Customer Reviews

Four Seasons of Love

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm surprised that most people find this album as so typically disco while the only song that truly comes off like that "Spring Affair". The song is very light and danceable. The other songs to me feel like they have a very deep soul vibe. The mix of horns and bass make "Summer Fever" feels like a disco meets '70s R&B heat. Maybe her sexiest non-moaning number seventies song. "Autumn Changes" is sophisticated dance sounds with longing vocals and great use of wind instruments. "Winter Melody" is probably the best example of hot seventies soul although it's so sad. It feels like the emotional high point in a action film like "Shaft". In fact, it might have fit in perfectly in something like that or "Foxy Brown". The numbers are perfectly in place and describe a relationship very well. From the love at first sight ("Spring Affair") to passion ("Summer Fever") to problems ("Autumn Changes") and just plain heartache ("Winter Melody").

I don't know, but I'm I the only one that hears all the soul and lust in the album rather than just cleaver disco arrangements. I think this was Donna's first, only and best seventies soul album. Hear it for yourself and see what could have been a great singer of classic R&B. Also these are some of her best written songs at the time. Of course, Donna's awesome disco hits that would come later on is nothing to sneeze at either. Just another cool side of Summer.

When Donna Summer first hit in 1975 with "Love To Love You Baby,"
it was tempting to dismiss her as just another voice planted in the middle of a disco groove, who would be forgotten almost as soon as the beat faded off the charts. Indeed, her first two albums featured Summer's voice at its highest; its breathiest. Their sales success notwithstanding, one couldn't help but wonder if there was anything to Donna, other than Oooohs and Ahhhhs. Four Seasons of Love answered that question. Donna still
is singing in a wispy falsetto, but it is the WAY she is singing
that captures one's attention. She is sounding like a professional in this album, trying to get the most meaning out of
each new phrase. Four Seasons was a successful expansion of some
of the drama of her previous concept album, A Love Trilogy. Here,
Donna explores four stages of a love affair; stages that anyone who has been in love can relate to-- especially those who have loved and lost. "Spring Affair" captures the hope and optimism that come with new love. The beat is bouncy, the mood of the song
is bright. You can cut Donna's sense of anticipation with a knife, and she sings as if she's completely involved in her new feelings. As "Summer Fever" takes over, Donna and her new lover can do no wrong. The guitars and bass twang and throb with the heat of a newfound passion. Love is burning bright, and Donna obviously loves playing with the fire. But then come the "Autumn Changes"! The beat slows. The mood fluctuates. Donna begins to questions things, as woodwinds replace the brass that punctuated
the first two songs. She is vulnerable and almost somber in her tone, as her lover begins to pull away from her. Then comes the "Winter Melody." Her man is gone. She is alone. The beat is even slower, like a heart that wants to stop beating. The strings
in the arrangement are drenched in pathos. Pain is all around.
But even as that pain becomes distant and starts to fade, we hear

anew the throbbing bass of "Spring Affair." The reprise leaves us
to wonder if Donna and her man have been reunited... Or if she is
thrilling to the sensations of a completely new man in her life.
With this album, Donna Summer rose above and separated herself from the likes of Gloria Gaynor, Carol Douglas, Claudja Barry, Thelma Houston, Amii Stewart, and on-and-on. Even a pop icon like
Diana Ross ventured into Summer's domain on "Love Hangover." But
Donna Summer was uniquely suited to sing the suites of songs that
filled so many of her albums. Soon to follow this album were the themed sets Once Upon A Time and I Remeber Yesterday in 1977, and
Live And More hit #1 in 1978, a feat matched by Bad Girls the following year. By that time, Donna had almost completely ditched
her falsetto, and was proving herself to be a great songstress. Four Seasons Of Love, with its vivid images of the exhilaration of spring; the carnal heat of summer; the uncertainty of autumn;
and the bleakness of winter, gave us our first hints of Donna Summer's incredible staying power.

I still have the original vinyl album my folks bought back in 1977. For a start, what a beautiful cover! Donna sitting on the moon. What a great idea! She was by then the true disco queen. The original album had a 1977 4-leaf calendar with Donna in four different seasons (the cover image is the Summer). When I bought the cd I was happy to see that the original calendar art was reproduced.

The record itself is nothing lees than great. Donna sings beautifuly and the four tracka are a great example of great disco sound. Later, disco became a bit stupid, but these Donna Summer recordings are from a time when disco was at its best.

Spring Affair is a warm song with lot of rhythm and we can see the taste the producers printed into the material. A great orchestra with top players. Summer Fever has a bass you'll never forget and (again) a great beat. The back vocals have that distinct echo we only find in 70's disco sound. Autumn Changes is another rhythmic gem with flutes and syntethizers. Winter Melody slows it all and turns the "mellow" mood on.

This is one of the best albums ever produced in the Disco era. Every one who lived at that time will remember it instantly. A great buy.

On her third release for Casablanca Records Donna continued to build her reputation as the Queen of Disco, yet this concept album started her journey to be so much more.

Like the 2 releases before this, Four Seasons of Love gave Donna another gold record, AND, another gold single for the albums centerpiece, Spring Affair. This track reinforced Donna has the evolving Disco Diva and her producers, Giorgio Mororder, and Pete Belotte as the production team to watch.

The other "seasons" were far more diverse. Summer Feaver hinted at the rock edge that Donna always had, and would later allow to come to the forefront. Autum Changes focused more on the pop side, with ovetones of her sensual side, and Winter Melody would be the first in a string of great ballads that would grace most of her future releases.

This would be the last of Donna's albums to feature only one song on side 1 (in this case, Spring Affair), and it layed the groundwork for her more intricate concept albums.

Back in the day she was known for her concept albums. Parti-
cularly this one where she sings about the four seasons.What made this one special is how a song overlap into the next one. Keeping continuity although the rythms change. Besides the
famous "Spring affair" I have a preference for "Winter Me-
lody" and "Autumn Changes". Even the harmony of the back up
singers make this an unforgettable classic. Add it to your collection.

It was 1976 and disco was the king and Summer was the queen. "Four Seasons of Love" was Summer's third American release and it continued the trend begun by her first two: sexual innuendos and catlike purring meshed with sensual strings, bass-laden rhythms, and stirring sax solos, all the signature trappings of Moroder and Bellotte, Summer's collaborators.

The first two tracks, "Spring Affair" and "Summer Fever", are your basic, garden-variety disco tracks, allowing the singer occasional vocal freedom but depending heavily on the instrumental background. This is probably due to the "theme" of passions being at their height during the warmer climate.

"Autumn Changes" slows the tempo down somewhat with its Caribbean influences while "Winter Melody" is more subdued, allowing Summer to do more vocally, although both bear the unmistakable stamp of their creators.

That withstanding, the album is a nice reminder of the times and the singer that ruled the airwaves and the disco palaces of the decade.
1. Spring Affair - 8:30
2. Summer Fever - 8:04
3. Autumn Changes - 5:29
4. Winter Melody - 6:28
5. Spring Reprise - 3:50

according to Donna Summer. This was the first Donna Summer album I bought and I bought it for "Winter Melody," a touching song about love that leaves. This album showed that Donna was no "one hit wonder," a tag she could have easily gotten after "Love to Love You." This project did have more of an R&B/disco feel with "Summer Fever" and "Autumn Changes" being the example of that type of vibe. Donna's vocal on "Spring Affair" was smooth and classy, disco at it's best. Donna set herself apart from most performers of the era by having a theme to her albums. Whether she was singing about love (as she does on "A Love Trilogy" and this album) or "Bad Girls," (looking for love) Donna was an original and a talent that would survive the Disco Era.

1976 was a busy year for Donna Summer. First "Love To Love You" peaked on Valentine's Day, then she released "A Love Trilogy" Album and right after that--"Four Seasons Of Love". Donna recorded Trilogy and this album back to back at Musicland studios. The result was another smash hit album. Four Seasons tells the story of a one year love affair; season by season. And Donna breaks free of the breathy sex siren image, listen to her hit the high notes on "Spring Affair' and "Summer Fever". The album puts one in mind of the song "Boogie Nights" and a smooth Jazz sound. Spring and Summer the first two songs are like Jazz & scat. While Autumn and Winter are pop and blues. listen to the way Donna handles the verse of "Winter Melody"; it's a combination of country, soul and R&B. "Four Seasons Of Love" is a classic . Add it to your Summer Collection.

This was one of numerous concept albums Donna Summer has released in her dazzling career. More like an EP really as there are 5 tracks on it but what a fab collection. It was also the third Gold album in a flood of Gold and Platinum awards for Summer.

The concept was as the title states; the four seasons of love, starting with the giddy, happy feeling of falling in love in spring, the affair becoming scorching and intense in summer, the affair taking a downturn in autumn, and going cold in winter, and then a revival the next summer. A concept Destiny's Child would use for their most recent `Destiny Fulfilled' CD.

This was also reflected in the four stunning photos on this CD (the original vinyl LP included the four photos in a pull out calendar, each representing a season). The cover shot of a very sexy looking Donna reclining on a moon, and the Marylin Monroe aping shot with Donna's dress billowing up around her are the most famous.

Getting into the music, we start with `Spring Affair', a catchy upbeat dance affair replete with strings and horns (excellent sax by the way), and Donna cooing seductively in her trademark falsetto.

Next is `Summer fever', (this was my favourite especially because I felt Donna was singing this to me as I was born in the summer, LOL!) a horn and bass laden magical sounding piece with a hesitant sounding beat. Standout here have got to be the parts where Donna hits incredibly high notes.

`Autumn changes' is a richly orchestrated number with a very melancholic falsetto from Donna. There is also a wonderful break that has a slight reggae/calypso feel and what sounds like Caribbean steel drums playing. Beautiful!

Next, we get the sounds of a winter storm heralding the jazzy ballad `Winter melody', with Donna singing in a sad, lower register in the verses and falsetto for the chorus. You can almost see and feel the snowflakes. Great strings, guitars and horns.

`Spring affair' gets reprised.

Four songs but each intricately constructed with numerous changes and twists, totally different from what everyone else was doing then...

my mom had a copy that i borrowed one day. i had no idea of the songs or anything; all i knew of donna summer was hot stuff, etc. half an hour later i was enraptured and wondered why they don't make this stuff anymore. such a warm sound, excellent to hear on cd w/good headphones. it's a shame 2 hear present-day r&b/pop music that is used 4 romance and then listen 2 this. u will burn all the modern stuff. yes, only a half-hour long but u will be different a half-hour later.