A Love Trilogy

A Love Trilogy is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Donna Summer. It was released on March 5, 1976, just eight months after her international breakthrough with the single and album of the same name – "Love to Love You Baby". The bold, sexual nature of that particular song had earned Summer the title 'the first lady of love'. By now Summer's work was being distributed in the U.S. by Casablanca Records, and the label encouraged Summer, Moroder and team to continue in this vein. A Love Trilogy uses the first side for one long disco track in three distinct movements 'Try Me', 'I Know', 'We Can Make It', and coalescing into the "love trilogy" of the title – "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It". Side two contained three additional erotic disco songs, including a cover of Barry Manilow's "Could It Be Magic". The album's artwork showed Summer floating light-heartedly through the clouds, again adding to the image of her as a fantasy figure.

For the 2004 film, see Love Trilogy.
A Love Trilogy
Studio album by
Donna Summer
ReleasedMarch 5, 1976
RecordedAugust–December 1975
StudioMusicland Studios[1]
GenreDisco
Length33:49
LabelOasis/Casablanca
ProducerGiorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte
Donna Summer chronology
Love to Love You Baby
(1975)		 A Love Trilogy
(1976)		 Four Seasons of Love
(1976)
Singles from A Love Trilogy
  1. "Could It Be Magic"
    Released: January 11, 1976
  2. "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It"
    Released: March 30, 1976
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Christgau's Record GuideB[3]

The album sold well across the world, (it was her second, consecutive album to be certified Gold in the United States) and again topped the national US Disco charts. Edited versions of "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It" and "Could It Be Magic" did not reach the top forty on the Billboard Hot 100, but the latter was a sizable R&B hit (#21) and disco hit (#3). Casablanca released a 12-inch version of "Try Me I Know We Can Make It" with "Love to Love You Baby" on the reverse side. The single "Could It Be Magic" was a Top 5 hit in the Netherlands.

The album did not fare so well in the UK where it reached only the no. 41 spot in September, some six months after its initial release.[4] Likewise the single "Could It Be Magic" which only reached no. 40.[5]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Pete Bellotte and Giorgio Moroder.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Try Me, I Know We Can Make It"
17:57
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
2."Prelude to Love"
  • Summer
  • Bellotte
  • Moroder
1:06
3."Could It Be Magic"
5:19
4."Wasted"
  • Bellotte
  • Moroder
5:09
5."Come With Me"
  • Bellotte
  • Moroder
4:22

Personnel
  • Donna Summer – vocals
  • Giorgio Moroder – bass guitar, producer and synthesizer
  • Pete Bellotte – producer
  • Backing vocals: Madeline Bell, Sunny Leslie, Sue Glover (the Midnite Ladies)
  • Other musicians on this album were known collectively as "Munich Machine" and worked on a variety of Moroder/Bellotte productions from this period.
  • Munich Machine are: Thor Baldursson – keyboards, string arrangement, Frank Diez – guitar, Keith Forsey – drums, Martin Harrison – drums, Molly Moll – guitar, Gary Unwin – bass guitar, Les Hurdle  – bass guitar

Production

  • Producers: Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte
  • Engineer: Jürgen Koppers, Mack & Hans
  • Musical arrangements: Giorgio Moroder and Thor Baldurson

Charts

References
  1. "Donna Summer - A Love Trilogy". Discogs.
  2. Freedberg, Michael. "A Love Trilogy > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  3. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 13, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. "Official Charts: A Love Trilogy". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  5. "Official Charts: Could It Be Magic". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W: Australian Chart Book. p. 300. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. "Austriancharts.at – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  8. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  9. "Norwegiancharts.com – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  10. Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  11. "Swedishcharts.com – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  12. "Donna Summer | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  13. "Donna Summer Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  14. "Les Certifications & Les Ventes". infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  15. "Les Meilleures Ventes de CD/Albums depuis 1968". infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on November 13, 2008. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  16. "Summer Awards" (PDF). Cash Box. October 8, 1977. p. 67. Retrieved November 30, 2019 – via American Radio History.
  17. "British album certifications – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type A Love Trilogy in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  18. "American album certifications – Donna Summer – Love Trilogy". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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