Conception
Following the U.S. success of 1979's 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.
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' vocals front and center. The remixing of the master tapes and the re-recording of all Ross' 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. Rodgers and Edwards were contracted by Motown to produce a follow-up album, but, as Ross left the label, it was never created. Rodgers and Edwards sued Motown, unsuccessfully claiming that they were owed monies for creating & recording the original version of the album. In 1989, Rodgers and Ross collaborated on Workin' Overtime(#3 US R&B), released upon Ross' return to Motown. Edwards produced the 1984 single, "Telephone(#13 US R&B)", from Ross' "Swept Away" album, released the RCA record label.
Read more about this topic: Diana (album)
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