Reviews (page 6 of 9)
Sounds incredibly dated. A big voice needs big music, which eventually does come. Unfortunately, the elevator music in a lot of this album doesn’t do nearly enough to showcase Tina Turner’s ample talents.
I remember young teenage me thinking Private Dancer sure had a lot of pathos. Now I'm not as sure. As always, it is hard to listen to the major hits objectively, since they are so familiar. Tina is great but listening with modern ears the music itself is mostly just painful. Is this an important album? Yes! Does it hold up? Almost. Such is Tina's power that she manages to drag this album just over the line into "listenable" territory.
2 incredible songs and a bunch of other songs. Bumping to my 3 stars because this album was sampled by mouth Eazy E and Missy Elliot.
Funky, groovy, soulful. I love Tina’s powerful, raspy voice. Her lower register and higher register are equally strong.
What's love got to do with it, and we don't need another hero are tunes that anybody growing up in the 80s and 90s will have heard a million times, and probably still love! The rest of album is carried by Tina's powerful voice and force if personality.
could i write poetry to this? n Tina is an icon tho
some fun songs, not biggest stand-out
Enjoyable sometimes. Great vocals. Questionable arrangement.
This is a lively album featuring Tina Turner's powerful vocals.
Some real jams on here Grandma loved it
Enjoyable.
Tina turner is just timeless. This album is full of bangers and even if you don’t like it, it’s a must listen for general knowledge.
Super 80s but she rules and some of the covers were great.
It's pretty good, but I'm not drawn to it.
RIP Tina
Always enjoyed Tina - she developed her own sound and there's good stuff on this.
Tina is assuredly a wonderful singer and the ability to have so many hands on deck for the making of this album without it sounding completely like a mess is astounding, but in the end it's just a bunch of covers or songs written to be sung by a singer, not to be great art on their own imho. Jeff Beck's solos were funny and weird and welcome as well. Every guitarist sounded the same as the other so that was pretty funny. Overall great start; mediocre finish. RIP legend.
The title track on this goes so crazy, I love her voice so much and I am tired of what's love got to do with it. On first listen everyone called it aggressively 80s and I didn't know what that meant but upon clicking the album one more time i get it and it's a bit distracting but you know... --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- I love you reader! unless you're homophobic :(
Very close to a 4 and objectively a classic, her voice and much of the instrumentation just struck me the wrong way in the headspace I was in listening to it. Perhaps my favorite Marvin Gaye cover.
The original songs are good 80s. The covers are bad 80s.
Very eighties in sound and very dated, but frankly, it still manages to pull off more than one good song!
På grænsen til 4. Ud over titelnummeret synes jeg, at alle originalnumrene lyder vildt godt! Pusten går bare lidt af det, når man lige propper 3 covers i anden halvdel, ingen af dem på niveau med den originale
Banger fra fars cd samling, kan godt lide hvor no chill det er og synes at produktionen er et sjældent W for den her æra af 80er-pop. Flere plader burde have en god kat på coveret
tina turner the clocks back
Some good songs but a full album of Tina is a bit much
"Private Dancer" signaled a sort of turning point and revitalization in Tina Turner's music career. We don't have to get into her early career with her former spouse, instead focusing on the sound & success of this album. This is what the 80's sounds like, rolled up into one album. (That's good or bad depending on who you ask) Pop, with the occasional guitar riffs blended in, mixed with some jazz and R&B throughout. All the while, Turner sounds strong and liberated via her raspy voice and lyrics. I can't speak for her level of stardom prior to this album's release, but this certainly launched her into the stratosphere and into diva status. This rolled into her subsequent albums, as the next few seem to have at least one instantly recognizable hit. I did find the cover songs to be subpar for the most part (with the exception of "I Can't Stand the Rain", which is probably the best track on the album). Fun 80's album that gets dragged down a bit by the few covers. But the good ones are GOOD.
Her backing band wanted nothing to do with her Michael Jackson impersonation - they wanted to unleash the sickest, funkiest grooves ever. This was okay. She's got a few good jams.
Solid pop album Standout songs: Lets stay together Better be good to me
Not really my thing, but some good ones here when I get passed the very 80s style.
Alright
This album started off AMAZINGLY strongly until the title track presented itself like a blood-sucking vampire and killed the energy. Following that, it was like being upset in a nightclub, the party still takes place around you, you sober up a bit and try to get back into the groove, occasionally getting another drink, and giving it your best dance even though you keep being pulled back to being upset. It just doesn't feel the same after track 5.
Fun, funky and full of expression. Tina is a legend and will forever be timeless. She brings such passion and energy to each song, making it a very uplifting experience. Good record.
WHAT’S LOVE be glad you aren’t in the car with me because some songs must be belted I Can’t Stand the Rain— oh fuck this is a jam I understand that covering a song is a show of respect, but just let Al Green do it. Better Be Good to Me was in the movie IF, and you should see that movie if only for the scene with that song.
Favorite Track: What's Love Got To Do With It?
Better than I expected.
A great use of her voice and what she can do with it. I do not care for the instrumentation. The original I Can't Stand the Rain by Ann Peebles is much better. If I film a montage in the future, I hope I can use Steel Claw to accompany it. 1984 is ... interesting, oh it's Bowie.
The change of sound from her past songs is welcomed and at some points in the album, invited. Her raspy vocals still provide a strong and seamless album that is enjoyable to listen to.
There’s something heartwarming about the knowledge that TT’d renaissance was eased along the way by the blokes from Heaven 17. (See also ‘The Hardline According to TTD’A’, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis X The Human League) (I wonder whether Northern Soul might have nurtured , unconsciously or not, this fertile valley.)
I can see it, and I like how it’s so much less insipid overall than Taylor Swift types - here there are some things to say, in a voice that can actually sing. All this said, it’s not one for me.
3.5 stars. Great voice, some great tracks and some duds and just a bit too 80's cheesy overall. Not a fan of end of album which gets too glam-rockish. Standout is "Better Be Good To Me" along with the catchy pop hit "What's Love Got To Do With It".
Well, so as a kid I hated What’s Love Got to do with It, but I like it much better now. She’s got an interesting voice, in a good way. Some of the music itself was not that interesting to me, but not terrible.
Tina's voice is timeless and the lyrics are solid and work with her vocals but the music and production are incredibly dated. As a teenage metal head/punk rock kid I hated this album. As an adult I can appreciate it for what it is but it is so incredibly dated. 5 for Tina and 1 for the rest equals a generous 3
I would struggle at a Tina cover band concert but would be clapping along with all the old ladies to a few of these.... she was a pioneer so hats off and loved some sax
80s style 2.5/5
Oh wow. All this time I thought ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It’ was by Michael Jackson. Shows what I know. This was good, even if it’s not really my kind of music. Tina Turner is good
The flute sounding synth in “What’s Love Got To Do With It” instantly connects me to my 7 year old self. This album is very much steeped in the 80’s synth world. Tina shines above it all with some incredible vocal performances. I give this one a 3.5.
Tina's voice is on point: emotional, weary, and raspy. After leaving an abusive relationship, Tina sings of a yearning for love and respect but not trusting it fully, a theme that heart-breakingly resonates throughout the album. The hits I recall from this album are "What's Love Got To Do With It", "Private Dancer", and "Better Be Good To Me", but there are other notable songs here as well such as "I Can't Stand The Rain", "Steel Claw", and some well-performed renditions of cover songs. Stylistically, the album moves through a couple of genres (mostly pop, upbeat soft rock, and R&B) and yet remains cohesive as an album. Overall, the production is a compilation of 80's clichés; programmed drums, synthesized horns, warm pads, mildly distorted guitar chords and common arpeggios, and orchestral hits. These same songs and instrumental lines played more organically would hold up better with time. The sound is too dated to be classically timeless; you have to be willing to revisit the 80's when you put this one on. It makes me wonder how The Killers, MGMT, and Radiohead breathe so much life and emotion into their electronic productions, avoiding the pitfalls of feeling so robotic and distant. Tina delivers on the album, but the production generally doesn't rise to her greatness.
Tina Turner has such a raw soulful and bluesy voice that truly gets showcased throughout the album. The sounds on the album, everything going on in the background makes it sound dated though. I know there are other albums that have 'that 80s sound' but somehow they don't sound dated like this one. Tina shines powerfully through the time stamp though.
Deep respect and love for Tina Turner. However, that is the most 80's sounding album, and it has not aged well.
Not for me thanks
I could really have done without all the covers, but the highlights go *just* hard enough for this to edge or to three stars.
Tina Turner does the same thing as the other popular artists of her time, but not quite as well.
Schöne Klassiker.
I like the melodies and singing, but it’s just so 80’s sounding, and that cover of Help is more like the lyrics of the original song over a completely different melody.
couple bangers
there is some great classic songs on here.
Still incredible, but doesnt hold up as well as I thought it would
Delightfully fucking weird
3.5
too 80's can't give it more than 3
Love the hits but didn’t love this as much as I wanted to. I remember everyone having this album in school - not me, though. But it brings back fun memories of going dancing and Tina belting out her hits.
The hits were great, the covers were not and the rest was ok. I am more an admirer of Tina as a person than a fan of her singing.
This album is hopelessly tethered to questionable '80s production aesthetics, and it doesn't help that the majority of the material is just OK. But damn, Tina Turner is singing like she means it, and her voice is the one thing that transcends the production and the material. She's singing at a 5 and swimming against the current of the material and production. Except on "What's Love Got to Do With It." That sounds like a hit. I wrote a retrospective of Tina Turner last year (she died in May of 2023), and this album has a pretty dramatic story. It was her first release as a solo artist after her tumultuous divorce from Ike Turner, and probably her one shot at putting a solo career on track, and she ultimately had to pull the whole thing together (and record it) in two weeks. So, I suppose the choices were born of trying to sound as relevant and current at the time, and I guess she really was singing like it was her last chance. Good for her on achieving massive success with this, but it doesn't exactly hold up as a great body of songs, IMO.
Better Be Good to Me was the standout song on this album for me. All the others sounded trite. I guess it's one to listen to b/c it's Tina's big comeback?
Pop refinado da msm qualidade que MJ
I liked this album more than I thought I would
Hark - a new contender for the most 80s sounding album on the list! For better (WLGTDWI, Steel Claw!) and for worse (that cover of Help - ewww).
3.5
It's very 80s, and not for me. But a few classic bangers on here.
So 80s
decent
2.5/5. This is fine. I imagine this was pretty popular back then. Not really into this, though. I found it a little boring.
Are these just all covers?
A great voice, but other than the hits, the rest is sort of forgettable. Tina is a fantastic singer, but I was kind of bored, especially with the cheesy 80's music.
Tina Turner's big break after breaking off from Ike Turner. She obviously deserves the world after everything she went through, but her powerful approach to soul proved to be a winning move. A lot of the album is dragged down by the typical '80s pop production, but Tina Turner's charisma and incredible voice make these songs stand out. Her rendition of the Beatles' "Help" on the rerelease is perhaps the weakest choice, but it wasn't on the original tracklist so I'll try to ignore that. Overall it's an enjoyable experience that I feel would be improved with better songs for Tina to sing.
Rock star! I enjoyed this album and I was surprised to -- I appreciate how revolutionary this music and this artist would have been at the time. I also have a little nostalgic spot for the extreme '80s-ness of this album, complete with MIDI. :)
This album sounded fairly dated and was difficult to get into. Some hit songs but overall it doesn’t hold up well.
Show Some Respect for this album.
I love Tina Turner and this has some nice songs on it, that have not aged well. Better Be Good to ME still sounds great but some of the covers just feel like she is vamping rather than exuding emotion.
I was only slightly disappointed that the Nutbush wasn't on this album. But there were definitely a few on here that came close. For her fifth solo album she had cemented herself as one of the largest artists of the 80s. Best: What's Love Got to Do With It Worst: Private Dancer Note: Spotify had the extended version of the album, I only listened to the original 10 tracks.
Noteworthy songs - 808080808 Magical Dream - Kinda catchy synth, but the rest is bland. Ancodia - Good background noise. Cobra Bora - Actually kind of cool, reminds me of Bomberman Hero. Pacific 202 - N64 vibes, but melody isn't great. Donkey Doctor - Nothing too special, weird ending. 808080808 - Really cool beginning. A little slow in the middle but stays interesting enough. Sunrise - Nothing remarkable. The Fat Shadow - Eerie. Very short.
Great album for the mid 80s but it’s pretty dated now. Second part of the album is a little bit mailed in. It’s ok
Big 80s sound. Some of lyrics are a little on the nose, but a pretty fun listen overall. Particularly liked the cover of Help! More impassioned take on a classic.
More covers than I was expecting. But she has earned her stripes, she can do now wrong.
148/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
Good listen but did she really do anything that original? The best songs were not even hers
Can you dance to it? Yes Can you rock to it? Yes What's cheese got to do with it?
So 80s My dad grew up in north St. Louis and saw Tina a lot when she was coming up. Talked about raucous shows. Missed that here as it just sound like corporate 80s rock. Given her story, I wish they made the backing fit her story and a lot of the lyrics. Vocals are great, just feel it contrasts with the music not in a good way.
it goes without saying that tina turner has an incredible voice. her voice is the reason you listen to this album. the production is violently mid-1980s and has not held up particularly well. it sounds really clunky and cheesy. there are a handful of old overs on here that i don't think are amazing covers, just sort of whatever. nothing here stood out to me as great, but was solid enough. pretty middle of the road.
Good record, good songs, awesome singer - but not my cup of tea. Would deserve more if it was but for my appetite I’ve had my fill of this album. Still a good one mind you.
There's a certain kind of synth from the early 80s that is at once very playful, but also sounds silly? It's tough to take Tina seriously with this sound on the first track. Oddly enough a lot of it seems to come from Rupert Hine as a producer I have just found out. I might be bias because I love the film Better Off Dead, which he produced a lot of the music on the soundtrack.
That was a good dose of 80s pop with some very iconic instrumentals and singing. It was mainly easy listening, but by the end it felt longer than 44 minutes.
Not an artist I listen to other than very casually. This was a nice change of pace.
Good pop music, not my style. I enjoyed the instrumentals and her voice sounded good most of the time.
She has a wonderful, powerful voice, but I don’t love the instrumentation here—too 80s and not super interesting
Not exactly my cup of tea, but alright. I think if I had heard this on a different day I might have liked it much more, but it just came at the wrong time for me to get fully into. Such is life
An ok album. The cover of I Cant Stand the Rain is fun, but on the flip side the cover of HELP is atrocious!
I’m not sure if timeless is how I’d describe it. Still fun.
This is a lengthy one. I think the rating here reflects more on the mood that I was in when listening to it, I was really struggling with enjoying it.
I was a kid when this came out and back then I thought her hair was weird. Decades later I think it's even worse. It looks like she scalped a sasquatch and stuck it on her head. The music itself has not aged particularly well because of the 80's production. Luckily it has her powerful, raspy voice to elevate it.
Some good stuff, but not a genre I enjoy.
Tante Tina... ze stelt nooit teleur, maar toch te 80's gelikt voor mij
Super 80s that I actually quite liked it. The more cheesy 80s songs were the better ones. No need for the Al Green or Beatles covers and pretty naff ender. But other than that I somewhat guiltily enjoyed it.
Good and of course uniquely Tina. But a bit dated.
71/100
ok album not for me really but cant deny is good 3.3/5
I started off thinking "This is fun!" It's got that very eighties sound. It reminded me of Huey Lewis and the News and that type of thing. It has a couple of classic songs that Tina Turner is best known for, like "I can't stand the rain," "What's love got to do with it," and "Private dancer". And Tina, obviously has a great voice. But... are these all covers? When it gets to the ones I know best from the originals like "Let's Stay Together" or "Help!" they just sound very very silly with the 80s MOR Rock treatment. On Spotify, this seems to be another secret expanded edition. The original U.S. version had 9 songs and the International one has 10. This version has 14 and then another 3 Extended 12" remixes of the hits. Unusually, it seems to have been reordered too, so it's hard to tell if the shorter version of the album would have not outstayed it's welcome. Having said that, I'm now getting toward the end and there's some better tracks so who knows. ...Oh! I've just noticed it says "20th anniversary edition" in tiny writing on the cover. Also I wondered why the guitar was so good and I've just read Jeff Beck plays on the album, so that explains that. I'll give it 3 stars but you have to be in the right mood and / or skip some tracks.
One of my dads favourites, a solid 3.
Without the reverb drums and with more 70s keyboards, it would be a great album... It's what the 80s have...
B-puoli nostattaa bileet. Harmi vaan, että edes kokonaisen levyn kuunteleminen ei saa mua tykkäämään Turnerin äänestä. Se on hieno, mutta ei jotenkin tarpeeksi… monipuolinen? Biisit on myös niin kasaria, että kalahtelu alkaa kaikua korvissa. Mutta: mukanakarjumisbileet!
Todellinen LP: kokonaisuudessa on väistämättömyyden tuntua siitä huolimatta, että mukaan on valikoitu tuttuja covereita. Hittibiisi on Oikeasti Hyvä ja nimibiisi oman naiiviutensa tyylikkäästi ylittävä. Osa biiseistä kompastelee kummalliseen, konemaiseen tarkkuuteen, jota ainakin osa tuottajista on halunnut painottaa. Mutta on ilahduttavaa kuulla, miten artisti värittää Beatlesin uudelleen. 3+
Some good, some okay, some bad, all 80s
Love Tina Turner! This isn't her best, but it's still damn good!
Nice performance, if I was in the mood I would give it 5 otherwise it would be 3
Hard to assess. Not my wheelhouse, not my decade I suppose. But jeez you listen to this thing and it sounds like every song was a hit single. And though I don’t love the ultra polished 80s production sound, it does serve Tina Turner’s delivery pretty good. I bet a lot of this stuff sounded great live, too.
3 stars
To paraphrase the lyrics of the title-track, "any old music will do" to illustrate the comeback of an artist who probably deserves to return under the spotlight after being treated like shit by her partner (both professional and domestic). And this whereas her talents as a performer were clearly pivotal for the success of their common past endeavors. Fortunately for her, Tina Turner managed to find allies from within the industry to relaunch her career as a solo act some years after her painful divorce from Ike. And this record is when her efforts paid off at last. Of course, the music on *Private Dancer* wasn't "old" at the time, it sounds terribly old *now*. But you still have the feeling that "any music", as long as it fit with the cheesy commercial aesthetics of the day, would have done here. There's a case to be made about how hackneyed and ridiculous some of the production choices are on this thing. Any lover of this album consciously ommiting to point that out today is not giving you the full picture. The eighties were quite a horrible moment for mainstream music at large. Let's *never* forget that. *That said*, and quite surprisingly given that I had already tried to enjoy this record before (to no avail), I feel far more benevolent to most of those songs this morning, as I spent some more time with them. Is it because Tina passed away?--may she rest in power. Is it because I imagined that late-career Talking Heads were playing the instruments behind her on the admittedly slightly underwhelming opener "I Might Have Been Queen -- Soul Survivor"? And that, somehow, it made the song a little more interesting? Or is it because, actually, the overall energy of Tina's performance in this opener, as well as in the midtempo plea "Better Be Good To Me" and the very lively and fast-paced rocker "Steel Claw", indeed manages to make the cheesefest of the production somewhat irrelevant. Those compositions are also well-crafted overall, with some interesting chord sequences and salvageable arrangements. One can dream about what an updated remix of those songs could sound like, as one reviewer has pertfully remarked here... We haven't even addressed the real highlights of this album, and I already have positive things to say. Now, with "What's Love Got To Do With This?", you gotta admit that the song is a soulful hit for a reason--and one aptly showing Tina settling the score with her difficult past. And "Private Dancer", written by Dire Straits' Mark Knowfler, is another pivotal moment giving its distinctive appeal to the whole LP: by telling the inner monologue of a stripper, one feels like Tina is offering a metaphor for what she does here as an artist--probably selling parts of her soul for money (and getting her rightful place again within the industry), a situation underlined by the sadness conveyed by the chord progression on the bridge, and then still looking dignified and vindicated enough to do so in a somewhat graceful manner. And Jeff Beck's wincing guitar solo at the end, as strange as it might sound for some ears, actually emphasizes this interesting ambiguity... This LP also has its significant share of covers. And apart from "Help", which just literally murders (and even *slaughters*) what makes the Beatles song great in the first place, those covers are very nice as well. "I Can't Stand The Rain" offers an excellent new-wave-tinged version of Ann Peebles' progressive-soul sleeper hit, and Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" and David Bowie's "1984" get the slick eighties treatment to great effects. So the only real dud here (apart from "Help") is "Show Some Respect"--sounding too thin, too dry, and too bland harmonically speaking to deserve being showed what it asks for. But apart from that, let's call this reviewer pleasantly surprised this morning. Still erring on the side of caution here, because I feel like my feelings could change again, but I'm glad most of those tracks "clicked" for me at last, in spite of their horrid production values. Plus, given that Tina didn't write her own songs here, there's no way I can *automatically* include this record in my own list of 1001 keepers. Yet I leave the door open for it, at least as a culturally relevant milestone for mainstream pop music. Knowing how Tina never took "no" for an answer when she eventually managed to shackle her chains, chances are that this LP might blow those doors into oblivion in the foreseeable future anyway. :) 3/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 8/10 for more general purposes (5+3). Number of albums left to review: 193 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 348 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 203 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 256
"Private Dancer" is the fifth solo studio album by Tina Turner, sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll." This pop rock album was a commercial success and affirmed her career as a solo artist. This was an exceptionally popular album, notably for gifting the world "What's Love Got To Do With It." The greatest downside to this recorded album is that the listener does not appreciate the full experience of Turner's unstoppable energy in her live performances.
La voix est cool mais le reste musical est genre bof
Decent
Tina! Great voice, production not the so much Fav song: let’s stay together
5.5/10 The Help! cover is terrible. Highlights: What's Love Got to Do with It Private Dancer
Tina Turner is kind of GOATed for What’s Love Got To Do With It alone Incredibly sly, sneaky fun production, one-of-a-kind voice, great combo. There’s something so cool about her super beat-up, chain-smoking badass hurt voice over this super cheesy, silly New Romantics kind of shit. Whoever decided to do that is kind of a genius. Kind of new-wavey? Do I feel some Culture Club? Except I don’t hate it? Tina could sing anything and I’ll pay attention. Kind of like an Amy Winehouse, she just gives the song authority. And she respects the song! A lot of these songs would kind of suck without her singing it, with her singing it it’s a BOP! “Show some Respect,” great example. You can imagine the lame version of that, it’s too easy. Embarrassed to say that I unfairly judged a book by its cover. I kinda loved this! Minus some silly, superfluous covers. This is a super weird album, in a good way. Truly, could only have been made in the 80’s. Nobody would dare do this today, take a voice as unbelievably soulful as this and give it the slicked-back 80’s treatment. -1 for double album. -1 for a kind of confusing series of covers and less exciting ones toward the end. Felt more lost and meandering. But, as Charlie mentioned, it looks like we’re listening to a bloated “deluxe” edition on Spotify, and there doesn’t seem to be an easy way to hear the original LP as intended. I imagine even the 40-minute version would dip in interesting-ness toward the back half. Was very close to a 4 honestly, but yeah, this back half is confusing enough to temper my excitement. 3/5
this was a fine listen overall, though a lot of the songs sounded generically 80s to me. tina turner is an icon who'd been through so much (RIP) and what's love got to do with it is definitely an enduring and classic song forty years later. my favorite part of this album was when it shook things up a bit toward the end. steel claw, the very transformative cover of Help!, and 1984 were all rock solid tracks for me. i plan to come back to these later on, i just wish the others were more interesting. favorites: what's love got to do with it, steel claw, help!, 1984
The album is OK, but nothing special. Contains her hits "What's Love Got to Do with It" and "Private Dancer", plus passable covers of Ann Peebles' "I Can't Stand the Rain", Al Green's "Let's Stay Together", and David Bowie's "1984".
Some nice Songs.
Some cool interpretations of classics but more importantly a powerhouse of a voice.
3/5 Rocking Tina Turner, good album.
The album that solidified Tina as a solo act.
I enjoyed listening to this! Over Christmas we were at Luke's mum's and watched a Tina Turner concert on telly and it was spectacular! She was pretty old at the time and was all over that stage. I don't know Tina Tuner stuff that well but I get it, the energy and fun was excellent. Luke's mum really enjoyed it and that's a nice memory now. So listening to this album was easy to picture what it's all about. The music is not my thing, but I respect it
Proof that an album can sound extremely dated and still be relevant. Tina Turner's Private Dancer was her reemergence after the very public fall with her split from abusing husband Ike Turner. This album slapped back in 1984, but unlike fellow 1984 album release alums Bruce Springsteen's Born In The USA, Van Halen's 1984, Prince, and Madonna's contributions as well, this is the one that doesn't necessarily fit. Tina was known to use a lot of filler tracks and cover which she doesn't shy away from here with a great cover of Al Green's 'Let's Stay Together', but some 40 years later, this album sound dated and a little tired. 3.5/5
It sounds so 80s which might not be a good thing
Fun. Tina Rules.
not a big fan, but it is a good album - 3.5
Besides the hits I don't know much about Tina Turner. To be honest I was nervous about what the cover of "I Can't Stand the Rain" because I love that original song so much, but it was kind of an interesting and fun cover. I am not sure I love this album overall. When it's good and catchy it is REALLY good and catchy, but that is not all the time. "Better Be Good to Me" is a waste of a track. "Let's Stay Together" is a bad cover. Too many covers on this record. I don't know, man, when this record is good it's good, so it makes it more annoying when it's boring. I know what you can do, Tina! Do it!
There’s definitely a lot to like here, some really great songs. They’re just dripping with that 80’s vibe that kind of turns me off. I’d love to hear these reworked with arrangements from either a prior or future era, something a little cleaner. As is, it’s very listenable and fun. The covers are exceptional. “Let’s Stay Together” is almost as good as the original. The gospel-inspired cover of “Help!” feels like an incredible inspired and original take a classic song. The originals are good, too. Obviously “What’s Love Got to Do With It” is the headliner here despite not being the title track. That belongs to “Private Dancer,” which, while long, earns its length for its excellent instrumentals and guitar solo. This was probably a transition album for her, moving away from Ike and changing her sound to match the times. I can respect that and know that transition often means some stumbles. But I don’t think there are many stumbles here. And for once I don’t think this is an instance where this album was included because of one hit song. This earned its spot. 3 stars. Standout tracks: What’s Love Got to Do With It, I Can’t Stand the Rain, Private Dancer, Let’s Stay Together, Steel Claw
Female Jeff Buckley
Hard not to root for TT, but the awful Ultimate-'80s effects undercut the case for timelessness. "What's Love" and title cut are perfectly pleasant (one would like to have seen TT doing them at the Cafe Carlisle with just piano accompaniment), and "Better Be Good to Me" has its merits. But the production and "instrumentation" (if it can even be called that) on "Can't Stand the Rain" manifests nearly everything that was wrong with this musical era. "Let's Stay Together" has only sightly less cheesy synth effects and, while not unenjoyable, isn't exactly an interpretation for the ages. The same could be said for "Help!" and "Ball of Confusion." Frankly, TT's voice and vocal style – mostly guttural but filligree-ing here and there – isn't perfectly aligned to one's taste. One can feel happy for TT's success which, one supposes, might be deserved, and still find this musically iffy and mostly forgettable.
So really liked most of the songs and Tina Turner’s ballsy soulful vocals….but not going to lie I didn’t love the dated 80s production. The best songs were definitely the ones with minimal additions to Tina Turner’s vocals
Need to fully listen to it.
Tina Turner - hmm.. I like the "blues years" - the early years. Private dancer is much too much commerce for me. Some songs are great, some not. Therefor 3 stars.
Sort of surprised at how I didn’t love her vocal tone, the brassiness made it hard to understand at times.
Enjoyable
Album con diversi successi di Tina. Non lo riascolterei, ma è stato abbastanza gradevole
Of course TT is a great singer, but these are just typical 80 s pop songs with a few covers
Good singer, mwah music
Amazing singer. Couple of bangers I'd put on a playlist but I don't think I'll revisit it as a full album.
Full on power pop
Pretty obnoxious that the 30th Anniversary Issue completely re-sequenced the original. Album opens with I Might Have Been Queen, which puts 80s pop tropes on full display. Heavy cheese in the synth instrumental with a funky lean. Her voice is smokey, scratchy, and powerful emerging from the depths of the instrumental. What's Love Got to Do with It is the one that everyone knows. I find the instrumental very peculiar almost dubby in atmosphere with western "wah" elements that remind me of some later Talking Heads. That said, it is an easy going song that hooks you in. I can see why it gained the popularity that it received. Show Some Respect drops into a more funk-rock stomp. Fine, but doesn't do a ton for me. I Can't Stand the Rain, on the other hand, grabbed my attention instantly with the stark high pitched intro and never let me go. This instrumental is sick, and her vocals are so commanding. Early standout; love the layering. Reminds me a LOT of Charlotte Adigery and Bolis Pupul's latest work Topical Dancer. Original album drops into Better Be Good to Me, which is a straight forward 80s pop-rock entry. Once again this song is tapping into a desire for respect. Side two starts with Let's Stay Together, which is another familiar one. However, I feel like I've mostly heard other versions / covers. I actually love the instrumental here. It has such a dreamy feel about it with the silky guitar and hand percussion. Some weird off-key synth through the mid-section, but I don't mind. 80s pop is generally not what I go in for, but this album was pretty enjoyable. At its best it is great (Let's Stay Together, I Can't Stand the Rain). At its worst it is forgettable (Show Some Respect, I Might Have Been Queen). I would say this is a solid 3 for me. Not something I'll listen to straight through, but some jams I would love to come back for. Songs Added to Playlists: - I Can't Stand the Rain (Sunny-vibes) - Let's Stay Together (Sunny-vibes)
This album was all over the place, which makes sense because each song was written by a different person. I really liked the uptempo songs like Steel Claw, that song was a jam. But some of the songs were a little too slow for me. Mark Knopfler wrote Private Dancer with Jeff Beck having a solo on it which is pretty cool. And 1984 was written by Bowie which also checks out because of the style of the song sounds like it could be one of his. I'd say this is a 3.49
Great voice sometimes overcome by over produced 80s nonsense.
A lot of stereotypical 80s production. Most of the non-hit/non-cover songs sound like they could be used for the montage scene in an 80s comedy. But good hooks and vocals.
Surprisingly good. 3.5
I know plenty of songs from here but overall if you think about it, that's pretty average music, especially with production and sound - mainstream success didn't help in this case.
It aight. - 6/10
What’s Dean got to do with it! Why, it’s time to Tina Turner the clocks ahead. Happy daylight savings! Album was fine, kind of long
Pretty good! I kinda felt like the songs were trying too hard sometimes? Idk, like it didn’t feel that natural and groovy? But enjoyable. 6.5/10
Mid 5.5/10
Ganz gut. Klingt nach Drumcomputer. Drei Sterne weil Tina einfach gut war.
Enjoyable 80s crossover pop.
I’m familiar with the hits, which I still find catchy. Otherwise, not my style.
a much better album than I expected. From cheese 80. To classic r&b.
Show Some Respect - love this one. Help - Beatles cover, very good.
Ieder zijn ding. De hitjes zijn leuk, de rest wat minder maar me goed vermaakt.
Good album from someone I'd never known much about!
Solid but not my style.
Already knew many of the songs from this album, very iconic
Good but even, the hits still kill but the rest doesn't meet at the same level.
Not typically a fan of 80's music, but Tina Turner's great voice drew me in. Wish the backing instruments were more powerful. I ended up liking her version of Let's Stay Together more than What's Love Got to Do with It.
Brings me back! I actually remember it being better than it is now
Oh lord åttitallet har aldri åttitallet på en så åttitals måte. Her får vi honkey tonk live musiker vibes, med skikkelig yrkesmusikere. Folk skal få igjen for penga de har betalt for albumet. Det skal ikke være stor kunst, det skal være musikk til folket med full pupp, trøkk og blås i alle sylindre. Liker du ikke synth pop? Her, ta litt beatles, eller kansje noen andre slagere sunget på toppen av alle klaffene av en blues / soulsanger i verdensklasse. Gir det meningen som et album? nei... Er det noen rævva låter? Definitivt. Men hva har det å si vi har jo 19 forsøk på noe fett.
Tina sounds like my aunt who smokes too much doing karaoke. That doesn't mean it was bad, but that is how it sounded. Favorite track was 1984.
This album has the exact save issues that I have with Michael Jackson's Bad, where the production is so cheesy and dated that it really hurts a good chunk of songs as I can hear a solid base for a lot of the songs here, but the style of the time made it so every song oozes the same gratituous-ness that seeped from every 80s pop record. I suppose this was a tiny bit before that production style really took off into the stratosphere in the late 80s, but that doesn't make it any less out of touch by modern standards. I think Tina Turner's voice does carry this project mostly, as while it isn't anything I adore, it's aged in a way on here where it feels mature and natural, but at the end of the day this feels like an album to make money for all parties involved, and it sure did.
Pretty good, the lineup on this album goes kinda crazy. Probably won't listen to it again but was still an enjoyable experience for the listen. Will I listen to again: 5%
There are a few great songs on here, and some incredible singing. The first half is pretty flawless IMO. But there are a couple of duds on the second half (Steel Claw and 1984), and the production overall is way too polished for my taste.
Yeah I like her
I get the feeling that this is really good music for the genre. It just doesn't quite connect with me though. The Beatles cover didn't "Help" either ell oh ell
Still a standout performance almost 40 years late
My first Tina Turner album, and it's not bad at all. It's got the big one, "What's Love," and it's also got a BeeGee's cover, which I would've never expected. A couple other tracks I really liked, though the production on some songs is very dated in a way that I just don't connect with. That said, it was still a fine listen. I've got no problem with this one being here. Favorite tracks: What's Love Got to Do With It, I Can't Stand the Rain, Better Be Good to Me. Album art: Tina sitting on a folding chair (odd choice), with a little black cat in front of her. Nothing really special, but it's effective for some reason. I do like this one. 3/5
What I love best is that she is truly versatile. RIP
This is a 3 star that should be a 5. Positives: didn't realise how good What's Love Got To Do With It is. Its way more subtle that I remember. Private dancer is good etx The big issue for me is the amount of covers. The cover of Let's Stay Together was a big disappointment, unnecessary solos in it and Help! If the album was by Prince, Peter Gabriel or Madonna it would get higher marks. I don't think I like Tina's voice as much High 3/5
Enjoyed some of the songs
I had forgotten about Better Be Good to Me. Good tune.
the album that cemented her stardom. Cross over success. probably better in context. 3.5
Fun, 80s drum heaven. Bit too of its time.
Mid!
Famous tracks: What's Love Got To Do With It (but not a great song); Private Dancer (surprisingly long at 7:14, and includes some sultry sax, written by Mark Knopfler); Better Be Good To Me (good song, with a ~ rock feel); Interesting covers: I Can't Stand The Rain Let's Stay Together (Al Green) Help! (Beatles, but in a motown / gospel feel, with Jeff Beck on guitar)
A fun thematic album. Enjoyed it for the most part.
Good album. RIP Tina Turner. Shes really one of a kind. Her music doesnt stick to me that strong but nothing than respect for her!
Poppy 80's album with a hint of rock.
Prob a 2.5. I found myself vibing with this more than expected (especially I Can't Stand the Rain) but I'm not about to throw on some Tina anytime soon
Voz femenina con carácter, a ratos desgarradora. Con mucha fuerza. Más de un tema conocido. Rock con esencia
Tina is obviously a talented singer and there are some good songs here but I honestly doubt I'd listen to it on my own. I'd give it a 3 I guess. Feels weird but that's how it is.
there's a few great iconic songs, but idk that i love it in full as an album
Not my thing
A lot of this album sounds really dated. But, it's a testament to her inluence that the rest sounds classic. I could do without The Beatle cover and I can think of at least 50 Bowie songs I would've rather heard her take a stab at (but it was 1984 after all). I think it's cool that, while listening to this album, it stated to rain about the time that "I Can't Stand The Rain" came on...and turned into a hailstorm - A fitting metaphor for Tina's voice.
I love Tina Turner as the next man but this one of this pop records where some singles are great but not so much the rest. The title track, "Better Be Good To Me" or "What's Love Got to Do with It" stand out, the rest is alright. Got to say that I have my issues with ranking artists high who 'just' sing these songs but don't write or produce them.
I didn't know that "What Love Got To Do" is from 1984, that's basically 40 years! Time flies by, I guess. Tina Turner and a long set of pop songs from 80s. Pretty pleasant listening session, boring at times and repetitive, but Tina's voice is a real sight to behold. Couple songs are nice to listen from time to time in a radio, but overall it's not an album I would like to listen again. Nice piece of history, nothing else.
Naast de klassiekers staan er nog meer lekkere nummertjes op dit album, maar het verveelt mij wel redelijk snel.
Not a fan of this genre so im kinda biased, 3 stars
Aged 40 years, Private Dancer is stamped with its (over)production. The selection of songs, though, covers flying over my head, rides in sync on the back of Turner's vocal performance. The way she elevates the material (incl. slightly charming organ) is arresting.
Immediately, I understand where the criticisms are coming from. I don't dislike the iconic "80s" sound, with it's simple, but punchy drums and droning synth, but I can understand why an entire album of this would be rough. Thankfully, Turner's voice does enough heavy lifting that it isn't the most distracting example of underwhelming background music. "I Can't Stand the Rain" is a good example of how her voice can work well in tandem with the background, the rhythm reminiscent of rainfall to my ears. A perfectly average album, but the standouts are real knocks in the park. I totally get why her hits are hits!
One of the most 80s albums the 80s ever 80d. Still the singles are strong enough to carry the over production. Better Be Good To Me is a standout. Not sure about the covers. I'm glad I never heard Dire Straits do Private Dancer even though Mark Knopfler wrote it. Overall, it's fine and bonus points for Tina surviving and thriving after she left Ike.
The extra tracks are usually a waste of life but "I wrote a letter" is actually a good song.
Cute kitten on the cover
I can't stand the rain is an amazing track, but the album is unfortunately MOR.
Without doubt Tina had a powerful voice and vocal range, and was a true entertainer who commanded the stage with raw energy and sexual prowess. The Private Dancer album was her first resurrection of her as an artist in her own right, I remember it coming out back in the day, and it was played everywhere, non stop, the album was a hit. There are no real bad tracks on the album, and there are a few iconic Tina tracks in there, but the thing that kills the album, which you kinda didn't notice so much back in the mid 80s, was the falseness of the music, the 80s style synth overlays of instrument layers, it just lacks the power and feeling from real instruments played by real people, and it takes away from the power of Tina's vocals. The synth style instruments are just a lack lustre, over produced sound that are very cringe now when you re-listen to the album.
Hard to deny it's a good album for what it is. Not for me though. I like the music but I was never a fan ofTina Turner's voice
I had no idea there was so many covers on this album. Or that Mark Knopfler wrote the title track. Tina's version of Let's Stay Together was the first time I heard this song. It remains a favourite to this day. The 80's production dates the album. But still a decent voice and a great choice of songs. Even 1984 is half decent.
Les arrangements vieillissent un peu mal, mais je peux entendre ce qui était audacieux à l’époque. La puissance vocale de Turner est indéniable
Decent pop
It's actually the first Tina Turner album I've listened to. It is a good album, though I felt the first part was stronger than the second one which fell a bit flat. Tina's voice was extremely powerful, the music here was just secondary. I enjoyed it quite a bit overall.
Well it's got the voice and the tunes. It also has a 80s production that really sucks balls and I find it really hard to get past.
In this case the classics elevate the datedness some of the tracks.
Great performer but tedious album.
An expressive, vocal-focused album that surprisingly doesn’t suffer from it’s dated instrumentals - rather, the 80s cheese factor buoys Turner’s vocals and provides a nice contrast to their impassioned, genuine delivery.
Kovaa menoa! En tiedä nappasiko nuo coverit erityisemmin, mutta hyvä fiilis tästä jäi.
Mye gøy! Eva danset.
Tina sounds great on this but the production is pretty bad in places. The big singles slap and it was interesting getting this relatively soon after Supa Dupa Fly (I hadn’t heard where that sample for The Rain came from before) but it didn’t all work for me, and the covers of Help and 1984 towards the end really ended it on a weak note
It was ok
Ehhh
Classic 80s andI I can dig it.
Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Yeah, she’s a lovely vocalist and really helps power and carry the tracks so smoothly Favourite song: Track 5 - Private Dancer
Some brilliant songs - I can't stand the rain and Help! where both a really pleasant listening experience. However, some like When I was young rely too much on the vocal efforts of Tina Turner to maintain any musical interest as the song develops. She does extremely well, but the song itself is rather dull after one listen. When listened to in one go, the album is a rather intense listening experience due to the nature of Tina Turner's vocals - she is not a voice to be ignored in the background.
Tina is fantastic. But this album doesn't quite match the heights she reaches here. "Steel Claw" was a fun 80's rocker, and "I Can't Stand the Rain" had some interesting 80's swagger (did I mention this album sounds very much like a product of the 80's?) I'm not a big fan of the (Mark Knopfler-penned??) title track, and the covers of Al Green, David Bowie and the Beatles were just sort of confounding. Tina's voice is incredible across the album -- smoky and strong, a true presence. But couldn't they get her some better stuff to sing?
There are some strong songs here-What’s Love Got to Do with It, Show Some Respect, a cover of the Beatles’ Help! that turns it into a mournful gospel plea-and of course Tina is in possession of that marvelous voice. But the rest of the writing and production is too inconsistent to elevate Private Dancer to true greatness.
Ok
Rock. Pop.
Good but 2 hours is way too long
Incredible voice, full of character and passion. The backing band at times doesn't have much impact; a little too much 80s synth. Not necessarily catchy, kinda lacking in good hooks. Best song: Private Dancer
The several decent-to-very-good cuts (titler, "What's Love," "Better Be Good" and title cut) and feel-good vibes about TT career renaissance can't make up for the prevalence of Ultimate '80s effects, which effectively rescind any claims to greatness. "Can't Stand the Rain" and "1984" and "Ball of Confusion" (which maybe be "Deluxe Edition" add-ons) are cringeworthy with the cheesy synths and drum machine abuse and even borderline unlistenable (on one's deathbed or in any other setting). Sounds like too many producers in the mix.
Flashes me back to college years, for sure. Heard the hits on the radio. It is a nice listen. I've always felt that what Tina had going for her, more than anything else, was her presence. Seeing Tina sing was the fun thing, not that she was a tremendous vocalist. I get much more from her when watching a performance as opposed to listening to the album. Nothing amazing, in my opinion, but certainly enjoyable. Rating : 3 / 5 Favorite Track : Better Be Good To Me
Drives home the idea that 80s pop was a fusion of existing genres into a distilled NEW genre. In Tina Turner's case, funk and soul. The standout original tracks here mark a resurrection an emergence of a pop goddess. The B-sides and covers are sort of unremarkable.
Tina Turner a vraiment une voix incroyable et cet album permet de vraiment mettre ça de l'avant. Beaucoup des compositions font typique rock des années 80 mais pas trop clichées. Certaines pièces laissent malheureusement un peu à désirer. 7/10
Went into this not thinking I would like it, however, enjoyed all of the classic tracks!
Fine work music if a little prone to sleep after lunch
some great (seriously!), some shite.
I respect Tina Turner's talents and abilities while also recognizing it's not for me. But I was pleasantly surprised by some of the instrumental sections on this one, especially on the title track. Solid record with a few standout hits, a good amount of this is a little dated though.
Tiene hasta temas de rock, muy variado y entretenido. Whats Love Got to do With It temazooo
Pretty solid album with some weak tracks. The cover of Help by the Beatles is a good example of a weak track but my good is Private Dancer a good song.
Golly that's an archetypal 80s sound! Her voice is phenomenal, but those instrument sounds are pure lol. Fave track - "What's Love Got To Do With It" is pretty damn iconic. The beginning of "Let's Stay Together" was good but then it got poppy. I liked her version of "1984" - suitably bombastic!
An iconic album from an amazing artist that just doesn't hit all the notes for me.
Kind of all sounded the same and was too long
I personally love 80s music so I really liked this album. Tina Turner’s voice is just WOW. I read through her wikipedia and sad wow she had a really hard upbringing (her parents didn’t want her) she got pregnant at 18 from a man she didn’t love- just holy! and somehow she ended up so much more then ok. Back to the album- best songs are what’s love got to do with it, I can’t stand the rain, & private dancer. It has a very 80s sound so I can understand why it might not be everyone’s taste. I personally really enjoyed it.
Can now definitively say Whitney was way better. Not bad, but just doesn't even compare.
Pop's never as bad as I think it's gonna be but I rarely vibe with it. Good album, just outside my personal music taste
Good voice but 80s pop album that did not withstand the test of time beats got boring
Some good songs in there but wasn't a huge fan of the listen through. Did it twice though so not bad
"What's love gotta do with it" is a star on its own, bringing it up to 3 I wouldn't put this album on myself, I don't really like her voice.
This was very 80’s and I don’t think this sound aged super well but Tina has pipes and I respect that. 3 stars
Let’s stay together is a classic. Standout tracks were Steel Claw(more so) and 1984
Absolutely dripping wet with 80’s fun and emotion. First time listener, had a great time
I know the hits, which is already half the album. I know that this album really confirmed Tina’s viability as a pop star. I just like it somewhat?
A few bangers on here but the rest seem to fall flat. I think the synth-lead tracks work a lot better than the guitar-lead ones towards the end of the album. 6/10
3.5
Would rate this about a 3.5. I typically hate 80s music, but this was sooo dripping in 80s I actually kinda like it. I Wrote a Letter is a jam. Unfortunately, the title track, Private Dancer was way too slow and one of the weakest on the album
Some big hits but also some whiffs
"Private Dancer" is the fifth solo studio album by Tina Turner and her first released through Capitol Records. The album was a world-wide success and propelled her to a viable solo star. Yeah, her music was all over the place in the mid 80's. It was recorded at several studios in England and included four production teams including one with members from Heaven 17. The music itself was a departure from her R&B style with her then husband to more uptempo pop and rock, ballads and some smooth jazz and R&B. This is very 80's pop sounding. In 2020, the album was selected by the Library of Congress into the National Recording Registry for its significance. "I Might Have Been Queen" starts things off with smooth production and slick pop. Tina's raspy vocals add a nice juxtaposition giving it a unique sound. The lyrics were meant to be autobiographical. "What's Love Got to Do With It" writers' Terry Britten and Graham Lyle offered the song to a lot of other artists including Cliff Richard and Donna Summer. I can't think of anyone but Tina Tuner singing this. The slow reggae-esque beat. If I had to name one 80's pop song, this would be the first one that pops (no pun intended) into my head. Tina does a great job on "Better Be Good to Me" going from whispering to loud and screaming and back again. Picking one song out of the four cover songs, I'd go with her cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together." An interesting take. Smooth jazz & pop. Heaven 17's Martyn Ware produced. Her other covers were OK ( "I Cant Stand the Rain"-Ann Peebles, "Help"-The Beatles and "1984"-David Bowie). "Private Dancer" is probably my favorite song on the album. Technically, its also a cover of the Dire Straits' song but Tina steals it. The jazz band The Crusaders is backing. There's a Jeff Beck guitar solo. Arguably, Tina's best vocal performance ( on this album)...deep, souful and emotional. This album has a few songs I really do like a lot. It absolutely sounds of the mid-1980's pop scene. Well, it defined it. Slick production and sound. Tina's vocals are great. If you want a trip back to the 1980's pop scene, this is the one to play.
It’s alright I don’t really have much to say but I hate when help is done as a slow song it defeats the whole point of it. Anyway the album is decent 3/5
Simply the best, better than all the rest, better than any other Tina Turner album, any Tina Turner album I've ever heard (which is none). A very 80s album - all synths and drum machines, plus Tina Turner's trademark power vocals, which are the star of the show and elevate the fairly standard music. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: What's Love Got to Do with It Date listened: 29/01/23
Solid songs. Music is dated but some good tracks.
What's Love Got to Do With It holds a firm place as beloved nostalgia for me and I had a huge childhood crush on Tina Turner, but I wasn't wowed by this album as a whole. I really wanted to like the cover of Al Green's Let's Stay Together, but it had too much 80's production on it for my liking. Steel Claw is pretty fun. Overall just an OK album for me.
Liked this, but not a ton. I probably wouldn't revisit. 3.25/5
Good
The songs would be a great mix of pop and rock and Tina Turner, but the background instruments didn't do anything to improve the songs. They were those shallow sounding synth and guitar parts typical to the 80s. If all the songs sounded like "I Wrote a Letter" I would have liked this album a lot more
Tina has the pipes to carry this album to a 3. It's so dated to the 80's but that isn't always a bad thing. I enjoyed it for a solid pop record it is but nothing more than that. 2.5 Stars.
very solid introduction to her music for me. such a powerful singer she’s very versatile.
Didn't realize this would count as rock but this album is great. Turner has such a powerful voice. Most songs were really good, but not too many stuck out to me. Fave track(s): Steel Claw
I love her raw voice and the way it elaborates the beat. It goes hand in hand to deliver a funky rhytm
good
The first few songs of this album, I might have been queen and show some respect, were pretty decent and interesting even though what's love got to do with it is still overrated. After that, the covers were hit and miss (lets stay together, okay; help, bad) and the rest was just mildly boring.
I wouldn't call myself a huge Tina Turner fan, but this album was a fun listen. The hits are always fun even though I don't particularly have a huge amount of nostalgia for them. Also, points for having a black cat on the cover!
I won't lie - I went into this fully expecting to be disinterested at best but I actually enjoyed it. Not something I will necessarily revisit often but it was a fun listen. She has a really great voice. Some of the production has that 80s dated feel but some of it is also really fun and creative.
Was not expecting this many covers. Like a lot of pop albums, highs are great but then there are several throw aways.
I really dug a few of these tracks. Not sure I’d go back, but it was a fun listen
Private Dancer is the fifth album by Tina Turner and her best-selling in North America. This award-winning and multi-platinum certified album was more "poppy" than her previous works, which may have attributed to its wider appeal. Tina Turner recreated herself as a R&B and pop icon after her split with Ike Turner before this album. Private Dancer is a classic album and a landmark in the evolution of pop-soul music.
Was sort of the soundtrack of my childhood. Not something I would actively seek out, but a lot of that’s were always on the radio. I’m interested in checking out the deeper cuts.
I know this is iconic 80s Tina Turner, but the pairing of the synth and her voice do not do it for me.
Started strong, fell off towards the middle
Really feeling Might have been Queen! What’s Love is fantastic. Strangely downbeat for 2nd track in program. Show Some Respect is a slight stinker, but her cover of I Can’t Stand The Rain is great, and Better Be Good To Me is Iconic, leaning into dated 80’s rock production at times. A classic A-side. Her take on Let’s Stay Together kicks off side B and is an honorable mention here, though her performance is good, song falls victim to bad production trends of the era. Steel Claw was pretty rad. 1984 is fuckin weird. Private Dancer wraps up a confusing side of vinyl nicely. A killer song. I disregarded all the bonus songs that came out on later editions. This is a great record but suffers from a few tragic production trends and program feels a bit disjointed. Some really perfect marks on best songs, but hard to call it a bucket list album.
Like Cindy Lauper She’s So Unusual, a time piece of thee 1980’s music that is both stuck in the moment and better than the era it represents.
Intrigante... "What's love got to do with it" è heartwarming
Not a great overall record, but has a lot of great moments on it, and a few great songs
Tina Turner might just be the most powerful Swiss (say what now?) singer to be alive. Her gravelly voice and attitude is prominent in every aspect of the album and you’re sure to have a fun time while it lasts. The iconic “What’s Love Got to Do With It” might be the song to go down in history, but the incredible “I Can’t Stand the Rain” and “Private Dancer” is where Turner really shows off. The two covers at the end are fun but altogether I don’t particularly remember them shortly after. Some aspects of Private Dancer are a bit dated, but on a whole you’re always in safe hands with the Queen of Rock and Roll.
to give tina credit i listened to almost all of this which surprised me a lot. it was fairly fun. glastonbury 2023 yeah?
A perfect brunch of turkey and terror. A goose caught in a compromising position by the local priest. A handsome robot arm wrestling a spare set of house keys in a meadow. The window into the rest of the apocalypse. Home by tea time dear.
Better than I thought there’s some good song writing even though it’s very 80s pop
Wow, I did not realize how many singles came off this album...or how 80's it all sounds. Almost every track has that cheap synth sound, like Rick James on overdrive. Is there any decade we'd more prefer to sweep under the rug for its cringeworthy sounds? Ugh. I guess that's what everyone wanted back then but ugh. I wonder how good this album could've been with a different and more authentic sound...and more than 2 weeks to produce it. Because Tina's vocals are awesome. And there's some catchy bits once you get through the cheese (her biggest singles were big for a reason). You know the expression don't hate the player, hate the game? I think an apt variation is don't hate the musician, hate the producer.
This wasn’t something I’d listen to again as it’s a bit grandiose for my taste, but damn, girl!
I wasn't expecting to enjoy this much, but it was ok - there are so many tracks that are either well-known hits or have been covered/sampled. Turner's voice is pretty special, but the soundscape is distinctly of the era - slap bass, early synths, sax solos... all very 80s
Some timeless songs on here. Also some largely forgettable songs, but when you've got Better Be Good To Me, What's Love Got To Do With It, and the title track, you've got room for some filler. Her voice is always distinctive and can be powerful and vulnerable at the same time.
Growing up this was the first Tina Turner I was aware of. Didn't know her history, etc, but that voice...Private Dancer, What's Love Got To Do With it and Better Be Good To Me have earned their status, but there are tracks on here that feel like they belong in the background of some forgotten 80s cop show. Show Some Respect feels like the alternate opening credits of Cagney & Lacey or something. But Turner's voice and those three earlier tracks make this an easy 3 out of 5 for sure. As for the versions of I Can't Stand the Rain, I am gonna say it, Ann Peebles version and the disco version more, and I feel like Let's Stay Together just hasn't aged well. Nothing against Turner's voice, just some of the instrumentals are...of their time.
Knowing Mark Knopfler wrote 'Private Dancer' makes it that much creepier.
Yes, a solid soft pop rock album. Good hits. (6/10) FT: What's Love Got to Do with It, Can't Stand the Rain, Private Dancer
Tina’s voice is amazing! So many familiar songs here
A slice of pure 80’s sounds coming from the tape deck of a Chevrolet Corvette as it cruises down Broadway on a rain-soaked night. ‘I Can’t Stand The Rain’ is the standout, really enjoyed the guitar solo on ‘Steel Claw’ and sax solo on her cover of ‘Help!’. It’s a vibe that I’m happy to listen to, but also one that sounds generic quite quickly. Also, why is there a black cat staring at me on the cover?
Good songs, great voice, insipid production. I wonder if the sound was designed for the recently launched compact disc - horribly polite in sound. They should have put her in Compass Point with Sly And Robbie for most of the tracks and flown The E Street Band over for Better Be Good To Me
The dated 80's sound on this record could have just as easily have been someone like, Laura Branigan or Alison Moyet, but the strong powerful vocals of Tina Turner, set it apart from the generic sounds of lesser vocalists. These songs remind me too much of 80's soundtracks (or films set in the 80's) and it makes me cringe to remember commercial radio at the time. This was truly Turner's comeback album and brought her back to commercial success. This would rank near the top of her greatest achievements. I didn't embrace it at the time and it still doesn't do much for me, but I respect she did overcome all kinds of adversity and still showed she is one of the great female vocalists of her time.
Her voice was absolutely phenomenal - but I just can't get excited by the music. A bit too dated, songs not interesting enough, hollow production on the instrumental side.
Knappe songs, maar heel eighties en haar stem doet het gewoon niet voor mij.