Donna Summer · Live and More

After becoming the queen of disco thanks to orgasmathon hits like "Love to Love You Baby" and "I Feel Love," Donna Summer topped off her five-year rise to fame with this live set. Certainly not a contender for first-disc choice, Live and More still works quite well as a '70s sampler for the converted. And since disco was the party music par excellence, the album's feel is one of a all-nighter in action. Featuring her signature hits and a fat chunk of disco tracks from the Once Upon a Time record, sides one and three solidify Summer's reputation as one of the most exciting and slick singers on stage. Balancing out the requisite dance material, Summer spends side two waxing nostalgic via a pop standards medley ("The Man I Love," "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good," "Some of These Days") and some nice jazz and blues-imbued fare of her own. And ending the album on a very high note, Summer indulges in "McArthur Park Suite," a classic long-player that bookends two of Summer and producer Giorgio Moroder's pop disco numbers with a dance-friendly take on Jimmy Webb's monumental classic. Along with cloud-walking bouncers like "I Love You" and "Last Dance," this closing piece finds Summer at her sophisticated and tuneful best. There's nothing here to eclipse the original versions of these cuts — save for the Webb cover, which is new — but the Summer faithful will nonetheless want to pick up this very enjoyable concert recording. (allmusic.com)

*MacArthur Park Suite has been replaced by the studio recording Theme From Deep (Down, Deep Inside)


CD
Once Upon A Time
Fairy Tale High
Faster And Faster To Nowhere
Spring Affair
Rumour Has It
I Love You
Only One Man
I Remember Yesterday
Love's Unkind
My Man Medley
The Way We Were
Mimi's Song
Try Me, I Know We Can Make It
Love To Love You Baby
I Feel Love
Last Dance
Theme From The Deep (Down, Deep Inside)