A Love Trilogy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Love Trilogy
A Love Trilogy cover
Studio album by Donna Summer
Released March 18, 1976
Recorded 1976
Genre Disco/R&B
Length 33:59
Label Casablanca
Producer Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte
Professional reviews

All Music Guide 3/5 stars link

Donna Summer chronology
Love to Love You Baby
(1975)
Love Trilogy
(1976)
Four Seasons Of Love
(1976)

A Love Trilogy is the third album by Donna Summer. It was released in the spring of 1976, just a couple of months after her international breakthrough with the single and album of the same name - Love To Love You Baby. The raunchy and sexual nature of that particular song had earned Summer the title "The first lady of love." By now Summer's work was being distributed in the U.S. by Casablanca Records, and they in particular were keen for her to continue portraying this image, despite her not being completely comfortable with it. As such, the Love Trilogy album continued in the same vein with the first side being taken up entirely by one long disco track - in this case "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It". Side Two contained the actual "love trilogy" with a further three sexually-orientated disco songs, including a cover of Barry Manilow's "Could It Be Magic". The album's artwork showed Summer floating light-heartedly through the clouds, again adding to the image of her as a fantasy figure.

While the album sold well across the world, (it was her second, consecutive album to be certified Gold in the United States) it failed to produce a successful follow-up single to "Love To Love You Baby". Edited versions of "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It" and "Could It Be Magic" charted in some nations, but sales figures did not come close to those of her breakthrough single.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

[edit] Side A

  1. "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It" (Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte) – 17:59

[edit] Side B

  1. "Prelude To Love" (Donna Summer, Pete Bellotte, Giorgio Moroder) – 1:06
  2. "Could It Be Magic" (Adrienne Anderson, Barry Manilow) – 5:15
  3. "Wasted" (Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte) – 5:09
  4. "Come With Me" (Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte) – 4:22

[edit] Personnel

  • Donna Summer – vocals, composer
  • Giorgio Moroder – bass guitar, composer, producer and synthesizer
  • Pete Bellotte – composer, producer
  • Backing vocals: Madeline Bell, Sunny Leslie, Sue Glover (the Midnite Ladies)
  • Other musicians on this album were known collectively as "Munich Machine" and worked on a variety of Moroder/Bellotte productions from this period.
  • Munich Machine are: Thor Baldursson - string arrangement, Frank Diez - guitar, Keith Forsey - drums, Martin Harrison - drums, Molly Moll - guitar, Gary Unwin - bass.

[edit] Production

  • Producers: Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte
  • Engineer: Juergen Koppers, Mack & Hans
  • Musical arrangements: Giorgio Moroder and Thor Baldurson

[edit] Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1976 The Billboard 200 18
1976 Billboard Top R&B Albums 16
1976 U.K. Albums Chart 41
1976 Spain 1
1976 Germany 24
1976 Norway 14
1976 Sweden 18
1976 Austria 8
1976 Italy 4

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1976 "Could It Be Magic" Billboard Hot 100 52
1976 "Could It Be Magic" Billboard Hot R&B Tracks 21
1976 "Could It Be Magic" U.K. Singles Chart 40
1976 "Try Me I Know We Can Make It" Hot Dance Music 1
1976 "Try Me I Know We Can Make It" Hot R&B Tracks 35
1976 "Try Me I Know We Can Make It" The Billboard Hot 100 80
1976 "Wasted" Hot Dance Music 1
Languages