Donna Summer

At the end of the '70s, to cap an incredible run as one of disco's biggest divas, Donna Summer issued On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II, a double album collecting more than a dozen of her biggest singles to date. Summer's reissue label Driven by the Music has revisited that set in a whole new way, creating a career-spanning, radio-ready overview of her complete career.  On the Radio: Greatest Hits (Expanded) is a 2CD set offering 40 of Summer's biggest singles issued between 1975 and 2008 - all in their original single edits and mixes. Featuring almost everything from the original On the Radio set (the long version of the title track is omitted, as are Bad Girls tracks "Our Love" and "Sunset People"), the first disc adds seven songs from the period covered by that original set, including a cover of Barry Manilow's "Could It Be Magic," cuts from the thematic Four Seasons of Love and even "Down Deep Inside," Summer's theme song from the 1977 underwater thriller The Deep.  From there, On the Radio brings another disc of 20 tracks from the remainder of Summer's Casablanca era, along with tracks from her tenures on Geffen, Atlantic and Epic, along with the closing cut "I'm a Fire," heard on her final album Crayons (2008).  In essence, this is an all-new collection with the On the Radio artwork and branding.  It's a great gift for those just getting into Summer or for those collectors looking for the "short" edits of her most famous songs on CD, but it might not be right for fans of the original On the Radio, with its own unique, continuous mix.  The flavor is very different here, too, as the set extends all the way into the 21st century rather than focusing on the disco era floor-fillers.  It's all packaged nicely in Edsel's 7-inch format, with a stapled-in 8-page insert offering credits but no discographical annotation.  Images of many of the original single sleeves on the gatefold is a nice touch, however.  Phil Kinrade has mastered, and the sound quality is comparable to that of Driven by the Music's other recent Summer releases.  With a generous 40 tracks, many in tough-to-find mixes, the new On the Radio is an essential collection - but one might wish it had a new title and artwork to differentiate it from a reissue of the classic 1979 compilation.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.