In the summer of 1981,Donna Summer went into the studio with her producers Girogio Moroder and Pete Bellotte to record a new album.It was a 2-record set titled 'I'm A Rainbow' and was scheduled to be released in the fall of '81.It would have been her second album on Geffen Records.However,when label head David Geffen heard the new music,he refused to release the album.Feeling that it was time for Donna to change producers and go in a more R&B direction,he paired her up with Quincy Jones for a "replacement album" that was released a year later.Bootleg cassettes of 'I'm A Rainbow' circulated for years among fans until it was finally released on CD in 1996.

To those of you who are fans,I'd like to know your thoughts on the rejected album.Do you agree with David Geffen? Was he wise or dumb for not releasing it? Would this album have done well in late 1981 when it was supposed to be released? What songs do you think would have made great singles?

I have mixed feelings about this album.I think half of it is very good,and half of it is mediocre.This is one case where a double album should have been shortened...there are at least ten strong songs here.These are my favorite songs:

***"A Runner With The Pack"---love the stripped down,New Wave sound of this song.An electronic masterpeice! The chorus and hook is so infectious and fun.Donna and Giorgio have done several songs like this before,but this one sounds fresh and invigorating.

***"I Believe In You"---The opener is a slick R&B duet with Joe "Bean" Esposito,the same guy who duetted with Donna on "Heaven Knows" a few years earlier.This one had alot of hit potential.It's simple and radio-friendly,unlike many of the more experiemental tracks.

***"True Love Survives"---This one sounds like an outtake from 'The Wanderer'.A perfect example of Giorgio's early 80s post-disco sound.

***"Walk On (Keep On Walking)"---If the album had been released as planned,I might have chosen this song as the first or second single.A strong,catchy pop number that would have done well on the radio in 81/82.With a powerful video,the MTV crowd would have been all over this.

***"Back Where You Belong"---One of the few songs on the album with a strong R&B flavor.Another potential single.

***"Sweet Emotion"---A beautifully arranged slow jam.Donna doesn't usually do songs like this,so it's a real treat to hear her in this setting.This is one track that might have received some attention on R&B and Quiet Storm stations back then.

As I indicated earlier,I think the album would have worked better as a single,10-track album.If you remove tedious,lackluster songs like "You To Me" and "I Need Time" and instead focus on the strong tunes,you'd wind up with a tracklist that looks like this:

SIDE 1---

To Turn The Stone

With this tracklkist,the album would have been an easier sell.Let's face it...in 1981,there aren't too many people who would have rushed out to the record store to spend $12 for a double LP by Donna Summer.Trim it down to a kickass 10-song tracklist and you got a decent album that would have at least reached gold staus,as 'The Wanderer' had done.

Not a bad set of songs from her usual team at the time, but I do think Geffen had a point (although I'm not fond of record bosses pulling that kind of power play). I'm a fan of the Moroder team's work (Moroder, Bellotte, Faltermeyer and Forsey), but by that time the overall sound on the radio was definitely changing and Moroder really hadn't changed his sound all that much (albeit, his team's work was very influential in hindsight). Maybe everyone involved really thought that there was a bit of a "brand" to the Summer/Moroder collaboration, and they needed to maintain that. Definitely understandable (as big as she was at the time).

My biggest thought when I saw this post was that I cannot imagine 1982 without "Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)." That is one of my favorites (for Donna Summer and as a Quincy Jones production). While I don't think the self-titled album that was released was one of Summer's or Jones' best, it was/is a fun album. And I'd probably still pick that album over "I'm A Rainbow."

Yikes! Was not feeling that first song at all but once I heard her voice on I Believe all was right again. That's a nice track.

SoulAlive said:

As I indicated earlier,I think the album would have worked better as a single,10-track album.If you remove tedious,lackluster songs like "You To Me" and "I Need Time" and instead focus on the strong tunes,you'd wind up with a tracklist that looks like this:

SIDE 1---

I Believe (In You)

True Love Survives

People Talk

Back Where You Belong

Sweet Emotion

SIDE 2---

Walk On (Keep On Walkin)

A Runner With The Pack

I'm A Rainbow

End Of The Week

To Turn The Stone

With this tracklkist,the album would have been an easier sell.Let's face it...in 1981,there aren't too many people who would have rushed out to the record store to spend $12 for a double LP by Donna Summer.Trim it down to a kickass 10-song tracklist and you got a decent album that would have at least reached gold staus,as 'The Wanderer' had done.

I agree. I don't think they should have just shelved this album since there are some great tracks on it. All they needed to have done was remove the weak songs. I like Donna's 1982 album as well, but I wish she had released these tracks in '81. She surely would have had even more chart topping hits in her resume.

As a full blown Donna Summer fan, I was disappointed to hear that there was a Donna Summer cd that did not get released back in 1981. If it was out there, I wanted to hear it. If I didn't like jazz and she released a jazz cd, I would want to hear it. I then would likely start liking jazz. I love just about anything this woman does. So, when I'm A Rainbow was finally released, I could not wait to hear it. I like just about every track on I'm A Rainbow. My least favorite would be To Turn The Stone followed by, I Need Time. These two I listen to the least. My favorite tracks are True Love Survives, You To Me, Leave Me Alone, Melanie, A Runner With The Pack, Highway Runner, and Romeo. All the others, I like. I just don't listen to them to the degree that I listen to my favorites. If singles had been released from this cd, my choices would have been any and all of my favorites. David Geffen was not pleased with I'm A Rainbow. This was probably due to his expectations for Donna as compared to her success in the 70's. Her 80's releases weren't as successful. She Works Hard For The Money being the exception. Donna is a versatile vocalist, but that does not guarantee success. Whatever she may be asked to do by a record company, I'm sure she can deliver. However, as an artist, no one wants to have their songs shelved after they were inspired, created, recorded, and finalized in the mix. I would love for Donna to be able to do whatever she wants musically. As far as Geffen's decision goes, it was his right to do what he did. He owned the record company. It was a business decision. An artist is, in a sense, is owned by a record company. It can be tough. An artist is born, creates, dreams, and has a passion for their work to be heard. To get to the level major recording artists get to can be a dream come true. But there appears to be a price for a lot of those creative individuals. Donna's song, Be Myself Again speaks of one of those prices. David Geffen did what he thought he should have done. Who knows what kind of success I'm A Rainbow could have had back in 1981? It may have bombed. It may not have. Sometimes, though, for a singer/songwriter, it's more important to be able to record the songs one wants to. Donna was saying something with I'm A Rainbow. To have it shelved was probably like sharing your heart with someone and that someone showing no concern for what was being said to them. The album was disregarded. In turn, her feelings were disregarded on some level. Being the Donna Summer fan that I am, there is no album by her that I don't like. There are some songs that I don't listen to as much as others, but, as a whole, I love whatever she puts out. If it were up to me, David Geffen would have released I'm A Rainbow. However, because the songs were not as he would have liked them to be, he canned it. Never mind the fact that although he didn't like the album, it could have still done well commercially in its day despite his personal feelings concerning it.

And, yes! I am still on vacation:)

[Edited 7/27/10 16:22pm]

Unfortunately it sounds outdated and is overlong. Moroder peaked in the disco era and the label was right, she had to move on, so at least she could score a few 80s hits.

leecappella said:

As a full blown Donna Summer fan, I was disappointed to hear that there was a Donna Summer cd that did not get released back in 1981. If it was out there, I wanted to hear it. If I didn't like jazz and she released a jazz cd, I would want to hear it. I then would likely start liking jazz. I love just about anything this woman does. So, when I'm A Rainbow was finally released, I could not wait to hear it. I like just about every track on I'm A Rainbow. My least favorite would be To Turn The Stone followed by, I Need Time. These two I listen to the least. My favorite tracks are True Love Survives, You To Me, Leave Me Alone, Melanie, A Runner With The Pack, Highway Runner, and Romeo. All the others, I like. I just don't listen to them to the degree that I listen to my favorites. If singles had been released from this cd, my choices would have been any and all of my favorites. David Geffen was not pleased with I'm A Rainbow. This was probably due to his expectations for Donna as compared to her success in the 70's. Her 80's releases weren't as successful. She Works Hard For The Money being the exception. Donna is a versatile vocalist, but that does not guarantee success. Whatever she may be asked to do by a record company, I'm sure she can deliver. However, as an artist, no one wants to have their songs shelved after they were inspired, created, recorded, and finalized in the mix. I would love for Donna to be able to do whatever she wants musically. As far as Geffen's decision goes, it was his right to do what he did. He owned the record company. It was a business decision. An artist is, in a sense, is owned by a record company. It can be tough. An artist is born, creates, dreams, and has a passion for their work to be heard. To get to the level major recording artists get to can be a dream come true. But there appears to be a price for a lot of those creative individuals. Donna's song, Be Myself Again speaks of one of those prices. David Geffen did what he thought he should have done. Who knows what kind of success I'm A Rainbow could have had back in 1981? It may have bombed. It may not have. Sometimes, though, for a singer/songwriter, it's more important to be able to record the songs one wants to. Donna was saying something with I'm A Rainbow. To have it shelved was probably like sharing your heart with someone and that someone showing no concern for what was being said to them. The album was disregarded. In turn, her feelings were disregarded on some level. Being the Donna Summer fan that I am, there is no album by her that I don't like. There are some songs that I don't listen to as much as others, but, as a whole, I love whatever she puts out. If it were up to me, David Geffen would have released I'm A Rainbow. However, because the songs were not as he would have liked them to be, he canned it. Never mind the fact that although he didn't like the album, it could have still done well commercially in its day despite his personal feelings concerning it.

And, yes! I am still on vacation:)

[Edited 7/27/10 16:22pm]

If it were a business decision, his personal feelings wouldn't be involved.

Donna has said that,when this album was cancelled,it was like "having a miscarriage".This experience soured her relationship with David Geffen."I don't go into the studio to have an album canned",she said.

[Edited 7/31/10 15:39pm]

SUPRMAN said:

leecappella said:

As a full blown Donna Summer fan, I was disappointed to hear that there was a Donna Summer cd that did not get released back in 1981. If it was out there, I wanted to hear it. If I didn't like jazz and she released a jazz cd, I would want to hear it. I then would likely start liking jazz. I love just about anything this woman does. So, when I'm A Rainbow was finally released, I could not wait to hear it. I like just about every track on I'm A Rainbow. My least favorite would be To Turn The Stone followed by, I Need Time. These two I listen to the least. My favorite tracks are True Love Survives, You To Me, Leave Me Alone, Melanie, A Runner With The Pack, Highway Runner, and Romeo. All the others, I like. I just don't listen to them to the degree that I listen to my favorites. If singles had been released from this cd, my choices would have been any and all of my favorites. David Geffen was not pleased with I'm A Rainbow. This was probably due to his expectations for Donna as compared to her success in the 70's. Her 80's releases weren't as successful. She Works Hard For The Money being the exception. Donna is a versatile vocalist, but that does not guarantee success. Whatever she may be asked to do by a record company, I'm sure she can deliver. However, as an artist, no one wants to have their songs shelved after they were inspired, created, recorded, and finalized in the mix. I would love for Donna to be able to do whatever she wants musically. As far as Geffen's decision goes, it was his right to do what he did. He owned the record company. It was a business decision. An artist is, in a sense, is owned by a record company. It can be tough. An artist is born, creates, dreams, and has a passion for their work to be heard. To get to the level major recording artists get to can be a dream come true. But there appears to be a price for a lot of those creative individuals. Donna's song, Be Myself Again speaks of one of those prices. David Geffen did what he thought he should have done. Who knows what kind of success I'm A Rainbow could have had back in 1981? It may have bombed. It may not have. Sometimes, though, for a singer/songwriter, it's more important to be able to record the songs one wants to. Donna was saying something with I'm A Rainbow. To have it shelved was probably like sharing your heart with someone and that someone showing no concern for what was being said to them. The album was disregarded. In turn, her feelings were disregarded on some level. Being the Donna Summer fan that I am, there is no album by her that I don't like. There are some songs that I don't listen to as much as others, but, as a whole, I love whatever she puts out. If it were up to me, David Geffen would have released I'm A Rainbow. However, because the songs were not as he would have liked them to be, he canned it. Never mind the fact that although he didn't like the album, it could have still done well commercially in its day despite his personal feelings concerning it.

And, yes! I am still on vacation:)

[Edited 7/27/10 16:22pm]

If it were a business decision, his personal feelings wouldn't be involved.

That may be true, sometimes. Sometimes it's hard not to have personal feelings involved. They can be disguised and presented as business. However, what I meant by what I said was that it could have been a successful release for her despite his feelings that it would not be a success release had it been released at that time in 1981. Assuming that was the reason for not releasing it in the first place.

[Edited 7/31/10 21:27pm]

SoulAlive said:

Donna has said that,when this album was cancelled,it was like "having a miscarriage".This experience soured her relationship with David Geffen."I don't go into the studio to have an album canned",she said.

[Edited 7/31/10 15:39pm]

True that!

mimi2 said:

SoulAlive said:

As I indicated earlier,I think the album would have worked better as a single,10-track album.If you remove tedious,lackluster songs like "You To Me" and "I Need Time" and instead focus on the strong tunes,you'd wind up with a tracklist that looks like this:

SIDE 1---

I Believe (In You)

True Love Survives

People Talk

Back Where You Belong

Sweet Emotion

SIDE 2---

Walk On (Keep On Walkin)

A Runner With The Pack

I'm A Rainbow

End Of The Week

To Turn The Stone

With this tracklkist,the album would have been an easier sell.Let's face it...in 1981,there aren't too many people who would have rushed out to the record store to spend $12 for a double LP by Donna Summer.Trim it down to a kickass 10-song tracklist and you got a decent album that would have at least reached gold staus,as 'The Wanderer' had done.

I agree. I don't think they should have just shelved this album since there are some great tracks on it. All they needed to have done was remove the weak songs. I like Donna's 1982 album as well, but I wish she had released these tracks in '81. She surely would have had even more chart topping hits in her resume.

Yep,I think they should have just re-worked the tracklist,trimmed it down to a 10-track album,and released it.Using the tracklist that I came up with,I can easily find three strong singles: "I Believe In You","Walk On (Keep On Walkin)" and "Back Where You Belong".There's no reason why those three songs could not have become big hits in late 1981/early 82.