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Live and More

Live and More is the first live album recorded by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer, and it was her second double album, released on August 28, 1978 by Casablanca Records.

The live concert featured on the first three sides of this double album was recorded in the Universal Amphitheater, Los Angeles, California in 1978.

Background and release

During the concert, Summer performed a large number of her disco songs - both her hit singles, and a selection of songs from her previous album, Once Upon a Time. However, in this album, Donna also experiments with other musical styles such as jazz, in a medley she named "The My Man Medley". It consists of the George Gershwin song, "The Man I Love", together with "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" and the old standard "Some of These Days", neither of which she had recorded previously.

She also performed a version of the ballad "The Way We Were", originally recorded by Barbra Streisand for the film of the same name, again, not previously recorded by Summer, but a big live favorite of hers. This was followed by a self-written ballad called "Mimi's Song", dedicated to her young daughter, Mimi. Mimi was present at this concert for Summer to sing the song to, and she is heard on the recording saying goodnight to the audience.

The concert ends with one of Summer's best-known songs in the United States - "Last Dance". This hit song is included on the soundtrack of the film Thank God It's Friday, in which Summer had also acted. The composer, Paul Jabara, won an Academy Award for Best Song from a motion picture, and Summer herself won her first Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance with this song. Some versions of "Last Dance" have the slow part removed from the middle but kept at the beginning. The full version, however, was sung at this concert.

The fourth and final side of this double LP album contains a new studio recording entitled "MacArthur Park Suite", which is a medley of four songs including the main song "MacArthur Park", originally recorded as a ballad by the Irish actor Richard Harris. Summer's disco version was edited and issued as a single, and it became one of her biggest hits - her first number one song on the American Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and a Top five song in the United Kingdom. This song also earned Summer a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Another song in the medley, "Heaven Knows" was an American Top five hit, and it featured vocals by Joe Esposito of the Brooklyn Dreams musical group. That group included the musician Bruce Sudano, whom Summer would later marry.

Critical and commercial reception

The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics.

Stephen Cook from AllMusic website gave the album three out of five stars and wrote that none of the album's songs "eclipse the original versions" but concluded that it is a "very enjoyable concert recording".[1]

Robert Christgau gave the album a "C" and criticized the arrangements and the song "Mac Arthur Park Suite," to which he preferred Andy Kaufman's interpretation.[2]

Tom Carson from Rolling Stone magazine gave the album a favorable review and wrote that even though "the hits are exiled to side three, they come across fairly well".[3]

Live and More would become Summer's first number one double album in the United States, and achieved double platinum status in the U.S.

Track listing

All tracks written by Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte except where noted; all tracks produced by Moroder and Bellotte.

Notes

Personnel

Production

Charts and certifications

Certifications and sales

References

  1. ^ a b Cook, Steven. "Live and More > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  2. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 13, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. ^ a b Carson, Tom (December 14, 1978). "Donna Summer: Live And More  : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-06-18. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
  4. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W: Australian Chart Book. p. 300. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0043a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  6. ^ "Top Dance/Urban Albums: Issue 4661". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  7. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Donna Summer – Live and More" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  8. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Donna Summer". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 250. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  9. ^ "Lescharts.com – Donna Summer – Live and More". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  10. ^ Racca, Guido (2019). M&D Borsa Album 1964–2019 (in Italian). ISBN 978-1094705002.
  11. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  12. ^ "Charts.nz – Donna Summer – Live and More". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  13. ^ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  14. ^ "Donna Summer | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  15. ^ "Donna Summer Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  16. ^ "Donna Summer Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  17. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1979". Billboard. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  18. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1979". Billboard. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  19. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Donna Summer – Live and More". Music Canada.
  20. ^ "British album certifications – Donna Summer – Live and More". British Phonographic Industry.
  21. ^ "American album certifications – Donna Summer – Live and More". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links