The Power of Gloria Gaynor | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1986 | |||
Recorded | 1986 | |||
Genre | Pop, soft rock | |||
Label | Stylus | |||
Producer | Steve Rowland | |||
Gloria Gaynor chronology | ||||
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Reissue cover | ||||
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Source | Rating |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [1] |
The Power of Gloria Gaynor, also known as The Power, or The Power of Love, is the twelfth studio album by Gloria Gaynor, released in 1986, which is composed mostly of cover versions of other popular songs from the 1970s and 1980s, and is her only album to be released on Stylus Records. It was originally only released in the UK. The album was issued on record, compact disc and cassette, each containing bonus tracks of re-recorded versions of a few of Gaynor's biggest hits in a medley and a remixed version of "Don't You Dare Call It Love".
The Power of Gloria Gaynor was a huge departure from her disco albums, as well as her previous two albums that were R&B and dance based. It failed to perform any better than Gaynor's previous efforts of the 1980s, but did peak at #81 on the UK album chart in October 1986. It has been licensed by many low-budget record labels and re-released on CD countless times (never by the same name) occasionally with other tracks by Gloria Gaynor recorded for other albums. On many reissues of the album, a cover of "Careless Whisper" is also included, which was presumably recorded for this album in London with the rest of the tracks, but went unused when the album was originally released.
The only single released was the remixed version of "Don't You Dare Call It Love", one of two tracks written by Gaynor for this release, on a 12-inch single in the UK. The B-side contained Gaynor's cover of "Every Breath You Take", originally recorded by The Police in 1983, also remixed.
Gloria Fowles, known professionally as Gloria Gaynor, is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (1978), "Let Me Know " (1979), "I Am What I Am" (1983), and her version of "Never Can Say Goodbye" (1974).
The Pet Shop Boys are a British synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music history in the 1999 edition of The Guinness Book of Records.
The Human League is an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album Dare in 1981 after restructuring their lineup. The album contained four hit singles, including the UK/US number one hit "Don't You Want Me". The band received the Brit Award for Best British Breakthrough Act in 1982. Further hits followed throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, including "Mirror Man", "(Keep Feeling) Fascination", "The Lebanon", "Human" and "Tell Me When".
Erasure are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1984, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a member of synth-pop duo Yazoo. From their fourth single, "Sometimes" (1986), Erasure established themselves on the UK Singles Chart, becoming one of the most successful acts of the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. From 1986 to 2007, the pair achieved 24 consecutive top-40 entries in the UK singles chart. By 2009, 34 of their 37 chart-eligible singles and EPs had made the UK top 40, including 17 climbing into the top 10. At the 1989 Brit Awards, Erasure won the Brit Award for Best British Group.
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for "Don't You " (1985), which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Other commercially successful singles include "Promised You a Miracle" (1982), "Glittering Prize" (1982), "Someone Somewhere in Summertime" (1982), "Waterfront" (1983), "Alive and Kicking" (1985), "Sanctify Yourself" (1986), "Let There Be Love" (1991), "See the Lights" (1991), and the UK number one single "Belfast Child" (1989).
Marie-Claire Cremers known professionally as Amber is a Dutch-born singer, songwriter, label owner, and executive producer. She is best known for her hits "This Is Your Night", "If You Could Read My Mind", and "Sexual ". In December 2016, Billboard ranked her as the 34th-most successful dance artist of all time. The magazine later declared her the #7 Dance Singles Sales Artist of the 2000s.
Dare is the third studio album by English synth-pop band the Human League, first released in the United Kingdom in October 1981 then subsequently in the US in mid-1982. The album was produced by Martin Rushent and recorded between March and September 1981, following the departure of founding members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, and saw the band shift direction from their previous avant-garde electronic style toward a more pop-friendly, commercial sound led by frontman Philip Oakey.
"I Will Survive" is a song by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978 by Polydor Records as the second single from her sixth album, Love Tracks (1978). It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. The song's lyrics describe the narrator's discovery of personal strength following an initially devastating breakup. The song is also frequently recalled as a symbol of female empowerment, as well as a disco staple.
"Don't You Want Me" is a song by British synth-pop group the Human League. It was released on 27 November 1981 as the fourth single from their third studio album, Dare (1981). The band's best known and most commercially successful song, it was the best selling UK single of 1981, that year's Christmas number one, and has since sold over 1,560,000 copies in the UK, making it the 23rd-most successful single in UK Singles Chart history. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the US on 3 July 1982, where it stayed for three weeks.
"Never Can Say Goodbye" is a song written by Clifton Davis and originally recorded by the Jackson 5. The song was originally written and intended for the Supremes; however, Motown decided it would be better for the Jackson 5. It was the first single released from the group's 1971 album Maybe Tomorrow, and was one of the group's most successful records. It has been covered numerous times, most notably in 1974 by Gloria Gaynor and in 1987 by British pop group the Communards.
Will to Power is an American dance-pop group that originated in South Florida in the mid-1980s founded by Miami producer Bob Rosenberg. The group recorded a number of hit singles on the Billboard dance and pop charts in the late 1980s and early 1990s, most notably "Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley", a medley of 1970s hits by Peter Frampton and Lynyrd Skynyrd that reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1988. A second band hit was "I'm Not in Love", a cover of 10cc's 1975 hit, number 7 on Billboard Hot 100 in 1990.
"Walk On By" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for singer Dionne Warwick in 1963. Warwick's recording of the song peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Cash Box Rhythm and Blues Chart In June 1964 and was nominated for a 1965 Grammy Award for the Best Rhythm and Blues Recording.
Love and Dancing is a remix album by English synth-pop band The Human League, released in July 1982 by Virgin Records. Issued under the band name "The League Unlimited Orchestra" as a nod to Barry White's disco-era Love Unlimited Orchestra, the album was principally the idea and work of producer Martin Rushent and contains dub-style, largely instrumental remixes of songs from the band's multi-platinum selling album Dare (1981), along with a version of the track "Hard Times", which had originally been the B-side of the single "Love Action ". Rushent was inspired by hip hop turntablist Grandmaster Flash and created Love and Dancing on a mixing board. He created vocal effects by cutting up portions of the Dare tape and manually gluing them together. In total, over 2,600 edits feature on the album.
Fanfare Records was a British record label that was founded by Iain Burton and Simon Cowell. Burton and Cowell worked together at Fanfare Records for eight years. The label was most successful during the 1980s. The label's biggest success came with Sinitta.
Love Tracks is the sixth studio album by Gloria Gaynor, released in November 1978 on Polydor Records. It reached number four on the US Billboard 200 and includes Gaynor's biggest hit and only number-one single, "I Will Survive".
Do You is the sixth English-language studio album from Scottish singer Sheena Easton. It was originally released in November 1985 by EMI Records, and later reissued and remastered by One Way Records in 2000, with additional B-sides and extended mixes. The album was produced by Nile Rodgers. Not as successful as her previous album, Do You peaked at number 40 in the US, but was certified gold and featured the top 30 hit "Do It for Love".
Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1 is a compilation album of recordings by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, first released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1996. Although the compilation, which reached #22 on Billboard's R&B chart and #84 on Pop, was given the "Vol. 1" tag, it remains without a sequel to date.
Gloria Gaynor is the tenth studio album by Gloria Gaynor and her only to be released on Atlantic Records after her contract with Polydor Records expired. The lead single release was a cover of The Supremes' "Stop in the Name of Love", followed by the singles "America" and "Tease Me". The album failed to garner much attention in either the U.S. or in Europe. It was re-released on CD by Hot Productions in 1997 with two previously unreleased re-recordings of "I Will Survive", added as track 1 (3:35) and a 5:03 Extended Mix as track 10. The album was reissued on 2014 by BBR Records, and did not include the re-recorded versions of "I Will Survive", although the extended version can be found on countless compilations by Gaynor over the years. Instead were included the single versions of "Stop in the Name of Love", "America" and "Tease Me", as well as the 12" disco version of "Stop in the Name of Love".
Mandy is the only studio album by Mandy Smith. It was released by PWL in 1988, re-issued in 1993 in Japan and re-mastered and re-issued in 2009.