Donna Summer's "I'm A Rainbow" album

[BrunoRepublic]

Originally Posted by Cmonnow!!

1. Why does it have to be a major label? There are plenty of others.

In North America, if it's not on a major label, it might as well not be released at all. It won't be on the radio. It won't be in the shops. Indie stuff here has near-zero distribution.

Sony/Epic plugged her 'Live & more, encore' album + 'I will go with you' but they could have released another album or another single/e.p. When I say another album I mean of completely new material. Did they seriously think that a 'greatest hits - live' album would sell millions?

Apparently.

2. Obviously as Donna hasn't been in the charts regularly for so many years she needs to get herself known to a younger audience and to reaquaint herself with her old fans.

Which will be a very uphill battle, since younger audiences are usually more interested in new and upcoming performers, and most of her old fans have stopped buying music. (Actually most younger people have stopped buying music too, but that's another issue).

"I Will Go On With You" was a modest success, but it was not the career-rejuvenating "Believe" cross-over hit that they had hoped for.

Most record labels are suffering these days because the material they are releasing is dross!

Totally agree with you there. :) But historically, dross has often sold in large quantity...

Charging $5-$8 for a CD5 with 2-5 tracks on it is a rip off.

We don't even get those over here; singles are basically extinct (actually, I think "I Will Go On With You" was the last one I bought). Usually, if you like one song, you must fork out $15 for the entire album.

A remix version of a CD5 is a rip off as well as most of the remixes are, again dross!

Agree with you there again...

I know there is a stigma with the radio stations who will not play her material in The U.S.

It's not just her; radio in North America has become so hopelessly corporate and rigidly formated that... never mind, that's another rant.

In Europe she is still huge but the public think (rightly so) that she has retired. Maybe she should release any new material in Europe first and work over there to sell it, then release it in The U.S.

Well, isn't that what she's done all along for most of the last 35 years?

[Cmonnow!!]

Hi Graham, I can see this is one of those topics that we could talk about for hours! I wish we were talking face to face on this one.

Donna's first 5 albums (I think) were first released in Europe plus 'Another place and time.' (And the CD5 'Carry on.') Everything else was heard in The U.S first.

You say that 'her old fans & most younger people have stopped buying music.' In The U.K CD sales are actually up!! I don't know about the rest of Europe.

Graham, what do YOU suggest Donna/record co. does to get to the top again?

[BrunoRepublic]

Originally Posted by Cmonnow!!

Donna's first 5 albums (I think) were first released in Europe plus 'Another place and time.' (And the CD5 'Carry on.') Everything else was heard in The U.S first.

Everything prior to "Love To Love You Baby" was Europe first (and only, I think), which is basically the "Lady Of The Night" LP plus a slew of obscure singles.

Technically, since her 70s output was recorded in Europe, it would've been "heard" first there :) -- not sure if it was technically released in Europe or USA first, but it would've been around the same time.

Did "Carry On" even get a US release?

You say that 'her old fans & most younger people have stopped buying music.' In The U.K CD sales are actually up!!

They're "steady" now. The UK is bucking a worldwide trend in this regard. Sales of singles are way down though.

Graham, what do YOU suggest Donna/record co. does to get to the top again?

I don't know, because I don't know if it can be done at all.

First of all, the current situation in the music/media business makes it all but impossible for anyone who doesn't fit the format have any success.

Second, and more importantly, the music industry is and always has been about the young. Young people want to see and hear things that they can relate to, that are new, exciting, and different (or at least appear to be). When you were 16, how many 50+ year-old performers did you listen to? And most older fans aren't interested in hearing any new material, no matter how good it may be -- they just want "No More Tears" or "Bad Girls" again.

[EricHG23]

Carry On did get a US release int he early 90s--I have the single, on the small dance label InterHit records, with mixes by Chris Cox who parlty ran the label (he's now half of Thunderpuss).

You're So Beautiful actually is a mix of a song that was recorded for the album Sony promised us after VH1 Live and More Encore. Read some of the DOnna boards--this is why fans are mad. She had a full album she'd been recording for over 2 years largely collaborating with Linda Perry (Pink's stuff, Christina Aguilera's ballad Beautiful), Tony Moran (who did Beautiful) and Metro (which I think is a perfect combo even if it'll bring up Cher comparisons). She had over 20 tracks and was just whittlign them down when Sony dropped her last Spring (they dropped a lot of names--including to my surprise Will Smith).

Apparantly she had been picked up by tommy Mottola so there's some hope that now that he's spearheading a "new" casablanca records that he'll pick her and her album up for that but who knows. I suspect the album is too expensive for anys maller dance label liek Tommy Boy.

If I was Donna I'd be annoyed too--this is at least her third album to be shelved. I *really* hope we get to hear this material sooner than later.

Oh she has yet another Greatest Hits comign out at the end of the month called Journey--the catch? It has *two* brand new songs produced by Moroder

E

[Sami M]

Nice thread here :D

I too got the I'm Rainbow album on cd as soon as I could. It was a small dissappointment. Especially when IMO the strongest track Romeo had already been published over a decade before. I always loved it though.

Good to hear that it was probably ment to be a mix of one record side. Guess it would have been in the same manner as Amii Stewart's record by Moroder at about the same time (can't remember the name now). The a-side of it is quite good, the b-side is not Giorgio.

Yeah, it's a real pitty Donna isn't around anymore. But on the other hand e.g. Jocelyn Brown is quite active and has provided few quite succesfull club hits in last years. Could it be that Donna keeps her price and value too high? Bad managament? It's not very wise becouse I have no doubts that with a good song she could score a major hit. After all she is amongst the few disco artists people know. How many youngsters know Jocelyn Brown?

[keefelc]

This is a little off topic, but I just read that Donna will be the guest performer at Bette Midler's annual "Hulaween" Benefit in NYC. For those of you that aren't familiar with Hulaween, it's an annual event to raise money for the New York Restoration Project which Bette is heavily involved.

Hmmmm... a chance for Bette and Donna to perform together? Why not? Bette duets with Linda Ronstadt on her upcoming "Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook". They are singing "Sisters" together, which perked up Marky's ears when I mentioned to him!

Anyway, could this be the start of Donna reemergence in the musical world???