After becoming the queen of
disco
thanks to orgasmathon hits like
"Love to Love You Baby"
and
"I Feel Love,"
Donna Summer
topped off her five-year rise to fame with this live set. Certainly not a contender for first-disc choice,
Live and More
still works quite well as a '70s sampler for the converted. And since
was the party music par excellence, the album's feel is one of a all-nighter in action. Featuring her signature hits and a fat chunk of
tracks from the
Once Upon a Time
record, sides one and three solidify
Summer
's reputation as one of the most exciting and slick singers on stage. Balancing out the requisite dance material,
spends side two waxing nostalgic via a
pop
standards medley (
"The Man I Love,"
"I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good,"
"Some of These Days"
) and some nice
jazz
blues
-imbued fare of her own. And ending the album on a very high note,
indulges in
"McArthur Park Suite,"
a classic long-player that bookends two of
and producer
Giorgio Moroder
's
numbers with a dance-friendly take on
Jimmy Webb
's monumental classic. Along with cloud-walking bouncers like
"I Love You"
"Last Dance,"
this closing piece finds
at her sophisticated and tuneful best. There's nothing here to eclipse the original versions of these cuts -- save for the
Webb
cover, which is new -- but the
faithful will nonetheless want to pick up this very enjoyable concert recording. ~ Stephen Cook