Private Dancer
Private Dancer | ||||
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Standard cover art (original CD edition pictured) | ||||
Studio album by Tina Turner | ||||
Released | May 29, 1984 | |||
Recorded | 1983–1984 | |||
Studio | Farmyard Studios, Mayfair Studios, Wessex Sound Studios, Good Earth Studios, Abbey Road Studios & CBS Studios (London, England). | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 44:02 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Producer | ||||
Tina Turner chronology | ||||
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Singles from Private Dancer | ||||
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Private Dancer is the fifth solo studio album by Tina Turner. Marking her debut with the record company, it was released by Capitol Records in May 1984. Recording sessions for the album took place at several studios in England and was overseen by four different production teams, including Rupert Hine, and Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh of Heaven 17. A radical departure from the rhythm and blues sound Turner had performed with her former husband and performing partner Ike Turner, the tracks in the album are a mixture of uptempos and ballads, which are basically inspired by pop and rock genres; it also features elements of smooth jazz and R&B.
After several challenging years of going solo after divorcing Ike, Private Dancer propelled Turner in becoming a viable solo star, as well as one of the most marketable crossover singers in the recording industry. It became a worldwide commercial success, earning multi-platinum certifications in Australia, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. To date, it remains her best-selling album in North America. Private Dancer produced seven singles, including "What's Love Got to Do with It", "Better Be Good to Me", "Private Dancer", and "Let's Stay Together". Positively received by critics on release for Turner's ability to give energy and raw emotion to slickly produced professional pop/rock songs; its long term legacy is that the softening of her raw Southern soul style produced a "landmark" in the "evolution of pop-soul music".[1] The album was promoted throughout 1985 in a 177-date worldwide tour called the Private Dancer Tour.
Background and production
A&R man John Carter of Capitol Records is credited with relaunching the career of Tina Turner in the 1980s.[2] In 1983, despite opposition from within Capitol, he signed her and managed her first album for the label, Private Dancer. The album itself was produced in England using several different producers.[1]
"Let's Stay Together" was produced by Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh of British band Heaven 17. Terry Britten produced the reggae-tinged "What's Love Got to Do with It". Rupert Hine produced "Better Be Good to Me", which had been written by Holly Knight, Mike Chapman, and Nicky Chinn, and most of the other songs.[3] John Carter produced "Private Dancer", which was written by Mark Knopfler and has a guitar solo by Jeff Beck. "Ball of Confusion", a cover of The Temptations song which was Turner's first collaboration with the B.E.F. (British Electric Foundation)/Heaven 17 production team and part of their collaborative 1982 album Music of Quality and Distinction Volume One was not included on the Private Dancer album. A recording of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" from the same sessions would re-appear in remixed form on B.E.F.'s Music of Quality and Distinction Volume Two in 1991. "Help!" was recorded with The Crusaders.
Release
The album was released on 29 May 1984 and became an outstanding commercial success. Private Dancer has been certified 5 × Platinum (5 million[4]) in the United States and sold around 250,000 copies each week for two months. Worldwide the album has been estimated to have sold over 20 million copies.[5]
The album produced a number of highly successful singles including "What's Love Got to Do with It" which went to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for three weeks. At the 1985 Grammy Awards, Private Dancer won four of the six awards for which it was nominated. No less than seven of the album's ten tracks (nine in the U.S.) were released as singles: "Let's Stay Together", which was a UK Top 10 hit and a US Top 30 hit; "Help!"; "What's Love Got to Do with It"; "Better Be Good to Me"; "Private Dancer"; "I Can't Stand the Rain" and "Show Some Respect" (1985).
In 1997, EMI, the parent label of Capitol Records, released a digitally remastered Centenary Edition of the Private Dancer album on CD, then including four additional demo tracks recorded in late 1983 and early 1984 with the producer John Carter, first released as B-sides to some of the Private Dancer singles, as well as three extended 12" remixes. The album remains the only Tina Turner studio album to have been re-issued in digitally remastered form.
Critical reception
Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
American Songwriter | |
Christgau's Record Guide | A−[8] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
Q | |
Rolling Stone | |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide |
The critical reviews of the album were positive. The Los Angeles Times reviewer felt that her voice "melts vinyl".[12] Debby Miller, in a July 1984 Rolling Stone review, felt that the album was a powerful comeback, with Turner's voice "rasping but strong", and a range of songs that were all good in a "modern rock setting" that was "neither detached nor very fussy".[3] Robert Christgau felt that she was able to deliver with honesty the "middlebrow angst of contemporary professional songwriting" and remain in control of an album with four different production teams to give it a "seamless authority".[13]
Tour
A 177 date tour to promote the album took place from February 8, 1985 to December 28, 1985. Called the Private Dancer Tour, there were 60 shows in Europe, 105 in North America, 10 in Australia, and 2 in Japan. Opening acts in North America included Glenn Frey and Mr. Mister. As well as songs from the album, Turner performed hits from her time with Ike & Tina, such as "River Deep – Mountain High", "Nutbush City Limits", and "Proud Mary".
Legacy
Alex Henderson, in a retrospective AllMusic review, says that the album was slicker than her R&B classics recorded with Ike & Tina, but she was still able to sing with a throaty passion to deliver her finest solo production.[14] Stephen Holden has written in The New York Times that by using her English producers to soften her raw Southern soul style, discarding the "blaring horns, frenzied percussion and gospel calls and responses", the album became a "landmark" in the "evolution of pop-soul music".[1]
Michael Lydon, in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, says that the album's lyrical themes embodied her persona of a "tough, sexy woman schooled in a tough world", and that her vocal delivery overcomes the slick production, with her "indomitable soul" unifying the multiple producers.[15] In 1989, the album was ranked #46 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 100 Greatest Albums of the '80s. In 2003, the TV network VH1 named Private Dancer the 95th greatest album of all time. Slant Magazine listed the album at #63 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s" saying "Both a personal liberation and sonic redemption, Private Dancer established Turner not only as a genuine diva, but a bona fide force of nature".[16]
Track listing
Original US vinyl/cassette edition
Side one
- "I Might Have Been Queen" (Hine, Obstoj, West-Oram) – 4:10
- "What's Love Got to Do with It" (Britten, Lyle) – 3:49
- "Show Some Respect" (Britten, Shifrin) – 3:18
- "I Can't Stand the Rain" (Bryant, Miller, Peebles) – 3:41
- "Better Be Good to Me" (Chapman, Chinn, Knight) – 5:10
Side two
- "Let's Stay Together" (Green, Jackson, Mitchell) – 5:16
- "1984" (Bowie) – 3:09
- "Steel Claw" (Brady) – 3:48
- "Private Dancer" (Knopfler) – 7:11
Original international edition
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "I Might Have Been Queen" | Jeanette Obstoj, Rupert Hine, Jamie West-Oram | 4:10 |
2. | "What's Love Got to Do with It" | Terry Britten, Graham Lyle | 3:48 |
3. | "Show Some Respect" | Britten, Sue Shifrin | 3:18 |
4. | "I Can't Stand the Rain" | Ann Peebles, Don Bryant, Bernard Miller | 3:41 |
5. | "Private Dancer" | Mark Knopfler | 7:11 |
6. | "Let's Stay Together" | Willie Mitchell, Al Green, Al Jackson, Jr. | 5:16 |
7. | "Better Be Good to Me" | Holly Knight, Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman | 5:11 |
8. | "Steel Claw" | Paul Brady | 3:48 |
9. | "Help!" | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | 4:30 |
10. | "1984" | David Bowie | 3:09 |
Remastered editions
1997 Centenary Edition bonus tracks | |||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
11. | "I Wrote a Letter" ("Let's Stay Together" b-side) | Inga Rumpf | 3:24 |
12. | "Rock 'n Roll Widow" ("Help" b-side) | Tom Snow | 4:45 |
13. | "Don't Rush the Good Things" ("What's Love Got To Do With It" b-side) | Neil Gammack | 3:46 |
14. | "When I Was Young" ("Better Be Good To Me" b-side) | Eric Burdon, Victor Briggs, John Weider, Danny McCulloch | 3:11 |
15. | "What's Love Got to Do with It" (Extended 12" Remix) | Britten, Lyle | 5:48 |
16. | "Better Be Good to Me" (Extended 12" Remix) (edit) | Knight, Chinn, Chapman | 7:03 |
17. | "I Can't Stand the Rain" (Extended 12" Remix) | Peebles, Bryant, Miller | 5:45 |
2015 30th Anniversary Edition bonus disc | ||
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No. | Title | Length |
1. | "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World is Today)" (with B.E.F.) | |
2. | "I Wrote a Letter" ("Let's Stay Together" b-side) | |
3. | "Rock 'n Roll Widow" ("Help" b-side) | |
4. | "Don't Rush the Good Things" ("What's Love Got To Do With It" b-side) | |
5. | "When I Was Young" ("Better Be Good To Me" b-side) | |
6. | "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby" ("Private Dancer" b-side) | |
7. | "Tonight" (Live with David Bowie) (Live at The NEC, Birmingham - same version from "Live In Europe") | |
8. | "Let's Pretend We're Married" (Live) | |
9. | "What's Love Got to Do with It" (Extended 12" Remix) | |
10. | "Better Be Good to Me" (Extended 12" Remix) (edit) | |
11. | "I Can't Stand the Rain" (Extended 12" Remix) | |
12. | "Show Some Respect" (Extended Mix) | |
13. | "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" (Single Edit) | |
14. | "One of the Living" (Single Remix) | |
15. | "It's Only Love" (with Bryan Adams) |
Personnel
- Tina Turner – lead vocals (all tracks), background vocals (1, 7, 8)
- Gary Barnacle – saxophone (6)
- Jeff Beck – guitar (5, 8)
- Terry Britten – guitar (2, 3, 4), background vocals (2, 3)
- Graham Broad – drums (4)
- Alex Brown – background vocals (9)
- John Carter – percussion (5)
- Leon "Ndugu" Chancler – drums (9)
- Alan Clark – keyboards (5, 8), percussion (5)
- Mel Collins – saxophone (5)
- David Cullen – string arrangements (10)
- Cy Curnin – background vocals (1, 7)
- Jullian Diggle – percussion (5)
- David Ervin – synthesizer, programming (9)
- Gwen Evans – background vocals (9)
- Charles Fearing – guitar (9)
- Guy Fletcher – synthesizer (5, 8)
- Wilton Felder – bass guitar (9), saxophone (9)
- Nick Glennie-Smith – keyboards (2, 3, 4)
- Glenn Gregory – background vocals (6, 10)
- Rupert Hine – bass guitar (1, 7), keyboards (1, 7), percussion, programming (1, 7), background vocals (1, 7)
- Graham Jarvis – drums (2, 3)
- John Illsley – bass guitar (5, 8)
- Hal Lindes – guitar (5, 8)
- Billy Livsey – keyboards (2, 3)
- Trevor Morais – drums (1, 7)
- Simon Morton – percussion (2)
- Tessa Niles – background vocals (2, 3)
- Frank Ricotti – percussion (6)
- Ray Russell – guitar (6)
- Joe Sample – synthesizer (9), piano (9)
- David T. Walker – guitar (9)
- Martyn Ware – programming, electronic drums (6, 10), arrangements (6, 10), background vocals (6, 10)
- Greg Walsh – programming (6, 10), arrangements (6, 10)
- Jamie West-Oram – guitar (1, 7)
- Jessica Williams – background vocals (9)
- Terry Williams – drums (5, 8)
- Nick Plytas – piano, synthesizer (6, 10)
- Richie Zito – guitar (8)
Production
- Terry Britten – producer (2, 3, 4)
- John Carter – producer (5, 8)
- Leon "Ndugu" Chancler – producer (9)
- Wilton Felder – producer (9)
- Rupert Hine – producer (1, 7)
- Joe Sample – producer (9)
- Greg Walsh – producer & engineer (6, 10)
- Martyn Ware – producer (6, 10)
- F. Byron Clark – engineer (9)
- John Hudson – engineer & mixing (2, 3, 4)
- Walter Samuel – engineer (6, 10)
- Stephen W. Tayler – engineer & mixing (1, 5, 7, 8)
- Humberto Gatica – remixing (5, 8)
- Alan Yoshida – mastering
- Akira Taguchi – compilation producer
- Sam Gay – creative director
- Roy Kohara – art direction
- John O'Brien – design
- Peter Ashworth – photography
- Roger Davies – management
- Chip Lightman – management
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[52] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada)[53] | 7× Platinum | 700,000^ |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[54] | Gold | 33,464[54] |
France (SNEP)[55] | Gold | 108,400[56] |
Germany (BVMI)[57] | 5× Gold | 1,250,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[58] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[59] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[60] | 3× Platinum | 900,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[61] | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide | 20,000,000[5] | |
^shipments figures based on certification alone |
Grammy Awards
Year | Winner | Category |
---|---|---|
1985 | "Better Be Good to Me" | Best Female Rock Vocal Performance |
1985 | "What's Love Got to Do with It?" | Best Female Pop Vocal Performance |
1985 | "What's Love Got to Do with It?" | Record of the Year |
1985 | "What's Love Got to Do with It?" | Song of the Year |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Stephen Holden (2012). "Tina Turner News". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ↑ "Passings: Bill Summers, John S. Carter, Ruth C. Cole". Los Angeles Times 24 May 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- 1 2 3 Miller, Debby (July 5, 1984). "Tina Turner: Private Dancer". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ↑ Official Tina Turner Fan Club Biography Archived 3 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
- 1 2 "'Carter,' Veteran Producer and A&R Exec, Dead at 65". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. May 12, 2011. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ↑ Henderson, Alex. "Private Dancer – Tina Turner". AllMusic. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ↑ Gleason, Holly (May 1, 2008). "Tina Turner > Private Dancer". American Songwriter. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (1990). "Tina Turner: Private Dancer". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
- ↑ "Tina Turner: Private Dancer". Q (109): 150. October 1995.
- ↑ McGee, David (2004). "Tina Turner". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 827–28. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ↑ Tina Turner, Kurt Loder (September 1, 1986). I, Tina. Morrow. p. 219. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (July 24, 1984). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ↑ Alex Henderson (2012). "Private Dancer - Tina Turner : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ↑ Michael Lydon (5 Dec 2011). 1001 Albums: You Must Hear Before You Die. Hachette UK. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
- ↑ "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s | Feature". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
- 1 2 "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. September 15, 1984. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Tina Turner – Private Dancer" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. December 15, 1984. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tina Turner – Private Dancer" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Albumit 1985–03 maaliskuu" (in Finnish). InfoDisc. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Tina Turner - Private Dancer" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Tina Turner – Private Dancer". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Tina Turner – Private Dancer". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Tina Turner – Private Dancer". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Tina Turner – Private Dancer". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Tina Turner | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Tina Turner Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Tina Turner Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Top 40 album DVD és válogatáslemez-lista – 2015. 27. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- 1 2 David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australia: St Ives, N.S.W. : Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums of 1984". RPM. January 5, 1985. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Jaaroverzichten - Album 1984" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Les Albums (CD) de 1984 par InfoDisc" (in French). InfoDisc. Archived from the original on 27 October 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts 1984" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1984". RIANZ. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Topp 40 Album Høst 1984" (in Norwegian). VG-lista. Archived from the original on April 19, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Swiss Year-end Charts 1984". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Najlepiej sprzedające się albumy w W.Brytanii w 1984r" (in Polish). Z archiwum ... rocka. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- 1 2 "Top Pop Albums" (PDF). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. December 22, 1984. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Jahreshitparade Alben 1985" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albums of 1985". RPM. 28 December 1985. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- ↑ "Jaaroverzichten - Album 1985" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts 1985" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1985". RIANZ. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Swiss Year-end Charts 1985". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Najlepiej sprzedające się albumy w W.Brytanii w 1985r" (in Polish). Z archiwum ... rocka. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Top Pop Albums" (PDF). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. December 28, 1985. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "1985: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Najlepiej sprzedające się albumy w W.Brytanii w 1986r" (in Polish). Z archiwum ... rocka. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1985 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Tina Turner – Private Dancer". Music Canada.
- 1 2 "Tina Turner" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
- ↑ "Les Certifications" (in French). InfoDisc. Archived from the original on 21 June 2010. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
- ↑ "Les Albums Or" (in French). InfoDisc. Archived from the original on April 19, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
- ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Tina Turner; 'Private Dancer')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Tina Turner – Private Dancer". Recorded Music NZ.
- ↑ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Tina Turner – Private Dancer". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Private Dancer in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Tina Turner – Private Dancer". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
External links
- Private Dancer (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)