Eaten Alive is a 1985album by Diana Ross which reached #45 in the US, #11 in the UK and Australia and the top ten in Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands. It includes her international hit single "Chain Reaction", which topped the charts in the U.K. and Australia.
Primarily written and produced by Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, the album also includes a contribution from Michael Jackson who co-wrote and performed on the title track.
The album was released on the RCA label in the US where it was deemed a commercial failure, selling less than 300,000 US copies. It fared better internationally as an EMI label release to which Ross had been signed directly since 1981 (though Ross's relationship with EMI dates back to the beginning of her international career since they distributed Motown releases).
Overview
The album was primarily conceived by Barry Gibb, who had co-written and co-produced successful albums for Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, and Kenny Rogers earlier that decade. Most of the tracks were co-written by Gibb and at least one of his other siblings, though some were written by all members of the Bee Gees. The album includes the UK and Australia #1 hit "Chain Reaction", along with the Top 10 R&B title track - written and co-produced with Michael Jackson. "Experience" was also released as a single, reaching #47 on the UK Singles Chart.
Damnatio ad bestias (Latin for "damnation to beasts") was a form of Romancapital punishment in which the condemned person was killed by wild animals. This form of execution, which first came to ancient Rome around the 2nd century BC, was part of the wider class of blood sports called Bestiarii. The act of damnatio ad bestias was considered entertainment for the people of Rome. Killing by wild animals, such as lions, formed part of the inaugural games of the Flavian Amphitheatre in 80 AD. Between the 1st to 3rd centuries AD, this penalty was mainly applied to the worst criminals, slaves, and early Christians.
History
Asia
The exact purpose of the early damnatio ad bestias is not known and might have been a religious sacrifice rather than a legal punishment, especially in the regions where lions existed naturally and were revered by the population, such as Africa and parts of Asia. For example, Egyptian mythology had a chimeric Underworld demon, Ammit, who devoured the souls of exceptionally sinful humans, as well as other lion-like deities, such as Sekhmet, who, according to legend, almost devoured all of humanity soon after her birth. There are also accounts of feeding lions and crocodiles with humans, both dead and alive, in Ancient Egypt and Libya.
After refusing a request from frisky customer named Buck (Robert Englund), naive prostitute Clara Wood (Roberta Collins) is evicted from the town brothel by the Madame, Miss Hattie (Carolyn Jones). Clara makes her way to a decrepit hotel, called the Starlight Hotel, located deep in a swamp, where she encounters the middled-aged, mentally disturbed proprietor Judd (Neville Brand) and his pet Nile crocodile in the swamp beside the porch. Upon realizing Clara was a prostitute, the sexually frustrated Judd attacks her while ranting and raving. When Clara fights back, Judd stabs her with a garden rake and feeds her dead body to the crocodile.
"Eaten Alive" is a 1985 single released by Diana Ross on the RCA label. It was the first release off her Eaten Alive album, which was ultimately a critical and commercial failure in the states, but, did reach Top 10-Top 20 rankings in a few European countries like Norway and The Netherlands.
The song was written by Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb and Michael Jackson the latter also co-producing with Barry and his team. Jackson and Barry Gibb can be heard singing in the background of the song with Jackson at times co-singing lead with Ross. The song was a disappointment in the United States, peaking at #77 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, although it fared much better on the R&B singles chart - where it reached the Top 10 - helped by BET's heavy rotation of the music video.
In the song's original copyright registration from 11 March 1985 it was credited to Barry Gibb and Maurice Gibb. It was not until Michael Jackson heard the demo of it that he suggested the chorus could be improved. The second copyright registration was filed on 1 June 1985 (the same day that Diana performed a sold-out concert at Joe Louis Arena in her hometown of Detroit) with the note ‘words and music in the choruses have been completely rewritten’.
Mariah, that same year, signed a new joint venture record deal with Epic Records, the label that helped produce her third album To Be Eaten Alive, which she released in October last year.
According to Lavigne, she'd written the song for her first album when she was young ... One of their major projects was writing all the songs for Diana Ross' "Eaten Alive" album, which included "Chain Reaction.".
She commanded the stage alone for more than an hour of mostly originals, including a generous helping from her underrated 2023 album "To Be Eaten Alive," a core of diehards screaming along at the center of the bleachers.
Monday night, the singer, better known as Mariah the Scientist, packed the House of Blues for her To Be Eaten Alive Tour ... The To Be Eaten Alive Tour started out in Honolulu back in February in support of the singer’s third studio album ... Setlist. 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... .
MariahThe Scientist has been arrested ... She was booked on battery charge and bonded out later that day ... She also claims that the assault was unprovoked ... Last year, Mariah The Scientist released her third studio album, To Be Eaten Alive ... .
MariahThe Scientist is set to embark on a worldwide tour in 2024, covering over 40 cities in support of her highly acclaimed album, To Be Eaten Alive, released via Epic Records... To Be Eaten Alive 2024 Tour Dates..
Now, MariahThe Scientist unveils her highly-anticipated new album titled To Be Eaten Alive, which she deems her best music yet ... All in all, To Be Eaten Alive is no skips ... The post Mariah The Scientist AlbumReview.
Tis the season to be eaten alive ...MariahThe Scientist – To Be Eaten Alive ... Her new album, To Be Eaten Alive, is the first major release since inking her deal with Epic Records earlier this year and is an alt-R&B lover’s dream.
"It's almost like jail solidified our relationship." ... Associate News Editor ... The 26-year-old singer is currently on a press run for the release of her latest album, To Be Eaten Alive ... Check out MariahThe Scientist‘s To Be Eaten Alive album below.
MariahThe Scientist is officially an Epic Records artist and has dropped her first single on the label, “From A Woman,” off her new album, To Be Eaten Alive... As for the venomous scorpion, to be eaten alive is to kill.”.
“I named the song ‘Balut’ because it signifies a bird that’s being eaten alive ... ‘Making new album was like being in counselling!’ ... “Eaten alive? Who eats balut alive? Girl, you don’t need to shame my culture if you don’t understand it.".
