Customer Reviews

Private Dancer

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tina Turner's classic album from 1984 has been substantially enhanced with the addition of seven tracks, including wonderful extended versions of What's Love Gotta Do With It, Better Be Good To Me and I Can't Stand The Rain. This makes Private Dancer even more of an essential album as it remains Turner's masterpiece from the eighties, an album of brilliant material
exquisitely interpreted. It's a concept album loosely based on a stripper's life and it amply showcases Tina Turner's multifaceted talents. The bitter What's Love Got To Do With It and the melancholy title track, both passionate ballads, were massive hits. Better Be Good To Me and Steel Claw are scorching rockers while she really adds a new dimension to her covers of Help and Let's Stay Together, another top 10 hit. I love Tina's interpretation of the Anne Peebles song I Can't Stand The Rain which was also a hit for Eruption way back in 1978. Private Dancer is a triumph of epic proportions, not only Turner's comeback album but a timeless masterpiece of exceptional songs infused with enough raunch to please her hardcore fans from the early days and enough pop appeal for the mainstream. Never before had her voice been wrapped around such quality but accessible and melodic material as on Private Dancer, making for a consistently enjoyable album with broad appeal. This reissue with the extra tracks is superb value for money - get it!

This album, along with Prince's Purple Rain, and Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A., was the biggest selling album of 1984. It sold over 10 million copies worldwide. It went straight to number 1 in Europe and and peaked at #3 in America.

The first track is a purley autobiographical song called I Might Have Been Queen. Its a great opening track. Next is What's Love Got To Do With It. This was the biggest hit of the album going to #1 in America for 3 weeks and going gold. It also won her 3 grammys. Show Some Respect is a rock number that peaked at #37 in America. Most people probably recognize I Cant Stand the Rain from Missy Elliots remixed version. Private Dancer was on Tina's best recordings. It was also a huge hit hitting #7 in America. Let's Stay Together, the cover of the Al Green classic, is considered Tina's comeback song. It was her first solo hit, reaching #1 in Europe and #26 in America. Better Be Good To Me is Tina at her rock n roll best. This song also won Tina a Grammy for best Female Rock Vocal. Steel Claw simply rocks and proves why Tina is the Queen. Help is a gossiple flavored version of the Beatles #1 hit. The last song is a David Bowie composition called 1984. The year the album was made, the song is kinda spooky.

Private Dancer is not only Tina's biggest album, and her comeback album, but it is also a great piece of music from one of the best artist of our time. Its a classic pure rock n roll record and I recomend it to everybody.

This is Tina's first album after leaving Ike and going solo. It is an absolutely fantastic album with so much energy and is so much better than anything she did with Ike Turner.

1) I Might Have Been Queen
A great track and this one puts you in the mood for the rest of the album!
2) What's Love Got To Do With It
This is statistically her most successful single, and if you listen to it you'll realise why, it's the best song on the album.
3) Show Some Respect
I think the name says it all.

4) I Can't Stand The Rain
Another of her biggest hits, not one of my favourites but still a good one.
5) Private Dancer
The title track is the second best song on the album, with Tina's powerful vocals this song stands out.
6) Let's Stay Together
This version is so much better than Al Green's original and was Tina's first single release off the album.
7) Better Be Good To Me
Again, a strong track, not the best but still good.
8) Steel Claw
I love this track, it's great!
9) Help

Probably the third best song on the album, a beautiful mellow song with lots of feeling.
10) 1984
This is the one and only track on this album that I don't like!
11) I Wrote A Letter
Another gooden!
12) Rock N Roll Widow
I really like this track, Tina's vocals are great on it.
13) Don't Rush The Good Things
Another great song!
14) When I Was Young
This track is great and the last one on the album (if you don't count the extended versions)

The extended versions of "What's Love Got To Do With It", "Better Be Good To Me" and "I Can't Stand The Rain" aren't as good as the normal versions but they're still good.

I'd highly recommend this album whether you're a Tina Turner fan or not because it's just so great. The only Tina album that is better than this is her "Simply The Best" greatest hits album!

While she was having a successful career in the 60's and early 70's Tina Turner was living a horrible marriage with her singer partner Ike Turner from The Ike and Tina Turner Revue, They got divorce in 1976 and Tina started her solo career in Las Vegas.
During the late 70's and early 80's she didn't got any hit singles and her albums "Rough" (1978) and "Love explotion" (1979) went nowhere.
Everything changed in 1983 when she realesed her cover single "Let's stay together" wich brought her back to the Top 10, the hit single sold 8 million copies and was a hit in Europe and America and was nominated for a Grammy in 1984.
In 1984 Tina realeased "Private dancer" and its first single "What's love got to do with it" became #1 in short time.
The following singles also became Top 10 hits; "Better be good to me" peaked at #5 and "Private dancer" at #7.
During 1985 Tina made a sold out world tour, won 5 Grammy awards and her new singles were still strong after the big hit of the album and past singles. In the US "Show some respect" reached #24 and "I can't stand the rain" made to the Top 5 in Europe.
Also in in 1985 was the Premiere of her movie "Mad Max III" with co-star Mel Gibson.
For the motion picture she realesed two singles; "We don't need another hero" wich became a #2 and "The one more living" wich made it to #15 and brought Tina another Grammy in 1986.
Private dancer sold 13 million copies and opened Tina the door of continous success, a success that until now is present.
This cd is a new version of thye 1984 realese, contains new songs (from the early 1980's) and has a better sound quality.

This is the most complete Tina Turner album there is, giving the best taste of all her abilities. Other albums of her's, whilst good do not give the full vocal/emotional picture. 'Help' is a sweet rendition of the Beatles' track and one of the best covers ever. 'Rock n roll widow' is soft and full of controlled pain. 'Steel Claw' is a hard rock scorcher, revealing her energy and rawness. 'What's love..?" is a track you are always willing to listen to and 'Better be Good to Me' is another rock n roll belter. 'Let's stay together' and 'Private Dancer' are superb songs and very well sung, and are well framed by tracks such as 'I might have been Queen' and 'Show some respect' which superbly show you what this woman is about. Few albums are able to present and reveal a person as well as this album presents Tina Turner, in all her passion, drive and high octane raunch. 'I wrote a letter' and 'When I was young' are great additions to the album. Tina Turner is really only appreciated when considered as a live performer. 'I can't stand the rain', for example, works far better in concert than on a studio album. But 'Private Dancer' is an album that hints at what "hurricane Tina" is like live and does not disapoint. This album is a snapshot of the woman with the best legs on the planet, the scariest hair on the planet and a voice that "can melt vinyl". Her life's pain, torment, courage and attitude are neatly packaged on this well-stocked album and I thoroughly recommend it to you as an essential part of any musical collection. This woman was married to the man who is the "father of rock n roll", has sold more concert tickets than any other woman in history, has sold 75 million albums and still rocks in her sixties - she must have a place in all music collections, she is quite simply the best.

She Had Tons Of Hit's With Ike. She Was One Of The Most Respected Female Singers In The World. Then She Was Gone From The Spotlight In The Late 70's After A Divorce From Ike. With The Release Of Private Dancer, She Proved To The World That She Didn't Need Ike, Because She Was Simply The Best. This Album Is A Classic And Everyone Should Have This In Their Collection. The Opening Song Of I Might Have Been Queen Sets The Tone Of Tina In Control Really. There Isn't One Bad Song On The Whole Album. The Hits, What's Love Got To With It, Private Dancer & Better Be Good To Me. With Covers Of Al Green's Let's Stay Together, David Bowie's 1984 And A Soulful Rendition Of The Beatles Help, This Is An Amazing Album. But The Bonus Tracks Are An Added Bonus, The Extended Versions Of Her Hits Are Wonderful. This Is Tina Turner At Her Best

This is a truly great album, she's the queen of rock'n'roll. Songs like, "I Might Have Been Queen", "What's Love Got To Do With It", "Private Dancer", & "Better Be Good To Me", (my favorite song), they're all classics. Everyone should have this album, it's worth the money.Please buy it, it's great...

You have to get this album, its the best album I've ever seen. Classics like "What's Love..." are just amazing. If you buy only one Tina album it has to be this one. Other great tracks are "Better Be Good to Me" "Lets Stay Together" ect. They are all sooooo good.

This was her real comeback cd. Although she had already three solo-albums before 'private dancer' (tina turns the country on, rough, love explosion), this made a star of her again. Includes her biggest hit ever "What's Love Got To Do With It" and other great hits, such as: Help, Private Dancer, Let's Stay Together and many more. On this special centenary edition of 'private dancer' you'll find some nice bonus b-sides, such as: Rock'N'Roll Widow, Don't Rush The Good Things, and I Wrote A Letter, plus some remixes from great songs. Tina is still "Simply The Best"

A classic album? Not really, it's more a good comeback album. Released in 1984 to coincide with Turner's comeback, the album featured the 1983 hit "let's stay together" and follow-up "what's love got to do with it". Interestingly, Turner didn't like "what's love" at first, and it took the songwriter several attempts to convince her to record it. His promise of it becoming a hit was so true! It is probably my least favourite Turner track, but it is saved by the excellent bridge halfway through.

The album has many highlights including "I might have been queen" and "better be good to me (third single from album)". There is also an interesting cover of Bowie's "1984". What really spoils the album is the awful cover of "Help". Definitely out of place on the album, in my opinion.

The CD features a different cover to what was originally printed on the 1984 vinyl release. Also worth noting, is that the track "Rock and Roll Widow" was dropped from the original CD release (it could be found on the vinyl).

Overall, "Private Dancer" has some excellent highlights. Worth adding to your collection.

The tracks are:

1. I Might Have Been Queen
2. What's Love Got to Do With It
3. Show Some Respect
4. I Can't Stand the Rain
5. Private Dancer
6. Let's Stay Together
7. Better Be Good to Me
8. Steel Claw
9. Help!
10. 1984