Last Time I Saw Him

Last updated
Last Time I Saw Him
Diana-last.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 6, 1973
Recorded1973
StudioMotown Recording Studios (Hollywood, CA)
Genre Pop, soul, R&B
Length30:28
Label Motown
Producer Michael Masser, Tom Baird, Ron Miller, Bob Gaudio
Diana Ross chronology
Diana & Marvin
(1973)
Last Time I Saw Him
(1973)
Live at Caesars Palace
(1974)
Singles from Last Time I Saw Him
  1. "Last Time I Saw Him"
    Released: December 6, 1973
  2. "Sleepin'"
    Released: April 4, 1974

Last Time I Saw Him is the fifth studio album by American singer Diana Ross, released on December 6, 1973 by Motown Records. It reached #52 in the USA (#12 R&B) and sold over 200,000 copies.[ citation needed ] It also helped Ross win the 1974 American Music Award for Favorite R&B Female.

Contents

The arrangements were by Gene Page, Michael Omartian, Tom Baird, David Blumberg, Bob Gaudio, James Carmichael and Paul Riser. Harry Langdon was credited with the cover photography.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [1]

The album yielded the title track single "Last Time I Saw Him", a multi-format hit that reached #1 (for three weeks) on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary, #14 on the Hot 100, and #15 on the Hot Soul singles. It peaked at #9 Pop on the Top 100 lists for both Cashbox and Record World, as well as #10 in Radio & Records. It also reached #35 in the United Kingdom.

"Sleepin'" was the second U.S. single, but despite a vocal performance that had shades of Billie Holiday, only reached #70 Pop and #50 R&B. In the U.K., the chosen 2nd single was the ballad "Love Me" (#38), whose lyrics were replete with double entendres.

"Behind Closed Doors" - previously a US #1 Country hit for Charlie Rich - was also released and became a Top 20 hit in South Africa, reaching number 14 as well as climbing as high as #2 on the singles chart in Zimbabwe. The album also included a cover version of the 60s hit "Turn Around" popularised by Dick and Dee Dee.

"Last Time I Saw Him" was a bit of a musical departure for Ross, with a sound combining country with Dixieland jazz. Shortly after its release, the song was remade by country music star Dottie West, who scored success with the single on the C&W charts, reaching #8.

The album had a disappointing chart run, reaching #52, and would be the last studio album Ross issued in the next three years until the Diana Ross album, released in 1976.

An expanded 2-CD set was issued by Hip-O Select in 2007, including previously unreleased tracks.

Track listing

Original album

  1. "Last Time I Saw Him" (Michael Masser, Pam Sawyer) – 2:50
  2. "No One's Gonna Be a Fool Forever” (Michael Masser, Pam Sawyer) – 3:24
  3. "Love Me" (Tom Baird, Dino Fekaris, Nick Zesses) – 2:56
  4. "Sleepin'" (Terry Etlinger, Ron Miller) – 4:41
  5. "You" (Terry Etlinger, Ron Miller) – 4:19
  6. "Turn Around" (Harry Belafonte, Allan Greene, Malvina Reynolds) – 2:28
  7. "When Will I Come Home to You" (Bob Gaudio, Al Ruzicka, Kathy Wakefield) – 3:14
  8. "I Heard a Love Song (But You Never Made a Sound)" (Bob Gaudio, Brit Gaudio) – 2:32
  9. "Stone Liberty" (Bob Gaudio, Kathy Wakefield) – 2:59
  10. "Behind Closed Doors" (Kenny O'Dell) – 2:46

CD re-issue, limited edition with bonus tracks

Disc 1

  1. "Last Time I Saw Him" (unreleased longer version) (Masser, Sawyer) – 3:10
  2. "No One's Gonna Be a Fool Forever" (Masser, Sawyer) – 3:24
  3. "Love Me" (Baird, Fekaris, Zesses) – 2:56
  4. "Sleepin'" (Etlinger, Miller) – 4:41
  5. "You" (Etlinger, Miller) – 4:19
  6. "Turn Around" (Belafonte, Greene, Reynolds) – 2:28
  7. "When Will I Come Home to You" (Gaudio, Ruzicka, Wakefield) – 3:14
  8. "I Heard a Love Song (But You Never Made a Sound)" (Gaudio, Gaudio) – 2:32
  9. "Stone Liberty" (Gaudio, Wakefield) – 2:59
  10. "Behind Closed Doors" (O'Dell) – 2:46
  11. "Last Time I Saw Him" [Japanese Quad Edition] (Masser, Sawyer) – 2:54
  12. "No One's Gonna Be a Fool Forever" [Japanese Quad Edition] (Masser, Sawyer) – 3:34
  13. "Love Me" [Japanese Quad Edition] (Baird, Fekaris, Zesses) – 2:57
  14. "Sleepin'" [Japanese Quad Edition] (Etlinger, Miller) – 4:41
  15. "You" [Japanese Quad Edition] (Etlinger, Miller) – 4:26
  16. "Turn Around "[Japanese Quad Edition] (Belafonte, Greene, Reynolds) – 2:26
  17. "When Will I Come Home to You" [Japanese Quad Edition] (Gaudio, Ruzicka, Wakefield) – 3:13
  18. "I Heard a Love Song (But You Never Made a Sound)" [Japanese Quad Edition] (Gaudio, Gaudio) – 2:36
  19. "Stone Liberty" [Japanese Quad Edition] (Gaudio, Wakefield) – 2:52
  20. "Behind Closed Doors" [Japanese Quad Edition] (O'Dell) – 2:49

Disc 2

  1. "I'll Be Here (When You Get Home)" (Bristol, Brown, Jones) – 3:50
  2. "Why Play Games" (Leonard Caston, Jr., Anita Poree) – 2:41
  3. "I Don't Care Where the Money Is" (Michael Randall) – 2:47
  4. "Get It All Together" (Poree, Sanders, Scarborough) – 4:01
  5. "Where Did We Go Wrong" [Version 1] (Baird, Miller) – 3:52
  6. "Since I Don't Have You" (James Beaumont, Wally Lester, Joe Rock, Jackie Taylor, Joe VerScharen, Janet Vogel) – 3:23
  7. "Let Me Be the One" (Nichols, Williams) – 2:27
  8. "I Want to Go Back There Again" (Chris Clark, Berry Gordy, Jr.) – 3:03
  9. "Old Funky Rolls" [alternate take] (Etlinger, Miller) – 3:47
  10. "Last Time I Saw Him" [original unedited version] (Masser, Sawyer) – 3:39

Charts

Chart performance for Last Time I Saw Him
Chart (1974)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [2] 50
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [3] 68
UK Albums (OCC) [4] 41
US Billboard 200 [5] 52
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [6] 12

Related Research Articles

<i>Touch Me in the Morning</i> (album) 1973 studio album by Diana Ross

Touch Me in the Morning is the fourth studio album by American singer Diana Ross, released on June 22, 1973, by Motown Records. It reached number 5 in the USA and sold around 650,000 copies. The arrangements were by Gene Page, Tom Baird, Michael Randall, James Anthony Carmichael, Deke Richards, Gil Askey and Ross.

<i>Diana Ross</i> (1976 album) 1976 studio album by Diana Ross

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 Diana Ross (1970). It reached #5 in the USA and sold over 900,000 copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Mistake (Was to Love You)</span> 1974 single by Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye

"My Mistake (Was to Love You)" 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. One of the original songs featured on that album, "My Mistake (Was to Love You)" was written by Gloria Jones and Pam Sawyer, the team responsible for the Gladys Knight & the Pips' classic "If I Were Your Woman". Pam Sawyer was also the co-writer (with Michael Masser) of the Diana Ross hit "Last Time I Saw Him" which dropped out of the Top 40 just prior to the Top 40 debut of "My Mistake (Was to Love You)" in March 1974: Sawyer would subsequently co-write (with Marilyn Mcleod) Diana Ross' 1976 #1 hit "Love Hangover". "My Mistake" peaked at #15 on the Billboard R&B singles chart and #19 on the Billboard Pop singles chart. It reached #16 in Canada.

<i>Rare Earth in Concert</i> 1971 live album by Rare Earth

Rare Earth in Concert is a live album by rock band Rare Earth, which was released as a double-LP in 1971. It contains a 23:33 version of their signature hit "Get Ready", as well as a new studio song: "Nice To Be With You". It was issued a RIAA gold record award.

<i>Ross</i> (1978 album) 1978 studio album by Diana Ross

Ross is the ninth studio album by American singer Diana Ross, released in September 1978 by Motown Records. The album served as a new album and a compilation, as it was a mixture of old and new songs. Side A consisting of four new tracks recorded in 1978, and Side B of material recorded by Ross between 1971 and 1975, but remixed and/or extended by Motown in-house producer Russ Terrana specifically for the Ross album. Ross peaked at number 49 on the US Pop Albums chart, and number 32 on Black Albums. The album failed to chart in the UK. Its final US sales figures stood at around 150,000 copies. The cover illustration was by Rickey Ricardo Gaskins. A different album also titled Ross was released on the RCA label in 1983.

<i>An Evening with Diana Ross</i> 1977 live album by Diana Ross

An Evening with Diana Ross is a 1977 live double album released by American singer Diana Ross on the Motown label. It was recorded live at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in December 1976 during the international tour of Ross' one-woman show, for which she was awarded a special Tony Award after the show's run at Broadway's Palace Theater, followed by an Emmy-nominated TV special of the same name. It marked the first time in history a solo female headlined a 90-minute TV special. The album reached #29 in the USA . The album showcased her live performances for the second time as a solo performer, following 1974's Live At Caesars Palace. It was the last live album Ross released until 1989's Greatest Hits Live.

<i>The Return of the Magnificent Seven</i> 1971 studio album by The Supremes and The Four Tops

The Return of the Magnificent Seven is the second collaborative album between Motown label-mates The Supremes and Four Tops, released in 1971. The production only featured two covers compared to their first album together, The Magnificent 7, that included more than eight. Although the three albums the Supremes recorded with the Four Tops did not match the commercial success of the Supremes/Temptations duet albums, what they did have instead were original tunes, soulful lead vocals by Jean Terrell and Levi Stubbs and high production values in terms of arrangements and orchestration.

<i>To Love Again</i> (Diana Ross album) 1981 compilation album by Diana Ross

To Love Again is an album by American singer Diana Ross, released on February 17, 1981 by Motown Records. It featured both new recordings and previously released material. The album was produced by Michael Masser. It reached number 32 in the USA and sold around 900,000 copies worldwide.

<i>All the Great Hits</i> (Diana Ross album) 1981 greatest hits album by Diana Ross

All The Great Hits is a compilation album by American singer Diana Ross, released in October 1981 by Motown Records. It was the second Motown compilation set to capitalize on the success of 1980's diana produced by Chic. Her duet "Endless Love" with Lionel Richie was from the film of the same name, Endless Love and, just like 1980's "It's My Turn", had already been released as a single and on a soundtrack album.

<i>Thelma Houston</i> (1972 album) 1973 studio album by Thelma Houston

Thelma Houston (1972) is the second album by Thelma Houston, recorded in 1972 and released in 1973. The album includes the single, "Me and Bobby McGee". This is her first album recorded with Motown Records under the Mowest label. Two versions of the album were issued, a ten track version in the US and a fourteen track version in the UK and Germany. The album was reissued on CD in an expanded edition by Soulmusic Records in 2012.

<i>One Woman: The Ultimate Collection</i> 1993 greatest hits album by Diana Ross

One Woman: The Ultimate Collection is a compilation album released by American R&B singer Diana Ross by EMI on October 18, 1993. The single-disc collection was the alternative to Ross' 1993 four-CD box set, Forever Diana: Musical Memoirs, which was a 30th anniversary commemorative of her hit-making years over three decades including work with The Supremes. This collection was similar featuring both Supremes hits and solo hits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Last Time I Saw Him (song)</span>

"Last Time I Saw Him" is a 1973 song by Diana Ross, being a composition by Michael Masser and lyricist Pam Sawyer. The track was produced by Masser and released as the first single on December 6, 1973, from her album of the same name.

<i>Forever Diana: Musical Memoirs</i> 1993 box set by Diana Ross

Forever Diana: Musical Memoirs is a four-CD box set of recordings by American singer Diana Ross released on October 5, 1993 by Motown Records.

<i>Willie Remembers</i> 1972 studio album by Rare Earth

Willie Remembers is the fifth album of the group Rare Earth. This is the band's first attempt at producing their own original work for a whole album, instead of utilizing some cover versions and a hired producer. As a result, it did not fare as well as their past albums. "Good Time Sally" was a #67 hit.

<i>David</i> (David Ruffin album) 2004 studio album by David Ruffin

David is an album by former Temptations singer, David Ruffin. Although recorded during the late 1960s through the early 1970s, the album was not released until 2004, 13 years after Ruffin's death in 1991. The CD edition was out of print for several years, but was reissued by Hip-O Records in 2012; the 2012 edition is identical to the 2004 edition other than being packaged in a standard jewel case rather than a digipak. The album is also available for download through iTunes.

<i>One World</i> (Rare Earth album) 1971 studio album by Rare Earth

One World is the fourth studio album by rock band Rare Earth and was released in June 1971. "I Just Want to Celebrate" became a Top 10 Gold certified hit, and the album would become the third Gold album from the ensemble.

Promises Kept is an unreleased album by The Supremes, recorded during the latter half of 1971 with multiple producers. Ultimately, the project was shelved by Motown in favor of a different set, Floy Joy, produced entirely by Smokey Robinson the following year. The idea for the title came from Supreme Mary Wilson who said that "I'd heard the phrase and loved it. I wanted to use it on the next album."

<i>Upside Down: The Collection</i> 2012 compilation album by Diana Ross

Upside Down: The Collection is a compilation album by Diana Ross, released by Spectrum Music/Universal in the United Kingdom in 2012. This album is a budget collection containing songs that were released from 1970 through 1981 on Motown Records. In the UK, 17 of the 20 songs contained in this compilation reached the Top 40. In the U.S., 12 of these songs made it onto the Billboard Top 40 singles charts, and 6 of those 12 reached number 1.

"Turn Around" is a song written by Malvina Reynolds, Alan Greene, and Harry Belafonte and made popular by Dick and Dee Dee. The song was produced by Don Ralke and The Wilder Brothers.

Dino George Fekaris is an American music producer and songwriter.

References

  1. Planer, Lindsay. "Diana Ross - Last Time I Saw Him (1973) album review, credits & releases | AllMusic". AllMusic.com.
  2. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 259. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  3. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4959b". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  4. "Diana Ross | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  5. "Diana Ross Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  6. "Diana Ross Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2021.