Gloria Gaynor
I Will Survive: The Anthology
[Chronicles/Polydor]
Rating: 4.5
Do you know who I love, and will always love? Call me crappy, but it's
Gloria Gaynor. Since my parents came home with a copy of Love Tracks
in 1978, and I listened to it on their shitty Emerson stereo, I've been
dancing the dance to her disco classics.
First of all, there's no mistaking "I Will Survive" as not only the greatest
disco song in history, but also a legendary feminist anthem and just a terrific
song in general. Secondly, Gaynor recorded a bunch of other really awesome
stuff you've never heard.
Unfortunately, Love Tracks was Gloria's only truly great album; of her eight
other albums, there were only maybe ten other songs of any importance (most of
which are available on her debut, Never Can Say Goodbye). And
only three of those charted in the Top 40. So this Anthology, which
documents Gaynor's career-- from her 1974 debut to her final release, 1981's
I Kinda Like Me-- is a little disappointing.
The Anthology draws only two songs from Love Tracks: "I Will
Survive" and the extended 12" remix of "Anybody Wanna Party?" The rest of
the time, you're stuff with the boring stuff. Yeah, there are a few
exceptions-- a shakin' disco cover of Burt Bacharach's "Walk On By" is
catchier than anything you'll hear on commercial radio these days; "Real
Good People" is a mid- summer night's getdown whose funky blue notes have
proven to get even the most anti- disco of us out on the dance floor, and
all nine minutes of "Most of All" sports the most happenin' couples-
only groove this side of James Brown's "Kiss in '77."
Still, this compilation also shows Gaynor at her most abyssmal. The three
medleys showcased here are drawn out to extreme lengths, usually lasting around
18 minutes. The dance remix of "I Will Survive" is pointless, as the original
is as dancy as one could ever hope it might be, and her rendition of "I've
Got You Under My Skin" is dreadful, to say the least. So if you're looking
for Gaynor at her most impressive, all you need to do is stop by a thrift
store, look through their record bins for a not- so- hard- to- come- by copy
of Love Tracks, and drop some of the best 50 cents you've ever spent
on an album you'll enjoy for years to come.
-Ryan Schreiber