Private Dancer

When PRIVATE DANCER was released in 1984 no one was prepared for how huge it was to become. LET’S STAY TOGETHER did okay as a single, but when the sultry WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT hit radio and the video premiered on MTV and MuchMusic, the album and Tina’s comeback took off like a rocket. I saw her when I was a teenager at the CNE Grandstand in August 1985 and she absolutely killed it! And no distracting backup dancers or flashy theatrics like Madonna and her ilk always had. The songs on DANCER appealed equally to teens and their parents and people respected Tina as a survivor. I remember this was one of those albums where everyone knew all the songs whether they were a fan or not—it was that good. The singles were chosen wisely after the impact of WHAT’S LOVE. I loved and still love BETTER BE GOOD TO ME; the raw vocal demanding yet pleading and of course that irresistible cowbell; then the classy jazzy title track and bopping SHOW SOME RESPECT. What a winning streak! Even the non-singles like the tinkling I CAN’T STAND THE RAIN, fierce rocking STEEL CLAW and biographical opener I MIGHT HAVE BEEN QUEEN are in no way filler. Fans of the original album definitely need to get this 30th Anniversary upgrade. My two complaints are that: 1. They should have kept the original album cover with Tina nearly doing the splits on the platform in the black bodysuit. It was sexy yet classy. I never cared for the tarted-up image with the black cat—it’s not very flattering. Thankfully, the original image is on the booklet, which also has pics of the 12” singles but there are no lyrics inside. 2. They changed the sequencing. The original song order was perfect and fans are used to it. I especially loved I CAN’T STAND THE RAIN going into BETTER BE GOOD TO ME because that’s how I remember it and I don’t like these changes. It seems weird to hear the album ending with 1984 and I think HELP should have been on the Bonus Disc. Turner has always been a powerhouse entertainer who can make any song her own, no matter how great or famous the original. Kicking off the Bonus Disc is an absolutely blistering version of BALL OF CONFUSION with a unique industrial-meets-soul arrangement. The remainder of the Bonus Tracks are pretty hard-rocking and IMO are much better than anything found on the follow-up BREAK EVERY RULE album released in Fall ’86. WHEN I WAS YOUNG was a great forgotten song by The Animals but sounds like it was written expressly for Tina. I WROTE A LETTER, DON’T RUSH THE GOOD THINGS, the aching ROCK AND ROLL WIDOW and KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY BABY are all terrific straight ahead rock and roll that Tina belts out with great gusto. If those weren’t enough, all the 12” single versions of the hits are included as well as live versions of Bowie’s TONIGHT and Prince’s LET’S PRETEND WE’RE MARRIED and the Bryan Adams duet IT’S ONLY LOVE. The cherry on top is the inclusion of the MAD MAX soundtrack songs WE DON’T NEED ANOTHER HERO and my personal fave ONE OF THE LIVING. I think LIVING wasn’t a bigger hit because it was too dark lyrically and musically for the general public but it’s always been one of my favorite Tina songs. Other than the bad sequencing and cover photo, FIVE STARS for this deluxe package from one of Rock and Soul’s hardest-working ladies.

Let’s begin saying that if you buy this disc, you could never be disappointed. First of all, has a CD with the 10 songs that originally appeared in the 1984 original Private Dancer multi platinum record, and a second CD with rarities, remixes and other hits. For the die-hard Tina’s fans this is a very nice surprise, especially to hear songs never heard before, even more when the possibility of Tina making a new record is fading. But in the other side, the surprises here were not as much as we could want for the ones (like me) that bought the 1997 special edition with 7 of the “new” songs that appear here. My personal (and it is personal and not necessary the opinion of the rest of people) about the second disc song is: BALL OF CONFUSION: the open tune is an average song, and after several times heard sounds like those chosen when a track is needed to fill the disc (don’t kill me for this please). I WROTE A LETTER: not my favorite either, but much better than the first one, more rhythm and catchy. ROCK ‘N ROLL WIDOW: this is a great song! One of the most interesting ones of this CD (also appeared in the 1997 version). Great composition by Tom Snow and Tina puts her soul singing it. If you search it on youtube, you will find a great version of this song together with the great rock Steel Claw. First time I heard it, I imagined also that Kim Carnes could sing it perfectly. DON’T RUSH THE GOOD THINGS, another average song. WHEN I WAS YOUNG and KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY BABY: these are very g good songs ! They are sound really like a Tina song with the typical pop-rock sound of early 80’s. TONIGHT, grrreat to have finally the audio of this song that originally appeared on the video of the Private Dancer Tour. LET’S PRETEND WE’RE MARRIED: another outstanding song of this CD. Punchy Prince rock ‘n roll sung live by Tina, great sound and recording. The only problem is that when you are enjoying the song and Tina starts talking… it fades like a studio song. Too bad for this. Then we have a series of interesting remixes of the hits What’s love, Better be good, Can’t stand and Show some respect. And after these, We don’t need another hero, nice to hear it here, but nothing new as this version (the single one, not the original extended) has appeared in every Tina’s hits CD. Then, and THAK GOD we finally have also on CD a version of one of my favorites, One of the living, it is not the original extended version, but still a rare tune for a CD that only appeared in the multi-disc Platinum Collection or the extra expensive soundtrack of Beyond Thunderdome. Finally the CD closes with the Tina’s duet with Bryan Adams, It’s only love, that will always be a great tune. Enjoy.

I needed to replace the LP that I purchased many years ago. This CD has the same wonderful songs from Tina that I enjoyed many years ago.

Had the record growing up. Love Tina Turner.

Tina Turner is great I love her

this is her break through album and rereleased with bonus material and still sounds just as good today as it did 40 years ago.

It's a good CD

Received in good condition played well

Aunque es un álbum de mis favoritos de siempre y he coleccionado todas las ediciones y remasterizaciones, esta edición en vinyl fue muy mala. Un sonido pobre con estampado nada extraordinario. Es más cálido y de mejor calidad el sonido y fidelidad de la versión original en LP del año 1984.

Disco bellissimo. Mi mancava ed è stato un piacere averlo. Consigliatissimo

Hatte zwar bei der ersten Bestellung Probleme mit der Lieferung mit einem Marketplace-Händler von dieser 30th Anniversary Edition. Aber nachdem ich Amazon eingeschaltete und ich dann bei einem anderen Verkäufer dieses gute Stück erworben habe, kam ich endlich in den Genuss des remasterten Albums und der Bonus Tracks die bei weitem mehr bieten als die 100Jahre EMI-Edition die 1997 auf dem Markt kam. Bereits der erste Track Ball of confusion (That's what the world is today) ist genial, Track 2-5 gab es auch schon auf der EMI Edition: "I wrote a letter", "Rock'n'roll Widow", "Don't rush the good things", "When I was young" (aber hier noch mal in ein wesentlich besseren Klangqualität zu finden), Track 6 "Keep your hands on my baby" (B-Seite von der "Private Dancer" 12") ist neu enthalten und dann kommt die geniale Live at the NEC, Birmingham Version von Tina & David Bowie "Tonight" wo das Publikum überrrascht wurde mit dem Gastauftritt von David! Auch endlich enthalten Let's pretend we're married (Live) war die B-Seite von "I can't stand the rain" 12i nch (wird aber leider im selben moment nach ca 4 Minuten abgeblendet wie auf der Vinyl, schade in voller länge wäre noch besser gewesen). Track 9-11 die 12" Versionen von "What's love got to do with it", "Better be good to me", "I can't stand the rain" waren auf der Vorgängerversion auch schon enthalten aber dann Track 12 "Show some respect" Extenden Mix ist jetzt neu dabei und dann natürlich noch die letzten 3 Tracks 7" Mixes von "We don't need another hero (Thunderdome)", "One of the living" und zu guter letzt "It's only love" mit Bryan Adams kamen hier neu dazu. Alles in einem super Klanggenuss !!! Und nicht zu vergessen CD1 die Ursprungsversion von Private Dance in einem super remasterten Ton! Hoffe das EMI jetzt auch noch das "Break every Rule" Album anniversiert! Da dieses Jahr (2021) bereits "Foreign Affair" auch in einer hammer 4CD+DVD Anniversary Edition erschienen ist wird es auch Zeit den Meilenstein von 1986 auch neu mit allen 12 inches, B-Seite und Single-Mixen neu zu gestalten. (Hoffe es war etwas hilfreich, für alle TT-Fans die auch vor 5 Jahren diese Private Dancer Version verpasst oder übersehen haben) Also besorgt euch diese neue Fassung. Gruß von Andi B.

有難うございます。大事にします。

Tina Turner’s Private Dancer is a true classic album, and the 2015 remastered version takes it to a whole new level. The clarity and richness of the sound breathe fresh life into iconic tracks like "What's Love Got to Do with It" and "Private Dancer," making them feel as powerful and moving as the day they were released. This remaster captures every nuance of Tina's incredible voice and the dynamic instrumentation, reminding listeners why she’s the Queen of Rock and Roll. Whether you're a long-time fan or new to her music, this album is a must-have. It’s not just music; it’s pure emotion and resilience in every note. A flawless collection that stands the test of time!