who used criminal means as part of his business model...
, Ferdinand Washington) – 3:34
Side two
- "Just Say, Just Say" (Nickolas Ashford, Valerie SimpsonAshford & SimpsonNickolas Ashford , and Valerie Simpson , were a husband and wife songwriting/production team and recording artists....
) – 4:10 - "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)"Stop, Look, Listen " is a soul song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed that was originally recorded by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics.-The Stylistics version:...
" (Thom Bell, Linda Creed) – 2:53 - "I'm Falling in Love With You" (Margaret Gordy) – 2:42
- "My Mistake (Was to Love You)My Mistake (Was to Love You)"My Mistake " is a song recorded as a duet by Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye which was the second single released off the singers' duet album Diana & Marvin in February 1974...
" (Gloria JonesGloria JonesGloria Richetta Jones is an American singer and songwriter from Los Angeles, California. She recorded the 1964 northern soul song, "Tainted Love", later a hit for the British synth-pop duo, Soft Cell. She was the girlfriend of glam rock artist Marc Bolan of the band T...
, Pam SawyerPam SawyerPamela Sawyer, an American-based songwriter from Romford, East London.Sawyer worked with artists at Motown Records from 1967 to 1977. Before Motown she had been involved in hit records for the Young Rascals and Lulu, and wrote with Lori Burton with whom she also recorded as the Whyte Boots.Sawyer...
) – 2:55 - "Include Me In Your Life" (Mel Bolton, Marilyn McLeod) – 3:04
Bonus tracks
Bonus cuts featured on the 2001 reissue.- "Alone" – 3:49
- "The Things I Will Not Miss" – 3:10
- "I've Come to Love You So Much" – 4:10
- "I'll Keep My Light in My Window" – 4:28
Album
| Title | Information |
|---|---|
| Diana & Marvin |
|
Singles
| Title | Information |
|---|---|
| "You're a Special Part of Me You're a Special Part of Me "You're a Special Part of Me" was a successful duet single for soul singers and Motown label mates Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye, released in 1973. The original duet was one of the few originals featured on their famed album, Diana & Marvin, and was among the most successful of the songs the Motown... " |
|
| "Don't Knock My Love Don't Knock My Love "Don't Knock My Love" is a hit song by R&B singer Wilson Pickett. Released in the spring of 1971 from the album of the same title, it spent a week at number-one on the Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles Chart and peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart... " |
|
| "My Mistake (Was to Love You) My Mistake (Was to Love You) "My Mistake " is a song recorded as a duet by Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye which was the second single released off the singers' duet album Diana & Marvin in February 1974... " |
Personnel
- Arranged By - David Blumberg (tracks: A1 to A3, A5, B4, B5), Gene Page (tracks: B2), James Carmichael (tracks: A4), Paul River (tracks: B1)
- Engineer (Recording, Mixing) - Russ Terrana
- Engineer (Recording) - Art Stewart, Cal Harris
- Producer - Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson (tracks: B1), Berry Gordy (tracks: A4), Hal Davis (tracks: A1 to A3, B2, B4, B5), Margaret Gordy (tracks: B3)
- Producer (Assistant & Coordinator) - Suzee Wendy IkedaSuzee IkedaSuzee Ikeda is an American singer who was the first Asian-American solo artist at Motown. However, she is best known for her work "behind the scenes" at Motown with such acts as Michael Jackson and The Temptations.-Biography:...
- Producer (Executive) - Berry GordyBerry GordyBerry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
- Producer, Arranged By - Bob GaudioBob GaudioRobert John "Bob" Gaudio is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist/backing vocalist for The Four Seasons.-Early career:...
(tracks: A5), Mark Davis (tracks: B3) - Vocals – Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross