The Wanderer [180g White Vinyl]

Personnel includes: Donna Summer (vocals); Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Steve Lukather (guitar); Gary Herbig (saxophone); Harold Faltermeyer, Sylvester Levay (keyboards, synthesizers); Leland Sklar (bass); Keith Forsey (drums, percussion).1980's THE WANDERER is a surprise in more ways than one. Summer's first album for the newly-formed Geffen label abandons disco almost entirely, moving the rock and R&B elements of 1979's BAD GIRLS into the forefront. This change in focus results in gems like the title track, a piece of pure synth pop as influential as Kim Carnes' almost contemporaneous "Bette Davis Eyes." Between them, these two songs did a lot towards changing the sound of pop music in the '80s.THE WANDERER was also Summer's final collaboration with songwriter/producer Giorgio Moroder, whose trademark krautrock-inspired machine rhythms gave Summer's disco-era singles their unique sound. Moroder's integration of rock instrumentation on this album sounds like it was influenced by his recen