*Right after Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor and other legends finished filming the theatrical version of the Broadway phenomenon The Wiz, released in 1978, Motown Records sent Ross back to the studio to record an album of all of the musical’s songs — including those sung by her cast mates.
The album was to have been called “Diana Ross Sings Songs From The Wiz”, and was scheduled for release in early 1979 as a companion piece to the movie’s Quincy Jones-produced soundtrack album.
The film itself was mired in controversy before filming began, with critics savaging Motown for casting a 33-year-old Ross as the The Wiz’ 24-year-old Dorothy.
The movie was generally panned upon its release, and it under-performed at the box office. Motown subsequently cancelled the release of the companion Ross album.
With the passage of time, annual holiday showings on BET and other networks, and the deaths of most of the principal cast (including Michael Jackson in 2009), the theatrical version of The Wiz is viewed differently today. As NBC readies a December 3 live broadcast of a new production of the musical, Motown Universal has dusted off and remastered Ross’ original 1978 recordings. “Diana Ross Sings Songs From The Wiz” will be released, for the first time, on November 27.
This album is one of the most dynamic of Ross’ 50+ year career. The new release includes a beautiful booklet with never-before-published photos of Ross, and a new essay written by the reissue’s producers Andrew Skurow, George Solomon, and Harry Weinger.
The original album was produced by Ross herself, veteran Motown executive Suzanne de Passe, and Grammy and Emmy Award-winning producer and arranger Lee Holdridge, who had written the arrangement for her #1 smash “Do You Know Where You’re Going To?”. Holdridge told me he was surprised to hear that the songs he produced for Ross almost 40 years ago are finally being released.
“I remember doing the tracks for her,” Holdridge recalled by phone. “As was so common at that time, we did rhythm tracks first and then she came in and put her voice down. I had pleasant conversations with her, and she was a joy to work with. But there was some craziness going on between her and the record company, she wasn’t happy about a lot of things, and she was in a terrible mood when we recorded those songs.”
If the Academy Award-nominated Ross was in a snit when she recorded the songs for “Diana Ross Sings Songs From The Wiz”, it’s a testament to her acting ability that you’d never know it by listening to the album. The legend delivers bravura performances of many of the songs that were more restrained on the soundtrack, like “Is This What Feeling Gets?” and “Can I Go On?”, while lending her legendary voice for the first time to songs like “He’s The Wizard” and “Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News.”
On some of the album’s songs, like the Trio Medley including “You Can’t Win”, “Slide Some Oil To Me”, and “I’m A Mean Ol’ Lion”, Ross almost inhabits the characters of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, respectively. In other cases, like “Be A Lion” and “Believe In Yourself”, Ross outdoes her own impressive work on the original soundtrack, with the former song featuring a gospel-inspired trio accompaniment as the singer delivers a stunning vocal. 'Please visit the 'Ross' catalog, she doesn't get the credit that her vocals deserve'.KK
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