Customer Reviews

Keep the Fire Burnin'

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an excellent CD, which contains his greatest hits of the 70's / 80's (some in remixed and longer versions) and some newer songs from the 90's. From the 70's are the more known hits like Instant replay or Relight my fire. My favourits are the well arranged monster versions of Indigo/Relight my fire (11 Min.) and Countdown/This is it (14 Min.) and of course the title song Keep the fire burnin' featuring Loleatta Hollaway (My God, that lady has a voice!). I really enjoy that CD and I can listen to it from the beginning to the end (77 Min.) without getting bored. Thanks to Dan Hartman, Sony records, amazon.de and my postman!

I remember when I saw the late Dan Hartman on the old American Bandstand show some twenty-plus years ago that I thought "This guy has a lot of energy!" Well, this release showcases his hits as well as other dance tunes that he did so well. His last major hit "I Can Dream About You," produced after the heydey of disco, is here, as well his version of the James Brown song "Living in America" (which Hartman wrote). The thumping trilogy of "Instant Replay/Countdown/This is It" all mesh together to make one extended party jam.

But, it is the 10 minute-plus "Vertigo/Relight My Fire" which really "keeps the fires lit." This is an orchestral/rhythm section/percussion opus. Hartman just lets the vocalists, himself included, and the instrumentalists "cut loose" with a blaring, throbbing, and stinging amalgamation of discofied FUNK! No, this is not the original version, being a more instrumental one, but it still ROCKS!

SMOKING!

Dan Hartman's death in 1994 (see www.danhartman.com) was a tremendous loss to the music community. A singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Dan Hartman was one of the most talented individuals I have ever had the good fortune to listen to- and see perform Live... This CD is excellent- although it does not due justice to the amount of music Dan wrote, produced, and performed over the course of his lifetime. Keep The Fire Burnin'............

The only reason I can't give this fabulous CD five stars is because "Relight My Fire" is only the instrumental version. The background vocals are there (Lolleatta et al), however, the main vocals featuring both Dan Hartman and Loleatta Holloway are missing. I still love the song, but that's the only thing missing from an otherwise great CD!!!

This CD is very good, not excellent. I wish he would have included some songs such as "Love Strong" and "Hands Down". If those cuts were on this CD, it would rate 5 stars, no doubt about it. Dan was the best at making "feel good" music that made you want to dance and party-hardy. The content showcases his endless musical talents and imagination. Cuts like "Living in America", "Vertigo/Relight My Fire", and "Instant Replay" are Dan Hartman at his best. We lost a musical giant when he left us, but thank god Dans' music lives on. Anyone needing a great dance/party CD can't miss with this one.

They should have gone with the original versions and not with those stupid remixes. Relight My Fire is the best example. I was not expecting to hear an Instumental/Remix version. Original versions would have given the listeners the real taste of his music.

Dan was the most talented person in music and this best of type CD brings the real Dan out perfectly.All his hits are here as well as some excellent new stuff. The Love In Your Eyes should have been a #1 single and could be Dan's best song of all time.Whether you love pop,dance or rock grab this Cd because Dan could do it all and do it all well.Vertigo itself is worth the price of this CD!

DAN HARTMAN-KEEP THE FIRE BURNIN': DAN HARTMAN-KEEP THE FIRE BURNIN': Musical multi-tasker Dan Hartman first gained notice as bassist/co-lead vocalist for the Edgar Winter Group, writing and singing one of their best loved efforts, FREE RIDE. He then wrangled solo success in the disco era with the smash INSTANT REPLAY, one of the genre's high points. In the 80s, he popped out a couple of blue eyed soul diamonds, notably cult flick STREETS OF FIRE's signature tune I CAN DREAM ABOUT YOU. Behind the scenes, Dan produced Tina Turner's last big hit THE BEST, and wrote both James Brown's comeback anthem LIVING IN AMERICA and the much-sampled dance inducer LOVE SENSATION, which eventually morphed into MARKY MARK's hip hop classic GOOD VIBRATIONS (which is a world away from the BEACH BOYS tune). KEEP THE FIRE BURNIN' serves as the perfect funky white boy party platter, boasting a canny dancefloor remake of FREE RIDE, and many more signature stompers to rock your boogie shoes...even if you won't remember Dan's name, I defy you to chase his feelgood rhythms outta your head anytime soon.

RATING: THREE BASSLINES

I love Dan Hartman. I was very upset to learn of his passing back in 1994. I'm afraid this CD, which came out soon after, doesn't quite do justice to Mr. H's recorded legacy. It has the big pop hits (the awesome "Instant Replay" in its 5:19 LP version; the excellent "I Can Dream About You" in its Larry Levan dance remix; the just-OK "We Are the Young" in its LP version) along with "Countdown/This is It" and the artist's previously-unreleased version of "Living in America", which back in 1985 brought James Brown back into the Top Five. But...

It is truly strange that the version of "Vertigo/Relight My Fire" included here deletes Dan's lead vocal track. About nine minutes or so into it pops up Loleatta Holloway's featured vocal and the background vocalists, with Dan reduced to a couple of supporting "yeahs!" The arrangement is so brilliant that even this version is enjoyable, but most fans would no doubt want to hear the original version. Which, by the way, is available on the compilations "Billboard Top Dance Hits 1980" (Rhino), "Club Epic Volume 2" (Epic, although the original label was Blue Sky), and "Disco Dance" (Sony Music Special Products). Liner note correction: this song and "Free Ride" came from an LP entitled "Relight My Fire", not the "Instant Replay" LP.

Maybe licensing prevented inclusion of an actual Edgar Winter Group track, but the disco version of "Free Ride" used here seems a poor substitute. I would also have left off "The Name of the Game" and one of the two versions of the then-new "Keep the Fire Burnin'" to make room for "Hands Down", the top 40 hit "Second Nature" (from the "I Can Dream About You" album), and/or something from 1981's not-on-CD "It Hurts To Be in Love" (from which the title track and "Heaven in Your Eyes" at least made the Hot 100). The liner notes reference the 1989 'new age' CD "New Green Clear Blue"; a title from that would have been an odd fit, but likely the only chance for most fans to hear that aspect of Mr. Hartman's music. (I have that CD. I don't think there's a beat or a whistle anywhere on it.)

I want to call him "Dan" since his music is so upbeat and approachable, but it feels like too much of a liberty since I of course didn't know him. I'm just saying.

Finally, I would suggest that since most of...Dan's...material appears to be on the Sony label, a little licensing from MCA would make a dandy 2-disc "The Essential Dan Hartman". I'm just saying.

Dan Hartman's Keep The Fire Burning is great because It has a 1994 version of "I Can Dream About you" which is redone very good. Same thing with "Name Of The Game" Which are from my 1984 Dan Hartman album "I Can Dream About You" which is out of print. I also liked "Living in America" and Keep The Fire Burning. It really enjoyed this album.