A Love Trilogy

A Love Trilogy is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Donna Summer. It was released on March 5, 1976, just 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.

For the 2004 film, see Love Trilogy.
A Love Trilogy
Studio album by
Donna Summer
ReleasedMarch 5, 1976
RecordedAugust–December 1975
StudioMusicland Studios[1]
GenreDisco
Length33:49
LabelOasis/Casablanca
ProducerGiorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte
Donna Summer chronology
Love to Love You Baby
(1975)		 A Love Trilogy
(1976)		 Four Seasons of Love
(1976)
Singles from A Love Trilogy
  1. "Could It Be Magic"
    Released: January 11, 1976
  2. "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It"
    Released: March 30, 1976
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Christgau's Record GuideB[3]

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 did not fare so well in the UK where it reached only the no. 41 spot in September, some six months after its initial release.[4] Likewise the single "Could It Be Magic" which only reached no. 40.[5]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Pete Bellotte and Giorgio Moroder.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Try Me, I Know We Can Make It"
17:57
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
2."Prelude to Love"
  • Summer
  • Bellotte
  • Moroder
1:06
3."Could It Be Magic"
5:19
4."Wasted"
  • Bellotte
  • Moroder
5:09
5."Come With Me"
  • Bellotte
  • Moroder
4:22

Personnel

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)[6] 32
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] 8
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[8] 14
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9] 24
Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)[10] 4
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[11] 14
Portuguese Albums (Musica & Som)[12] 4
Spanish Albums (AFE)[13] 1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[14] 18
UK Albums (OCC)[15] 41
US Billboard 200[16] 21

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
France (SNEP)[17] Gold 100,000*
Philippines (PARI)[18] 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
  1. "Donna Summer - A Love Trilogy". Discogs. 1976.
  2. Freedberg, Michael. "A Love Trilogy > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  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. "Official Charts: A Love Trilogy". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  5. "Official Charts: Could It Be Magic". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  6. 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.
  7. "Austriancharts.at – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  8. 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.
  9. "Offiziellecharts.de – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  10. Racca, Guido (2019). M&D Borsa Album 1964–2019 (in Italian). ISBN 978-1094705002.
  11. "Norwegiancharts.com – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  12. "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. January 8, 1977. p. 57. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  13. Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  14. "Swedishcharts.com – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  15. "Donna Summer | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  16. "Donna Summer Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  17. "French album certifications – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 16 November 2021. Select DONNA SUMMER and click OK. 
  18. "Summer Awards" (PDF). Cash Box. October 8, 1977. p. 67. Retrieved November 30, 2019 – via American Radio History.
  19. "Donna Summer A Hit In Philippines" (PDF). Cash Box). September 24, 1977. p. 55. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  20. "British album certifications – Donna Summer – A Love Trilogy". British Phonographic Industry.
  21. "American album certifications – Donna Summer – Love Trilogy". Recording Industry Association of America.
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