Sparks is the musical partnership of American keyboardist–songwriter Ron Mael and his vocalist brother Russell Mael. They first recorded as Halfnelson, a quintet with drummer Harley Feinstein and another set of brothers, guitarist Earle Mankey and guitarist–bassist Jim Mankey. They signed to Bearsville for the 1971 release Halfnelson, produced by Todd Rundgren. Soon after, they […]
Donna Summer (December 31, 1948 — May 17, 2012) was an American soul-funk singer. She began performing in the late 1960s with soul and R&B ensembles before relocating to Europe, where she joined the Munich-based musical Hair cast and recorded her early solo work. Her breakthrough came with the 1975 single “Love to Love You […]
The Three Degrees were an American soul group from Philadelphia, formed in 1963. After nineteen singles between 1964 and 1972 on SWAN, Metromedia, and Roulette, they charted as a PIR album act with the Gamble/Huff-produced songs “Dirty Ol’ Man” and “When Will I See You Again.” Members: Fayette Pinkney (1963-76), Shirley Porter (1963), Linda Turner […]
Einzelgänger — German for “individualist” — was the name used by Italian keyboardist/producer Giorgio Moroder for a 1975 electronic album, issued on his Oasis label with an accompanying single. Background Giorgio Moroder adopted the Einzelgänger for a dip into Berlin School experimentation. By this time, he’d already established himself as a key figure in early […]
Bad Girls is the seventh studio album by American soul vocalist Donna Summer, released in 1979 on Casablanca. This was her second conceptual double-album in a row, having made comparative strides on 1977’s lavish Once Upon a Time…. Tracklist: A1. “Hot Stuff” (5:13) A2. “Bad Girls” (4:57) A3. “Love Will Always Find You” (4:01) A4. […]
No. 1 in Heaven is the eighth album by American art-pop duo Sparks, released in 1979 on Virgin. Tracklist: A1. “Tryouts for the Human Race” (6:09) A2. “Academy Award Performance” (5:01) A3. “La Dolce Vita” (5:54) B1. “Beat the Clock” (4:23) B2. “My Other Voice” (4:56) B3. “The Number One Song in Heaven” (7:27) Credits: […]
Giorgio Moroder (born April 26, 1940) is an Italian composer, producer, and arranger who recorded three albums with accompanying singles for Hansa and Philips between 1969 and 1973. He is most famous for his working relationship with soul singer Donna Summer, whose 1976–81 output he co-produced with Pete Bellotte. Other artists that Moroder has produced […]
