Another Place and Time

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Another Place and Time
Another Place And Time.jpg
Studio album by
Donna Summer
ReleasedMarch 20, 1989
RecordedSeptember 1988–January 1989
StudioPWL Studios (London)
Genre
Length37:36
LabelAtlantic/PWL
ProducerStock Aitken Waterman
Donna Summer chronology
All Systems Go
(1987) 		Another Place and Time
(1989) 		Mistaken Identity
(1991)
Singles from Another Place and Time
  1. "This Time I Know It's for Real"
    Released: February 13, 1989
  2. "I Don't Wanna Get Hurt"
    Released: May 15, 1989
  3. "Love's About to Change My Heart"
    Released: August 14, 1989
  4. "Breakaway"
    Released: October 1989
  5. "When Love Takes Over You"
    Released: November 13, 1989

Another Place and Time is the fourteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer, released on March 20, 1989. The album was produced by Stock Aitken Waterman and featured Summer's Top 10 hit "This Time I Know It's for Real" which reached #7 and was her last US Top 40.

Production and background[]

After enjoying immense stardom during the disco era in the 1970s, Summer had experimented with different styles of music during the 1980s and had released several albums with Geffen Records with varied results; Geffen had refused to release much of her material including her biggest post-1970s success, the 1983 album She Works Hard for the Money, which had only been released by virtue of being given to another label – Mercury Records – to satisfy a legal obligation between Summer and her 1970s label Casablanca Records. Summer's 1987 album All Systems Go would prove to be her final release on Geffen, although she recorded Another Place and Time while contracted to Geffen Records.

In 1987 while Summer and her husband Bruce Sudano were visiting the south of France, Sudano heard a Rick Astley track and was moved to suggest that Summer would be well-served by a collaboration with Stock Aitken Waterman - aka S/A/W - the songwriting/ production team behind Astley,[2] S/A/W having in the mid-1980s established themselves as the undisputed masters of the UK singles charts, with the signature S/A/W "hit factory" sound - basically their own brand of 1980s synthpop/dance - translating into smash post-disco dance hits for such acts as Astley, Bananarama, and Kylie Minogue. Sudano evidently shared the opinion of Record Mirror critic Edward J Bernard, who reviewing Donna Summer's All Systems Go album in October 1987 , opined: “Now disco’s back in vogue, Donna would be better served teaming up with S/A/W – her powerhouse lungs were made for just that kind of [over-the-top] production, and not the wimp rock she now chooses to make."[3] Although Summer herself became a fan of Astley's, the idea of a Donna Summer/ S/A/W collaboration apparently remained dormant until 1989, when Sudano and Pete Waterman of S/A/W crossed paths at the Pool Bar & Café at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Waterman being on an American promo junket with Astley. Waterman was receptive to Sudano's suggestion of S/A/W teaming with Donna Summer: (Pete Waterman quote:)"I was a fan [who had] bought her records".[4] also in 1974 Waterman had met Summer in Munich when he was an Magnet Records a&r man and she was a session singer who passed on Waterman's invitation to become a vocalist for Silver Convention, opting instead to record with Giorgio Moroder.[5] [6]

Pete Waterman of S/A/W on working with Donna Summer on Another Place & Time
When Donna Summer first started working with us, I [recall mutual] culture shock...We had never worked with a singer of Donna's ability, & certainly Donna had never worked with three songwriters who were more formulaic or specific about the task at hand. At first there was some friction as [both parties] tried to bridge the gap, but Donna soon understood that our squabbles were a way of achieving a final result. We [soon learned] that Donna had the ability to take what had been written, go behind the microphone & take it three times further than anything we had [envisioned]. [UltimatelyAnother Place And Time] stands as one of the most enjoyable [albums] we ever recorded, & part of our hi-NRG history, thanks to Donna's astounding ability to make any song she sang her own."[7]

Summer would say of the Another Place and Time album, recorded September 1988 - January 1989 with S/A/W at PWL Studios in London, "There was no real themes we were looking for, except for dancing, love and relationships. The rest was the result of the collaboration between the producers and myself. The results were exactly what we were hoping for."[8] Summer would refer to S/A/W as ""very commercial-minded, much more than I am. [But] there's a time you need to be commercial...: to sell records, enough to be on a label. You need somebody to kind of monitor your sense of creativity."[9] "Maybe [S/A/W are] formularized in terms of what works in the marketplace, but I feel that everyone has a formula...I've never seen producers who work harder than these three guys".[5] Mike Stock of S/A/W would recall of working with Summer: "I was excited to work with Donna Summer simply because of her superb vocal ability...She had a magic to her that few artists have. I’d sing her my song, she’d learn it, then she’d sing it back with whistles and bells and all sorts of things going on. She had that skill and feel for music."[10]

The S/A/W team wrote all ten of the tracks for their collaboration with Summer, with the singer having co-writing credit on three tracks. The lead single from the S/A/W Donna Summer album: "This Time I Know It's For Real", was released in the United Kingdom - the focal point of S/A/W's success - 13 February 1989, its release being not on Geffen Records but rather on Warner Bros. Records which was Summer's label outside of the US: debuting on the UK Singles chart dated 25 February 1989 at #42, "This Time I Know It's For Real" reached #3 UK in March 1989, which month its parent album - entitled Another Place and Time - was released in the British Isles and also in continental Europe where its lead single also became a Top Ten hit. However Summer's international success came too late and/or failed to impress her American label Geffen Records:(Donna Summer quote:)"David [Geffen] said he didn't like the album. He said he wasn't going to put it out and I could sue him if I wanted to. I thought...great, then I'll go [elsewhere]."[9] (According to Summer, she had asked to Geffen several years earlier to cancel her contract and the label had refused.)[5] Reportedly Another Place and Time began selling as an import in the US where record companies began bidding for the album's American distribution rights: Summer at the time had no management and had to herself (with an attorney's assistance) negotiate for a US label deal for the release of Another Place and Time, with Atlantic finally releasing the album in the US in April 1989.

Critical and commercial reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic4/5 stars[1]
Robert ChristgauB+[11]
Pop Rescue5/5 stars[12]

Although lauded by Barry Walters of the San Francisco Examiner as "easily [Summer's] best LP of new work since 1979's Bad Girls. Every track... sounds like a hit,"[13] the 1989 release of Another Place and Time generally underwhelmed critics,[14] [2][15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] the reaction of Robin Smith of Record Mirror: "Donna's latest album comes across rather like a selection of reheated Kylie [Minogue] out-takes. Her voice has been over-diluted for mass radio-friendly appeal, and she's lost the fire of her early days"[21] - and Gary Graff of the Detroit Free Press: "Once sultry and soulful, Summer has been whitewashed to sound like any other female hit-maker, a disturbing fate for one of America's dance-music trendsetters,"[22] being echoed by Steve Simels of Stereo Review:

"Summer's [vintage] records...at least bore the stamp of a recognizable personality. Unfortunately, this comeback effort finds her in the ham-fisted grasp of British producer/writers Stock, Aitken, and Waterman, the last place any artist with even a shred of individuality should be. S/A/W run a well-oiled hit factory, and while there's no doubting the guys' commercial acumen, there's also no doubting that all their songs and all their records sound alike. Summer doesn't exactly get buried [here]; in fact, her genuine soulfulness occasionally threatens to inject a measure of reality into S/A/W's cotton-candy disco settings...Mostly, though, the album is lyrically banal (sometimes amazingly so), annoyingly clean-cut, and ultimately indistinguishable from previous S/A/W product."[23]

Retrospective assessments of Another Place and Time have been more positive. Alex Henderson of AllMusic.com praises the album, stating that it was "an excellent CD" and "one of the best albums that Summer provided in the '80s", rating "Whatever Your Heart Desires," "I Don't Wanna Get Hurt" and "This Time I Know It's for Real" as "exuberant, club-friendly Euro-dance/Hi-NRG gems".[1] In July 2018, Mark Elliot of Classic Pop underlined "Summer's impeccable delivery", considered Another Place and Time as "a pop masterpiece" which he ranked as the best album ever produced by Stock Aitken Waterman.[24] In a 2016 review, Pop Rescue stated that this is "a fantastic pop album" which is "the combination of a disco legend, and pop's hottest songwriting and production team", and added that "Donna's vocals belt out the big powerful numbers alongside the slower more tender tracks with flawless skill".[12]

The UK chart success of the album's lead single "This Time I Know It's For Real" - Summer's first UK Top Ten hit since 1979 when her Barbra Streisand duet "No More Tears" reached #3 UK - was paralleled by similar chart success in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The single's success afforded its parent album a UK chart debut of #17 the week ending 25 March 1989 and although Another Place and Time would be unable best its debut position the album would set a longevity record for the UK chart tenure of any Donna Summer album at 28 weeks, 17 of them in the Top 50. The UK chart tenure of Another Place and Time would occur in two segments, as after dropping from the Top 100 album chart in July 1989 after 18 charting weeks the album redebuted in September 1989 to again rise as high as #17. Reportedly Another Place and Time became Summer's first "Gold" album since 1979.

In its US release Another Place and Time also yielded a Top Ten hit single - Summer's first since "She Works Hard for the Money" in 1983 - in "This Time I Know It's For Real", and the album was certified gold for one million dollars worth of sales although in terms of its US sales - estimated at 255,000 units - Another Place and Time did not provided Summer with as major a comeback as hoped for. While Another Place and Time had yielded a second Top Ten hit: "I Don't Wanna Get Hurt", in the UK - where a third single: "Love's About to Change My Heart", would reach #20 - "This Time I Know It's For Real" would be the album's only major hit single in the US - where "I Don't Wanna Get Hurt" was passed over for single release in favor of "Love's About to Change My Heart" whose Hot 100 peak would be #85 - which mandated a lack of sustained interest in the album.

Planned follow-up album and re-release[]

A second album was planned with Stock Aitken Waterman, however Summer never found the time to get back to the UK, and the tracks were later recorded by singer Lonnie Gordon.[25]

In 2014, the album was re-released in the UK in a 3-CD deluxe edition as well as digital downloads, containing a remastered original album, plus extended versions, original versions and remixes.

In 2019, the album was reissued for its 30th anniversary as a 3-CD deluxe edition, a 2LP red/silver vinyl edition as well as digital downloads, containing the original studio album and a large selection of extra singles mixes, 6 unreleased mixes and 2 anniversary megamixes.

Track listing[]

Standard edition[]

All tracks are written by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Don't Wanna Get Hurt" 3:28
2."When Love Takes Over You" 4:13
3."This Time I Know It's for Real"Stock, Aitken, Waterman, Summer3:38
4."The Only One" 3:55
5."In Another Place and Time" 3:22
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Sentimental"Stock, Aitken, Waterman, Summer3:11
7."Whatever Your Heart Desires"Stock, Aitken, Waterman, Summer3:52
8."Breakaway" 4:04
9."If It Makes You Feel Good" 3:45
10."Love's About to Change My Heart" 4:03

CD+Graphics Edition CD+G[]

In 1989 an enhanced CD+Graphics version of the album was also released. Identified with the word graphics under the compact disc logo printed on the CD and a distinctive long case compared to the standard CD case. CD+Graphics, often shortened to CD+G or CDG featured additional coding within the CD data that played as a normal CD but could also be read by CD based computer systems such as the Philips CD-i. When played back additional 8-bit graphic based visual media could then be displayed on a connected TV screen sequenced with the music being played. Although several artists released CDG versions of their albums including Fleetwood Mac and Anita Baker the CDG format never took off. It found popularity as the basis for karaoke systems and is still used today. The CDG versions were made in relatively small numbers which makes them very rare and have become collectibles as a result.

3xCD Deluxe Edition (2014)[]

Disc one retains the same track listing as the original release.

Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Breakaway (Power Radio Mix)" 4:02
2."Breakaway (Extended Power Mix)" 6:08
3."Breakaway (Remix – Full Version)" 6:45
4."Breakaway (Remix Edit)" 3:37
5."Breakaway (Instrumental Remix Edit)" 3:45
6."I Don't Wanna Get Hurt (12" Version)" 6:58
7."I Don't Wanna Get Hurt (Instrumental)" 4:45
8."I Don't Wanna Get Hurt (7" Remix)" 3:32
9."I Don't Wanna Get Hurt (Pete Hammond Original 12" Mix)" 7:22
10."If It Makes You Feel Good (Pete Hammond Remix Instrumental)" 4:06
11."Sentimental (Instrumental)"Stock, Aitken, Waterman, Summer3:12
12."This Time I Know It's for Real (Extended Remix)"Stock, Aitken, Waterman, Summer7:21
13."This Time I Know It's for Real (Instrumental)"Stock, Aitken, Waterman, Summer3:33
Disc three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."When Love Takes Over You (Dave Ford 7")" 3:38
2."When Love Takes Over You (Dave Ford Extended Remix)" 6:13
3."When Love Takes Over You (Dave Ford Instrumental)" 3:37
4."When Love Takes Over You (Pete Hammond Original 12" Mix)" 7:02
5."The Only One (Instrumental)" 3:54
6."Whatever Your Heart Desires (Instrumental)"Stock, Aitken, Waterman, Summer3:57
7."Love's About to Change My Heart (Clivillés & Cole 12" Mix)" 7:47
8."Love's About to Change My Heart (Clivillés & Cole 7" Mix)" 4:21
9."Love's About to Change My Heart (Extended Remix)" 6:19
10."Love's About to Change My Heart (PWL Instrumental)" 5:14
11."Love's About to Change My Heart (Clivillés & Cole Love Dub)" 7:13
12."Love's About to Change My Heart (Dub)" 8:20
13."Love's About to Change My Heart (Loveland's Full-On 7" Radio Edit)" 3:59
14."Love's About to Change My Heart (PWL 7" Mix)" 3:45

3xCD 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition • Unreleased Mixes • Anniversary Megamixes (2019)[]

Disc one retains the same track listing as the original release.

Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."This Time I Know It's For Real (7" Single Mix)" 3:32
2."Breakaway (Power Radio Mix)" 4:03
3."I Don't Wanna Get Hurt (7" Remix)" 3:31
4."Love's About To Change My Heart (PWL 7" Mix)" 3:45
5."When Love Takes Over You (Mixmaster Dave Ford 7")" 3:37
6."Breakaway (Remix - Edit)" 3:35
7."I Don't Wanna Get Hurt (12" Version)" 6:59
8."Love's About To Change My Heart (Extended Remix)" 6:18
9."When Love Takes Over You (Mixmaster Dave Ford Extended Remix)" 6:14
10."Breakaway (Remix - Full Version)" 6:44
11."Love's About To Change My Heart (Loveland's Full-On 12" Vocal)" 7:42
12."Whatever Your Heart Desires (Extended Club Mix)"Stock, Aitken, Waterman, Summer8:18
13."The 30th Anniversary Minimix" 6:16
Disc three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Love's About To Change My Heart (Loveland's Full-On 7" Radio Edit)" 4:00
2."If It Makes You Feel Good (Dave Ford Album Master)" 3:17
3."Sentimental (Album Long Master)"Stock, Aitken, Waterman, Summer3:32
4."Love's About To Change My Heart (7" Long Remix)" 5:02
5."This Time I Know It's For Real (Extended Remix)"Stock, Aitken, Waterman, Summer7:22
6."Breakaway (Extended Power Mix)" 6:09
7."I Don't Wanna Get Hurt (Pete Hammond Original 12" Mix)" 7:22
8."Love's About To Change My Heart (Clivillés & Cole 12" Mix)" 7:47
9."When Love Takes Over You (Pete Hammond Original 12" Mix)" 7:03
10."If It Makes You Feel Good (Extended Feelgood Mix)" 6:44
11."Love's About To Change My Heart (12" Remix)" 7:11
12."The 30th Anniversary Megamix" 12:15

2xLP Red/Silver Vinyl 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (2019)[]

LP one retains the same track listing as the original release.

LP two
No.TitleLength
1."Breakaway [extended power mix]" 
2."Love’s About To Change My Heart [Loveland’s Full-On 12″ Vocal]" 
3."When Love Takes Over You [Pete Hammond Original 12″ Mix]" 
4."This Time I Know It’s For Real [7″ Single Mix]" 
5."When Love Takes Over You [Mixmaster Dave Ford 7″]" 
6."Breakaway [Power Radio Mix]" 
7."Love’s About To Change My Heart [PWL 7″ Mix]" 
8."I Don’t Wanna Get Hurt [Pete Hammond Original 12″ Mix]" 
9."The 30th Anniversary Minimix" 

Personnel[]

  • Donna Summer – vocals
  • Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and George De Angelis – keyboards
  • Matt Aitken – guitar
  • A. Linn – drums
  • Dee Lewis, Matt Aitken and Mae McKenna – backing vocals
Production
  • Stock, Aitken, Waterman – producer, arrangements
  • Karen Hewitt and Yoyo – engineering
  • Mixmaster Pete Hammond – mixing
  • Recorded at PWL, London
  • Donna's vocals were recorded using the Calrec Soundfield Microphone.
  • Lawrence Lawry – photography
  • David Howells – design
  • Lawrence Lawry and Donna Summer – front cover concept
  • Andrene (at Vidal Sassoon) – hair
  • Richard Sharpes – makeup
  • Kelly Cooper – styling

Charts and sales[]

Peak positions[]

Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[26] 93
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[27] 62
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[28] 29
European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)[29] 40
French Albums (SNEP)[30] 26
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[31] 92
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[32] 49
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[33] 16
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[34] 23
UK Albums (OCC)[35] 17
US Billboard 200[36] 53

Certifications[]

Country Provider Certifications
United Kingdom BPI Gold[37]

Singles[]

Year Single Chart Position
1989 "This Time I Know It's for Real" UK Singles Chart 3
Norway Singles Chart 3
Sweden 12
US Billboard Hot 100 7
"I Don't Wanna Get Hurt" UK Singles Chart 7
"Love's About to Change My Heart" UK Singles Chart 20
US Billboard Hot 100 85
"When Love Takes Over You" UK Singles Chart 72
"Breakaway" UK Singles Chart 49

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Henderson, Alex. "Another Place and Time > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Hackensack Record 17 August 1989 "Arts & Entertainment" p.38
  3. ^ https://ifyouwerethere1980s.wordpress.com/tag/stock-aitken-waterman/
  4. ^ https://metro.co.uk/2009/10/27/pete-waterman-2-636925/
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c Billboard 29 July 1989 "Summer Returns on Atlantic: diva's new album is for real" by David Nathan p. 31
  6. ^ https://www.mikestockmusic.com/classic-album-apat
  7. ^ Billboard 3 September 1994 "20th Anniversary Donna Summer Celebration" by Craig Rosen p.31
  8. ^ New York Daily News 2 July 1989 "It's Me, Donna: Ex-disco diva Summer finds a new self" by David Silverman p.134
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Camden Courier-Post 8 July 1989 "Donna Summer Prefers Rock" by Hillel Italie p.37
  10. ^ https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2017/mar/28/stock-aitken-waterman-mike-hit-factory-pop-songwriters-kylie
  11. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Another Place and Time > Review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "REVIEW: "ANOTHER PLACE AND TIME" BY DONNA SUMMER (CD, 1989)". Pop Rescue. January 6, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  13. ^ San Francisco Examiner 24 March 1989 "Summer Deserves Compassion" by Barry Walters p.64
  14. ^ Chicago Tribune 3 August 1989 by Jan DeKnock P.81
  15. ^ Jackson Clarion-Ledger 15 June 1989 "Records" p.66
  16. ^ Los Angeles Times 9 July 1989 "Record Rack" p.368
  17. ^ Louisville Courier-Journal "Tune In: Reviews" by John Pillow p.18
  18. '^ Morning Call 5 August 1989 "Records" by Valerie Hildebeitel p.68
  19. ^ Palm Beach Post 21 July 1989 "Summer Single Misleading" by Chuck Campbell p.104
  20. ^ Tampa Bay Times 4 June 1989 "Summer's Season is Disco-dated" by Eric Snider p.76
  21. ^ Record Mirror 18 March 1989 "33" p.38
  22. ^ Detroit Free Press 22 May 1989 "Women Reach For Top of Pop" by Gary Graff p.16
  23. ^ Stereo Review September 1989 "Popular Music" pp.140, 144
  24. ^ Elliot, Mark (July 2018). "Top 15 Stock Aitken Waterman Albums". Classic Pop. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  25. ^ cafe80s: Lonnie Gordon interview Archived 2008-02-29 at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ "ARIA Albums Chart w/c 18-9-1989". Imgur.com. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  27. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4489". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  28. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Donna Summer – Another Place and Time" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  29. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. October 1, 1989. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  30. ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste". InfoDisc (in French). Retrieved 6 September 2018. Select "Donna SUMMER" from the drop-down menu and click "OK".
  31. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  32. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Donna Summer – Another Place and Time" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  33. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Donna Summer – Another Place and Time". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  34. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Donna Summer – Another Place and Time". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  35. ^ "Donna Summer | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  36. ^ "Donna Summer Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  37. ^ Gold & Platinum: Searchable Database Archived 2010-01-17 at WebCite. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved on 2010-07-22.
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