At the age of 82, singer Tina Turner certainly has nothing left to prove. She retired from performing in 2009 and lives comfortably above Lake Zurich in Switzerland with her former record executive husband. A recent musical based on her life successfully debuted in London before moving to Broadway. Last year’s HBO documentary, Tina, dramatically showcased the highs and lows of her career. And, this past October, the 12-time GRAMMY winner entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the second time, this time as a solo artist.
More recently, she seemed to close the book on her 60 year singing career by selling her entire music catalog to BMG for an estimated $50 million (though another estimate has the sale at $300 million). "Like any artist, the protection of my life’s work, my musical inheritance, is something personal," said Turner in a statement. "I am confident that…my work is in professional and reliable hands." While some music critics casually remarked that the figure was low for a recording artist who has sold over 100 million records in her career, others will be keen to see how the singer’s legacy is handled.
For a case can be made that Turner’s body of work is among the most mis-managed in music for a legend of her stature. This, after all, is a singer who combined "the emotional force of the great blues singers with a sheer, wallpaper-peeling power that seemed made to order for the age of amplification," according to journalist Kurt Loder, who co-authored the 1986 bestseller I, Tina with Turner.
Avid music fans may be familiar with early 1970s classics like "River Deep, Mountain High" or "Nutbush City Limits," which were recorded with ex-husband Ike Turner. Others are more likely to sing along to her video-friendly solo anthems like "The Best" and "What’s Love Got To Do With It," the single that launched her major '80s comeback.
But starting in 1972, Turner was laying the groundwork to strike out on her own — both literally and figuratively — from the shadow of Ike. Over the course of the next decade, Turner experimented with musical styles, launched herself into film and variety shows, embraced Buddhism, wrote songs, dramatically escaped an abusive marriage and supported herself doing a variety of jobs, which included a stint as a cleaning lady. She also released four solo albums during this period that are now mostly out of print — and none of which can currently be found on Spotify.
Here are 10 notable songs from that period’s solo efforts that deserve to be heard by a wider audience:
The Bayou Song (1974)
"Just another Louisiana afternoon/Drinking homemade liquor two ounce smooth," Turner drawls over a country track that threatens to erupt at any moment. The guitar twangs and the bass and keyboards slowly rumble. Then Turner lets loose about being too tired to eat, too hungry to fight.
She turns the genre on its head by injecting it with a whole lot of her vocal chops. This single from her debut solo album Tina Turns The Country On! was made in an effort to expand her audience, but it didn’t even chart. She did, however, garner a nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance at the 1975 GRAMMY Awards.
He Belongs To Me (1974)
Turner reinterpreted some of the biggest songwriters of the era and genre on Tina Turns The Country On! On the 10 track release, she takes on Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, James Taylor and two by Bob Dylan, including this one.
The laidback, keyboard-based song gently layers guitar and a female chorus while Turner sings up the virtues of "an artist, and he don’t look back." But it’s hard to contain her vocal enthusiasm, and three quarters of the way through she’s literally squealing. Surprisingly, Tina Turns The Country On! has never even been released on CD.
Whole Lotta Love (1975)
Turner slows down the Led Zeppelin II classic single and provides a smoldering, growling counterpoint from the female perspective. From her second solo album Acid Queen, the song’s notable guitar riff becomes a funky drone and is beefed up with the backing of fat sounding bass notes, seductive strings and the sound of a singer who wants a whole LOTTTAAA LOVVVVVVE.
The song only made it to 61 on the R&B charts at the time, but recently saw new life in the recent Disney film Cruella. And no, Turner and Robert Plant never did duet on this song live as the stage might have spontaneously combusted.
Acid Queen (1975)
She had never heard The Who’s Tommy album, nor did Turner have any idea what "Acid Queen" was all about. So Turner improvised in the 1975 musical film, bringing rabid, rock 'n' roll intensity.
Turner stole the spotlight in her single scene, and helped make the soundtrack the best-selling success she’d ever been a part of. The success prompted demand for Turner's first solo "rock" album. Though it only reached 155 on the Billboard Album Charts, the powerful rock single remained a showcase staple in Turner’s concert set for the remainder of her career.
Bootsy Whitelaw (1975)
"He was tall, big and tan/I tell you, he was a hell of a good looking thing," Turner bellows during the intro to this single off her second solo album. Underneath, a swampy guitar signals drama. Overhead, keyboard flourishes mean something’s going to develop.
Whitelaw was a noted trombonist in Turner’s childhood Tennessee town and becomes something of a legend here. "Mama told me everything about/But not about Mr. Bootsy Whitelaw." Ike had a hand in co-creating this one, a song that’s gritty, funky and unforgettably nasty.
I Can See For Miles (1975)
Turner turns The Who’s classic '60s track into a propulsive funk and string-laden number on her second solo release that would be perfect soundtrack material. One can picture it now: the lead female character strutting down the street with all eyes on her, confident that she’s on the trail of something big. Throughout, Turner’s raspy vocals threaten to go off the rails — for miles — but she keeps it all in check.
Fruits Of The Night (1978)
Legally free from Ike Turner at last, one can practically hear her happiness throughout third solo release Rough. On this single, Turner goes the disco route with Giorgio Moroder collaborator Pete Bellotte. Bellotte trots out staccato Chic-inspired guitar riffs to drive the song, working in an early synthesizer solo during the interlude. Turner does her best to convince listeners that "this ain’t no game" while trying to sell the largely nonsensical English lyrics by German writer Edo Zanki.
The Bitch Is Back (1978)
Rough was filled with covers by a variety of blues and current rock artists, including Bob Seger, Dan Hill, Willie Dixon and Willie Nelson. She also tackled "The Bitch is Back," a top ten 1974 hit by Elton John. She puts a rocking revue style spin on the keyboard stomper, and when she screams "the bitch is backkkkk," one gets the feeling she means it. The song, like the singer, had legs and would appear in her stage show for years. The album, however, sank without a trace.
Music Keeps Me Dancing (1979)
Turner relied on outside writers on her fourth solo release, Love Explosion, which was largely recorded in London. Teaming up with French disco producer Alec R. Costandinos was a bit of a mismatch here; Costandinos is offering cheesy stage disco while Turner’s singing like she’s the headliner on a rock bill.
With singers like Donna Summer offering a smoother variation on the genre at the time, this release didn’t stand a chance. The album was Turner's worst solo release to date and wasn’t even released in the U.S. Greater things though, were just over the horizon.
Ball Of Confusion (1983)
While technically not a '70s recording, without the sequence of events that took place next, Turner’s career might have remained a struggle. Due to lack of sales for her fourth solo album, Turner found herself without a record deal, opening shows for the Rolling Stones and Rod Stewart.
Then, an offer came in to work with Heaven 17 members Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, who also called themselves B.E.F. (British Electric Foundation). It was just the bank of synthesizers, the two men and Turner in a London studio. Though the synth licks may sound dated today, the Temptations' cover is kicked into gear. "In this world of increasingly sophisticated technology, she is still unique," said Ware.
The song, recorded in a single take, showed once and for all that Turner was willing to embrace new musical style s and experiment in a bid to further her career. UK audiences bit and the song’s double-sided success (it was released with her rendition of Sam Cooke’s "Change Is Gonna Come") convinced Capitol Records to roll the dice on Turner one more time. Her subsequent album, Private Dancer, took home four GRAMMY Awards, sold 10 million copies and a star was reborn.
