Donna Summer: Search and Destroy?

-- Alex in SF, October 20th, 2004 11:59 PM.

First off, the one with "I Feel Love," I Remember Yesterday, is not "eh." I actually think the campy, cheeky title track is probably the most undervalued entry in the entire Summer catalogue... unless its the majority of her eponymous LP (produced by Quincy Jones). No one ever mentions how fantastic "Mystery of Love" (based on a Bach prelude!), "If It Hurts Just a Little" (sampled by Cassius), and "Love is Just a Breath Away" are. Seriously, this is a fantastic warm-up for Thriller. And, to her credit, Summer doesn't fuck up "Lush Life" too badly at all.

Search search search "Love Trilogy" which is totally essential. Did that appear on an album? I only have singles...

For the most part, but there's still:

"Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)" - a frisky little thing, best in its 12" extended mix.

"State Of Independence" - makes Jon & Vangelis sound classic - no mean feat.

"This Time I Know It's For Real" - one of Stock Aitken Waterman's finest (no, really).

"Melody Of Love (Wanna Be Loved)" - a successful excursion into Diva House (though I prefer the original version over the inevitable Morales mixes).

Also, Bad Girls and I Remember Yesterday are my owns/faves. The SAW stuff wans't bad either.

Not by me! An amazing recording.

Tim, I was surprised to see your love for Once Upon a Time - not that many ppl know it and most that do hate it. One of my childhood faves so happpy to see it get compliments.

OTM.

Preferably, get a vinyl copy and record it at a bunch of different speeds.

What else?

the only redeming song on the entire thing is "Grand Illusion" which is dubbed out and super nice.

Has anybody heard I'm a Rainbow?

also, first new album since '91 due in May

I really need to hear the '82 eponymous album.

"Summer is working with a wide range of collaborators, including DANIELLE BRISEBOIS..."

!!!

(Gregg Alexander too, plz?)

Has anybody heard I'm a Rainbow?

Yes. It's not very good, a lesser The Wanderer. You can hear the Donna-as-Lene-Lovich "Romeo" on the Flashdance soundtrack. But indeed, every song on I'm a Rainbow feels like soundtrack fodder, the kind of stuff Family Guy would use to make fun of 1980s film montages. Catchy, though. Too catchy maybe. And it might be a concept album (can't recall). Another deficiency: it includes her "Don't Cry For Me Argentina."

Once Upon a Time... is prolly my fave despite a crappy side three (the woman has serious side three problems). And there's some great porn on the earlier discs.

I've never gotten around to The Wanderer either, though "Cold Love" is my favorite of her rock moves.

I'm a Rainbow is one of my favorite Summer albums, and "People Talk" one of my favorite tracks!

No one's bought Crayons? I like it a little better than Eric -- my review comes out this week.

Girlie Action sent me the promo - I think it picks up real nice after a very, very disappointing and rocky start. But I don't see it changing anybody's life or dancefloor, sadly.

I heard rumors that she was hooking up with the Freemasons for this album or something? y/n?

Girlie Action sent me the promo - I think it picks up real nice after a very, very disappointing and rocky start.

OTM. The second side is the killer, but it's not totally aerodynamic either. Points for weirdness, though (tropicalia? blues?).

For the love of god, people. This woman is too much.

"There Will Always Be A You"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjXeNh4eCjw&

"Love Is In Control"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KEUrHzKg_E

"MacArthur Park"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNknNoCBYfw

OH! I finally heard The Wanderer and Eric H and Marcello's beloved 1982 eponymous album. The latter is much better than expected, and the former verging on great. Much more consistent than the pre-Bad Girls Moroder-Bellotte recordings, and I like the desperation and weariness that made her run into the arms of Christianity. She's having a "Breakdown," she's "Running For Cover," until she affirms that "I Believe in Jesus."

1982 eponymous album?? I only remember the Wanderer single and I remember not liking it much at all.

Gosh thanks Alfred, I'm really glad you're awake right now. I already said it elsewhere but my daddy gave me the State of Indepedence 7" single at Christmas and I'll never forget it. I must have been...11?

Listening to the eponymous '82 album, now. Really strange to hear "The Woman In Me" and realize I used to have that single. I barely remember that song, though, and I don't like it very much, but there are other very cool things on this album for sure. This is a great album.

"Livin' In America" is good fun! Can we make it Obama's campaign theme song? And WOAH HO! Check out the synths on "Love Is Just A Breath Away". Surely that song is more fun than the cops will allow? And "Lush Life" is really beyond words. Fuck me, even Sheila E.'s first album ain't that good.

I'm going to see if I can get the Wanderer album next.

Try Me I Know We Can Make It
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ffIuIpnETA

It's here: http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/2012/05/donna-summer-1948-2012/

Mostly, it's me admitting to loving the unbelievably campy "I Remember Yesterday."

Alfred, beautiful piece! That last line is just... love. <3

Matos has a great piece up as well:

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/05/donna-summers-heavy-breathing-blueprint-for-pop/257391/

There was a nice piece by Dan Savage's husband re-posted to The Stranger's blog yesterday (sorta) on the subject of that 1982 s/t record.

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/17/donna-summer-saved-my-husbands-life

Eric's: http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/2012/05/donna-summer-1948-2012/

Eric that was perfect <3

Jody Rosen now:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/05/17/donna_summer_dead_at_63_jody_rosen_remembers_the_queen_of_disco_.html

between this and Chuck Brown am gutted, loved Donna growing up and love her. one of those now ords. thanks to those above who wrote so beautifully on her

really liked alfred's piece - looking fwd to matos's and eric's

Mine sucks so bad, people. It was seriously stitched together in a rush from two separate old blog posts from a half-decade ago plus three or four P's of new stuff.

lies!!

Great, great stuff, Alfred.

Err, yup.

local newspaper headline: "Donna Summer, 1948-2012 She earned the nickname the Queen of Disco with a string of dance hits, but the singer was always a rocker at heart."

is this rockist bs? she's quoted in the article saying what amounts to "i like janis joplin, and motown" & they allude to her being reluctant to accept the title Queen of Disco but, idk, seems like pretty flimsy evidence

BUT she was a rocker at heart!

wasn't rock lucky?!

I Feel Love just missed re-entering the UK Top 40 by a whisker http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jzDTEvunXCiwUKr54fiUWPpZ4NsQ?docId=N0221301337532481253A

local newspaper headline: "Donna Summer, 1948-2012 She earned the nickname the Queen of Disco with a string of dance hits, but the singer was always a rocker at heart."

is this rockist bs?

She was partially rooted in rock, though even more in gospel. At very least, she deserved not to be pigeonholed as disco. Not that there's anything wrong with disco!

is this rockist bs? she's quoted in the article saying what amounts to "i like janis joplin, and motown" & they allude to her being reluctant to accept the title Queen of Disco but, idk, seems like pretty flimsy evidence

― flopson, Sunday, May 20, 2012 5:55 PM (20 minutes ago) Bookmark

'disco' is still a punchline for the general public though, sadly

i.e. "She was more than just the Queen of Disco"

Why isn't this woman in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame yet? O yea fun fact: unless Michael Jackson/J5 counts, only disco groups inducted to date are white/hetero (also, just occurred to me, not American): Bee Gees, ABBA. Meaning what?

Meaning Geir is on the board of directors.

If I were, Donna Summer would have been in there. I don't really count ABBA as disco btw. They were better at doing prime MOR than doing disco. And their best album was pure 80s synthpop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8fVx-uytBw

A belated R.I.P here now that the sun has gone down on here a few days ago. :(

local newspaper headline: "Donna Summer, 1948-2012 She earned the nickname the Queen of Disco with a string of dance hits, but the singer was always a rocker at heart."

Mirrored in current cnn.com headline:

Gibb's musical legacy not just disco

I'm a big fan of Spring Affair:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcREzFgLJRs

As used by Moodyman:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry0dHsva4f4

When Rod Stewart and members of the Rolling Stones and Kiss go, I'm positive the obituaries will point out that although they were primarily thought of as rock stars, they also recorded popular disco songs.

i thought everyone loved disco

I thought the people who hated disco had moved on to hating rap.

On NPR this morning, they miscomprehended this admittedly badly-written press release, and said that Donna Summer had a huge hit in 1977 with "Rapper's Delight."

An interesting (nerdy) article on the making of "Love to love you baby" and "I feel love", incl. mic choices, using tape-as-sync, and an orgy

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct09/articles/classictracks_1009.htm

I've read in the last week comments about Summer's lack of "technical" competence. How is this even a serious question for a multi-octave singer?

who the hell is saying that

Once in this very thread, I think.

SHOW YOURSELF

I'd put "Lack of technical competence" slightly above "fat" on a list of dumbest crits you could level at a pop musician

this is a woman who scored a hit off a Bocelli opera piece in the late nineties.

It was sort of the height of the Andrea Bocelli craze tho.

and he wasn't around to see it

You're too short for that gesture.

The only time I've thought "huh" about Donna's singing was on "No more tears", mostly just cuz I could picture Babs getting cussy at her in the third person on some of the unison bits

Practice English past tense verbs with Donna Summer's "On the Radio"!

http://www.esolcourses.com/content/topics/songs/various-artists/on-the-radio.html

irregular past tense verbs, that is

i love everything about this performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC8cCqblNas

I liked the new doc from HBO. It had a lot of artsy touches that kept it interesting. It’s nice that seemingly her whole family got involved in it.

I’d never seen pictures of her first (German) husband. He looked like a little kid!

It's on Sky Arts right now!

I should advise people that it's not totally thorough in terms of looking closely at all of her music, and it may have a little too much of her family in it for some viewers.

oh i saw it on an airplane and LOVED IT -- my favorite part was when i learned that she was responsible for suggesting the arpeggiated synth (?) in "i feel love" in Germany and potentially changing the path of popular music singlehandedly?!

It also covered her homophobia pretty well -- I thought that was also interesting. It was a good doc!

She said such nice things about Giorgio too.