Well, don’t run out and buy a copy but that’s a decent little album from Nigel, and though a cheesy song, I like Dancing Shoes. Produced by one of my all time favorites, Paul Davis.
Going to write this before I read everyone else’s comments because I think I will be in the minority. Sorry, but that’s one I have never liked. I think it’s pretty much lazy song writing with the parties to be knowing almost any disco song sang by them would be a smash hit. Not much of a chorus at all. I expected so much more from a dynamic superstar duo, which they most certainly were then and I feel like I have to give them my due respect. There was no way this song was gonna miss...the actual song was almost irrelevant imo. And yes, before someone else says it, this coming from a guy that thinks Dancing Shoes was a good song!
I'm surprised it hit number 1. It does seem infused with a certain dark spirit that I associate with 70s "Me decade". It makes me sad, I'm not a fan. It's well-produced.
And, i'll take Donna's version any day. I love Babs, but I never play her version. And, from all accounts of those who were there, Donna and Babs got along great in the studio and had a lot of fun.
I barely remember this one, but I do recall some of the girls in my class (1st grade) liked it. I remember one girl counting out loud how many "girl songs" she knew, and she counted "No More Tears" and "Enough is Enough" as two different songs!
How Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand’s Famous Duet 'Enough Is Enough' Came Together No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (Donna Summer & Barbra Streisand) – Jon Kutner And... On August 14, 1979 , Barbra and Donna Summer began recording the duet “(No More Tears) Enough Is Enough” in Santa Monica. Paul Jabara wrote the song with his partner Bruce Roberts. Jabara told US Magazine, “I was trying to get Barbra to include ‘Enough Is Enough’ on her Wet album. But it didn’t have any water in it.” After adding the introduction “It’s raining/It’s pouring” to make it qualify for the concept album, Jabara scheduled some time with Streisand to play the new song for her. “The day before,” Jabara said, “I asked Donna [Summer] if she wanted to come with me to Barbra’s for lunch. She immediately said, ‘I’d love to.’ “When I called Barbra, her 11-year-old son, Jason, answered,” Jabara explained. “I told him to ask his mother about lunch. He screamed, ‘Donna Summer!’ Turns out Jason’s the biggest Donna fan in the world. So I owe it all to him. “The minute Donna and I arrived at Barbra’s, I said, ‘This is the duet I’ve been trying to get you two to do.’ They both got excited. Barbra kept asking, ‘What part do I sing?’ I knew if I could just get them together, they’d do it.” Bruce Roberts recalled, “It was crazed from the start. We got them together, locked them in a room in Barbra's house in Malibu and played them the song ... and taught it to them. When they were recording, I was working on my own album in a different room in the same studio. I was running back and forth like a crazy man. I was doing a bit of agenting, a bit of writing and a lot of hand-holding. It was 18 hours a day and it was fun. I like that kind of crazy energy. It was like being back in New York.” “Enough is Enough” was recorded over two weeks at the Village Recorder studios in Los Angeles. Reportedly, the session cost $40,000. Jabara was ecstatic. “There was Streisand,” he said, “hands flaring, and Donna, throwing her head back — and they’re both belting, sparking each other. It was a songwriter’s dream. Forget ‘Enough Is Enough,’ I want ‘More and More.’” An urban legend sprung up around this recording session. Reportedly, Donna Summer, while holding the long note at the end of the intro, fell off her stool, unconscious from lack of air. In 2005, while promoting a new CD and tour, Summer confirmed the story to Entertainment Tonight: “I had just come off a long tour and I didn’t know I was in the studio the next morning, so I was out all night partying. I got a call at eight in the morning, ‘You are at the studio.’ I had to get up and I was tired and spent. We were holding a high note and I blacked out and fell off the stool. Barbra kept holding her note. She thought I was joking. She goes, ‘Donna, are you okay?’” Famed photographer Francesco Scavullo shot the provacative black and white photographs of the diva duo, who posed in black and white Merry Widows.
Robert John - Sad Eyes The falsetto and vocal arrangement appears to be piggybacking off the Bee Gees. The rest of the arrangement is straight up soft rock. The guitar solo is really out of place. That key change after the solo along with his higher falsetto wailing is too much. Everything about this song just screams "generic copy". I don't get any enjoyment out of this tune. Michael Jackson - Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough I like this song a lot, but I'm not able to listen to his music right now. Maybe never. It's too hard to separate the art from the artist. Herb Alpert - Rise If I haven't heard this particular song before, I'm definitely familiar with the feel and sound of it. I probably heard it somewhere along the way. It's interesting how it straddles the line between lite-funk, disco, easy listening and the Love Boat theme song. All at the same time! There's a good amount of cheese here, but I also think it's kinda cool in a way. I like it, I think. M - Pop Muzik Wow, could this be any more different from Rise? I love hearing the different sounds that were coming out of New Wave and Euro synth music at this time. It was really fresh and different. This is a catchy song, but it's also really simplistic. The enjoyment for me comes from the arrangement choices and all the weird extra sounds throughout. It's a fun song with that odd, yet unrelenting strut. Eagles - Heartache Tonight This song feels like a throwback to a lot of their earlier work. I guess you could say the beat is slightly danceable, but it doesn't quite work for me. The beat with the rest of the song parts, I mean. It's got a retro RNR feel, and of course you've got the slide guitar and their countrified vocal harmonies. Like so many Eagles songs you get the gist of the song after hearing the first chorus. The slide guitar is the only saving grace for me on the track, otherwise I'd rather not hear it. Commodores - Still It's a nice Lionel Richie ballad. The arrangement is pretty sparse for nearly the whole track, but that makes sense since Lionel's vocal is the main selling point. He's singing in a really subtle way, which I appreciate. These type of ballads frequently feature the vocalist going way over the top; I'm glad he kept it restrained. He sounds wonderful on this track. This is a great one. Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer - No More Tears (Enough is Enough) They sound good together. I really like how their voices weave in and out of each other. The first part of the song, the slow bit, seems much more like Streisand while the 2nd part is more Summer. I actually like the slow part better. The disco half is so frantic and feels claustrophobic to me. While I think they work together well vocally, I don't really care for this song.
Whoops! Sorry 'bout that. I thought it was public from the start. Maybe something got switched to make it private? Here's that link again... The Billboard US #1 Hits of the '70s, a playlist by sunspot42 on Spotify
I always wanted to know if people who have a problem with Michael Jackson still listen to The Mamas and the Papas.
Or if people who have a problem with the Bee Gees in their "disco/funk/R&B" phase listen to heavy metal bands where the lead singers yell at a higher pitch than even Barry Gibb's falsetto.
Never liked 'em, but yeah that would definitely qualify as another one. I wonder if Rob Halford regularly hit higher notes than Barry Gibb?
Another 1979 chart, from a few weeks later than the most recent one I posted. As usual, my picks are highlighted. Not that great a chart, imo. The Top 20 is especially weak, with really week No. 1. US Top 40 Singles For The Week Ending March 31, 1979 TW LW TITLE Artist (Label)-Weeks on Chart (Peak to Date) 1 1 TRAGEDY –•– Bee Gees (RSO)-8 (2 weeks at #1) (1) 2 2 I WILL SURVIVE –•– Gloria Gaynor (Polydor)-16 (1) 3 3 WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES –•– The Doobie Brothers (Warner Brothers)-11 (3) 4 4 HEAVEN KNOWS –•– Donna Summer with Brooklyn Dreams (Casablanca)-12 (4) 5 5 SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING –•– Peaches and Herb (Polydor)-15 (5) 6 7 SULTANS OF SWING –•– Dire Straits (Warner Brothers)-8 (6) 7 6 DA YA THINK I’M SEXY? –•– Rod Stewart (Warner Brothers)-15 (1) 8 15 KNOCK ON WOOD –•– Amii Stewart (Ariola America)-10 (8) 9 9 WHAT YOU WON’T DO FOR LOVE –•– Bobby Caldwell (Clouds)-15 (9) 10 11 DON’T CRY OUT LOUD –•– Melissa Manchester (Arista)-20 (10) 11 12 LADY –•– Little River Band (Harvest)-13 (11) 12 17 STUMBLIN’ IN –•– Suzi Quatro and Chris Norman (RSO)-10 (12) 13 16 I JUST FALL IN LOVE AGAIN –•– Anne Murray (Capitol)-10 (13) 14 14 BIG SHOT –•– Billy Joel (Columbia)-8 (14) 15 21 HEART OF GLASS –•– Blondie (Chrysalis)-7 (15) 16 23 I WANT YOUR LOVE –•– Chic (Atlantic)-8 (16) 17 18 CRAZY LOVE –•– Poco (ABC)-11 (17) 18 19 MUSIC BOX DANCER –•– Frank Mills (Polydor)-10 (18) 19 8 FIRE –•– The Pointer Sisters (Planet)-21 (2) 20 10 A LITTLE MORE LOVE –•– Olivia Newton-John (MCA)-19 (3) 21 28 LIVIN’ IT UP (Friday Night) –•– Bell and James (A&M)-10 (21) 22 29 HE’S THE GREATEST DANCER –•– Sister Sledge (Cotillion)-8 (22) 23 25 MAYBE I’M A FOOL –•– Eddie Money (Columbia)-10 (23) 24 26 I DON’T KNOW IF IT’S RIGHT –•– Evelyn “Champagne” King (RCA)-13 (24) 25 32 TAKE ME HOME –•– Cher (Casablanca)-8 (25) 26 66 REUNITED –•– Peaches and Herb (Polydor)-3 (26) 27 31 PRECIOUS LOVE –•– Bob Welch (Capitol)-8 (27) 28 49 IN THE NAVY –•– The Village People (Casablanca)-3 (28) 29 38 LOVE BALLAD –•– George Benson (Warner Brothers)-6 (29) 30 41 I GOT MY MIND MADE UP (You Can Get It Girl) –•– Instant Funk (Salsoul)-7 (30) 31 33 SUPERMAN –•– Herbie Mann (Atlantic)-12 (31) 32 45 BLOW AWAY –•– George Harrison (Dark Horse)-5 (32) 33 34 CHASE –•– Giorgio Moroder (Casablanca)-11 (33) 34 35 DOG AND BUTTERFLY –•– Heart (Portrait)-9 (34) 35 43 SHAKE YOUR BODY (Down To the Ground) –•– The Jacksons (Epic)-7 (35) 36 36 BUSTIN’ LOOSE (Part 1) –•– Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers (Source)-9 (36) 37 13 EVERY TIME I THINK OF YOU –•– The Babys (Chrysalis)-13 (13) 38 — GOODNIGHT TONIGHT –•– Wings (Columbia)-1 (38) 39 44 RUBBER BISCUIT –•– The Blues Brothers (Atlantic)-5 (39) 40 40 WATCH OUT FOR LUCY / PROMISES –•– Eric Clapton and His Band (RSO)-24 (9) THIS WEEK’S DROPS 41 24 LE FREAK –•– Chic (Atlantic)-23 (1) 42 22 Y.M.C.A. –•– The Village People (Casablanca)-24 (2) 51 20 FOREVER IN BLUE JEANS –•– Neil Diamond (Columbia)-10 (20) 82 27 DANCIN’ SHOES –•– Nigel Olsson (Bang)-16 (18) 83 30 EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE –•– Eddie Rabbitt (Elektra)-11 (30) 94 37 LOTTA LOVE –•– Nicolette Larson (Warner Brothers)-19 (8) 96 39 GOT TO BE REAL –•– Cheryl Lynn (Columbia)-18 (12) POWER PLAYS 43 50 SOUVENIRS –•– Voyage (Marlin)-7 (43) 44 48 KEEP ON DANCIN’ –•– Gary’s Gang (Columbia)-7 (44) 45 46 I’LL SUPPLY THE LOVE –•– Toto (Columbia)-8 (45) 46 53 ROXANNE –•– The Police (A&M)-6 (46) 47 57 ROLLER –•– April Wine (Capitol)-5 (47) 48 52 OH HONEY –•– Delegation (Shady Brook)-9 (48) 49 55 HERE COMES THE NIGHT –•– The Beach Boys (Caribou)-5 (49) 50 54 STAY THE NIGHT –•– The Faragher Brothers (Polydor)-6 (50) DEBUTS THIS WEEK 38 — GOODNIGHT TONIGHT –•– Wings (Columbia)-1 (38) 84 — RHUMBA GIRL –•– Nicolette Larson (Warner Brothers)-1 (84) 85 — HEART TO HEART –•– Errol Sober (Number One)-1 (85) 86 — I DON’T WANT NOBODY ELSE (To Dance With You) –•– Narada Michael Walden (Atlantic)-1 (86) 87 — I’LL COME RUNNING –•– Livingston Taylor (Epic)-1 (87) 88 — YOU SAYS IT ALL –•– Randy Brown (Parachute)-1 (88) 89 — MAKIN’ IT –•– David Naughton (RSO)-1 (89) 90 — I NEED YOU –•– The Euclid Beach Band (Epic / Cleveland International)-1 (90) 92 — I NEVER SAID I LOVE YOU –•– Orsa Lia (Infinity)-1 (92) 93 — HOT NUMBER –•– Foxy (Dash)-1 (93)
Sorry. It's not really the same. The BGs were really grating to many listeners. The heavy metal bands weren't as omnipresent on the charts.
I still love listening to Michael's music. You have to separate the music from the artist (especially since nothing was ever proven) and just concentrate on that. I don't think Axl Rose or Steve Tyler were the nicest of guys, but are you going to stop listening to their music?
I've always thought the piano coda to Layla is a beautiful piece of music. It wasn't written by Clapton, it was written by Derek & the Dominos drummer, Jim Gordon. Gordon killed his mother in a pretty horrific way and is in prison. I don't let that ruin the music for me. I'm not a big Michael Jackson fan. I recognise his talent and like a fair amount of his songs, but his whole image was a little too goofy for me. So I'm not saying this out of any fanboi bias ... but, I feel in my gut that he was falsely accused. There is speculation that it was because of some lyrics MJ wrote that really pissed off some record industry big shots. And, that MJ was an easy target for pedophile accusations because he was always with little kids. These people wanted to ruin MJ and teach him a lesson, and they had the power to do it. Personally, I think MJ was basically a little kid himself. A man-child. And he may have just simply wanted to give other kids the childhood he didn't have, and get to experience a new happier childhood through them. Hopefully that was the case, and not the creepy accusations. I read that they found a huge stash of porn (hetrosexual, and the women all adults) in his house when he died. The usual stuff many guys have and nothing freaky. But, a LOT of it. Michael was probably stuck at 12 years old. He had a really bizarre childhood.
Yup, I've thought the same thing for years. Not that I would be surprised to get confirmation he diddled kids, I just don't believe any of the accusers (the latest batch of which used to be defenders... ). Yup, that's my take on him as well. Beyond that, 95% of the Michael Jackson music I'm remotely interested in was produced before he was allegedly diddling kids. Dude was on an incredible amount of prescription drugs from what I've read by the time the child molestation allegedly set in, long after he stopped producing music I'd care to hear, so... Same deal with The Mamas and the Papas. Any alleged shenanigans happened literally a decade after Papa John became a burned out drug husk. I'm not gonna hold those allegations against the music he helped created 10, 15 years or more before.
This forum regularly praises downright psychopaths. Domestic abusers, drug abusers, rapists and even murderers (Phil Spector). It's why I find it funny when people speak of a lack of 'class' amongst today's artists. I've read enough biographies to know that many of the 'greats' were downright terrible people and most certainly weren't classy.
I confess, I'm sort of on the fence about them both, and I probably have let the unsavory stories about them push me over the line against listening to them where I wouldn't if I liked their music better than I do. It's a factor, but not the only one.
