Time heals much

Recorded in the summer of 1979 in Munich and Hollywood, published on 13 October 1979 at the end of the disco wave, it was actually a child of the English songwriter and producer Peter John ('Pete') Bellotte who primarily through his collaboration with his friend Giorgio Moroder and the disco-rock-pop queen Donna Summer became known, for which he wrote some of their biggest hits ("Love to Love You Baby", "I Feel Love", "Hot Stuff," etc.).

Elton John borrowed this production only his voice, nevertheless was VICTIM OF LOVE, completely erroneously provided only with his name - and that you have never forgiven him. Made famous as a composer and singer of sensitive piano ballads, then one of the most colorful heroes of the glam rock of the early and mid-seventies, and from about 1976, when he initially only came out as 'bisexual', located in a deep personal crisis, sold mediocre albums like Blue Moves or A Single Man Thanks single hit singles ("Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word", "Song for Guy"), although still quite good, but overall the person Reginald Kenneth Dwight aka Elton John was weak at that time clearly.

With "Philadelphia Freedom" or "Do not Go Breaking My Heart" (a duet with Kiki Dee) Elton had indeed already recorded contact with the dance club in the world, but what came in late 1979, literally hit the last straw, because VICTIM OF LOVE was from first to last note in fact a pure disco album. It appears this trip in hindsight not even illogical, because after all belonged to Elton John to the regulars at the legendary New York dance temple 'Studio 54' (1977-80).

The seven tracks on the album lived, as on every correct disco disc, of seemingly endless, only slightly varied repetitions of one or at most two ideas, with the opener "Johnny B. Goode", the mid-50s of rock'n'roll forefather Chuck Berry composed, really got completely wrong. Probably should be tried in order to build on the success of "Do not Let Me Be Misunderstood", a first captured in 1964 by The Animals R'n'B song, which was vewandelt end of 1977 by Santa Esmeralda in a gigantic, global Discohit ,

The other six pieces each came from Pete Bellotte in collaboration with other, mostly German composer, said standing in the center of the album "Thunder in the Night" was the most successful musical. The characteristic Keyboard Line recalled Donna Summers "Hot Stuff" and also a little of ABBA's' '79 super hit "Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)".

The list of participants at VICTIM OF LOVE was long and very classy: The singer Michael McDonald and Patrick Simmons (both of the Doobie Brothers), drummer Keith Forsey (including Klaus Doldinger, Udo Lindenberg, Donna Summer, Boney M., Icehouse, Billy Idol, Simple Minds), guitarist Steve Lukather (Toto), percussionist Paulo Da Costa (including Al Jarreau, Earth, Wind & Fire, Michael Jackson, Sting, Madonna), bassist Marcus Miller (including Miles Davis, Stanley Clarke, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, David Sanborn, Jean Michel Jarre, Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau) and many others.

But despite all efforts, the album was quite a flop. Here in Germany even went nothing in England managed only 41 place (three whole weeks in the charts), and in the US it was enough even for place 48th

Today, with the distance of 35 years, one can judge quite mild on Elton John's very brief foray into disco climes, because as bad as it has often done, VICTIM OF LOVE is now also again not. Occasionally I hear it even quite liked. Time heals much halt. Nevertheless: At that time I would have probably hated. ;-)

As stated in the 'Rock-rororo lexicon' 1990 so aptly about Elton John: '1979 was he to hear the first Western pop star in the USSR. His attempt to leave at the same time at the disco Kids in the West with the imitative dance album VICTIM OF LOVE the already declining 'Saturday Night Fever' again rise, failed '. Point.