Donna Summer Album: “Live and More”

With the deletion of MacArthur Park Suite, a 17 minute masterpiece, this CD is not worth purchasing. If you can get a hold of the original vinyl 2lp set you'll know what I mean. Why would any record company remove the gem of this release? Just think - someone consciously made that decision.

RJM

Having owned the original vinyl album, this CD is missing the all important 18 minute studio recording of the "MacArthur Park Suite".

Even though there is a disclaimer in fine print on the inside jacket explaining why the "Suite" had to be removed and replaced with a numbing slow-tempo track, the record company was wrong in releasing this CD with the original jacket cover from the vinyl. Without opening the jewel box plastic wrapping, one would never know why the original live and studio recorded tracks were not faithfully reproduced.

However, in my opinion, this CD contains the greatest live disco recording ever: on a scale similar to Peter Frampton's "Frampton Comes Alive" 1976 album.

If this CD was a true reproduction of the vinyl, I would have rated it 5 out of 5 stars.

It's been such a long time ago (I think about 1979 or so) that I bought this first Donna Summer album. Only two songs (MacArthur Park and Last Dance) had been in my head for months, not knowing who the superb singer was. Even not knowing that both songs were from the same singer!! (wasn't I silly??). But ok. I was young and innocent :-)) I had some singles from other artists and I saw this album (in vinyl) at a local soul record store. I discovered those two songs that I loved so much! And I saw the cover (wonderful pictures of Francesco Scavullo) Donna Summer and I was hooked. I saved four weeks pocketmoney and finally at home I was infected by 'Summer fever'. Not only I heard superb live recordings of an amazing singer, the orchestra was lavish and huge, the crowd excited and the rythm irrisistable. It was the kick off for me to buy more Donna Summer, to buy ALL Donna Summer. So you can imagine what an impact this album had on me. It's a historic and dance masterpiece. Even more classic and historic because it's live! Not many artists in the disco era had the same impact live as in the studio! Donna Summer rules here! With fierce power and speed she sings through a lot of her disco classics and some fine ballads. Even bluesy tunes. Highlights are Faster and Faster, Spring Affair, I Love You, My Man Medley, Try Me, I Know We Can Make It, Love To Love You Baby (have you ever heard another artist so convincingly erotic?) and I Feel Love. It demonstrates again that Donna was not only a gifted singer, but also one with range! Missing on de cd version of this album is the full length MacArthur Park Suite (including songs Heaven Knows, One of a Kind), replaced by the long version of Down Deep Inside. And of course the whole coverdesign and art, but that's common for compact discs :-) For me this was the entrance too the whole range of Donna Summer recordings. Do you need more impact and persuation? I do not think so :-)

The opening piano chords of `Once upon a time' and the crowd's rapturous welcome open up this masterpiece `Live and more', arguably one of the best live albums ever.

The energy captured on this album is infectious, and the quality of the recording very good, much like a studio recording. It put paid to critics who claimed Donna Summer was a producer's creation and a studio-only singer who could not reproduce her music convincingly live.

Boy, were they wrong! This was Summer's first #1 album in the US (certified double platinum), and (from the original vinyl LP) her first US #1 single in `McArthur Park' (certified gold for sales of a million, and a Grammy nomination for best pop song) and a #4 hit in `Heaven knows' (gold disc for sales of a million).

The concert featured lots of songs from her classic `Once upon a time' album; `Once upon a time', `Fairy tale high', `Faster and faster', `Rumour has it', and `I love you'.

Also featured were songs from `I remember yesterday'; `I remember yesterday', `Love's unkind' and a very energetic performance of `I feel love' during which the band is introduced, after which it takes a sort of gospel chant of `Feel it'.

`Spring affair', `Try me', and `Love to love you baby' were also performed, as was her recent smash the dramatic `Last dance' which was a #3 gold certified million seller, Grammy winner (best R&B female) and Oscar winner. This song would become her signature tune in years to come.

There was a segment dedicated to jazz standards, `My man medley' comprising `The man I love', `I got it bad and that aint good', and `Some of these days', showing how easily and well she could adapt to different styles.

There were a few ballads; Barbra Streisand's `The way we were', and the new songs she co-penned; the retro sounding jazz tinged `Only one man', and the tender yet emotional and powerful `Mimi's song' written for her daughter Mimi who was on stage for her mother to sing it to her. It was an attempt to explain to Mimi why mommy wasn't always there, with lyrics like `I made a spectacle of myself/and it seems that the whole world needs me', and we sure did need her!

This CD replaces the fantastic `McArthur Park suite' with the extended version of her UK top 5 hit `Down deep inside' which was the theme from the movie `The Deep'. Penned by Summer and John Barry, this was a mid tempo atmospheric sounding number interspersed with moans, piano, and sweeping strings.

`McArthur Park Suite' comprised the psychedelic disco hit `McArthur Park', arguably one of Summer's best and widest ranging vocal performances, featuring darting horns and great electric guitar, the funky horn laden `One of a kind' with great electric guitar and hand claps, and the bouncy `Heaven knows' (a duet with Joe Esposito of Brooklyn Dreams), the latter two co penned by Summer. Presently, McArthur Park Suite' is available on `The dance collection' and `Bad Girls Deluxe edition'.

The original album sleeve photos were stunning, taken by the legendary Francesco Scavullo and perfectly captured the energy, fire, colours and beauty of Summer's music. Unfortunately, only two were reproduced here, and not even the original cover shot was used.

This CD should be re-mastered and re-released, probably as a deluxe set a-la `Bad girls' with ALL the original album photos and liner notes included. A DVD of the concert wouldn't be out of place too, would it?

The 1970s disco era yielded numerous one hit wonders - people who belted out tunes to the monotonous disco beat. However, the queen of disco, Donna Summer, was one of few to survive beyond the genre thanks to her own vocal versatility and artistic need to demonstrate her range. At the height of the disco era, her live record, LIVE AND MORE, demonstrated that she was ready to shake off the disco machine and mature into a pop artist. The live tracks on this record were taken from a Hollywood Bowl concert. Here, her usually pristine Mordoer/Bellotte productions are given generous and lush arrangements with a full orchestra backing her. By the time she's singing, "I Feel Love", the entire song has become less of that robotic Kraftwerk-like track to an eerie mantra of disco's coldest love song. The "more" side of the LIVE AND MORE record is the McArthur Park Suite - an extended dance track that takes the Richard Harris hit into a mega-vocal exercise that would give Celine Dion stomach cramps. LIVE AND MORE is a fascinating record, showing Summer at the height of her Vegas camp on the live tracks, and at the prime of the disco format. It would be the springboard to her move to BAD GIRLS, her best record. END