Review / Tina Turner: Private Dancer / anniversary deluxe edition

Somewhat redundant with the previous reissue but a nice touch adding the Beyond Thunderdome tracks – in my mind I always lump Private Dancer with them.

What an horrible reissue: in the 2nd cd the remixes jam with the next track so that you do not have an entire track but one continuing in the next one. AWFUL!!!! Do noT buy it!

Given that Mark decided against putting “Private Dancer” on Love over Gold and to let a woman sing it instead because the lyrics made more sense that way, I’d doubt that he’d like to release the demo now. I’ve heard Tina imitate the way Mark originally sang it and it was hilarious! Of course she exaggerated his singing style but yeah, you can imagine how it must have sounded when he sang it to her… :)

I just want to add my love for this album too. As a 10 year old kid at the time, I probably shouldn’t have been into TT but the haunting riffs of Private Dancer on the radio made have to have the whole record. Also, big love for I Might Have Been Queen, strong album opener that I still love today.

This is certainly, for the most part, a pretty comprehensive track list. I currently have the reissue with 17 tracks. I may consider this new reissue and trade in my current one at the local record store. Then again, maybe I’ll wait for the 50th anniversary edition.

I’m not sure what everyone’s expectations for this reissue. While I grew up in the 80s, there are probably some things I am unaware about as it relates to Tina’s career and things that are missing that should be included. I guess no release is perfect and you can’t have everything. I’d much rather have a separate DVD not part of a CD reissue.

Regarding packaging, while I’m not a huge fan of digipaks, I am even less of a fan of the clunky and often damaged jewel cases. Over the past several months, I’ve ordered various CDs, some of which in jewel cases and half of them looked like they were ran over by a truck. Call my “vinyl nostalgic” but I prefer the Japanese mini-LP sleeves, which also include inner sleeve protection.

Meh. What a lazy and half arsed re-issue.

These projects are only as good as the project manager. Clearly the one working on this was a) an idiot and b) completely missing any Tina knowledge or interest.

I prefer digipaks. I bought this as a Heaven 17/B.E.F. fan and for me, Let’s Stay Together is the highlight of the album.

I bought this assuming that Warners would do the right thing and include the full length 12″ mix of Better Be Good To Me… How wrong was I… I’m going to find a copy of that rare ‘Private Dance Mixes’ EP that was released in Japan and Australia/NZ.

And as far as that packaging goes – I’d be ok with the digipack if they didn’t chop off the top of Tina’s head…

And last comment – when are we gonna see the Private Dancer Tour on DVD?

Many of the reissues come in digipaks and aren’t stocked in my local record stores so I have to order them through the mail. It is very common for them to get smashed and for them to arrive with a creased spine. Very frustrating. Also, they don’t hold up well over time.

Hi,

If anyone from EMI is reading for ‘Break Every Rule’ on the 1st disc please include the 7″ versions & the B sides as well as ‘Tearing Us Apart’.

On the 2nd disc the 12″ should be room enough for 12.

Cheers

The album went out originally to Capitol, why it emerges at Warner while Capitol belongs to Universal!

I vote for jewel case / super jewel case. No digipak (:

I don’t understand the anti-digipakers. I’ve got loads and they look like lovely little books. They are also in good nick – try looking after them and they’ll be OK. You can keep your crappy old jewel cases.
I won’t be buying Tina Turnip’s one though.

I’d really like to know why this is the only place where you call a digipak with three folds a SIX-panel digipak. Do you call the normal one a 4-panel digipak?

I think Steel Claw is the best song on the album.

I love this album – even the tracks that everyone else seems to hate apparently, but I bought the 1997 edition so I can’t see myself buying this one anytime soon. Apart from “Keep Your Hands Off My Baby” and “One Of The Living”, there’s nothing here that I don’t already have. And – as others have discussed in previous SDE posts – ‘remastered’ doesn’t always equal ‘improved’. So, I love you Tina, but it’s a pass from me.

I agree with the sentiments about the tracklisting – at only 45 minutes, there’s plenty of room on disc 1 for adding b-sides, extras and single edits. And even “Johnny And Mary” and “Crazy In The Night” from the ‘Summer Lovers’ film/soundtrack. (Not technically from the PD period in Tina’s career, but only 2-3 years earlier, closer to the PD album than any other and not available on (official) CD or download anywhere else…..to my knowledge – and anyway, “Ball Of Confusion” is from the same time as SL, so why not?) That leaves more space on disc two for more mixes and remixes. Now THAT would change my ‘no’ to a ‘yes’. Oh well, here’s hoping for a ’40th Anniversary’ edition in 2024!

And 100% agree with the anti-digipak comments – I’ll use Grace Jones’ “Nightclubbing” as my most recent example: dodgy design meant the inside flaps/panels were almost as long as the outer flaps/panels, so when the sealing pushed them in (I’m not explaining this very well, lol), the edges put a big dent/crease in the main spine…..GRRR! And because it was mail-ordered, there was also some minor in-transit-squashing. *sigh* Even the hard-cover book-style ones irritate me because the disc-sleeves are so damn flimsy that the disc nearly ends up sliding right through the bottom! (once again, poorly explained, lol)

I’ll admit that digipaks look nice and fancy, but they just ain’t long-term practical! Jewel-cases are more hard-wearing and MUCH easier to store. And when it comes to deluxe packaging, I reckon a fatbox can be just as fancy and attractive as a digipak. And tactile too – I love holding a fatbox! (keep it clean, people :))

/rant

Not including the 7″ version of the title cut is a bit of a head-scratcher.

Better Be Good To Me – not a bad song, my wife loves that one. Primarily written by Holly Knight for her own band Spider in the early 80s. Knight wrote / co-wrote so many propulsive 80s anthems – The Warrior by Scandal, Love Is A Battlefield and Invincible by Pat Benatar, Obsession by Animotion, Pleasure And Pain by the Divinyls, etc. Turner’s cover of Better Be Good To Me is the better version for my money, though.

Add me to the list of folks who like Steel Claw. I imagine lines like “Sometimes I contemplated suicide. Meanwhile Eddie’s on the West Coast…” had some meaning for her at the time. It was, to me, a bolder choice for a cover tune than the other covers on the album.

Better Be Good to Me and Steel Claw are two of the best on it, you cloth-eared buffoon (he said, affectionately)

And of the coffee-table albums of that era, it had a better-than-average balance of classics and idiosyncrasies such as “1984”

If anyone’s interested in having the original Capitol pic disc version, I’ve one that needs a good home… (he adds, shamelessly)

Don’t get the hate for this critically acclaimed album. Tina reignited a long dead career with this brilliant collection of songs. Sorry but i love every single song here and all of the b-sides (Rock ‘N Roll Widow especially). Tina is an ICON and deserves respect. It’s ridiculous to compare this album with those you feel are better. There’s a lot left off here especially the mixes of One Of The Living (one of her best tracks and one she clearly loves). There was plenty of room plus Carter had mentioned he recorded 19 track with her and stated he has hoped some of them would be on her next album but he was shut out of the production. I’ll buy it just for Keep Your Hands Off My Baby. I respect everyone’s opinions but don’t short side this LP. It sold over 12 million copies. I love her version of 1984, brilliant! My only complaint is I wish they had removed Steel Claw (which I do like) and replaced it with When I Was Young, Rock ‘N Roll Widow or Total Control (recorded during the Carter sessions for this album). I hope Break Every Rule gets a deluxe treatment, it’s just as good as Private Dancer and like the former has a lot of unreleased songs. I know fans are a little disappointed that the “movie” version of OOTL isn’t included but that was just an early demo of the song. Chapman hadn’t finalized the track in time so they submitted the demo in hopes that the final mix would be done and could be replace the demo (which is never did).

The album certainly put Tina back on the map again. Didn’t she perform to one of the largest crowds for a solo artist in Brazil?

Talking of packaging, the worst packing in my collection is the Simple Minds themes fold-out digipaks. Even after storing them safely on a shelf for all these years, it’s looks scuffed and scratched as if it hasn’t been taken care of.

…as I said before: this release is not enough for a QUEEN!!! Sadly for all of us…

One Of The Living is difficult to find on CD. The Beyond Thunderdome soundtrack has been out-of-print for a long time. I see that iTunes has the album for only $5.99, and it has the album versions, not the single versions like this reissue does.

Paul, nothing is being said about sound quality improvements, if there is one, compared with previous releases. Thank you.

The digipak IS gorgeous BUT I wish they continued with the slipcase they had done previously for ABBA, Diana Ross, Bob Marley and previous reissues like they did in the ’00s. It’s just a recipe for scratching and decay without it.

Marketing types like digipacks because they have “shelf-appeal” over the ubiquitous plastic jewel-case. They could not give a tuppeny feck that 6 months down the road and out of the shrinkwrap they look like crap and are dinged to hell.

Not Martyn Ware’s finest hour by a long chalk, they won’t be seeing my money for this although I will admit to an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia every time I hear We Don’t Need Another Hero. That record is more effective time-travel than the Tardis.

And also, HATE digipaks or any other mode of CD storage that isn’t a jewel case.

Ummmm ‘Better Be Good To Me’ is my fave on the album.
The whole album is consistantly good,BUT i hate digipaks as well,and as Darren has said i also have the 1997 edition so i will pass on this.

I also love “Better Be Good To Me”. For me it is one of the best tracks. It is unforgivable that they have included an edit of the 12″ mix again on what is supposed to be a deluxe edition.

I’ve also seen the waveforms compared to the old CDs and this is another victim of the loudness wars with everything compressed to the same level throughout crushing the original dynamic range.

As others have also said, Digipaks are nasty. The standard jewel cases are still the best design for a CD for protection and durability.

I’ve got the 1997 edition and there is nothing here that would entice me to purchase.

I actually think Better Be Good To Me is a cracking song and one of the highlights on the album. I’ve always been a fan of the Private Dance Mix album that was released (obviously to cash in on the success of the album proper) as well. Each to their own I suppose.

Needless to say I purchased the CD and then hunted around for various mixes/versions to complete it (record companies are so lazy)!! Albums likes this should be given to fans while compiling for their input and opinions before the finished product is manufactured/agreed.

I think it’s a defining album for Tina (her career) and sold bucket loads but for me, it certainly didn’t change the landscape of music at the time – a re-introduction of an incredible artist who has since be credited for the existence of some of todays r&b divas with ballsy attitudes and flare

“Coffee table album” is not a compliment. Three hit singles put this album everywhere, the rest of it is filler. The cover versions of Help and 1984 are appalling. Steel Claw I like tho, its one of Paul Brady’s best songs too and i think, like Let’s Stay Together, Tina nailed it.

If we’re honest, ‘Private Dancer’ isn’t even a ‘Time’, an ‘Ummagumma’ or an ‘Around The Sun’.

It always amuses me how so many Deluxe Editions end up in cheaper card packaging rather than the old style tougher plastic cases.

In my opinion, one of the worst things Mr Ware ever did, possibly only topped by the Terence Trent D’Arby album.

Just a personal opinion….

Great read. Must point out that (old rocker that I am) STEEL CLAW is my favourite track on the album…….