Bad Girls

When the album first appeared in 1979 it caused a certain amount of controversy due to the rather "sensational" subject matter of the album's title track, Bad Girls, i.e. a song about prostitutes. However even those of a delicate nature shouldn't be put off as the song now seems pretty tame by 2002 standards, what with the likes of Eminen and various other dirty-talkin' artistes filling up the charts with far more explicit material...

So what of "Bad Girls" itself? Well the album is certainly a lengthy one, measuring in at over 70 minutes of playtime. Originally released as a double album, it's now been compacted onto one CD, and is a non-stop roller coaster of up-tempo disco stompers mixed in with some more slow-burning tracks. Almost every track is of a high calibre by Donna Summer standards and she's doing what she then did best: knocking out great dance tunes with strong, soulful and emotive vocals on the theme of love and relationships. There's excellent musicianship on this LP too; Georgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte and Harold Faltermeyer all wrote and produced the album and it's obvious they work well with Donna. We get lots of great guitar, keyboards and uplifting brass as an accompaniment to Donna's powerful voice, helping make virtually every song on the album a winner.

The album gets off to a rousing start with "Hot Stuff", one of her hits and Donna "Sittin' here eatin' my heart out waitin', Waitin' for some lover to call" (a feeling we can all relate to!) A great disco track with a suggestive, naughty chorus "Lookin' for some hot stuff baby this evenin'" (she isn't talking about ordering a chicken vindaloo).

Next comes the title track which tells of those "Bad Girls" looking to make money on a "Friday night" when "the strip is hot", set to a funky beat with some intricate guitar playing and sassy 1970s brass. The "toot toot, beep beeps" from the backing singers are cool, if camp!

"Love Will Always Find You" follows, with a slightly slower tempo but positive message and more accompanying brass.

"Walk Away" comes next, with a change in mood and Donna lamenting a departing lover: "Walk away don't you see that I want you, here by my side..." You can almost hear the pleading in her voice.

"Dim All The Lights" starts the next round of songs, beginning slowly then building up into a disco pace that makes you want to jump out of your seat and strut your stuff! This segues right into "Journey To The Centre Of Your Heart", an almost sci-fi-esque stomper in which Donna tells her lover that she wants to "travel 'cross the borders of your mind". Cosmic, man. There's more groovy brass on this track and saucy saxophone, not to mention some hilariously dated sounding synthesizers, which fortunately don't diminish the song's energy.

It's "One Night In A Lifetime" next, with more funky, sassy melodies and Donna telling her lover in upfront fashion: "I wanna make it with you". Ooer.

"Can't Get To Sleep" continues the theme of needing her lover's attentions: "Can't get to sleep tonight, no matter how I try". There's a sweet verse in which she speaks to her far away lover on the telephone and a hammond-organ type accompaniment to the chorus.

We then get a shift in musical tone with the following tracks, a series of ballads. "On My Honor" (Sic) begins with Donna telling a departed lover she wants him back and that she will try to make things work "on her honor". Perhaps a bit of a twee track and not one of my favourites to be honest.

"There Will Always Be A You" follows, quite a nice song in which Ms Summer reminds her man that he will always be an important part of her life. Awwww.

Then comes "All Through The Night", Donna telling her lover that he should stop looking elsewhere "for a dream" and realise that she is right there for him. Again, the sound of the track is a little bit sickly but will undoubtedly appeal to some!

The final ballad is "My Baby Understands", probably the best of the ballads. Donna starts off with gentle vocals that build up into a heartfelt crescendo with some raunchy guitar playing.

Suddenly we're back in uptempo mode with "Our Love", a pumping song with a mantra like chorus: "Our love will last forever". There's classic synths and laser noises, then we move into "Lucky" one of the truly amusing tracks on the album, even if this wasn't intentional! It's about a girl called Lucky giving into the charms of a mysterious stranger: "Lucky comes easy, Lucky's not shy, And if you're Lucky, You'll go for a ride" (!!) Draw your own conclusions!! There's a bouncy beat to this song that makes it very infectious and fun to listen to.

Last but definitely not least is "Sunset People", a strong closer to the album all about Sunset Boulevard in LA and the weird and wonderful goings-on that can be witnessed there...an interesting shift from the previous love songs with a strong beat and haunting synths...a great track.

In essence I would recommend this album to anyone interested in Donna Summer's music. It's a great collection of songs, and well worth the (cheap) purchasing price! Go on give it a go, disco groovers!