Officially, it was to be a present for my older brother. I don't remember whether it was for Christmas or his birthday but this would place the shopping trip somewhere between December 1982 and February 1983. The single in question was the 'Special New Version Remix' by Patrick Cowley which had propelled it back into the UK singles chart, peaking at #22 in the lead up to Christmas.
Of course, I was familiar with the original which hit #1 in July 1977 but the 1982 version demanded to be bought, even if it was for someone else. My brother was heavily into synthpop at the time. I'm not sure I knew or sought his opinion on Donna Summer, but I didn't let the fact that he didn't own a single one of her records deter me.
What blew my mind when I picked the single from the rack was that the sleeve boldly proclaimed that this was the 'Special New Version 15 Min Remix' by Patrick Cowley. You what? Not only that, but flipping the record over revealed that they were understating somewhat: the A-side was a whopping fifteen minutes forty five seconds long! And the B-side featured a 'Megamix Edit' at a mere eight minutes and fifty seconds!!
I think my brother was pleased with the gift but, let's be honest, I borrowed it from him a lot, added both versions to numerous mixtapes that I compiled and, when he left home a few years later, I got my own secondhand copy to add to my growing vinyl collection.
After all that hype and build up, you may be disappointed to learn that today's Donna Summer selection doesn't feature I Feel Love. Oops.
What that purchase kick started for me though was an appreciation of Donna Summer's music. Being specific, for me that's really only her 1970s and early 1980s material; the subsequent team up with Musical Youth was cute and the Stock Aitken Waterman years are best hidden in small doses in 1980s pop selections.
Summer's work with Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte is something else though, and they were masters of the long-form, whole-side-of-vinyl extended excursions. Patrick Cowley's Megamix of I Feel Love feels like a brisk run through compared to the likes of Love To Love You Baby, Macarthur Park and Try Me, I Know We Can Make It that all push past the sixteen and seventeen minute mark.
Today's selection picks a half dozen album and 12" single versions from 1975 to 1980. The aforementioned Love To Love You Baby and No More Tears (Enough Is Enough), Donna's collaboration with Barbra Streisand, account for more than half the running time; the rest never drop below seven minutes.
I'll be listening to Donna at the Disco on my commute this morning. If you happen to be in Gloucester and spot a middle aged man with headphones doing some crazy/sad shuffling as he's walking, that's probably me.
1) On The Radio (Special Re-Mixed Version By Giorgio Moroder) (1979)
2) With Your Love (12" Version By Giorgio Moroder & Pete Bellotte) (1978)
3) No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (12" Version By Gary Klein): Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer (1979)
4) Love To Love You Baby (Album Version By Pete Bellotte) (1975)
5) Walk Away (12" Version By Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte & Harold Faltermeyer) (1980)
6) Last Dance (Full Length Version By Giorgio Moroder & Pete Bellotte) (1978)
