Universaluv said:

To be honest,even the "crappy" stuff from the 70s sounds better than 90% of the stuff you hear on the radio these days.Yeah,I know it's a tired cliche to say "Music was better back in the day",but that's truly how I feel.

Novabreaker said:

If you can't name a single Donna Summer song,then there is something wrong with you.Maybe you're too young? Or maybe you're just not familiar with late 70s music? But the average person who was around back then can easily name several of her hit singles.They can tell you the impact that she had.I chat with many other Donna fans from all over the world.It's not hard to recall an artist who has...


11 gold albums
3 platinum albums
5 Grammy Awards
14 Top Ten singles
4 Number One singles
An Academy-Award winning movie theme song ("Last Dance")
12 gold singles
2 platinum singles

i think Novabreaker is right. i've never heard of donna summers either. she must of only been big in the usa.


ive just asked my dad (who is 48) who she is, and he doesnt know either
[Edited 5/16/05 4:34am]

Novabreaker said:

Are you still here? You know, just because you're ill-informed about the decade doesn't mean everyone else is.

hellomoto said:

so,I guess nobody outside the U.S. has ever heard of this album,right?

DavidEye said:

Damn, Donna was and still is even more popular outside the US. But these are facts that don't rely on the knowledge of Novabreaker or the girl sitting next to him.

VoicesCarry said:

This is getting ridiculous. Listen, for the last time -

Okay I did a survey right now and asked everybody in this computer room which is located at the ART RESEARCH DEPARTMENT of the University of Helsinki (which is not in US, btw) "Do you know who Donna Summer is?" And "Can you name a single Donna Summer song?" There are about 20 people inside right here. Two knew who she was, but no one could name a song of hers. How fucking hard it can be for you morons to accept FACTS?

DavidEye said:

VERY few.

Novabreaker said:

Bullshit

Novabreaker said:

First of all....don't you dare call me a moron.

Secondly,what country are you in?

Well, you have to also remember that very few black disco artists had much substantial success across the Atlantic. A single charting somewhere doesn't mean a thing, it's the album sales that count and what the papers at the time were writing about the personal lives of the stars. Donna Summer didn't become Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross or Madonna. If there is a musical legacy of hers still alive somewhere it certainly isn't alive in Europe.

DavidEye said:

Sorry.



Eeew? If you don't know where Helsinki is, you might be possibly a moron afterall. Sorry. They really should teach Geography in American schools.

Novabreaker said:

In the late 70s,Donna was more popular than both Aretha and Diana Ross.Her 'Bad Girls' album sold over 3 million copies in the States.

Novabreaker said:

I'm sorry, I can't believe this. It sounds like a plot to some whacked-out Get Smart episode or something. WTF?

And I'm not the "moron" going around surveying the "ART RESEARCH DEPARTMENT" so I can "win" on a message board!
[Edited 5/16/05 7:15am]

Novabreaker said:

Um, Eurodisco, HE-LLO!

OK.....Here is a link to a site that sells rare records, CDs, and imports. This site has numerous Donna Summer UK, German, Dutch, Japanese, and U.S. imports. There are even pictures.

http://www.hyper-music.co...ummer.html

Other than the US, the UK is the main country with Donna Summer imports on this site:

http://www.hyper-music.co...ummer.html

vainandy said:

Yes but the girl sitting next to him and the 20-odd people at the Helsinki Institute For Anal-Retentives have no idea who she is so I guess she had absolutely no career or legacy at all!

Donna Summer is without question the most recognizable icon of the disco era. If one were to pick a single genre which defined the 70's, it would probably have to be disco. Thus: Donna Summer is definitely one of the top musical icons of the 70's.


That being said, I would not place her in the Top 3. David Bowie and Elton John are easy picks, in my opinion.

For the 3rd spot I would go with my heart, and Neil Young.

But realistically, its probably Stevie Wonder, I suppose.

VoicesCarry said:

HELSINKI INSTITUTE FOR ANAL-RETENTIVES, NOW THAT'S SOME FUNNY SHIT. I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING!
OK, OK,
I HAVE TO GO WITH STEVIE, ELTON, AND MARVIN

sosgemini said:

I love that album

This is right off the top of my head:

Elton John
David Bowie
Stevie Wonder

All of them very brilliant artists.

was david bowie really "big" though folks?

i sorta see him as the bjork of the 70's. he was highly influencial but never reached huge status...

am i wrong here?

cause if we are looking at the equivalents of mj, prince and madge wouldnt the person need massive sales success?

sosgemini said:

that's what I'm saying.I honestly don't recall hearing alot of David Bowie in the 70s.He was more of a cult artist....respected,very influential and extremely talented,but he wasn't exactly a mainstream,hitmaking artist.I think "Fame" is the only song I recall hearing by him.From a commercial standpoint,he reched his high point in the 80s with the 'Let's Dance' album.

DavidEye said:

As a Bowie fan, I am inclined to agree with you to a certain extent. From a commercial standpoint, the only commercial thing Bowie had going in the early 70's was the Ziggy Stardust gimic. Then, as you said in the late 70, he did start to go underground after Young Americans period and didn't re-immerge with another pope hit until around the 80's.

isn't it funny how we can easily pick the three music icons of the 80s? Nobody really disputes that Prince,MJ and Madonna deserve that honor.But when it comes to the 70s,we can't seem to agree

It's hard to pick solo icons from the 1970s because such a great deal of the music from the decade was made by groups. This spilled over into the early 1980s but, unfortunately, by around 1985, groups were almost extinct. This is when I first started getting pissed with music because most of my favorites are groups.

That or Donna Summer is not a well-known international popular music icon. Now, which one do you think is a more likely scenario?


Wow. That must have hurt. I can't argue on that one!


That has absolutely nothing to do with Donna Summer's status in Europe. Did you even read the original comment? Your posts are so devoid of even common logic that arguing with you is totally futile. Have you even ever been outside the borders of The United States? What was it like? Were people different?


You really are a moron. And don't twist other people's words.

And [flame snipped by June7]

Of course, the argument that was stated here a few posts above that if Disco was the most commercially successful form of pop music in the 70s and Donna Summer the most successful artist of the era then, yes, perhaps she would have a place on such list. On the other hand, boyband pop was the most successful form of pop music in the 90s so should Take That be counted as the true musical icons of the 90s? Yes I know - "Take That, who?!?"
[Edited 5/17/05 5:30am]

Nova...no disrespect,but you are only 25 years old.You weren't even around during the 70s,so how can you possibly say who is and who isn't one of the top three icons from that decade? Those of us who are a little "older" can understand the true impact that all of these artists had.So sit back and take notes.You just might learn something.

Novabreaker said:

No disrespect, but I think it's you (I can't believe you've stooped to calling both me and DavidEye "morons" over this insanely petty issue) who needs to do some growing up, and perhaps some learning, as DavidEye suggested.
[Edited 5/17/05 6:05am]