A Love Trilogy

A Love Trilogy
A Love Trilogy
Studio album by Donna Summer
Released	March 5, 1976
Recorded	August–December 1975
Studio	Musicland, Munich
Genre	Disco
Length	33:49
Label	Casablanca; Oasis;
Producer	Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte
Donna Summer chronology
Singles from A Love Trilogy
	"Could It Be Magic"; Released: January 11, 1976; "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It"; Released: March 30, 1976;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Christgau's Record Guide	B^[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[4]

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

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

The album reached no. 41 spot in September, six months after its initial release.^[5] Likewise the single "Could It Be Magic" which only reached no. 40.^[6]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Pete Bellotte and Giorgio Moroder.

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Try Me, I Know We Can Make It"	Donna Summer Bellotte Moroder	17:57

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Prelude to Love"	Summer Bellotte Moroder	1:06
2.	"Could It Be Magic"	Adrienne Anderson Barry Manilow	5:19
3.	"Wasted"	Bellotte Moroder	5:09
4.	"Come With Me"	Bellotte Moroder	4:22

Personnel

Donna Summer – vocals
Giorgio Moroder – synthesizer, bass guitar, producer
Pete Bellotte – producer
The Midnite Ladies: Madeline Bell, Sunny Leslie, Sue Glover – backing vocals
The Munich Machine: Thor Baldursson – keyboards, string arrangement, Frank Diez – guitar, Keith Forsey – drums, Martin Harrison – drums, Molly Moll – guitar, Gary Unwin – bass guitar, Les Hurdle – bass guitar

The musicians collectively known as the "Munich Machine" worked on a variety of Moroder/Bellotte productions from this period.

Production

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

Charts

Chart performance for *A Love Trilogy*
Chart (1976)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)^[7]	32
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[8]	8
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[9]	14
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[10]	24
Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)^[11]	4
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[12]	14
Portuguese Albums (Musica & Som)^[13]	4
Spanish Albums (AFE)^[14]	1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[15]	18
UK Albums (OCC)^[16]	41
US Billboard 200^[17]	21

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)^[18]	Gold	100,000^*
Philippines (PARI)^[19]	Platinum	60,000^[19]
United Kingdom (BPI)^[20]	Gold	100,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[21]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ Hull, Tom (2004). "Donna Summer". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 792–793. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
^ Freedberg, Michael. "A Love Trilogy > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 13, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 682, 683.
^ "Official Charts: A Love Trilogy". officialcharts.com. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
^ "Official Charts: Could It Be Magic". officialcharts.com. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W: Australian Chart Book. p. 300. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Austriancharts.at – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Donna Summer". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 250. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
^ Racca, Guido (2019). M&D Borsa Album 1964–2019 (in Italian). Amazon Digital Services LLC - KDP Print US. ISBN 978-1094705002.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. January 8, 1977. p. 57. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
^ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
^ "Donna Summer | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
^ "Donna Summer Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
^ "French album certifications – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved November 16, 2021. Select DONNA SUMMER and click OK.
^ ^a ^b "Donna Summer A Hit In Philippines" (PDF). Cash Box. September 24, 1977. p. 55. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
^ "British album certifications – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy". British Phonographic Industry.
^ "American album certifications – Donna Summer – Love Trilogy". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

A Love Trilogy at Discogs (list of releases)

[RS_2004-1] Hull, Tom (2004). "Donna Summer". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 792–793. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

[2] Freedberg, Michael. "A Love Trilogy > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 August 2011.

[CG-3] Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 13, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.

[4] The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 682, 683.

[5] "Official Charts: A Love Trilogy". officialcharts.com. Retrieved September 14, 2016.

[6] "Official Charts: Could It Be Magic". officialcharts.com. Retrieved September 14, 2016.

[aus-7] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W: Australian Chart Book. p. 300. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[ac_Austria_Donna_Summer-8] "Austriancharts.at – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.

[9] Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Donna Summer". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 250. Retrieved August 24, 2022.

[ac_Germany_Donna_Summer-10] "Offiziellecharts.de – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 17, 2022.

[11] Racca, Guido (2019). M&D Borsa Album 1964–2019 (in Italian). Amazon Digital Services LLC - KDP Print US. ISBN 978-1094705002.

[ac_Norway_Donna_Summer-12] "Norwegiancharts.com – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.

[13] "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. January 8, 1977. p. 57. Retrieved November 17, 2021.

[14] Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.

[ac_Sweden_Donna_Summer-15] "Swedishcharts.com – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.

[ac_UK_Donna_Summer-16] "Donna Summer | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 8, 2016.

[ac_Billboard200_Donna_Summer-17] "Donna Summer Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2016.

[FranceDonna_SummerA_Love_TrilogyalbumCertRef-18] "French album certifications – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved November 16, 2021. Select DONNA SUMMER and click OK.

[cashbox-19] "Donna Summer A Hit In Philippines" (PDF). Cash Box. September 24, 1977. p. 55. Retrieved February 4, 2023.

[United_KingdomDonna_SummerA_Love_TrilogyalbumCertRef-20] "British album certifications – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy". British Phonographic Industry.

[United_StatesDonna_SummerLove_TrilogyalbumCertRef-21] "American album certifications – Donna Summer – Love Trilogy". Recording Industry Association of America.

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