Donna  Summer's best GEFFEN release- right up their her Casablanca releases
599590
I love this CD. This CD  has  energy it is a mixed bag of rock, dance, gospel, This is one of Donna Summer's  favorite
releases. It is a bit different than any of her CD's. It sounds like she had alot of fun  recording this CD. I like it because
it is so different yet it all comes together, My favorite cuts, "Oh Billy  Please", "Maybe it's over",  "There goes my baby"  ,
"I'm Free", Supernatural Love"  This recording is  a great combination of Donna Summer's voice and excellent driving
music. This CD  reminds me a bit of " Bad Girls". All of her Casablanca releases are classic more than disco to me.
She has such a amazing voice , big, powerful, and her  productions are always flawless
931926
This is truly for a hardcore Donna Summer Fan, especially if you're into mixes, it has many and most of them are very interesting and very danceable!!  Don't lose out on this fantastic CD.
16423
"Cats Without Claws" is the only Donna Summer album I've never owned as a CD.  The newly re-mastered album with additional material is truly fantastic!  Enjoy!
3506220
Great remastering. So nice to have this album and the 12" version of "Love Is In Control" on CD at last. Produced by Quincy Jones around the same time as Michael Jackson's "Thriller", it's unfortunate that Donna's album has been mostly forgotten. While not containing as many instant classics as "Thriller" it's still a great listen. With "Love Is In Control", "The Woman In Me" and the sublime "State Of Independence" you can't go wrong.
1911602
`I remember yesterday' is the album Donna Summer released in 1977, showcasing a variety of musical and vocal stylings. A concept album which was both retro, including the sleeve photos, and forward looking at the same time.

Opening track `I remember yesterday' is 40s big band jazz meets disco, complete with some scat. A UK top 20 hit.

This segues into `Love's unkind', the tale of a school girl's unrequited crush, and is a girl group stomp. A UK no. 3 hit.

This also segues into `Back in love again', an excellent Motown/Supremes pastiche with excellent harmonies. A UK top 30 hit.

Closing out the medley is a reprise of `I remember yesterday'.

`Black lady' has Donna belting out to a horn laden blaxploitation/Shaft sounding number. It's an energetic, funky number with fiery vocals. Great!

Next comes the synthesizer driven dance number `Take me' with yearning, sensual lyrics sung in falsetto. A standout.

`Can't we just sit down and talk it over is the only ballad on the album, and the only non Summer/Moroder/Bellotte composition. A tender ballad about the sad end of a romance, it has Donna belting out. This was originally the A side of the last track...

...'I feel love'. The song that was (and still is) years ahead of it's time. The grandmother of techno/trance/electronica/whatever you call it.

This simple, yet intricately layered song was the first hit comprised entirely of Moog synthesizers. The song that had John Lennon say `This is the future' when he heard it.

Featuring Donna singing in an ethereal falsetto to a synthesized wall of sound which rises and falls, and which featured a break where we hear nothing but synth and drums, before other effects start filtering in, a technique she would use on other songs like `Now I need you', `Working the midnight shift', `Lucky', and `She works hard for the money'. A UK no. 1 for 4 weeks, and a US no. 6 which sold a million copies.

A fitting way to close this musical journey in time, by looking into the future.

Needless to say, the album was certified gold in the US. In my opinion, one of her best albums, and the start of her including different elements in her music.

To quote the famous line from this album; `Wherever you go, take a little Summer with you'.
1479087
I've waited so long for these to be available! And they're finally here! Thank you to whoever did this.
These are her two albums that I love the most. Of course, Higher and Higher, won her much acclaim, as it should have. But I have to admit that every track on these two is excellent.
The 'Delta Lady' anthology is nice, but to have these in addition to that is exceptional.
Rita has one of the smoothest voices I've ever heard. Soft, smoky, romantic. She does justice to every song here.
If you like slow rock from the 70's-80's, do yourself a favor and get this while it's available. She's one of the most highly underrated and irreplaceable artists that has ever been.
967544
"Doctor's Orders" sounds as fresh & catchy today as it did the first time I heard it on the car radio in 1975! "Midnight Love Affair" is still the same sexy/sultry throbber, after all these years! If Donna Summer had the pipes, & Gloria Gaynor had a raspy/velvety voice than Carol should be remembered for having the sweet-sounding, ear candy voice of Disco. All her top tunes are showcased here on this CD, except her heartfelt single "So You Win Again" from 1978. Her original tunes stand out best: "Burnin'", "A Hurricane Is Coming Tonite", "Fell In Love For The First Time Today", & "I Got The Answer", as well as the two mentioned above. Carol also adds her special touch to 12" single versions of songs she covered, "Dancing Queen" & "Night Fever" (although her versions lack the excitement of the originals, they're still fun to listen to as curiosities, as far as why she recorded them in the first place). Buy this if you wanna take a trip down Disco Memory Lane!
3029986
The year 1980 was a pivotal year in the careers of Donna Summer, Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross.  And because Olivia Newton-John was having such a great year too, you could even say it was the year of the Female pop artist.  All had blockbuster albums in 1980.

But, it was Donna Summer who Rolling Stone gave kudos to for jumping out of her comfort zone and diving head first into rock music.  And Donna was a natural.  She loved rock music.  It not only shows, but reverberates on this album.  Winning the very first Grammy in the Female Rock Vocal Performance category for Hot Stuff was no fluke.  Rolling Stone hailed The Wanderer as "Donna Summer's most consistent album, and that alone would make it her best.  By placing her firmly within a rock & roll context in which she thrives,  The Wanderer clearly proves that she's an artist as well as a star".  The Wanderer was #2 on Billboard's top 10 albums of the year.  Only "The River" by Bruce Springsteen was ranked higher.

While Donna's On The Radio Greatest Hits Vol 1-2 was a smash earlier in the year, and Diana Ross and Barbra Streisand had the biggest albums of the their careers in 1980,  Donna's "The Wanderer" managed to only reach #13 and go gold.  The reasons for this were threefold:

#1- Donna was still considered a disco artist and there was backlash from rock radio.  Many rock dj's resented the fact that disco had taken such a foothold in the country and had proliferated.  There is also no denying that there was also racism and homophobia behind the backlash to disco.  Donna was seen as an enemy of rock, and not one of it's own.  Even if Rolling Stone praised The Wanderer as one of the two best rock records of the year.

#2- There is no doubt that the gay community supported Donna's music.  But when she released The Wanderer, many in the community hated the new rock direction. And on top of that,  Donna's first christian song was on The Wanderer.  Many saw the new rock direction and christian themed song as turning her back on the community.  Many in the gay community did not buy the record.

#3- In retaliation for leaving Casablanca Records and releasing The Wanderer on Geffen Records, Casablanca decided to release Walk Away: The Collector's Edition around the same time as The Wanderer.  The cover of the album looked like the face of a tombstone. It was a compilation of Donna's hits with one exception; a single version of Walk Away. Walk Away had appeared on Donna's last studio album, Bad Girls in a longer version. The single was released and appeared in the top 40 at the same time as Donna's new single, The Wanderer.  This may have divided Donna's fans along disco/rock lines.

The fact that The Wanderer has sold around a million albums, going against all odds,  is a testament to it's superior quality; it was a game changer. Donna would receive another Grammy nomination in the Female Rock Vocal Performance category for "Cold Love".

I never get tired of listening to this album! And over the years, I've come to appreciate each song more and more.  For the last few years, my favorite song on the album has been "Running For Cover".  A rock opus!  Other fantastic songs are "Grand Illusion", "Looking Up" and "Breakdown".  And those weren't even the singles released off of this great album!

If you want to hear something completely different from Donna's disco material,  try The Wanderer.  I guarantee you these fantastic songs will get stuck in your head!
3096328
Buy this just to hear Donna Summer back up Gene Simmons.  Donna Summer is pure rock and roll here.  She belts like she does on "Hot Stuff" and "Cold Love".
168835
I've loved the singles from Barbra Streisand's 1980 smash Guilty since I first heard them three years ago. They were brilliant. I must have spun Woman In Love and Guilty on my Essential Barbra Streisand about a dozen times back to back.

I have never heard the original Guilty album so I was most intrigued when Guilty Pleasures was released and went out and purchased it.

Streisand has a capitol voice which has lost none of it's vigor with her age. She sounds older but still has one of the best voices bar none.

Barry Gibb's voice hasn't aged quite so well, but he still sounds good.

Combine two good voices, and three Gibbs songwriting and what do you get?

Guilty Pleasures.

Barry's brother Robin Gibb chose to sit this outing out so Barry it seems has turned to his own sons and even Streisand herself for songwriting duties. The result is a well rounded record that takes you back in time, but sounds contemporary all at once.

Whether disco, ballad, or even something latin flavored this album has it.

'Come Tomorrow' infectuous but needs to be listened to more then once for the hooks to set in. It's my favorite song on the album. Babs and Barry compliment each other musically and have a fascinating charisma.

Barbra's outspoken political views are shared by Gibb on the lead single 'Stranger In A Strange Land'. It reminds us all that we need to support those we love over seas regardless of how we feel about the war. The song is well done and quite a treat to listen to. 'Above The Law' is the other duet, and Barry sounds better on this one as he and Streisand exchange lines. Again the charisma sets in.

Other standout tracks are 'Hideaway' and 'Night Of My Life(GREAT DISCO!).

unfortunately the album has some slow ballads that are abit too jumbled together at the end of the album that slow the pacing down. They are good songs but feel abit out of place right at the end, my only peeve.

Overall this album is great fun for anyone who likes Babs or just wants to hear something different for a change. It takes a couple of listens for someone like me to get used to the style of the album. But when the hooks and lyrics set in, try to get them out of your head. This album is a grower.

Highly recommended.

Grade: B+
1313325
This cd is so amazing. Anyone who is a true Donnas fan, and loves their music. And all you ... who think they sold out cause their on Atlantic Records, your full of it, cause their better than ever. As a band, this cd is so much stronger, and it really shows all of the members personal talents, especially, Donna R. (Allison Robertson) who adds incredible guitar solos to every song. The best of which you can see on  "5 o'clock in the morning". I honestly love every song on this cd, but some personal favorites include, "You Wanna Get Me High", "5 0'Clock in The Morning", "Not The One", "Too Bad About Your Girl", and of course "Take It Off". From start to finish, this album is no letdown, they have progressed to the next level, and doing dang well at it!
1639000
BUY THIS VERSION!  This is the latest release from Midnight Magic.  They had a release in 2012 ("Walking the Midnight Streets"), all which is included in this album, plus multiple additional songs that are WELL worth the price of admission.

This album has an "EP" version of "Heat" that just rocks.  The sound and feel would be appropriate for a Tarantino movie soundtrack.  Dancy, classic, groovy ... awesome!

A couple of other standouts that are new to this version of the album are "Someone's Watching Me" and "Calling Out".  Both of these I have seen the band play live, and they are just retro-totally-awesome.

The remainder of the album is identical to their 2012 album; here is my review for that:

"Midnight Magic:  A nine person ensemble bonded by the unwavering desire to make you, the listener, and the rhythm become one; the secret love children of Donna Summer and George Clinton serving up an orgasmic feast of funk, disco, electro and soul."

I find that to be an accurate depiction of what they accomplish; some of these tracks are an absolute feast for the ears (I would throw in that they have a dash of Scissor Sisters, which is a great thing!).  Vocals by Tiffany Roth are haunting and are mesmerizing.  An awesome mix of 70s/80s instruments and sounds come together in an amazing way that sets these guys apart from the rest of the noise that is out there.

My favorite track is "Drop Me a Line," with a close second of "Beam Me Up."  Again, these tracks at first listen may sound like a simple recreation of something done in the 70s, but upon further listening you will hear layers of complexity and orchestration that are goosebump worthy.  The synths and instruments are not just repeating note; they truly "sing."

I had the pleasure of seeing Midnight Magic live in Austin, Texas on 10/25/13.  In short, they were incredible; I was just flat out blown away.  They were the opening act for Holy Ghost (absolutely an incredible synth band).  I typically hate opening acts, but these guys stole the show.  The crowd was dancing and totally into their grooves; they really were just flat out amazing to see.  The synth player alone was worth the price of admission; he was THE most skilled keyboardist I have ever seen; truly was an amazing artist to watch.  And he even sold me a Holy Ghost shirt before the show!  Tiffany Roth was also generous with her time with the fans (signed a shirt for me); they made a lifelong fan with me that evening.

In summary, give these guys a try, and if you can possibly see them live, prepare to be amazed!
1036127
Though not quite the complete box set Olivia's fans have been waiting for, GOLD captures the artist's seminal recordings in unduplicated sound glory and stands as a terrific testament to her singular contribution to popular music.  With sterling sound and wonderful liner notes that highlight the singer's incredible career, this collection is a MUST for anyone who ever hummed along to "I Honestly Love You" or worked out to "Physical."  From the opening notes of Dylan's "If Not for You" to the final track (a remake of the Grammy winning "I Honestly Love You" with Babybace on backing vocals), this compilation trumps all of Olivia's previous sets by including rarely compiled tracks like "The Rumour" and "Living in Desparate Times" as well as "Fool Country", "Totally Hot" and the stunning pre-Grease releases "Making a Good thing Better" and "Let it Shine."

A few notable tracks are missing - which is why no fan will ever give up on a well-deserved box set - including Olivia's outstanding take on "DOn't Cry for Me Argentina" as well as latter-day gems from more recent productions like "Don't Cut Me Down", and cuts from "2" and "Indigo".  Most glaring omission are two wonderful duets:  a top 10 hit called "I Can't Help It" with Andy Gibb and the sweeping atmospheric love song "Fly Away" with John Denver, both of which would have served to recognize the artist's ability to wrap her lovely voice around any melody.  But this is not a critism per se, and instead a plea for a more comprehensive career retrospective, which we can all look forward to.

GOLD is - simply said - a MUST OWN COLLECTION of one of the greatest voices of our time.  This is a soundtrack to our lives, courtesy of the magical angelic voice that IS Olivia Newton-John.
4238366
Mystery Of Love packs an emotional punch. It's clearly the best track on Donna Summer's eponymous album. The melody and chorus seem to have been intentionally written for her vocal delivery, and Quincy Jones' production of course is first rate. It's been reported that Geffen was unable to release this track as a single because James Ingram demanded a co-billing credit for the track as a duet. That's unfortunate because his contribution, although fine, really isn't significant enough to merit co-billing. I can't recommend the entire "Donna Summer" album, but the track Mystery Of Love is certainly a worthy purchase.
4133416
First off this set is superior to TimeSpace and Enchanted. The treat here is the DVD. You get to hear Stevie's comments on each video and she has something funny to say about each one. You'll see that Stevie isn't as serious as you might have thought she was. The other real treat is the Bella Donna recording sessions videos. Long time fans will really love this CD/DVD, casual fans will want the CD which has some killer live tracks, but die-hards have been waiting for this DVD. Speaking of the live tracks, one can only hope that the full Melbourne show gets a release someday. The orchestra works really well, the strings playing the riff on "Edge Of Seventeen" is very cool.

Well worth the wait and long time fans won't be disappointed.
3687369
You will never regret buying this album, it is worth the money and the investment. Well produced indeed. True Donna Summer.
2546397
Donna Summer is the unchallenged Queen of the disco era, and this storybook album is perfect evidence to this fact. From the beginning to the end, the listener is taken on a personal journey through Donna's story and you get the feeling you know the story as well as your own. The music is killer, and Donna's voice just soars through the highs and lows of her world. If you own one Donna Summer CD, it should be Once Upon A Time ... it is sheer perfection.