Customer Reviews

I Will Survive: The Anthology

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This 2CD-set is the definite Gloria Gaynor-compilation. Although Gloria Gaynor has always been referred to as "The Queen of Disco", she actually only had a limited handful of hits, and her albums were - with a few exceptions - never as memorable, magical and coherent as Donna Summer's albums, so far they haven't been released on CD either but with this set, there really is no need for it either. The full-length 8-min. recording of ... yes ... "I Will Survive" opens the ball, and it strucks me every time I hear it what an all-time classic this song really is! Next is of course Gloria's ground-breaking side-long medley of "Honey Bee", "Never Can Say Goodbye" and "Reach Out I'll Be There" from her first LP, and Meco Monardo's tight production and Tom Moulton's excellent mix is still outstanding. Her two subsequent LP's "Experience Gloria Gaynor" & "I've Got You" followed the same concept, and both 18-min. medleys are also included here, and although the songs didn't make the same impact on the singles charts, "Casanova Brown", "(If You Want It) Do It Yourself", "Let's Make A Deal" and "Be Mine" are brilliant. For her fourth album, "Glorious", miss Gaynor teamed up with disco maestro Gregg Diamond, the slow jamming 9-min. dance delight "Most Of All" is included here. At this time, Gloria Gaynor was however having a hard time regaining the disco throne, and her "Park Avenue Sound" album from 1978 didn't help her much. The two tracks included: "This Love Affair" and "You're All I Need To Get By" are pleasant but forgettable, but then came "I Will Survive" from her "Love Tracks" album which is also represented here by a funky 12" mix of "Anybody Wanna Party". Following up such an enormeous success is definitely an ungrateful task, Gloria and the Dino Fekaris/Freddie Perren-team did try with "Let Me Know (I Have A Right)", a strong song in itself but too much a plagiate of "I Will Survive" and from then on it went downhill with her two last albums on Polydor, "Stories" (1980) and "I Kinda Like Me" (1981), although the title track of the latter is quite enjoyable. There's a couple of competent adult ballads on the set's second disc as well as her terrific disco version of "Walk On By" from her second album. The only thing, Polydor really didn't have to include is the 1993 remix of "I Will Survive" with Gloria sounding like Minnie Mouse, the original mix stands as strong now as it did then. Gloria's Hi-NRG version of "I Am What I Am" from 1983 (which made the UK Top 20) would have been a more essential inclusion but it wasn't released on Polydor. Still, this is a masterpiece compilation, the impeccable design + booklet with extensive liner notes and pictures and credits of all the albums.

Gloria Gaynor was undoubtedly a creature of 1970's disco, and many would agree, a creation of her producers. She wasn't as big, or as important a star as Donna Summer, and some would call her a one-hit wonder. But she was there, she survives, as does her work, and this 2-disc CD album is a great way to get it for her most devoted fans; it gives us more of her hits, and her covers of similar material, although it unaccountably skips some of her most popular things.

However, the album's got a great, intensely danceable 8-minute track of her signature song, "I Will Survive," and that should be reason enough for some fans to buy it. That song surely is great dancing; and is an anthem as well, and that not just for women. I recall once having seen a segment on the mid-East country Lebanon, at war with itself, on CBS's "60 Minutes." That segment included a night club scene: Gloria Gaynor there, singing in person, and her beleaguered fans, male and female, dancing their hearts out. And who can forget Kevin Kline's joyous dance to this song in the movie "In and Out?" I was once lucky enough to catch her in person myself, under the stars, one muggy summer evening at New York's World Financial Center, that used to lie alongside the World Trade Center. Seemed like half New York was there, and they set up a syncopated call-and-answer: "Go Gloria, Go Gloria." Touching, unforgettable? You bet. In fact, it leads me to believe that any female, between the ages of fifteen and sixty-five, in the English-speaking world, at least, who claims to be unfamiliar with singer and song is not to be trusted on any other matter, either.

Great collection ! Everything is here -including the fantastic « Anybody wanna party » in its 12" remix. Well, almost everything is here... Still missing : « Substitute » (the 8:30 version) and « Sobreviviré » (« I will survive » in spanish). And why « I kinda like me » is edited ? Anyway, this is the best Gaynor's collection available.

Polygram's issued one or two previous hits packages for Gloria Gaynor in the past, which would probably do it for her most casual fans. But devotees will want to grab this two-disc collection that dips a bit deeper into her catalog. Everybody's got "I Will Survive" and "Never Can Say Goodbye" on a cd somewhere, but (much) less frequently-heard tracks like "Let's Make A Deal", "Real Good People" and the extended version of "Anybody Wanna Party" are further proof that Gloria's got a a sincere and completely entertaining style that happens to work very well on pop/disco-styled tunes from the '70s. They're just good songs that are fun to listen to whether they were chart-toppers or not. Part of Gloria's appeal as an entertainer is that she isn't full of herself or claiming to be anything more than a good singer/entertainer and these songs have a real heart to them. The anthology tends to dwell on her earlier releases, neglecting some great cuts from her last two Polygram albums (like the track "Ain't No Bigger Fool" from the "Stories" album). All considered, however, this anthology does a pretty good and thorough job. And by the way, although she hasn't had major hits in the US in some years, Gloria still hits the top ten in Europe (beyond the endless remixes of her past hits). Most recently, she had big success in Italy and the UK with the singles "Oh, What A Life" and "Set Me Free"...so let's not write her off yet. She deserves recognition for her work beyond "I Will Survive," as landmark a song as that was, and this anthology is a fitting tribute. I can't wait for volume two!

I bought this with some reserve only because I have bought other Gloria Gaynor Greatest Hits only to be dissapointed to the songs not being original or different version's of the songs. However, this Greatest Hits cd is the best! All original, full length songs...a real "party" cd! I am so happy and very pleased with this cd that my other Gloria Gaynor cd's that I have, I have sold, this cd replaced all of them!

the two faults with this collection are the inexplicable exclusion of 'i am what i am', a gaynor classic as much as 'i will survive', and the fact that the songs are not placed chronologically; otherwise, it's the best overview of gaynor's career, and the only place where one can get on cd the versions of the medleys as they originally appeared on the LPs, i.e. in their entire duration; it is also interesting to see how gaynor progressed from a belting vocal style at her beginnings to a more mature, more assured and sophisticated phrasing in the early 80s, when she was also a much more convincing interpreter; the problem with gaynor is that she really had only a few great songs; most of the stuff here is barely acceptable, and it runs the risk of becoming quite annoying; the 'honey bee/never can say goodbye/reach out' medley is by far the best and most engaging of the three offered here, but the other two are much less interesting; there are several gems here, ommitted from other compilations, such as 'i love you cause', 'when you get around to it', 'don't read me wrong', and 'i kind of like me', all exquisitely delivered by gaynor; the loooooooong version of 'let me know' is boooooring, they should've included 'don't stop us', a great gaynor song

However, like a few other people, I am disapointed a few key tracks like Substitute is missing. I think the song selections showcase Gloria's diversity in song selections and let's people know that she is a lot more than the singer that sang "I will survive". Hopefully Universal will reissue her "Love tracks" album on a double cd set with bonus cuts on cd #2, like the original I will survive in Spanish and the 12 inch mix of Substitute as well as the radio edits of I will survive and Substitute. Just a thought anyways. Peace out.

Truly,one of the best artist from the disco era,you will enjoy and treasure this cd from the queen of disco.Having grown up with this music,I must say that if you are a disco fan,you need this cd in your collection!!Most,if not all of the songs are sure to bring back all those nights dancing with your girlfriend into the late late night!!How high the moon.brings back a certain night with my girl.never can say goodbye,the day Rhonda left.You will enjoy this cd and listen to it for years to come.Dance,dance,dance baby!!!!!

Will

This is a satisfying compilation of Gloria Gaynor's music from the 70s/80s. Although her music was not as progressive or versatile as Donna Summer's output, Ms. Gaynor's style is gritty and soulful, and tunes like "Do It Yourself", "Substitute" (not on this comp), "Real Good People", "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Honeybee" are classics. And the 12" remix "Anybody Wanna Party" is a dance floor shaker! Essential disco/dance music that belongs in any dance music collection.

i'm seeing reviews over here that claim for the complete edition of the gloria gaynor discography. it looks like BBR is trying to do that, but don't compare this woman to donna summer not even in the ancle. with this set & another where i have the song going out of my head (this is an album that i will get when it comes wit all the extended versions)from love tracks & in this one, the three linked chains, most of all (wich i also have saint tropez version from 78) let me know, you're all i need to get by, walk on by, i will survive,& anybody wanna party 12" is very enough for a good collection of the sucesses of this great singer the other 10 tips that they throw are enough to complete a good compilation of her discography & yes i agree that the remix is incomplete & absurd. let's just wait for love tracks, so we can hear again substitute(well, i have it myself, but i will like to have that complete album anyways, not pieces of it here & there).