Customer Reviews

Lady of the Night

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This 1974 pre-Love to Love You Baby album is a real eye-opener! Donna's voice would not sound this clear and strong again for several years, which helps you to better understand why she expressed some frustration at being pigeon-holed as a disco artist. Don't get me wrong, NO ONE is a bigger fan of Donna's disco classics than I am, but the formula did tend to limit her to a lot of whispering, cooing and groaning, at least in the beginning. Here, the voice rules, even when the songs can't compare--which is often, unfortunately. Many of the songs are standard '70s pop drivel (sorry, Giorgio), like some of what Olivia Newton-John might have been stuck recording at the time (no offense to ONJ either). "The Hostage" ranks right up there with other story-songs like "Timothy" and "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" (you decide if that's a good or bad thing!), but "Let's Work Together Now" and especially "Lady of the Night" hint at themes we'd be hearing more of later. A must-have for serious fans of the diva (a title bestowed these days on WAY too many less talented gals; hello Britney, Christina and Beyonce), and an interesting listen for music historians too.

Donna Summer's debut album from 1974, produced by Giorgio Moroder & Pete Bellotte, is significantly different from "Love To Love You Baby" that she was to record the year later, although side 2 of that album is a lot in the vein of these folk/rock songs found here, mostly telling stories about people, like - obviously - a girl who's the lady of the night ("It's just a job and she'll do the best she can"), the cheesy phone conversations and dramatic string arrangements in "The Hostage", the girl who goes to a carnival and meets an attractive man behind a mask but never gets to find out who it was ("Domino"), another girl who wants her boy friend to be more than "Friends", etc. etc. Although it really is nothing special, I find myself liking this simple album surprisingly much indeed, and it's one of Donna's most enjoyable vocal performances. We're not that lucky to get Donna's debut single "Denver Dream" / "Something's In The Wind" + another non-album track "Virgin Mary" included as bonus tracks but it's great that this album has become available on CD.

My introduction to this album was in the early 80s. I watched Donna sing `Lady of the night' on reruns of The James Last Show (a German TV show), and our vinyl LP of `Love to love you baby' had `The hostage' tacked on as a bonus track. I didn't get to hear the entire album until 2000 when I found it in the UK. I half expected some dud but this turned out to be rather good.

`Lady of the night' was Donna Summer's European debut, written largely by Pete Bellotte, and produced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, the singles found some success in Belgium, Germany, and a few other European countries.

More in a folk/rock/pop vein, and sung in Donna's real voice, it was miles away from her later stuff; the breathy cooing disco of `Love to love you baby', `A love trilogy' et all.

A number of the songs tell stories. The midtempo `Domino' with its jangly guitars tells the tale of meeting a tall mysterious masked stranger at a dance. The dramatic half spoken/half sung `The hostage' with ringing phones and a catchy chorus tells the story of a kidnap gone awry. The big band sound of `Lady of the night' tells the story of a Parisienne lady of the night, years before `Bad girls'. The ballad `Friends' (with do wop sounding backing vocals) is a tale of childhood friends grown up, and one wants to be more than just friends.

Other standouts are the frenetic piano driven `Wounded' featuring a fiery vocal performance and some screeching guitars. Like an Elton John rocker. The (almost corny) ballad `Let's work together' asks `why can't we all get along' and features some dreamy backing vocals in the chorus. The almost ABBA like `Sad song' and the rocker `Born to die' are really brought to life by Donna's vocals. Like a reviewer pointed out, these are simple, almost ordinary songs, transformed by Donna's vocals, astounding in range and power even at this young age.

After this album, Donna Summer would go on to conquer the world selling millions of singles and albums, and winning Grammys in 4 different categories. This is where it all started. Essential to every diehard Summer fan. Make sure you get the copy with the original cover art shown here and not the awful red/orange reissue.

I am a diehard Donna Summer fan but i have waited to buy this cd to fill up the void that we fans go through when we continue to wait for new material. So i was jonesing for something new and gave in. I love it...donna's voice is what shines here. She can truley sing anything and this disc proves this once again. Its really a short album but fun. Domino & wounded stand out for me. if you are curious i suggest you purchase this and get a glimpse of something of what might have happened had disco not exploded with love to love you baby!!!ummer...yet....

Lady of the Night showcases Summer's vocals in her own natural and powerful range without the falsetto sound that she would undertake with her later disco format.Yes, it is dated pop-European music with a bit of a folk flavor to it. However, it was refreshing to hear something old yet new and in a way never heard of before performed by Donna.This album was more substance than style.Quality over quantity. This is an essential for anyone's Summer collection. One note, however, there are at least two different c.d. photo cover slip cases circulating as an import. The first re-issue of the album has an orange and red cover with a photo of Donna in her later years in an unflattering photo and tacky logo design (this is the re-issue). The original contains a much younger Donna wearing a cloak and hood (she also has less make-up on) posing by a tree. Also, the logo typing and letters are done in red against a black background. This is the "real"c.d. import copy true fans want...

5 stars for Donna's voice. 4 stars for the not "too hip" sound (still different and new for some)...

What a wonderful feeling it is to buy an unfamiliar cd and find that it exceeds your expectations! That is exactly what this cd did for me! Donna's collaborations with Georgio Moroder in the early years is what you get with this bundle of joy. The music here is reminiscent of "The Wanderer" album....pop-rock with a touch of soul. It does not even touch on being "cheesy". I am glad to have this piece of work. Donna's voice shines and sounds three dimensional here.

I think this was her first album. Never released in the states, I picked this up on a trip to Vienna. It was a must-buy. It sure did surprise me. The music is closer to that on "The Wanderer" than "Bad Girls". Not a trace of disco to be found. "Born to Die' is a chugging little rocker that could have been a hit, in my opinion back in the 70's. "Hostage" is a story song that really should never have been put on record. The title song is really nice. "Let's Work Together" is another good song. Really the songs on this album are really not that memorable, but still I am glad I bought it. I was the envy of a few people that love Donna and did not know of this cd's existence.

Donna Summer shows in this cd, probably more than in ANY other, the incredible power and range of her voice. "Lady of the Night" has to be one of her best performances ever!!!!! If you do not own it already, get it NOW!!!!!!

I never knew this album existed.It wasnt released in the United States. It truly shows her range of music talent. I hope more people discover the album.

Ever wonder where Donna Summer's career would have gone without Love to Love You, Baby? Lady of the Night gives us a glimpse. The collection of songs are folksy and very mainstream pop a la what Linda Ronstadt was doing at the time.

The voice is fanrastic, the songs are good, the production flawless.