Personnel includes: Donna Summer, Barbra Streisand (vocals); Molly Moll (guitars, background vocals); Michael Sembello, Pete Bellotte (guitar); Ernie Watts, Jerry Hey (brass); Jai Winding (piano); Giorgio Moroder (keyboards, background vocals); Greg Phillinganes (keyboards); Mike Porcaro, Nathan East (bass); Keith Forsey (drums, percussion); Martin Harrison (drums); Bob Conti, Paulinho da Costa (percussion); Julia Waters, Maxine Waters, Luther Waters, Siedah Garrett, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Loggins, Howard Hewitt, James Ingram, Christopher Cross, Musical Youth, Quincy Jones, Michael McDonald, Brenda Russell, Peggy Lipton Jones, Dyan Cannon, Lionel Richie, LA Crew.
Producers include: Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte, Quincy Jones, Michael Omartian, Harold Faltermeyer.
Compilation producers: Bill Levenson, Bas Hartong.
Engineers include: Mack, Hans Menzel, Juergen Koppers.
Includes liner notes by Alan Light.
THE DONNA SUMMER ANTHOLOGY features a 24-page full color, oversized booklet with photos and essays. It includes two previously unreleased tracks.
This is part of the CHRONICLES series.
Personnel: Donna Summer (vocals, rap vocals, background vocals); Giorgio Moroder (vocals, keyboards, Moog synthesizer, percussion); Dara Lynn Bernard, James Ingram , Quincy Jones (vocals, background vocals); Christopher Cross, Brooklyn Sudano, Dionne Warwick, Marietta Waters, Amanda Grace Sudano, Kenny Loggins, Larry Lee, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Michael McDonald , Stevie Wonder, Sunny Leslie, Barbra Streisand, Sue Glover, Brenda Russell (vocals); Neil Thomas (rap vocals); Matt Aitken (guitar, keyboards); Pete Bellotte (guitar, percussion); Mats Bjorklund, Trevor Veitch, Molly Moll, Geoff Bastow, Wesley Plass, Jay Graydon, Jeff Baxter, Joe Taylor , Al Perkins , Marty Walsh, Michael Landau, Michael Sembello, Nick Woodland, Paul Jackson, Jr. , Paul Pesco, Skip McDonald, Steve Lukather, Tim May (guitar); Ann Labin, Sally Schumway, Suzie Schumway, Suzanne Ornstein (strings); Gary Herbig (saxophone, brass, horns); Danny Wilensky (saxophone); Ernie Watts (trombone, horns); Dick Hyde, Gary Grant, Jerry Hey, Steve Madaio, Bill Reichenbach Jr. (brass, horns); David Luell, Jon Kip, Hanus Berka, Benny Gebauer, Hermann Breuer, Lee Harper, Jack Redmond (brass); Chuck Findley, Denny Christianson, Charles Loper (horns); Greg Mathieson (piano, electric piano, keyboards); Harold Faltermeyer (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards, synthesizer, programming); Eve Nelson (piano, keyboards); Jai Winding, Bill Payne (piano); Silvester Levay (keyboards, synthesizer); Thor Baldursson (keyboards, Moog synthesizer); Michael Omartian (keyboards, drums, percussion); Bob Esty (keyboards, percussion, background vocals); George DeAngelis, Michael Thatcher, Keith Diamond, Alan Hawkshaw, Mike Stock (keyboards); Don Dorsey (synthesizer, Synclavier, programming); Michael Boddicker (synthesizer, vocoder, programming, drum programming); Erich Bulling (synthesizer, programming); David Paich, Greg Phillinganes (synthesizer); Dan Wyman (Moog synthesizer); Keith Forsey (drums, percussion); Michael Baird , J.T. Lewis, James Gadson, A. Linn, Joe Hornoff, Martin Harrison (drums); Lenny Castro (congas); Alan Estes, Bernie Brocks, Paulinho Da Costa, Bob Conti (percussion); John Gilston (drum programming); Chris Bennett, Luther Waters, Robert Kelley, Tom Kelley, Dee Lewis, Petsye Powell, Dani McCormick, Jerry Rix, Lisa Roberts, Gitta Walther, Susannah Melvoin, Donna Fein, Betsy, Howard Hewett, Gene Van Burne, Carolyn Dennis, Edo Zanki, Julia Waters, Alex Brown, Mae McKenna, Mary Ellen Bernard, Matthew Ward, Maxine Willard Waters, Mike Scott , Patti Brooks, Phillip Ingram, Portia Griffin, Richard Page, Siedah Garrett, Stephanie Spruill, Steve George, Terry Williams, Bill Champlin, Julia Tillman, Marti McCall, Bruce Sudano, Carmen Grillo (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Peter Hammond; Eve Nelson; George Karras; Giorgio Moroder; Michael Thatcher; Harold Faltermeyer; John Guess; Juergen Koppers; Keith Diamond; Pete Bellotte; Steve Bates; Thor Baldursson; Bruce Swedien.
Audio Remixer: Giorgio Moroder.
Liner Note Author: Alan Light.
Recording information: Arco Studios, Munich, Germany; Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany; Rusk Sound Studios, Los Ang; WEstlake Studios, Los Angeles, CA.
Editor: Harry Weinger.
Photographers: David Alexander ; Neal Preston; Harry Langdon; Lawrence Lawry; Tony Viramontes; Francesco Scavullo.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Eddie Hokenson; Frank Diez; Gary Unwin; Joe Esposito.
Arrangers: Giorgio Moroder; Harold Faltermeyer; Keith Diamond; Michael Omartian; Thor Baldursson; Bob Esty; Greg Mathieson.
Donna Summer's two-CD Anthology is by far the most exhaustive compilation available on the disco diva. This two-CD set includes most of Summer's hits, from her earliest "Love to Love You Baby" to her '90s dance single "Carry On." The music flows from early to classic disco and '80s pop, rock, R&B, and adult contemporary. Also included are two tracks ("I'm a Rainbow" and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina") from her 1981 album I'm a Rainbow, which wasn't released until 1996. However, a couple of sore points keep this collection from having a perfect rating. First, some of the edits are a little awkward. One only wishes that the longer, five-minute edit of "Love to Love You Baby" were included as opposed to the severely truncated version found here. The promo single version of "MacArthur Park" is included, and "Heaven Knows" suffers from an early fade-out. Then there are the omissions -- "The Woman in Me," "Walk Away," "Winter Melody," "Who Do You Think You're Foolin'," "Dinner With Gershwin," and "Love's About to Change My Heart" are nowhere to be found. All of this only highlights the fact that an ultra-exhaustive, three-CD box set on this star would be a welcome addition. But, for now, with so many other hit collections on the market, this clearly stands as the best, and also stands as a testament to a time gone by. As an added bonus, the liner notes and photographs are nothing short of excellent. Finally, the versions of "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls" included here are the 12" mixes. ~ Jose F. Promis
Disc One of 1993's two-disc THE DONNA SUMMER ANTHOLOGY covers much of the same ground as the previous hits anthology ON THE RADIO, but it has the extra advantage of a second disc that hits all the highlights of Summer's post-Casablanca label career. From the prescient synth-pop of 1980's "The Wanderer" through 1983's comeback hit "She Works Hard for the Money," to 1989's Stock, Aitken and Waterman production "This Time I Know It's for Real" and beyond, this second disc proves that Summer became a more versatile and compelling artist after her period of greatest commercial success.
However, the songs from her late '70s chart heyday still sound remarkable even now. The electronic minimalism of "I Feel Love" and the frank eroticism of "Love to Love You Baby" still raise an eyebrow, and "Hot Stuff" remains an all-time dancefloor classic. minimize