| Author | Message | ||
  Jimmy Mack (luke) 5-Doyen Username: luke Post Number: 209 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.198.48.201 |
I am not a huge fan of Donna's but I was thinking of her passionate singing and her writing abilities--rock and soul(Hot Stuff,Works Hard For Money, Bad Girls, Love is in Control...)Pretty impressive. Granted there has been crap too. | ||
Reese (reese) 3-Pundit Username: reese Post Number: 64 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 12.15.169.175 |
When she was really hot, I always liked Donna's voice more than the songs she was singing. It was only recently that I really began to appreciate her recordings. | ||
SoniT (sonit) 2-Debutant Username: sonit Post Number: 19 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 66.106.213.162 |
I love Donna Summer! I think she has a beautiful voice. | ||
DyvaNaye (westside314) 6-Zenith Username: westside314 Post Number: 501 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 209.212.74.198 |
Listen, That Bad Girls album is a classic, and I feel her BEST of all of her recordings. I still play that album until this day... The other albums that were the 'serious joints' was The 4 Seasons of Love and also I Rember Yesterday. Another classic is 'Try Me I Know We Can Make It'. I believe she should get props for something...I know she techincally is a Disco Queen, but has she been labeled 'status quo' for Queen of Disco? THe girl was nasty. She has the 70's 'LOCKED DOWN'. | ||
Jimmy Mack (luke) 5-Doyen Username: luke Post Number: 210 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.198.48.201 |
Yes Dyva I agree with all your choices and I cant deny McArthur Park got me movin-tho who knows what it means. Bad Girls is a rock and roll classic-period. | ||
DyvaNaye (westside314) 6-Zenith Username: westside314 Post Number: 510 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 205.188.116.13 |
You hustle Jimmy Mack? If so you owe me a dance...lol....McArthur Park was a Hustle classic...and it is abut a relationship gone bad...take the word apart and place it to a real life situation you know...it will make sense...metaphorically speaking...lol... | ||
Jimmy Mack (luke) 5-Doyen Username: luke Post Number: 213 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 68.198.48.201 |
Baby --youve got the "next dance" as Niecey would say;;;;;;;;;;;;;but what about the cake in the rain? | ||
1wicked (1wicked) 4-Laureate Username: 1wicked Post Number: 73 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 24.126.64.72 |
I loved Donna Summer's voice...but I hated the bulk of the Moroder-Bellote material. As she grew as an artist and began to exercise greater creativity (writing), I think her work became stronger. The bottom line is that she was a disco star and most disco artists are generally dismissed in the grand scheme of things. Also, statements attributed to her really ticked off much of her fan base and cast a negative light on her for a very long time. Personally, I don't know if she said ANY of those things.....but the truth of the matter is that rumors get printed on page 1 of the local fish wrap and any denial by the person or retraction by the paper is on page 59. | ||
Richard Felstead (felstead2001) 3-Pundit Username: felstead2001 Post Number: 45 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 128.40.91.183 |
Although she was never one of my favourite artists, I respect the work she has done, and her place in the scene as a whole. "Love To Love You Baby" was truly inovative at the time, "Bad Girls" is a club classic, "Dinner With Gershwin" is a great mainstream radio record, but out of all the tracks she has done, I one I find has lasted very well and perhaps more pleasing to the ear is "Winter Melody". Good tune. | ||
Wonder B (wonder_b) 5-Doyen Username: wonder_b Post Number: 381 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 81.49.154.139 |
I like the Quincy Jones produced State Of Independance... I once saw a video of the recording of that track with all the stars in the studio (Dionne, Stevie you name it) and it was very entertaining... Wonder B If you mess with the 'fro, you gotta go! | ||
DyvaNaye (westside314) 6-Zenith Username: westside314 Post Number: 515 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 209.212.74.198 |
The 'cake in the rain' is taking the 'icing off of the cake'...a well known saying when stuff IS going right. Get it, Jimmy Mack? | ||
Rodmann (rodmann) 5-Doyen Username: rodmann Post Number: 180 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 12.221.220.110 |
Donna Summer is to Disco what Aretha Franklin is to Classic Soul, THE QUEEN! If you go to any Disco forum on the net you will see that the people are almost over the top with their Donna Summer diva-worship. She catered to the Disco/Club/Dance music audience and they love her for it. Miss Summer doesn't get mentioned much in Soul circles and I don't think that she deserves to. She never threw the R&B/Soul crowd one bone IMO! NOT ONE! Jimmy Mack, you are right on when you selected ' Hot Stuff', 'She Works Hard For The Money', 'Bad Girls' and 'Love Is In Control' as the closest she ever got to R&B. I would also stretch that a bit and add 'Love To Love You Baby' and 'Heaven Knows' to the list. She came close a few times but not close enough IMO. Her voice is pretty but it's a far cry from being soulful. I've never heard the complete album that she did with Quincy Jones in the early 80's. Maybe he was able to get something soulful out of her? Miss Dyva, I tried to respond to you on that "Good And Bad" thread that Fayette started last week and thank you for your kind words that you gave me but the topic disappeared before I got a chance to. I hope that it didn't have anything to do with my alleged "Aretha Franklin Diss"! Anyway, thank you Dyva for the kind words. You truly are one of the classiest ladies here on the forum and you always have interesting things to say. I always look forward to your topics about the Classic Soul music that we all love so much.  | ||
K-Bee (kbee) 3-Pundit Username: kbee Post Number: 31 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 129.142.211.170 |
I am a huge disco fan but when it comes to Summer i'm left completely cold. Never understood what all the fuzz was all about, Donna Summer is as far removed from anything even remotely soulful as possible and I consider her producer, Giorgio Moroder (who's also held in high regard at disco forums), almost the Anti-Christ of tasteful music. The only thing close to good music Summer ever did was in fact the Quincy Jones produced album, though it still was below par from what we otherwise would expect from him after his "The Dude" album. Summer is a typical exponent of the Euro Disco sound of the mid to late 70s which is characterized by a total removal of any soulful element in favour of cheesy string arrangements, flashy semi-pornographic covers and singers with terrible accents. Admittedly, Euro-disco has a great camp value and there's loads of fun to be had listening to the likes of Cerrone, Alec R Costandinos, Boris Midney and the countless number of manufactered European Studio bands of the day. But after 10 mins you really wanna put on some Mtume/Lucas produced stuff instead! There's no doubt Donna Summer was a huge star at the time and loads of copycats tried to cash in on her and Moroder's particular style. Unfortunaly, all eyes were (and still) are on Donna whenever the topic of disco is being brought up (the serious disco forums aside) and most people tend to forget that loads of awesome disco never made it outside the underground clubs, let alone the non-specialists charts. | ||
Chi Drummer (chidrummer) 2-Debutant Username: chidrummer Post Number: 15 Registered: 5-2004 Posted From: 24.14.41.10 |
I too think Summer's voice was marvelous. For better or worse she will always be linked to disco music and those times. As for her music, I now can't listen to Last Dance without thinking about all the people that have been lost professionally and personally to AIDS since track became a dance classic. The song was a joyous celebration when it was new and now it feals like a memorial to long-pasted times and friends. | ||
Rodmann (rodmann) 5-Doyen Username: rodmann Post Number: 210 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 12.221.220.110 |
K-Bee, I'm LMAO at "Giorgio Moroder, the Anti-Christ of tasteful music"! LOL. You're more blunt than I was in my post but I've got too agree with you. Usually African-American singers take at least one stab at R&B in their careers even if it isn't their forte but Miss Summer never attempted it. She isn't a soulful vocalist but it still would've been interesting to see what someone like Mtume or Isaac Hayes would've cut on her during her 70's heyday. I guess we'll never know. | ||
K-Bee (kbee) 3-Pundit Username: kbee Post Number: 36 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 129.142.211.170 |
Yeah Rod, I saw this thread as my chance to let out some steam! LOL | ||
Lady Mystique (ladymystique) 5-Doyen Username: ladymystique Post Number: 369 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 216.37.253.157 |
Donna has a wonderful voice. IMO, some of the material was cheesy, but she has given us some great music! | ||
DegreeOfLove (degreeoflove) 2-Debutant Username: degreeoflove Post Number: 13 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 62.254.0.32 |
Donna was on Uk TV Saturday night on "Discomania" looking and sounding absolutley fantastic, she sang "Hot Stuff/Bad Girls" in a medley, she also did "Macarthur Park" and a duet with irish boy band Westlife of "No More Tears" just fabulous. Regards DOL  | ||
Michael/Cleoharvey (cleoharvey) 2-Debutant Username: cleoharvey Post Number: 25 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 4.172.114.11 |
If you want to hear one of the most beautiful Christmas albums ever done, pick up Donna Summer's Christmas Spirit. Rather than being an album recorded to make a few dollars the diva sings and writes heartfelt songs that illustrate her religious soul. Amy Grant's Breath of Heaven is truly one of the most beautiful thing that Donna has sung and is on the album. There is also a Christmas song medley that takes the roof of the joint. It is one of my favorite albums and I give it as a Christmas present. Most people are stunned after hearing it. Also, I have always thought that Donna had a voice similar to that of Martha Reeves and should do an album of Martha & the Vandellas hits. What do you all think? | ||
Reese (reese) 4-Laureate Username: reese Post Number: 82 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 204.152.13.102 |
Stevie Wonder once said that Donna Summer reminded him of Martha Reeves. I do hear a similarity between Donna's voice and Martha's voice circa 1974-1976. | ||
SDF (handsome) 5-Doyen Username: handsome Post Number: 191 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 170.118.158.14 |
Hey Michael/Cleoharvey & Reese! I never thought about it, there is some similiarity in their voices (Martha's & Donna's)...I can't explain it, but there is. For me, I enjoyed Donna Summer from Love To Love You Baby to Melody of Love. She never disappointed me. Some songs I didn't like were: I Feel Love & Wanderer. There was also a gospel song she recorded, and the title escapes me. I've heard her Christmas material and it is excellent. Handsome | ||
Kdubya (paladin) 4-Laureate Username: paladin Post Number: 77 Registered: 5-2004 Posted From: 206.185.64.23 |
Here's my 2 cent : No finer example of Donna sounding like Martha Reeves can be found than on her rendition of Billy Strayhorns' "Lushlife" great song from an under appreciated artist. Kdub | ||
SDF (handsome) 5-Doyen Username: handsome Post Number: 196 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 170.118.158.14 |
Yeah Kdub, I forgot about that one. Damn she sounds good. The gospel song I heard also has voice inflections of Martha Reeves. Handsome | ||
Michael/Cleoharvey (cleoharvey) 2-Debutant Username: cleoharvey Post Number: 26 Registered: 4-2004 Posted From: 4.172.114.243 |
I am glad that some of you agree about the Martha Reeves/Donnna Summer "sound" connection. From the first time I heard Ms. Summer sing live I noticed there were similarities between her voice and the great Martha Reeves. There is something in the tone and range of both ladies(especially when Martha Reeves was in her heyday! She and Gladys were the best female singers at Motown) that is similar. They both have powerful belt ranges and then can go into soprano range on a dime. I think it would be incredible if Donna did a cover album of just Martha Reeves and the Vandellas songs. Can you imagine Donna wailing on Dancing in the Street, Honey Chile, Love Makes Me Do Foolish Thing, Come and Get These Memories, I'm Ready For Love.... It would be something. The success of Michael McDonald's Motown would indicate a much needed smash CD from the incredible Miss Summer. |
