From soul to pop to rock: Tina Turner has covered various genres in her many decades of career – and has often celebrated mega successes. We listen to their five most important albums.
Dynamite (1962)
If you want to know how brilliant the early years of Tina Turner and her ex-husband Ike Turner were, you should definitely listen to the 1962 album Dynamite. The album is brimming with catchy soul bangers — including the mega-hit It’s Gonna Work Out Fine, which earned the pair their first Grammy nomination. Other highlights include “A Fool In Love”, “You Should’a Treated Me Right” and “Poor Fool”.
River Deep-Mountain High (1966)
Phil Spector had seen Ike & Tina Turner live at a Los Angeles club in the 1960s and made every effort to work with them. He even bought her out of her old contract. The result is the collaboration “River Deep – Mountain High”. The album is split in two: the first half was produced by Spector, which features his signature “wall of sound”. Ike Turner was responsible for the other, tonally less dense half.
Working Together (1970)
In 1970, Tina & Ike Turner took on some classics — including “Proud Mary,” “Get Back,” and “Let It Be.” There were also some original compositions such as “Goodbye, So Long” or “You Can Have It” written by Ike Turner. The album was a smash hit for Ike & Tina Turner — and is considered by many to be their solo masterpiece.
Break Every Rule (1986)
Now let’s take a look at Tina Turner’s solo output. Break Every Rule is the musician’s sixth solo album. It was released in 1976 through Capitol Records — and produced by the likes of Bryan Adams and Mark Knopfler (who also feature on some tracks). Also featured on the record as guest musicians were Phil Collins, Guy Fletcher, Steve Winwood and Terry Britten. It followed their mega hit “Private Dancer” and includes tracks like “Typical Male”, “What You Get Is What You See” and “Afterglow”.
Private Dancers (1984)
In 1984, Tina Turner released her solo album “Private Dancer” — and achieved worldwide success with it. Included are the classics What’s Love Got To Do With It, Mark Knopfler’s Private Dancer, and 1984 by David Bowie. Here, too, Turner had prominent guest musicians – including Jeff Beck, who ennobled two pieces with his guitar playing.