Customer Reviews

Wildest Dreams

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In the 1980's, the now legendary success story of Tina Turner made her one of the biggest female recording artists ever. Her days of loneliness with Ike were over, and she now back on track, with multi-million selling albums such as "Private Dancer," "Break Every Rule" and "Foreign Affair." A greatest hits collection, "Simply The Best" followed in 1991, with the soundtrack to the autobiographical movie on Tina's troubled life, "What's Love Got To Do With It?"

Fans were left eagerly awaiting Tina's latest release - her first album of brand new songs in seven years. It arrived in September 1996, and was called "Wildest Dreams." The album has experienced moderate success in America, but big sales have been achieved in Europe where Tina is by far at her most famous. The album produced many Top 10 hits and further proved that - now in her 60's - Tina Turner is still a rock legend and a true force to be reckoned with.

Wildest Dreams opens with the fantastic song "Missing You." This cover-version is absolutely fantastic, and Tina's vocals are very impressive. Heavy guitars and drums are added to awesome effect and violin strikes towards the end are particularly enjoyable. A fantastic Tina classic. "In My Wildest Dreams" is another highlight. There is only one word to describe this song - sexy! Tina's vocals are gravely and husky in such a mysterious tone, and the beat is deep and moody. The lyrics are equally intense, and a vocal guest appearance from Antonio Banderas spices things up even further. With "Whatever You Want," Tina goes back to her hardcore rock roots by pumping out this absolutely amazing power ballad and sings to her lover, telling him that whatever he wants, he can have. "Do What You Do" is a pure pop dance number. An infectious beat dominates the song, and Tina's incredible vocals twist around the arrangement perfectly.

"Thief Of Hearts" is a brilliant dance number in which Tina hits the disco floor and belts out a fantastic song about loving guys, giving them what they want, and running away while stealing their hearts. "On Silent Wings" is a wonderful mid-tempo ballad which will relax any listener. Tina's vocals are once more on top form, and the beat is very open and beautiful. You can imagine Tina stood on a mountain top singing this song, because it has such an excellent melody. "Something Beautiful Remains" is an average song on this album. It's not the best song, but it's good enough with some great lyrics and a mysterious beat. "Confidential" is another highlight. Penned by the Pet Shop Boys, the song is about Tina telling her lover that she can keep anything confidential if he indeed confides in her. The melody is relaxing and tranquil, and Tina's voice is smooth and silky.

"The Difference Between Us" is not featured on my version of this album, so I cannot comment on it. "All Kinds Of People" is a wonderful mid-tempo song about the various races in the world, and how everyone is equal. A real quality power anthem. Tina's cover-version of Massive Attack's "Unfinished Sympathy" isn't as good as the original version, but it's a worthy effort. "Goldeneye," the theme from the James Bond film of the same name, is another album highlight. Tina's trademark husky vocals make this song sizzle, and the traditional strings of a Bond theme are also present. "Dancing In My Dreams" is an excellent ballad in which Tina sings about dancing in her dreams. There isn't much of a beat, but the drums make for a heavenly kind of image in the brain.

OVERALL GRADE: 9/10

Wildest Dreams is not Tina Turner's best album, but it does come very close to being so. It seems that at present, Tina Turner is taking a well-deserved break after a hectic 40 years in the music business. The woman deserves all her success and the fact that her record sales are fast approaching 100 million is something to be very proud of. Wildest Dreams is the kind of album that you can put on to chill out or relax to. It's definitely not a party album, but it's not meant to be. Buy it now and experience this legend.

This 1996 release is equal to Turner's chart-topping"Private Dancer" in scope, delivery, and production. Anydisc that features a duet with Barry White ("In Your Wildest Dreams"), the best James Bond theme ("Goldeneye"), and two smoking versions of a supremely crafted song ("Something Beautiful Remains") deserves to be purchased. When these and other songs are performed by the lady with one of the best pipes in music, the listener wins hands down! The cover and inner photography of the lady and those magnificent legs are worthy of the cost alone. Other diva-wannabees should stand in line far behind the real thing!

This was Tina's first album of new material in seven years, and it really stands out as a first-rate album. Just exactly why it really went nowhere is a complete mystery. Again overseas, it was huge, with many massive hits. Here in the States, it disappeared. One could blame her record company for not promoting it well, or radio for not playing it, I really don't know. I do know, however, that this is a great disc. Her cover of "Missing You" is incredible. She seems to spit out her scorn for who has done her wrong in the lyrics of this song, and makes it her own in the process. For sheer sexiness, "In Your Wildest Dreams" is SO awesome. The song also features the late, great Barry White in a co-lead singing spot, and it really works well. The rest of the album has a romantic, edgy feel that is so fresh for Tina, and it seems she had a ball doing it. The James Bond theme, "Goldeneye" is on this disc, and it actually fits in the scheme of the album surprisingly well, as most movie songs stand out like a sore thumb on albums not directly attached to a movie project. Overall, Ms. Turner is in fine form vocally, and the album has a great feel to it. It does stand as one of her best overall efforts, and is well worth getting.

Turner's discography has been held to the standard of the amazing 1984 comeback record "Private Dancer" since it's release. While efforts such as 1987's "Break Every Rule" & 1989's "Foreign Affair" came close, no gold in breaking the rule of "Private Dancer" being de-throned as Tina's best solo album.

Then, in 1996 "Wildest Dreams" came along. Now, while ironically this was Tina's most disappointing commercial record in the States, overseas this record would soar well beyond double-platinum status. With commericiality aside, "Wildest Dreams" to me ranks as Tina's finest record in her post-"Private Dancer" catalogue. It is uniform, cohesive, yet there are the elements of sass, romance, & Tina's soulful voice that make this record standout.

Clearly, living in Europe for over a decade had worn off on Tina. While she hinted at this on the look of the predecessor to this album, "Foreign Affair", with pictures of Tina in French cafe's & a such; the record was an American pop/rock record. Here, while you could at first say this a typical "American R&B" album, upon closer inspection, there is a loose, romantic European sheen woven throughout the whole album. It's mood is very European. From the vintage black & white cover with Tina wearing a short skirt & black jacket, to the fashionable approach the record takes.

This is due to the produers, some of Europe's finest, who helmed the project. From Nellee Hooper, the Pet Shop Boys, U2's Bono, all help "Wildest Dreams" shine.

The title track is a steamy duet with the late-Barry White, which has to be heard to really enjoy. The duet seems fresh, sensual, & over a cool ambitious melodic riff & creeping beat, sizzles. Other highlights include the theme to Bond film "Goldeneye" (one of my favorite Bond themes!) which finds Tina getting brassy, "Confidential" is simple Euro-pop at it's finest. This cut finds Tina just relaxed, giving a cool, almost detached delivery, until the chorus where the emotion of being involved with someone who won't be open with a relationship overtakes Tina.

Tina's vocals are in perfect shape as demonstrated on the soul workout of "Whatever You Want" & an awesome cover of 1980's pop staple "Missing You" which starts off quiet, then explodes with Tina's voice & the arrangement follows suit.

I had previously bought "Twenty Four Seven", this album's follow-up first, this record blows that out of the water. "Wildest Dreams" is Tina at her most soulful, sensual, & fun. Highly recommend to any music fan.

I feel sorry with the appreciation that the US has for Tina Turner and her record company aswell.
Since 1989 when Tina released "Foreign affair" seems that there's not a support for her in this country. The example is that "Foreign affair" turned out to be the best-seller album back in 1989 in Europe, the selling arrive close to the 7 million, whether in the US was only certified Gold (up to 500,000 copies).The singles "The best" and "Steamy windows" were successful but not in the magnitude that they had been in Europe or Asia or even Australia, ("The best" reached #15 and "Steamy windows" #39 in the US).
In 1991 Tina released her last album with Capitol Records ("Simply the best" which sold several million copies) and signed with the EMI family. Her first work with them wasn't a new album, it was the soundtrack of her biogical movie "What's love got to do with it". The first single was "I don't wanna fight" which was a hit in the US peaking at #9 and "What's love?" was certified Platinum.
But the time that all Tina's fans were waiting came in 1996 when she released her first new album after almost 7 years. The up-coming album was "Wildest dreams" which had a wonderful production, the songs in the album are great aswell are the lyrics. "W.D" has special features by Sting, Barry White and Antonio Banderas.
The album came out in Europe in may of 96 and was a hit, the first single "Whatever you want" was going up to #1 all over Europe and then in october of the same year was the release of WD in the US, the first single was the 1984 cover "Missing you" which sounds wonderful from Tina but the song went nowhere it only reched #16 in the Hot Adult Contemporary and WD wasn't even certified Gold in the US, it sold around 450,000 but I think that the fault is actually from her record company because thay don't promote her much.
The album it's full of energy with songs like: "Whatever you need", "Do what you do", "Missing you". "W.D" also has great love songs such as: "Something beautiful remains", "Confidential", "Dancing in my dreams" and the wonderful "On silent wings".
It's a pitty that Tina lost the chance to return after 7 years with a big success in the US because the album also had the theme from the James Bond's "Goldeneye".
Tina made a world tour during 1996 and 1997 were she sold-out all the shows and sang in front of 5 million people.
The results of "Wildest dreams" were 3 Top 10 hits in Europe. Multi-Platinum status in the UK, France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Iceland, Platinum in Greece, Holland, Germany, Norway and other and Gold in Australia, Japon, Korea and China.

Wildest Dreams was Tina Turner's second CD for Virgin Records in the US and it went...nowhere. The album reached double platinum in Europe where a different (and much better!!) version was released 6 months earlier. The album however contains some really good tracks and "Whatever you want" must have the best Tina vocals since "River deep mountain high" was recorded in 1966. It was a mistake to take John Waite's "Missing You" as lead single in the US. The song sounds ok, but is not really exceptional. "Whatever you want" was released as the lead single in EU (accompanied by one of the greatest Tina videos ever!) and became a smash hit. To make things worse Virgin decided to release "In Your Wildest Dreams" as second single, a duet with Barry White, who apparently did not approve of the video made for the single because he looked too fat ( Barry, please, YOU ARE FAT!). The European release had no Mr. White on IYWD, but had some sensual spoken sentences by Antonio Banderas instead which worked much better. Other great tracks on the album are "Confidential", "Something beautiful remains" and "Dancing in my dreams". But why she recorded "Thief of Hearts" is still a mystery. The lyrics are so stupid...Tina must have felt the same about it because the song was dropped of her playlist very soon during the "Wildest Dreams Tour" in 1996. Overall, a mediocre album with some outstanding tracks but (unfortunately) also some filler material which was better left out.

I saw Tina's tour on Oprah's Tina month in 97, and watched her perform the title track with Barry White. And hearing it on CD, this CD is truly dreamy. Beginning with a great cover of John Wait's "Missing you," and the mysterious, sultry, dreamy title track, "In your wildest dreams," a duet with Barry White. Antonio Banderas is on the European version-whom she credits. The haunting "Whatever you want me to do," "Do what you do," and some-what dancy "Thief of hearts." "On silent wings" is a sad good-bye; break-up love song. Haunting "Something beautiful remains," the sultry "Confidential," "The difference between us." The anthem-like "All kinds of people" and "Unfinished sympathy." And the haunting, chilling, mysterious, soundtrack to the movie "Goldeneye." "Dancing in my dreams" is really a put-together of all the songs on here. The booklet's filled with great pictures, credits, (makeup artist king Kevyn Aucoin). This is one of Tina's more relaxing, smoother albums, but its calm, mysterious, haunting, chilling, dreamy, and romantic. I love it.

I grew up listening to TinaTurner being played by myolder brothers and sisters,and I have grown to admireMs. Tina. I have been to 3of her concerts and haveLOVED each and everyone, and I do plan to attend herconcert in 2000. I would give anything to meet Tina.I love her music and haveworn out her "Wildest Dreams" CD. That is why I am getting another one.

Go get the american release:
Better pictures in the booklet, one extra track (THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US) and a hidden one (an alternate version of SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL REMAINS).
The rest is in general what you'd expect from a Tina's album...lots of R'n'B and Rock mixed up to pop success.
Whether she covers John Waite's MISSING YOU or UNFINISHED SYMPATHY by Massive Attack, whether she blows you away with an energic WHATEVER YOU WANT (co-written unexpectedly by dance diva Taylor Dayne...) or entices you through the James Bond's theme of GOLDENEYE, whether she sings songs written by The Pet Shop Boys (CONFIDENTIAL), Sheryl Crow (EVERY KINDA PEOPLE) or Brenda Russel (DANCING IN MY DREAMS) she keeps on proving to the audience that she is a living legend in her own right just like Barbra or Cher or Aretha.
Thank God for the Tiger of Rock!

I live in Russia, during the USSR here it was practically impossible to hear foreign music on TV or radio. Therefore I have got acquainted with Tina enough late, somewhere in 1988-89 (after the "perestroyka" begins). Then one of the Soviet singers has made the song on music from "We Don't Need Another Hero", and one of the TV channels has shown a video to "Private Dancer". Already after that I have strongly become interested in creativity of Tina, but have fallen in love with her (forever!) after "Goldeneye". I think that "Goldeneye" the greatest song of all times and peoples. Except for it on an album there are some excellent songs - languid, sexual "In Your Wildest Dreams"; the most beautiful "Dancing In My Dreams"; the real cry from the heart "Whatever You Want" and "Missing You" (in studio version it sounds rather weakly, but live Tina perfom it so tremendous, that there are tears of admiration on eyes!). Unfortunately, there is also an awful track - "Thief Of Hearts". I do not understand till now, what for it was recorded! In Moscow Tina did not perfom "Thief Of Hearts", but I saw video from other show so I can testify - with live perfomance the song sounds also disgustingly.

Other songs are simply good. Very good. In a result an album included only one bad song (the big rarity for today's show business!), six very good, four excellent and one great. Deservedly received 5 stars!

PS: sorry for my english