The Ultimate Collection (Donna Summer album)
Encyclopedia
The Ultimate Collection is a greatest hits three-CD compilation of recordings by American singer Donna Summer
released in the Netherlands in early 2003.
Unlike most of Summer's compilations, the 32-bit remastered Ultimate Collection includes the 16-minute album version of her breakthrough hit, "Love to Love You Baby
, the original 12" versions of "Theme from The Deep (Down Deep Inside)
", "Last Dance
", "Hot Stuff
", "Bad Girls
", the original album or single versions of her biggest hits as well as the early European singles "The Hostage
" and "Lady of the Night".
Disc three contains live recordings from the 1978 album Live and More
alongside a selection of rarities such as the 1990s remixes of "I Feel Love
" and "State of Independence
" and the full-length album versions of the 1979 duet "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)
" with Barbra Streisand
and "Je t'aime... moi non plus
" from the 1978 soundtrack Thank God It's Friday
.
An anomaly on this compilation is the heavily edited version of Summer's disco landmark "I Feel Love
" appearing on disc one. While the original six-minute album–single version has been included on a number of other career retrospectives, on the otherwise exhaustive three-disc Ultimate Collection the track is for some reason only three minutes eleven seconds in length.
The Ultimate Collection, packaged in a double gatefold cardboard sleeve - although usually listed as a box set, was released by the Dutch label CCM, a subsidiary of Universal Music Holland. CCM has previously issued similar three-CD Ultimate Collections by artists like Grace Jones
, Barry White
, Diana Ross
, Kool & The Gang
, Dusty Springfield
and others.
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
released in the Netherlands in early 2003.
Unlike most of Summer's compilations, the 32-bit remastered Ultimate Collection includes the 16-minute album version of her breakthrough hit, "Love to Love You Baby
Love to Love You Baby (song)
"Love to Love You Baby" is a song by American singer Donna Summer released in 1975 . It became one of the first ever disco hits to also be released in an extended form.-Song information and original release:...
, the original 12" versions of "Theme from The Deep (Down Deep Inside)
Down Deep Inside (song)
"Down Deep Inside" is the theme song from the 1977 film The Deep. The film's score was written by British composer John Barry and the lyrics to the main theme were added by disco singer Donna Summer. The track was released as a single and became a hit in some European countries, including the U.K...
", "Last Dance
Last Dance (song)
"Last Dance" is a hit 1978 song by singer Donna Summer. The song appeared on the Thank God It's Friday movie soundtrack. It was written by Paul Jabara and was co-produced by Summer's regular collaborator Giorgio Moroder, along with Bob Esty...
", "Hot Stuff
Hot Stuff (Donna Summer song)
"Hot Stuff" is a hit single released by American singer Donna Summer in 1979 as the first single release from her Bad Girls album through Casablanca Records...
", "Bad Girls
Bad Girls (song)
"Bad Girls" is a 1979 single released by American singer Donna Summer, co-written by Summer and the Brooklyn Dreams. The inspiration for her to write the song came after one of her assistants was offended by a police officer who thought she was a street prostitute.A rough version of the song had...
", the original album or single versions of her biggest hits as well as the early European singles "The Hostage
The Hostage (song)
"The Hostage" is a 1974 pop-rock song released by Donna Summer on the Groovy record label. It was the first single from Summer's debut album Lady of the Night, which was released in Europe but not any other continent...
" and "Lady of the Night".
Disc three contains live recordings from the 1978 album Live and More
Live and More
Live and More was the seventh vinyl long-playing album recorded by Donna Summer, and it was her second double album. The live concert featured on the first three sides of this double LP album was recorded in the Universal Amphitheater, Los Angeles, California in 1978...
alongside a selection of rarities such as the 1990s remixes of "I Feel Love
I Feel Love
"I Feel Love" is a song by Donna Summer, taken from her 1977 concept album I Remember Yesterday.The song constituted the "future" segment of the album, which represented a stylistic progress through time...
" and "State of Independence
State of Independence
"State of Independence" is a song originally written and recorded by Jon and Vangelis for their 1981 album The Friends of Mr. Cairo.- Jon and Vangelis version :...
" and the full-length album versions of the 1979 duet "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)
No More Tears (Enough is Enough)
"No More Tears " is a duet from 1979 by Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand. While Summer was famous for her disco material and Streisand for her more easy listening and soundtrack work , this song fused both sounds with a slow beginning which then develops into a disco song...
" with Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
and "Je t'aime... moi non plus
Je t'aime... moi non plus
"Je t'aime… moi non plus" is a French duet written by Serge Gainsbourg. It was written for and sung with Brigitte Bardot in 1967, but that version was not released until 1986. In 1969, Gainsbourg recorded a version with his lover, Jane Birkin. It reached number one in the UK, but was banned in...
" from the 1978 soundtrack Thank God It's Friday
Thank God It's Friday
The triple album was, unlike the movie, a commercial success. It contained contributions from some of the biggest names in disco at the time, including Donna Summer, Diana Ross, Thelma Houston, The Commodores, and many others....
.
An anomaly on this compilation is the heavily edited version of Summer's disco landmark "I Feel Love
I Feel Love
"I Feel Love" is a song by Donna Summer, taken from her 1977 concept album I Remember Yesterday.The song constituted the "future" segment of the album, which represented a stylistic progress through time...
" appearing on disc one. While the original six-minute album–single version has been included on a number of other career retrospectives, on the otherwise exhaustive three-disc Ultimate Collection the track is for some reason only three minutes eleven seconds in length.
The Ultimate Collection, packaged in a double gatefold cardboard sleeve - although usually listed as a box set, was released by the Dutch label CCM, a subsidiary of Universal Music Holland. CCM has previously issued similar three-CD Ultimate Collections by artists like Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
, Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
, Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
, Kool & The Gang
Kool & the Gang
Kool & the Gang are an American jazz, R&B, soul, and funk group, originally formed as the Jazziacs in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964.They went through several musical phases during the course of their recording career, starting out with a purist jazz sound, then becoming practitioners of R&B and...
, Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
and others.
Disc 1
- "The HostageThe Hostage (song)"The Hostage" is a 1974 pop-rock song released by Donna Summer on the Groovy record label. It was the first single from Summer's debut album Lady of the Night, which was released in Europe but not any other continent...
" - (Pete BellottePete BellottePeter J. Bellotte is a British songwriter and record producer, most famous for hismain body of work with Donna Summer alongside his partner Giorgio Moroder...
, Giorgio MoroderGiorgio MoroderHansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
) - 4:16 - "Lady of the NightLady of the NightLady of the Night is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Monta Bell. The film stars Norma Shearer in a dual role.-Plot:Chris Helmer is sentenced to 20 years in prison by Judge Banning , and has to leave his wife and baby girl...
"(Bellotte, Moroder) - 3:58 - "Love to Love You BabyLove to Love You Baby (song)"Love to Love You Baby" is a song by American singer Donna Summer released in 1975 . It became one of the first ever disco hits to also be released in an extended form.-Song information and original release:...
" (Album Version) (Bellotte, Moroder, Donna SummerDonna SummerLaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
) – 16:50 - "Full of Emptiness" (Bellotte, Moroder) – 2:22
- "Could It Be MagicCould It Be Magic"Could It Be Magic" is a song by Adrienne Anderson and Barry Manilow. It was included on Manilow's 1973 debut album, Barry Manilow.Due to its popularity, it was released as a single in 1975, two years after it had originally been recorded, where it reached #6 in the United States.Manilow's...
" (Album Version) (Anderson, Manilow) – 5:15 - "Try Me, I Know We Can Make ItTry Me, I Know We Can Make It"Try Me, I Know We Can Make It" is a song by Donna Summer from her Love Trilogy album released in 1976. Summer's breakthrough had come in the form of the disco song "Love to Love You Baby" which in its entirety lasted almost seventeen minutes and took up the entire first side of the album of the...
" (Single Version) (Bellotte, Moroder, Summer) - 4:46 - "Spring AffairSpring Affair"Spring Affair" is a song by Donna Summer from her 1976 album Four Seasons of Love. The song tells of the beginning of a new relationship. At the time of its release, Summer had already started to make her name as the leading female disco singer by releasing frankly sexual songs that were...
" (Single Version) (Bellotte, Moroder, Summer) - 4:02 - "Winter Melody" (Album Version) (Bellotte, Moroder, Summer) - 6:31
- "I Feel LoveI Feel Love"I Feel Love" is a song by Donna Summer, taken from her 1977 concept album I Remember Yesterday.The song constituted the "future" segment of the album, which represented a stylistic progress through time...
" (Edit) (Bellotte, Moroder, Summer) - 3:11 - "Theme From The Deep (Down Deep Inside)Down Deep Inside (song)"Down Deep Inside" is the theme song from the 1977 film The Deep. The film's score was written by British composer John Barry and the lyrics to the main theme were added by disco singer Donna Summer. The track was released as a single and became a hit in some European countries, including the U.K...
" (12" Version) (BarryJohn Barry (composer)John Barry Prendergast, OBE was an English conductor and composer of film music. He is best known for composing the soundtracks for 12 of the James Bond films between 1962 and 1987...
, Summer) - 6:07 - "I Remember YesterdayI Remember Yesterday (song)"I Remember Yesterday" is the title track from Donna Summer's 1977 album. Upon its release as a single it became a hit in Europe, reaching #14 in the UK and #24 in the Netherlands. The album also contained a reprise of the track .-Chart positions:...
" (Album Version) (Bellotte, Moroder, Summer) - 4:36 - "Love's UnkindLove's Unkind"Love's Unkind" is a single by Donna Summer from her album, I Remember Yesterday, which combined modern disco beats with sounds of previous decades. "Love's Unkind" has stories of high school crushes and love triangles. It became one of her biggest hits in the UK, peaking at number three, while it...
" (Album Version) (Bellotte, Moroder, Summer) - 4:07 - "Back in Love AgainBack in Love Again"Back in Love Again" is a song by Donna Summer from her I Remember Yesterday album. Summer combines her trademark disco beats with a 1960s sound on this track. The song is actually a re-working of a track called "Something's in the Wind", which was a B-side to "Denver Dream", a single released by...
" (Album Version) (Bellotte, Moroder, Summer) - 3:14 - "I Love YouI Love You (Donna Summer song)"I Love You" is a single by Donna Summer which became a number 10 hit in the UK Singles Chart and reached number 37 in the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1977....
" (Album Version) (Bellotte, Moroder, Summer" - 4:41 - "Rumour Has It" (Album Version) (Bellotte, Moroder, Summer) - 4:54
Disc 2
- "Last DanceLast Dance (song)"Last Dance" is a hit 1978 song by singer Donna Summer. The song appeared on the Thank God It's Friday movie soundtrack. It was written by Paul Jabara and was co-produced by Summer's regular collaborator Giorgio Moroder, along with Bob Esty...
" (12" Version/Thank God It's Friday Album Version) (Jabara) - 8:09 - "MacArthur ParkMacArthur Park (song)"MacArthur Park" is a song by Jimmy Webb, originally composed as part of an intended cantata. The song was initially rejected by The Association. Richard Harris was the first to record it, in 1968; the song was subsequently covered by numerous artists. Among the best-known covers are Donna Summer's...
" (Promotional 12" Mix) (Webb) - 6:25 - "Hot StuffHot Stuff (Donna Summer song)"Hot Stuff" is a hit single released by American singer Donna Summer in 1979 as the first single release from her Bad Girls album through Casablanca Records...
" (12" Mix) Bellotte, Faltermeyer, Forsey) - 6:46 - "Bad GirlsBad Girls (song)"Bad Girls" is a 1979 single released by American singer Donna Summer, co-written by Summer and the Brooklyn Dreams. The inspiration for her to write the song came after one of her assistants was offended by a police officer who thought she was a street prostitute.A rough version of the song had...
" (Album Version) (Esposito, Hokenson, Sudano, Summer) - 4:56 - "Dim All the LightsDim All the Lights"Dim All the Lights" is a song by Donna Summer released as a single in the latter half of 1979. Taken from her Bad Girls album and produced by longtime collaborator Giorgio Moroder with Pete Bellotte, the track combines Summer's trademark disco beats with a more soulful/R&B-esque sound...
" (Single Version) (Summer) - 4:23 - "Sunset PeopleSunset People"Sunset People" is a song by Donna Summer taken from her very successful album Bad Girls. The album, released on Casablanca Records, had already produced several chart-topping singles for the disco star, but Summer had resigned from the label and taken a lawsuit against them...
" (Album Version) (Bellotte, Faltermeyer, Forsey) - 6:24 - "On The RadioOn the Radio (Donna Summer song)"On the Radio" is a single by Donna Summer released in 1979 on the Casablanca record label. It was written for the soundtrack to the film Foxes and included on Summer's first international compilation album On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2. It was released as a single and became, in...
" (Long Version) (Moroder, Summer) - 5:50 - "The WandererThe Wanderer (Donna Summer song)"The Wanderer" is a song by American singer Donna Summer. Summer made her name as the queen of the disco genre during the 1970s while signed to Casablanca Records. She left the label in 1980 following a dispute and became the first ever artist to be signed to the new Geffen label...
" (Moroder, Summer) - 3:45 - "State of IndependenceState of Independence"State of Independence" is a song originally written and recorded by Jon and Vangelis for their 1981 album The Friends of Mr. Cairo.- Jon and Vangelis version :...
" (Album Version) (Anderson, Vangelis) - 5:49 - "Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)"Love Is in Control " is a hit single from Donna Summer's self-titled 1982 album.-Background:Summer's 1980 The Wanderer album - the inaugural release on Geffen Records - had been certified gold in America although it did not enjoy numerous hit singles as some of her '70s releases had enjoyed...
" (Jones, Ross, Temperton) - 4:19 - "The Woman in MeThe Woman in Me (Donna Summer song)"The Woman in Me" is the third and final single from Donna Summer's self-titled 1982 album. This lush slow jam returned Donna to the top forty and became a sizable hit on the adult contemporary , pop and R&B charts in the U.S. During the course of the song, Summer alternates between her soft...
" (John BettisJohn BettisJohn Bettis is an American lyricist who has co-written many famous popular songs over the years. In 2011, John was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame as well as the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame....
, Michael Clark) – 3:55 - "She Works Hard For The MoneyShe Works Hard for the Money (song)"She Works Hard for the Money" is a 1983 hit single by singer Donna Summer. It was the first single released from the album of the same name.-Premise:The song, co-written by the singer, told a story of a woman who "works hard for [her] money"...
" (Album Version) (Omartian, Summer) - 5:18 - "Dinner with GershwinDinner with Gershwin"Dinner with Gershwin" is song written by Brenda Russell. It was first recorded by Donna Summer in 1987, which Russell co-produced with Richard Perry....
" (Russell) - 4:39 - "This Time I Know It's For RealThis Time I Know It's for Real"This Time I Know It's For Real" is a song originally recorded by Donna Summer, and released in 1989 as the first single from her album Another Place and Time...
" (Aitken, Stock, Summer, Waterman) - 3:37 - "Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)"Melody of Love " is a song recorded by American singer Donna Summer as a new track for her 1994 hits compilation Endless Summer...
" (Carrano, Clivilles, Cole, Summer) - 4:15
Disc 3
- "Love to Love You Baby" (Live Version - From Live & MoreLive and MoreLive and More was the seventh vinyl long-playing album recorded by Donna Summer, and it was her second double album. The live concert featured on the first three sides of this double LP album was recorded in the Universal Amphitheater, Los Angeles, California in 1978...
, 1978) (Bellotte, Moroder, Summer) - 3:29 - "Last Dance" (Live Version - From Live & More, 1978) (Jabara) - 5:51
- "Je T'aime Moi Non PlusJe t'aime... moi non plus"Je t'aime… moi non plus" is a French duet written by Serge Gainsbourg. It was written for and sung with Brigitte Bardot in 1967, but that version was not released until 1986. In 1969, Gainsbourg recorded a version with his lover, Jane Birkin. It reached number one in the UK, but was banned in...
" (With Giorgio Moroder) (Thank God It's Friday Album Version) (Serge GainsbourgSerge GainsbourgSerge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...
) - 15:45 - "Heaven Knows" (Featuring Brooklyn DreamsBrooklyn Dreams (group)The Brooklyn Dreams was a successful singing group of the late 1970s and early 1980s mixing R&B harmonies with contemporary dance/disco music and best-known for a number of collaborations with singer Donna Summer. The band consisted of Joe "Bean" Esposito, Eddie Hokenson and Bruce Sudano...
) (On the RadioOn the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2-Charts:AlbumSingle- Certifications :...
Album Edit) (Bellotte, Mathieson, Moroder, Summer) - 3:32 - "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)No More Tears (Enough is Enough)"No More Tears " is a duet from 1979 by Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand. While Summer was famous for her disco material and Streisand for her more easy listening and soundtrack work , this song fused both sounds with a slow beginning which then develops into a disco song...
" (Duet With Barbra StreisandBarbra StreisandBarbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
) (On the Radio Album Version) (Jabara, Roberts) - 11:46 - "Unconditional LoveUnconditional Love (Donna Summer song)"Unconditional Love" is the second single from the Donna Summer album She Works Hard for the Money released in the Autumn of 1983. Though uncredited, it also features vocals by British reggae act Musical Youth, who charted in the US with Pass the Dutchie earlier in 1983...
" (With Musical YouthMusical YouthMusical Youth are a British reggae band. The group originally formed in 1979 at Duddeston Manor School in Birmingham, UK. They are best remembered for their successful 1982 Grammy-nominated single, "Pass the Dutchie". The group featured two sets of brothers, Kelvin and Michael Grant, plus Junior...
) (Album Version) (Omartian, Summer) - 4:43 - "State of Independence" (Anderson, Vangelis) (New Radio Millennium Mix - 1996 Remix) - 5:00
- "I Feel Love" (Masters At WorkMasters At WorkMasters at Work is the house/garage production and remix team of "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez. They first worked together using the name, which had been given to them by mutual friend Todd Terry , in 1990...
86th St Mix - 1995 Re-recording) - 6:09 - "I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)"I Will Go with You " is a song recorded by American singer Donna Summer in 1999 for her album Live & More Encore, the track being one of two new studio recordings included on the live album....
" (Quarantotto, Sartori, Summer) - 4:10