One Woman: The Ultimate Collection
Greatest hits album by
Diana Ross
ReleasedOctober 18, 1993
Recorded1964–1993
GenreSoul/pop
LabelEMI
Diana Ross chronology
Forever Diana: Musical Memoirs
(1993) 		One Woman: The Ultimate Collection
(1993) 		Diana Extended: The Remixes
(1994)
Singles from One Woman: The Ultimate Collection
  1. "The Best Years of My Life"
    Released: October 18, 1993 (US) March 15, 1994 (UK)
  2. "Your Love"
    Released: November 29, 1993
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

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.

It became Ross' best-selling album in the United Kingdom selling over 1,200,000 copies (4× platinum). It peaked at number one on the UK album charts for two weeks, not in sequential order dominating the holiday week of 1993. The success of this release in the United Kingdom meant that Diana would embark on her most extensive tour of Great Britain in her 28 years of touring in that market since her maiden tour with The Supremes on "The Motortown Revue" in 1965.

The album, conceived by advertising agency Mitchell Patterson Aldred Mitchell, was first introduced to the United Kingdom, European and international markets with an inventive four-week sequential advertising buy before its release, on prime time television. The first week began with a shot of her legs laying down and a music sound bed that included the just released new single "Chain Reaction 1993", the second week the viewer would see her mid-torso and teaser quotes inviting the viewer to guess who it was, though the music gave huge cues of her next single "The Best Years of My Life". The third week, the upper torso was now visible, and the final week, days before the album's commercial release, Diana was revealed in a full, sensual photo shoot from Albert Watson lying down, which included a megamix of her biggest hits. This proved to be a hugely successful creative campaign for which EMI International received much praise.

According to Soundscan, this collection sold over 275,000 in the United States despite never making the charts there.[citation needed] "One Woman: The Ultimate Collection" also went Platinum in Belgium and Gold in France.[2][3]

Track listing

International edition

  1. "Where Did Our Love Go" (Holland–Dozier–Holland) – 2:36
  2. "Baby Love" (Holland–Dozier–Holland) – 2:37
    • From Where Did Our Love Go
  3. "You Can't Hurry Love" (Holland–Dozier–Holland) – 2:54
  4. "Reflections" (Holland–Dozier–Holland) – 2:53
  5. "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" (Ashford, Simpson) – 3:01
  6. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (7" Edit) (Ashford, Simpson) – 3:30
    • Full-length version appears on 1970 album Diana Ross
  7. "Touch Me in the Morning" (Masser, Miller) – 3:28
  8. "Love Hangover" (7" Edit) (McLeod, Sawyer) – 3:45
    • Full-length version appears on 1976 album Diana Ross
  9. "I'm Still Waiting" (Richards) – 3:44
  10. "Upside Down" (Edwards, Rodgers) – 4:07
  11. "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" (Goffin, Masser) – 3:26
  12. "Endless Love" (Duet with Lionel Richie) (Richie) – 4:30
  13. "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (Goldner, Lymon) – 2:55
  14. "Chain Reaction" (Gibb, Gibb, Gibb) – 3:47
  15. "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" (Bettis, Hammond) – 4:13
  16. "One Shining Moment" (Thomas) – 4:47
    • From The Force Behind the Power
  17. "If We Hold on Together" (Horner, Mann, Jennings) – 4:11
  18. "The Best Years of My Life" (Davis, Jennings) – 4:22
    • 1993 recording
  19. "Your Love" (Friedman) – 4:04
    • 1993 recording
  20. "Let's Make Every Moment Count" (Goffin, Snow) – 4:21
    • 1993 recording

North American edition

  1. "Where Did Our Love Go" (Holland–Dozier–Holland) – 2:36
  2. "Baby Love" (Holland–Dozier–Holland) – 2:37
    • From Where Did Our Love Go
  3. "Stop! In the Name of Love" (Holland–Dozier–Holland) – 2:53
  4. "You Can't Hurry Love" (Holland–Dozier–Holland) – 2:54
  5. "Reflections" (Holland–Dozier–Holland) – 2:53
  6. "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" (Ashford, Simpson) – 3:01
  7. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (7" Edit) (Ashford, Simpson) – 3:30
    • Full-length version appears on 1970 album Diana Ross
  8. "Touch Me in the Morning" (Masser, Miller) – 3:28
  9. "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" (Goffin, Masser) – 3:26
  10. "Love Hangover" (7" Edit) (McLeod, Sawyer) – 3:45
    • Full-length version appears on 1976 album Diana Ross
  11. "Upside Down" (Edwards, Rodgers) – 4:07
  12. "Endless Love" (Duet with Lionel Richie) (Richie) – 4:30
  13. "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (Goldner, Lymon) – 2:55
  14. "Missing You" (Lionel Richie) – 4:19
  15. "Chain Reaction" (Gibb, Gibb, Gibb) – 3:47
  16. "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" (Bettis, Hammond) – 4:13
  17. "One Shining Moment" (Thomas) – 4:47
    • From The Force Behind the Power
  18. "If We Hold on Together" (Horner, Mann, Jennings) – 4:11
  19. "The Best Years of My Life" (Davis, Jennings) – 4:22
    • 1993 recording
  20. "Someday We'll Be Together" (Single Remix) (Jackey Beavers, Johnny Bristol, Harvey Fuqua) – 4:03

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1993-1994) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[4] 119
European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)[5] 10
Irish Albums (IRMA)[6] 3
UK Albums (OCC)[7] 1

Year-end charts

1993 year-end chart performance for One Woman: The Ultimate Collection
Chart (1993) Rank
UK Albums (OCC)[8] 5

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[2] Platinum 50,000*
France (SNEP)[3] Gold 100,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[9] 4× Platinum 1,200,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ a b "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 1996". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  3. ^ a b "French album certifications – Diana Ross – One Woman (The Ultimate Collection)" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 20 January 2023. Select DIANA ROSS and click OK. 
  4. ^ "Part of Diana Ross ARIA Albums chart history 1988 to 2022, received from ARIA in 2022 page 1". ARIA. Retrieved December 3, 2023 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  5. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. January 15, 1994. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  6. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  7. ^ "Diana Ross | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  8. ^ "Top 100 Albums 1993" (PDF). Music Week. 15 January 1994. p. 25. Retrieved 21 May 2022 – via World Radio History.
  9. ^ "British album certifications – Diana Ross – One Woman - Ultimate Collection". British Phonographic Industry.
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