Disco Photography: Donna Summer

Donna Summer dancing at Studio 54

Sunset People

 

Here is a new remix of Donna Summer's iconic "Sunset People". I've always loved this one and the instrumental parts are fantastic so I had to do something with and transform it. Enjoy

Disco Monk · Sunset P (Monk's Edit)

and here is the long version for the hardcores:

Disco Monk · Sunset P (Monk's Suite Remix)

Trans Trans Trans Europe Express, Try Me Try Me Try Me

June is all about being all inclusive and unpredictable! Here is Kraftwerk's classic "Trans Europe Express" going into "Metal On Metal" with Ms. Ross "Love Hangover" on vocals segueing into Donna Summer's "Try Me" and feature the  sounds of  the birds of Clinton Hill.  Twenty-five minutes of madness. Enjoy!

PRS

Happy weekend! Here is a remix hot of the oven at this here music bakery. I'm paying tribute to  two of my favorite Disco Queens Donna Summer and Grace Jones while pedaling some twisted turns playing around with some instruments and voice. A journey into sound while flipping the script. Hope you enjoy it!

Disco Cover Art: Bad Girls

Bad Girls LP - Japanese version

I'm starting a new series called Disco Cover Art. It will be devoted to interesting cover art and of course with a song to go along with it. Here is the first one from a Japanese version of the Bad Girls LP by Donna Summer.. The cover artwork has Ms. Summer in the role of a prostitute. Giorgio Moroder produced it and made an appearance on the inside of the gatefold sleeve as a prospective sex buyer approaching Ms. Summer. It was also produced by Pete Bellotte.  Here is the amazing throbbing "Lucky".  Enjoy!

Lucky - Donna Summer

Winter Melody: Missing Donna

Here is some sweet Donna Summer to warm you up during the cold winter nights! I'm missing this lady around this time of year.  Wishing everyone a very joyous and happy of holidays filled with kindness and peace. Much love!

Disco Monk/Dj Glamjack

Winter Melody - Donna Summer

I Feel Love

During 1978, the idea of a live disco album seemed almost laughable; that the album was by the crowned Queen of Disco, Donna Summer, whose studio creations were polished to a futuristic gloss never seen before by producer/writers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, seemed unheard of. The naysayers forgot, however, that Donna Summer possessed one of the finest voices not only in disco, but in all of pop music. The live portion of this tri-folded LP combines Summer classics with unexpected but excellent covers of standards like "The Way We Were," and a medley of "The Man I Love" and "I Got it Bad and That Ain't Good." The studio material includes Summer's theme to The Deep, "Deep Down Inside" and the sublime 17-minute version of "MacArthur Park Suite"  The entire LP was mostly recorded live at the Universal Amphitheater, Los Angeles, California. The band during this recording included: Donna Summer (vocals); Mike Warren, Peter Woodford (guitar); John Santulis (violin); Dick Spencer (alto saxophone); Don Menza (tenor saxophone); Joe Romano (baritone saxophone); Bobby Shew (trumpet); Bruce Paulson (trombone); Doug Livingston (keyboards); Sal Guglielmi (bass); Keith Forsey, Richard Edelman (drums, percussion). I truly enjoy listening occasionally to this live recording on vinyl from start to finish.  On that same year, disco and Hi-NRG pioneer Patrick Cowley created a 15:45 remix of "I Feel Love" which, despite not impressing Moroder, became a popular "underground classic" available only on acetate discs. The remix used loops, keeping the song's bass-line going for extended passages of overdubbed effects and synthesiser parts.In mid-1980, Cowley's mix was released with the title "I Feel Love / I Feel Megalove" and subtitle "The Patrick Cowley MegaMix", but only on a limited vinyl pressing by the DJ-only subscription service Disconet. Since this pressing was not available to the general public for commercial sale, it became highly sought after by collectors.In 1982 the mix was released on a commercially available 12" single in the UK market by Casablanca, backed with an 8-minute edited version. With this wider release, "I Feel Love" became a dance floor hit again, five years after its debut. A further-edited 7" single reached #21 on the UK singles chart.  Enjoy!

I Feel Love (Live Version) - Donna Summer

Donna Summer 1948 - 2012

 

This has been the hardest and most devastating loss I've experienced from any performer who has left us so far.  I'm not sure if is the shock of her untimely death at only 63 or just simply realizing how much this legendary icon has been such an influence in my life.  I have been going around in circles deciding what to write and can't even find the words to express the love I have for Donna Summer.  I remember hearing for the first time the historical and radical "Love To Love You Baby" coming from my mother's record player as I giggled silly at her orgasmic moans and strange sounding tempo.  It was not until the age of fourteen in 1981 when I fully became enchanted by her magic. During that time she already held the indisputable title of Queen of Disco and was already transforming her music and crossing over into a more pop, rock, experimental, R&B, electro funk and new wave sound.  I was in the middle of nowhere outside Managua, Nicaragua teaching the "campesinos" how to read during the early years of the Sandinista government when a fellow "brigadista" had the cassette version of On The Radio: Greatest Hits Volume I & II.  We would listen to the record over and over and act out every epic song in it for months in my humble room and I knew then my life would never be the same again.  I had no clue what she was saying on those songs and worse yet, Disco was officially and stupidly declared over by mass culture by then and went underground again.  Nevertheless, I was entranced by what came out of that cassette player and was mesmerized like everyone else by the warmth, purity, love, sensuality, soul, magic, edginess and clarity of that mezzo soprano voice.  Jellybean Benitez put it perfectly on CNN recently when he said "how she was always accepting of club culture and her songs were about love, falling in love, being in love, enjoying life... since disco before her, was all about 'get up get down let's boogie, let's dance'...she brought something different and unique...and that's why her songs are still played today and still putting smiles to people on the dance floors".   Also, I have to say it  has been extremely difficult to choose which songs to include here that could do justice from her extensive list of brilliant songs and mixes that surpassed and defied any genre.   Her incredible talent, amazing live performances, the soulful beauty and clarity of her voice that actually became even more powerful as she aged always remain true.  I could probably devote a whole blog of her music alone.  In this case, I rather let the music speak for itself. She had an amazing life and a legacy that will continue to inspire generations to come.  My heart goes out to her husband Bruce Sudano, their daughters Brooklyn and Amanda as well as daughter from a previous marriage, Mimi.  I love to love you Donna Summer!

The beginning....

Lady Of The Night - Donna Summer  

    

Need A Man Blues - Donna Summer

Dance Into My Life - Donna Summer

Bad Girls (Demo Version) - Donna Summer

Unconditional Love - Donna Summer

Carry On (Histeria Radio Mix) - Donna Summer

I'm A Fire - Donna Summer

Donna Summer 1948 - 2012

Previous postings on Donna Summer:

I Feel Love

Autumn Changes

Disco Photography

"Dream team" : Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder

Disco Photography: RIP

Two Legends reunited in Disco heaven! Michael Jackson & Donna Summer

Be Yourself

Easter break is ovah! Back to school and to end it on high note here is the 1999 club classic "Be Yourself" by Celeda.  The song was written, produced, keyboarded and drum programmed by the legendary Danny Tenaglia.  Ms. Celeda is a Chicago native whose contribution to the dance music world has been unparalleled.  She has empowered the dance floors for almost two decades with her voice and flawless productions.  Need I say that collaborating with Mr. Tenaglia was a match made in club heaven.  They were the Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer of the '90s! They made brilliant, flawless and heart stopping dance music that literally took you on a journey of 'sounds and beats' with all their tracks now considered classics.  I remember being in dance rapture when Tenaglia dropped this song for the first time during his residency at club Vinyl during the late '90s.   Today I was bike ridding over the West Side Piers right by the old site of The Tunnel  and was spooked (in a good way) when listening to this song bookending a great podcast by Neal Schtumm (listen here) .  I was surprised how timeless and brilliantly redeeming this song still remains.  So here it is children in its full glory and don't forget to always "be yourself and no one else"....Enjoy!

Site of The Tunnel club, NY
.

Be Yourself (and No One Else) - Celeda

Autumn Changes

This love of ours is gradually fading
something is wrong, or somebody's faking

Autumn changes
shifting phases
autumn changes
turning stages
surely something can help to patch it up

Too many nights sitting here waiting
too many days hoping and praying

Something inside seems to be dying
most of the time I just feel like crying

Autumn changes
shifting phases
autumn changes
turning stages
surely something can help to patch it up

Oh yes we can, sure we can
sure we can, sure we can

Autumn changes
shifting phases
autumn changes
turning stages
surely something can help to patch it up

Oh, yes we can, sure we can
sure we can, sure we can 

I had to post the lyrics on this one since I have been thinking of posting this wonderful song by disco legend Donna Summer for quite a while and couldn't find the appropriate time.  Until now! This is side two of the classic 1977 Giorgio Moroder production of Seasons of Love.  A concept album that explores a love affair through out four seasons.  "Spring Affair" was the one that became most popular but I'm loving the Caribbean feel of "Autumn Changes" here and not to mention the slow dance part of "Winter Melody" and then coming full circle with a reprise of "Spring Affair". Simply a disco classic that couldn't be more timely and timeless.  Here is "Autumn Changes"Enjoy!

Autumn Changes - Donna Summer

I Want To Rock With You

I have been away this whole weekend upstate communing with nature and there is nothing better than to re-energize at the site of trees and breathe the mountain air.  Recently I posted a picture titled "Artist in his studio" from this legendary and one of my favorite '70s producer, songwriter and performer Italian native Giorgio Moroder, who is credited to bring synthesizers to the front with his significant influence on New Wave, house, techno and electronic music.   Giorgio founded the former Musicland Studios in Munich. Well known for his work with the legendary Donna Summer with  the groundbreaking disco songs  "Love to Love You Baby" and the pulsating "I Feel Love" revolutionizing dance music.   He has worked with The Three Degrees, Sparks, David Bowie, Irene Cara, Madleen Kane, Melissa Manchester, Blondie, Japan and France Joli.   Mr. Moroder did some ground breaking film scores as well.  The theme from the film Midnight Express "Chase" won him an Academy Award for best film score in 1978.   Here is a wonderful song called "I Want To Rock With You" featured from his 1979 classic LP E=MC2.  The text on the album's cover stated that is was the "first electronic live-to-digital album".   He has also released  three albums between 1977-1979 under the name Munich Machine.  During the '80s Moroder worked with Philip Oakey of The Human League releasing "Together in Electric Dreams" and created the score for the film Top Gun.  Also, in 1984  he compiled a new restoration and edit of the famous silent film Metropolis and provided a contemporary soundtrack to the film known as the "Moroder version".  In 1997, Moroder reunited with Donna Summer and won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for the song "Carry On".

I Want To Rock With You - Giorgio Moroder

Back with Brooklyn Dreams

Back in Brooklyn from a nice vacation.  I saw Las Vegas, Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. Then I was off to Lafayette, Louisiana to meet my new two month old nephew.  Life is good and had a great time traveling, site seeing and spending time with family.  Now I'm back in old NYC and excited to be posting in Disco Monk again.  Here is a song called "Music, Harmony and Rhythm" by Brooklyn Dreams from their self titled Casablanca debut 1977 album.  Brooklyn Dreams was composed of  Joe "Bean" Esposito, Eddie Hokenson and Bruce Sudano.  Esposito provided lead vocals for the band and played guitar, while Sudano played keyboards and Hokenson played drums.  Their biggest hit was "Heaven Knows", Donna Summer's single which featured Esposito on the second lead and the group singing backup.  Later on they released Sleepless Nights and Joy Ride in 1979 with some commercial success.  Esposito went on to solo success with numerous movie soundtracks, notably Flashdance, The Karate Kid and Coming To America. I love this song and it puts me in the right mood and looking forward to Autumn.  I hope this does the same to you.  Enjoy!

Music, Harmony and Rhythm - Brooklyn Dreams - Casablanca