Various Artists - Thank God Its Friday The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

Be warned; there are 2 versions of this album on CD

Eric | Somerville, MA United States | 08/05/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This is the abbreviated 1996 release from "Rebound Records" aka "great music, the second time around." It leaves off several tracks from the original release, including the deservedly touted "Je t'aime" (Donna's Francophile follow-up to "Love to Love You Baby" for all intents and purposes) and Thelma Houston's quite strong "Love Masterpeice." Also missing is Paul Jabara's (author of "Last Dance") intentionally hilarious "Trapped in a Stairway [locked out of your love]" (which hinged on a plot-point in the movie*) leaving only the extended and undeniably wonderful Pattie Brooks classic "After Dark" as a true swirl of deep-club dance paradise. Best use of a cowbell EVER! More pop/funk turns by the Commodores, Cameo and Diana Ross are quite welcome, but the full album (indicated by better packaging, ie a full-color cover) is preferable for dedicated disco fans.

*as disco movies go, TGIF isn't great, but it's also less laughable than, say, Roller Boogie or Can't Stop the Music. And it features the queen Donna Summer herself, as well as Teri Nunn, Jeff Goldblum and Debra Winger in early roles.

"

Forget, Saturday Night Fever, TGIF is THE Disco Soundtrack

KRA | East End of LI | 05/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First, I happen to like the movie TGIF, and as someone who came of age in the Disco era, I can relate to this movie better than

that Travolta flick. The Sountrack discussed here is a great snapshot of Disco during it's peak year (1978). Motown wisely signed on to this project and although Casabalanca could have easily pulled it off on it's own, some of the tracks provided by Motown artists are true gems. "Too Hot To Trot" by the Commodores, with it's early Disco-Funk fusion balances the more Euro-Disco sound from the Casablanca artists, and "Love Masterpiece" is to me Thelma Houston's greatest song, and is far too overlooked. Had "Lovin, Livin and, Givin" had a better producer, it could have been a Disco Peak for Diana Ross. Other tracks not to miss include "After Dark" by Patti Brooks, "Find My Way" by Cameo, and "I Wanna dance" by Marathon.

Donna Summer's tracks include "With Your Love", "Je T'Aime" (the song that "Love To Love You Baby" was based on) and of course her triumph "Last Dance", a song that remains fresh and vibrant to this day. Donna also co-wrote and sings background on the funky song "Take It To The Zoo" recroded by her real life sister's group "Sunshine". To this day one of Donna's sisters Mary-Ellen sings backup vocals in Donna's live shows, and when you listen to this track you can easily hear Mary Ellen singing lead on the bridge to this song.

This movie and this soundtrack are not about social commentary and many of the other elements that Saturday Night Fever included in it's script, TGIF is about having a good time, and there is nothing wrong with that.

"

A night at The Zoo

Nse Ette | Lagos, Nigeria | 09/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dim all the lights, hang up the glitter ball, put on your disco duds and this CD and get ready for a fabulous night at the disco.

`Thank God it's Friday' is the soundtrack to the fun filled disco movie of the same name, starring Jeff Goldblum, Ray Vitte, and featuring The Commodores and disco queen Donna Summer. It featured a very noisy night at a disco called The Zoo.

The album made it to #10 in the US and was certified platinum. It featured disco tracks from acts like The Commodores, Cameo, Thelma Houston, Patti Brooks, and Donna Summer.

There were the brilliant, flamenco tinged instrumentals; `Sevilla nights' (great horns and guitars) by Santa Esmeralda and `I wanna dance' by Marathon, the funky horn filled `Too hot to trot' by The Commodores, the bouncy `Find my way' by Cameo, the synthesizer driven jittery `Lovin', livin' & givin'' by Diana Ross (obviously inspired by Donna Summer's `I feel love') and the hi energy `Love masterpiece' by Thelma Houston.

Other standouts include the Motown pastiche of Paul Jabara's `Trapped in a stairway' (he played the part of a guy who got, you guessed it, trapped in a stairway), Patti Brook's smooth and mellow `After dark', the slowed down steamy `Do you want the real thing' by DC Larue, and `Take it to the zoo' by Sunshine, a group comprising Donna Summer's sisters singing a song penned by Summer.

Then comes the highlight. Donna Summer!!! First up is the airy space disco of `With your love'. There is an extended version available on Donna Summer's `Dance collection' CD (along with extended versions of songs like `Hot stuff', `I feel love', and `Dim all the lights' to name a few).

Next is the 8 minute long `Last dance', the first of Summer's trademark ballad intro building into a disco smash, and back to ballad, and fast again. A dramatic piece, this was the highlight of the album and the movie. It won an Oscar, sold a million to earn a gold disc, hit #3 in the US, and won 2 Grammys, one for Donna for best R&B female performance, and 1 for Paul Jabara (songwriter).

Finally, Donna's remake of Serge Gainsbourg's `Je t'Aime Moi Non Plus', a midtempo, 17 minute long moan fest, similar to Summer's `Love to love you baby'.

A trip back in time to when people were carefree and disco ruled...

"

The #1 DISCO Soundtrack

DJ Bob | Delaware Valley, PA | 07/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My profession: Disc Jockey

My favorite dance soundtrack: Thank God It's Friday

My favorite dance song (from the TGIF ST): I Wanna Dance by Marathon

(and yes I wish Casablanca had made a 12-inch of this)

If you have the video, Paul Jabara (Last Dance, Trapped in a Stairway) played the guy who should have kept his glasses on. Note: he also co-wrote with Paul Shaffer (David Letterman's band leader) "It's Raining Men" for the Weather Girls.

Also watch for the following gaffs:

After Donna Summer's crying in the ladies' room, her hair gets a new do in a few minutes, which should have taken hours. A rose is placed in her hair, but when she emerges from the ladies' room, it has moved to the other side of her head!

Pyrotechnics during the Commodores set had NO EFFECT on any of the dancers!

The scene where Donna Summer knocks over the pile of 45's to distract the DJ was SO commercially crass that I almost laughed out loud in the movie theatre! There were SO many things wrong, I have to list them: a) DJ's were NOT using 45's in the discos, just 12-inch singles or extended album cuts; b) when this movie was released, Motown was NOT played in the discos in favor of the Euro sound. So when they showed a close-up of the 45's on the floor that the DJ had to pick up, they were ALL Motown (and subsidiary) labels! Wishful thinking on Motown's part.

Ok, back to the soundtrack. I bought TWO copies of this album, just in case I wore one out! It's THAT good!"

Disco-Era Cross Section Bliss!

Italo | Boston, MA USA | 11/20/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I briefly recall the movie for which this soundtrack was made, but I especially remember the music and songs from this album. The cuts were well-ordered, and the album was kind of like the "little brother" of the era's much-more-publicized "Saturday Night Fever" sountrack album. My brother was a local Boston DJ at the time, and he received a preview copy of this soundtrack before it was released commercially. One cut I remember especially liking, and which some people reviewing it may only have the version on the more-recent CD reissue to go by, is "Lovin', Livin' and Givin'" by Diana Ross. The original version from 1978 on the first album release was a completely different one from the one you hear on the CD reissue, or for some odd reason on all subsequent Diana Ross hit compilation albums or CDs. In fact, when Motown issued its extended disco vinyl version of this cut as a Ross single in '78, that's when the alternative "Euro" version seemed to first surface. On the original, Ross's version is much more frenetic, wrenching, upbeat and dancy -- it has none of that futuristic "I Feel Love" Donna Summer sound that one reviewer critiquing it must have gleaned from the CD reissue version. I wish that I could get a hold of Diana's original version of the song! It seems to have the same sound and vocal backings found on other Ross sessions of the era such as "What You Gave Me," which appeared on her "Ross" Motown Lp of that era. But overall, a great album throughout, too!"

Search - Various Artists :: Thank God It's Friday: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

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