I Feel Live

Chris posted another copy of the Donna Summer video on his blog here; in the ensuing discussion it was pointed out by “Vaihe” that there is a copy with the original audio intact on YouTube, wherein you can hear that the band actually is performing the music. This came as something as a surprise to me; I had only seen various copies with the audio replaced, and hence assumed that the Midnight Special appearance was a massive just-for-show lip-sync fest. Turns out I was wrong. Here’s the complete version:

It’s a nice live performance by Donna Summer, as well as being an interesting live rendition of a track that was never actually played live in the studio. I can’t help but think the guitarist looks a little pained, however. read more

RIP Donna Summer

I’m terribly saddened by the all-to-soon death of Donna Summer, who died today at 63. Her song, “I Feel Love”, has become one of my all-time favorites over the years. (Yeah, I’ll admit it freely.) While one could accurately say that most of my obsession with this song has to do with Giorgio Moroder’s synthesizer work, arguably this song wouldn’t have happened in the first place if she and he weren’t collaborating, and her vocal talent puts it head and shoulders above any number of other tracks of the era (or since). She was still singing, recording, and performing until recently, and it’s very sad that her life, and her stellar career, was cut short by cancer. read more