Customer Reviews

Thank God It's Friday: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

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4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First, I happen to like the movie TGIF, and as someone who came of age in the Disco era, I can relate to this movie better than

that Travolta flick. The Sountrack discussed here is a great snapshot of Disco during it's peak year (1978). Motown wisely signed on to this project and although Casabalanca could have easily pulled it off on it's own, some of the tracks provided by Motown artists are true gems. "Too Hot To Trot" by the Commodores, with it's early Disco-Funk fusion balances the more Euro-Disco sound from the Casablanca artists, and "Love Masterpiece" is to me Thelma Houston's greatest song, and is far too overlooked. Had "Lovin, Livin and, Givin" had a better producer, it could have been a Disco Peak for Diana Ross. Other tracks not to miss include "After Dark" by Patti Brooks, "Find My Way" by Cameo, and "I Wanna dance" by Marathon.

Donna Summer's tracks include "With Your Love", "Je T'Aime" (the song that "Love To Love You Baby" was based on) and of course her triumph "Last Dance", a song that remains fresh and vibrant to this day. Donna also co-wrote and sings background on the funky song "Take It To The Zoo" recroded by her real life sister's group "Sunshine". To this day one of Donna's sisters Mary-Ellen sings backup vocals in Donna's live shows, and when you listen to this track you can easily hear Mary Ellen singing lead on the bridge to this song.

This movie and this soundtrack are not about social commentary and many of the other elements that Saturday Night Fever included in it's script, TGIF is about having a good time, and there is nothing wrong with that.

This is the abbreviated 1996 release from "Rebound Records" aka "great music, the second time around." It leaves off several tracks from the original release, including the deservedly touted "Je t'aime" (Donna's Francophile follow-up to "Love to Love You Baby" for all intents and purposes) and Thelma Houston's quite strong "Love Masterpeice." Also missing is Paul Jabara's (author of "Last Dance") intentionally hilarious "Trapped in a Stairway [locked out of your love]" (which hinged on a plot-point in the movie*) leaving only the extended and undeniably wonderful Pattie Brooks classic "After Dark" as a true swirl of deep-club dance paradise. Best use of a cowbell EVER! More pop/funk turns by the Commodores, Cameo and Diana Ross are quite welcome, but the full album (indicated by better packaging, ie a full-color cover) is preferable for dedicated disco fans.

*as disco movies go, TGIF isn't great, but it's also less laughable than, say, Roller Boogie or Can't Stop the Music. And it features the queen Donna Summer herself, as well as Teri Nunn, Jeff Goldblum and Debra Winger in early roles.

Dim all the lights, hang up the glitter ball, put on your disco duds and this CD and get ready for a fabulous night at the disco.

`Thank God it's Friday' is the soundtrack to the fun filled disco movie of the same name, starring Jeff Goldblum, Ray Vitte, and featuring The Commodores and disco queen Donna Summer. It featured a very noisy night at a disco called The Zoo.

The album made it to #10 in the US and was certified platinum. It featured disco tracks from acts like The Commodores, Cameo, Thelma Houston, Patti Brooks, and Donna Summer.

There were the brilliant, flamenco tinged instrumentals; `Sevilla nights' (great horns and guitars) by Santa Esmeralda and `I wanna dance' by Marathon, the funky horn filled `Too hot to trot' by The Commodores, the bouncy `Find my way' by Cameo, the synthesizer driven jittery `Lovin', livin' & givin'' by Diana Ross (obviously inspired by Donna Summer's `I feel love') and the hi energy `Love masterpiece' by Thelma Houston.

Other standouts include the Motown pastiche of Paul Jabara's `Trapped in a stairway' (he played the part of a guy who got, you guessed it, trapped in a stairway), Patti Brook's smooth and mellow `After dark', the slowed down steamy `Do you want the real thing' by DC Larue, and `Take it to the zoo' by Sunshine, a group comprising Donna Summer's sisters singing a song penned by Summer.

Then comes the highlight. Donna Summer!!! First up is the airy space disco of `With your love'. There is an extended version available on Donna Summer's `Dance collection' CD (along with extended versions of songs like `Hot stuff', `I feel love', and `Dim all the lights' to name a few).

Next is the 8 minute long `Last dance', the first of Summer's trademark ballad intro building into a disco smash, and back to ballad, and fast again. A dramatic piece, this was the highlight of the album and the movie. It won an Oscar, sold a million to earn a gold disc, hit #3 in the US, and won 2 Grammys, one for Donna for best R&B female performance, and 1 for Paul Jabara (songwriter).

Finally, Donna's remake of Serge Gainsbourg's `Je t'Aime Moi Non Plus', a midtempo, 17 minute long moan fest, similar to Summer's `Love to love you baby'.

A trip back in time to when people were carefree and disco ruled...

I briefly recall the movie for which this soundtrack was made, but I especially remember the music and songs from this album. The cuts were well-ordered, and the album was kind of like the "little brother" of the era's much-more-publicized "Saturday Night Fever" sountrack album. My brother was a local Boston DJ at the time, and he received a preview copy of this soundtrack before it was released commercially. One cut I remember especially liking, and which some people reviewing it may only have the version on the more-recent CD reissue to go by, is "Lovin', Livin' and Givin'" by Diana Ross. The original version from 1978 on the first album release was a completely different one from the one you hear on the CD reissue, or for some odd reason on all subsequent Diana Ross hit compilation albums or CDs. In fact, when Motown issued its extended disco vinyl version of this cut as a Ross single in '78, that's when the alternative "Euro" version seemed to first surface. On the original, Ross's version is much more frenetic, wrenching, upbeat and dancy -- it has none of that futuristic "I Feel Love" Donna Summer sound that one reviewer critiquing it must have gleaned from the CD reissue version. I wish that I could get a hold of Diana's original version of the song! It seems to have the same sound and vocal backings found on other Ross sessions of the era such as "What You Gave Me," which appeared on her "Ross" Motown Lp of that era. But overall, a great album throughout, too!

My profession: Disc Jockey

My favorite dance soundtrack: Thank God It's Friday

My favorite dance song (from the TGIF ST): I Wanna Dance by Marathon

(and yes I wish Casablanca had made a 12-inch of this)

If you have the video, Paul Jabara (Last Dance, Trapped in a Stairway) played the guy who should have kept his glasses on. Note: he also co-wrote with Paul Shaffer (David Letterman's band leader) "It's Raining Men" for the Weather Girls.

Also watch for the following gaffs:

After Donna Summer's crying in the ladies' room, her hair gets a new do in a few minutes, which should have taken hours. A rose is placed in her hair, but when she emerges from the ladies' room, it has moved to the other side of her head!

Pyrotechnics during the Commodores set had NO EFFECT on any of the dancers!

The scene where Donna Summer knocks over the pile of 45's to distract the DJ was SO commercially crass that I almost laughed out loud in the movie theatre! There were SO many things wrong, I have to list them: a) DJ's were NOT using 45's in the discos, just 12-inch singles or extended album cuts; b) when this movie was released, Motown was NOT played in the discos in favor of the Euro sound. So when they showed a close-up of the 45's on the floor that the DJ had to pick up, they were ALL Motown (and subsidiary) labels! Wishful thinking on Motown's part.

Ok, back to the soundtrack. I bought TWO copies of this album, just in case I wore one out! It's THAT good!

Holy Moly!!!! What a Great CD...I own the LP also..and the Movie..Music from Paul Jabara "Trapped in a Stairway" DC La Rue "Do You Want the Real Thing?" Diana Ross "Livin'Lovin'Giving..Cameo,The Commodores,"Too Hot Ta'Trot"..Love and Kisses with the Title Track..And of course Donna Summer!!!! "Last Dance"..This Is Da BOMB!!!Takes me back to those Good Old Disco Day's.....Pre AIDS,,Happy Club Times!!!! A+++++

"Thank God it's Friday" might not equal the success of "Saturday
Night Fever" back in the day. But is good to keep in mind that this was a combined production of Motown Records and Casablanca Records and Filmworks. Classics like Pattie Brooks "After Dark",
Love and Kisses "Thank God it's friday", Paul Jabara's "Trapped
in a stairway" and Oscar winning song "Last dance" are included here. Unfortunatelly there are other songs that missed the top 10
list that are excellent: Thelma Houston's "Love masterpiece" has
148 BPM (beats per minute) it could be cut as 12" single in an extended and remixed version back then. As well as Diana Ross
"Lovin, livin' and givin', Donna Summer "With your love" and Cameo "Find my way" missed their chance as extended play disco singles.

This is one of the first CDs I have ever bought and it never leaves my car. Thank God I have another in the house. I learned to roller skate, dance, and bike ride with this album. If you've seen the movie then the intenseness of the soundtrack is reached. If the movie has been lost on you ... find it. The height of the 70's is achieved. Cameo's 'Find My Way' is an echoing heartache of love torn away ... Donna Summer's 'Last Dance' was first seen and heard (her first 'starring' role) in this amazing underground cult flick. You'll also hear and see Mindy Cohn (Natalie - Facts of Life) in her first steps towards stardom. There's not one single bad riff, rhythm or word that comes off this movie or disc ... I highly recommend both.

How delightful, that this little marvel was finally re-issued on CD.

The film was a flop, so what ? (and it wasn't THAT bad), but the soundtrack brings back memories of Friday-nites in the disco and most of the artists and the tracks are very good, especially D.C. LaRue's "Do You Want The Real Thing" catches the spirit of the era, not to mention Donna Summer's film-debut.

A must for disco fans!

Caution to those buying the first edition of this 1978 disco soundtrack released for the 1st time on c.d. before the re-mastered 2nd version on c.d.; The first version is condensed and only has 12 songs while this newer version has all original 19 songs ! Another clue is the difference in price (I don't think many double cd packages,especially soundtracks are sold for just under $7). The next thing I agree with is another reviewer who stated that if you were not there or living during this period and old enough to remember this music period, you may wonder why bother now...Two reasons:nostalgic value and a few smoldering artists from that era that barely survived through disco. Artists like Donna Summer, Diana Ross, Cameo, and the Commodores were and are such artists.The rest were studio background session singers assembled for the temporary soundtrack needs (at that time) to compile this semi-masterpiece.TGIF never reached cult or chart burning status as it's mentor Saturday Night Fever a year before.TGIF,the movie, came across more as a tongue-in-cheek look at that era whereas Saturday Night Fever had a very serious and dramatic backbone to it...The best tracks on TGIF are the Donna Summer grammy winner Last Dance, Pattie Brooks' After Dark, Love & Kisses tracks, Diana Ross' Lovin',Livin',and Givin (comparable to Summer's I Feel Love). On Disc Two you get Sunshine (Donna Summer's background singing sisters--family related) singing a funky number called Take It to the Zoo and Santa Esmeralda's Sevilla Nights ( a flamenco flavored tune cloaked in disco). Also, check out early Commodore's To Hot Ta Trot. The rest of the tunes may disappoint due to their generic and poor representation of what music back then sounded like;It's definitley not Saturday Night Fever calibre. In fact TGIF is not the pinnacle or epitome of the disco era that some may think it was.There were a lot more artists and soundtracks of that era worthy of representing the BEST disco had to offer...