Donna Summer

Once Upon a Time may be the ne plus ultra of disco albums. A four-sided, four-"act" mock
opera loosely based on Cinderella, it marks another technological triumph for
Munich-based producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte and for chameleon-voiced
Donna Summer, who emerges as both the Diana Ross and the Bette Midler of disco and as
one of pop culture's all-time camp divas. By blending sex and science fiction, Mo... More >

Roll over Pete Townshend and tell Jerry Leiber the news--here's the first disco opera, a double-LP concept album with actual lyrics that tell an actual story printed on the inner sleeves. First two sides are uniformly strong but without real peaks, and from there it's downhill to a climax indicated by the two final titles, "I Love You" and "Happily Ever After." But you can dance to it. (Grade: B-)