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Donna Summer

Bad Girls (Deluxe Edition CD)

Mercury Records - Chronicles Records - The Island Def Jam Music Group (US) / 2003 / B0000683-02
Two (2) CDs in jewel case

Produced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte
*-Produced by Donna Summer and Juergen Koppers
**-Produced by Donna Summer
+-Produced by Gary Klein for The Entertainment Company in association with Giorgio Moroder Productions
++-Produced by Giorgio Moroder

Disc One:

Bad Girls (remastered)
(Casablanca NBLP-2-7150, originally released May 1979)

1. Hot Stuff (5:16)
2. Bad Girls (4:55)
3. Love Will Always Find You (3:59)
4. Walk Away (4:31)
5. Dim All The Lights (4:41)
6. Journey To The Centre Of Your Heart (4:37)
7. One Night In A Lifetime (4:12)
8. Can't Get To Sleep At Night (4:46)
9. On My Honor (3:33)
10. There Will Always Be A You (5:03)
11. All Through The Night (5:59)
12. My Baby Understands (3:58)*
13. Our Love (4:53)
14. Lucky (4:38)
15. Sunset People (6:27)
16. Bad Girls (Demo Version) (4:00)** (Bonus Track)

Disc Two:

12" Singles And More

1. I Feel Love (8:15) (12" single NBD 20104)
2. Last Dance (8:11) (Promotional 12" single NBD 20122 DJ)
3. Mac Arthur Park Suite (17:35) (12" single NBD 20148)
4. Hot Stuff (6:47)/5. Bad Girls (4:55) (12" single NBD 20167)
6. Walk Away (7:15) (Promotional 12" single NBD 20226 DJ)
7. Dim All The Lights (7:12) (Promotional 12" single NBD 20193 DJ)
8. No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (Duet with Barbra Streisand) (11:44) (12" single NBD 20199)+
9. On The Radio (Long Version) (7:35) (From the original soundtrack "Foxes")++

After scoring her first Number One double album ("Live And More") in late 1978, which gave her the first Number One single of her career ("Mac Arthur Park"), along with a Top Five follow-up ("Heaven Knows"), Donna Summer didn't realize how pivotal her next album release would be. "Bad Girls", Summer's third consecutive double-album, deviated from the disco style Summer's fans were accustomed to. Instead, an array of blistering guitars came into the fold, stripping away the piercing strings and bringing in a R&B feel that almost felt like a stranger.

The first single released from the album was "Hot Stuff", a hard-edged disco/rock hybrid that took many people by surprise. Casablanca head Neil Bogart was not sure if the public would accept Summer in such a way that challenged her "disco queen" status, but his instincts proved wrong as "Hot Stuff" reached Number One on the pop charts within weeks of its release. Casablanca didn't even bother waiting for "Hot Stuff" to lose its fire when it released "Bad Girls" as a single. This record, like its predecessor, was another rock-tinged tune, with lean, sexy lyrics and its now-famous "beep beep" and whistle-sounding hooks. "Bad Girls" also reached the top spot on the Pop charts, staying there well over a month and going platinum in the process (as did "Hot Stuff"). For a couple weeks in June/July 1979, both records were in the Top Five simultaneously, something Summer would duplicate later in the year with the third single release, "Dim All The Lights". Written by Summer, "Dim All The Lights" was a stellar record. With Summer wanting you to "turn up the old Victrola", its pleasing melody and arrangement showed how much talent Summer had musically.

All four sides of this double album are strong; the third side shows Summer in a different light, though not totally distant from the others. "On My Honor" was written by Summer and soon-to-be-husband Bruce Sudano, a member of The Brooklyn Dreams (who teamed up with Summer on her hit "Heaven Knows"). The poignant lyrics matched brilliantly with the steel guitars and airy, somewhat spacey ambiance. "There Will Always Be A You" was a wonderfully-written ballad penned by Summer. The closing cut on the third side, "My Baby Understands" was pure power-ballad; in the "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad" (Meat Loaf) tradition but with Summer's special touch (she and Juergen Koppers co-produced this record).

The last side brings her back to her musical roots, so to speak. Summer reunites with her electronic past in a three-song segue that intrigues, mystifies and leaves you wanting more. "Our Love" is a hypnotic pedestrian love song, but then comes "Lucky", with its liquid rhythms and eased-back metronomic sound. This is probably one of the most compelling cuts here. Its dark and raw approach in both the words and the music seem to contradict the somewhat innocent aura of "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls". "Sunset People", the finale to this two-record set, is a picture of a weekend night on Sunset Boulevard, with all its seediness and thrills. The music doesn't attempt to conclude the record with a bang; rather, it leads one to leave wondering, "Where to next?" Perhaps it was this laid-back approach that makes "Bad Girls" one of Summer's best albums ever, and sealed her mark as one of the greatest voices of her generation.

This "deluxe edition" of "Bad Girls" also includes a bonus record, a demo Summer recorded of the title track. This sounds quite organic compared to the official treatment it would receive.

The second disc in this set consists of a number of 12"'s from Summer between 1977-80. It's kind of become a cliche these days that any new Donna Summer release will be a greatest-hits package, and that is true to a major extent. It is no different here, but her 12"'s are as enjoyable and as listenable as her Casablanca output. The major flaw from this is that the version of "Mac Arthur Park Suite" included here is not the version from her "Live and More" album; this one is the altered version with the radio mix of "Heaven Knows" and an unfortunately-edited "One Of A Kind". Also, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Casablanca Records was cold to remixes or alternate versions of its material; the 12" of "Dim All The Lights" is abysmal. Just one listen can justify that notion. A reprise of the first two minutes or so of the song after the LP version ends is not the way to extend records. The memorable "On The Radio", from the soundtrack to the movie "Foxes", is a good way to end this deluxe extravaganza. Clocking in at 7:35, it is the version not on Summer's "On The Radio" greatest hits release and until now was not easy to find anywhere (except on the four-disc "Casablanca Records Story").

"Bad Girls" is one of Donna Summer's best albums and an awesome display of singing, songwriting, and musical direction. Buy it! (It is also available without the second disc inside).



Listen to Mac Arthur Park (Suite) by Donna Summer:


Listen to I Feel Love by Donna Summer:


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Submitted by Salsoul1975 (5)