Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire
By Bonnie Tyler
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Track listing
Show track credits
- A1 Ravishing 6:20
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backing vocals
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backing vocals
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backing vocals
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- A2 If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man) 4:46
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saxophone
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- A3 Loving You's a Dirty Job but Somebody's Gotta Do It 7:28
- A4 No Way to Treat a Lady 4:23
- B1 Band of Gold 5:40
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drums
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guitar
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- B2 Rebel Without a Clue 8:30
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Joe Stefkodrum programing
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- B3 Lovers Again 4:13
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backing vocals
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- B4 Holding Out for a Hero 4:50
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guitar
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backing vocals
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bass trombone
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Sterling Smithelectronic drums, piano, synthesizer
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electronic drums
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additional producer
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synthesizer
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tenor saxophone
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trombone
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trombone, horn arrangements
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trumpet
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trumpet
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- Total length: 46:10
Rate/Catalog
Catalog
Set listening
Review
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9 Issues
- Release view [combined information for all issues]
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Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire [p] 33 rpm
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Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire Bonus Tracks
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Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire Bonus Tracks
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5 Reviews
I don't know what to say and I don't know what to do
Started off very promising with "Ravishing" and "If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)" (thr latter is my favorite Bonnie's song, by the way), but then this whole release turned into the typical 80s lame pop-rock album.
God knows how I hate those lengthy songs, especially if they are repetitive as hell and bring nothing new. "Rebel Without a Clue" is a perfect example of this - my head started to ache after the first 3 minutes. And the song's length is 8 and a half minutes. Damn.
This album is absolutely not worthy of your time. I can't say it's bad, it's just mediocre. I suggest y'all go listen to something more interesting.
Three best tracks: "Ravishing", "If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)", "Holding Out for a Hero"
Published
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Funny how an "artist" like Bonnie Tyler can get worse with age...but it's possible. This is a perfect example of eighties pop trash. "Band Of Gold" and "Ravishing" are just two of the many brain cell-killing "songs" on this "album".
Published
As an album this is an improvement over Faster Than The Speed Of Night, if only because it sets the bar lower. Nothing here delivers the satisfying knock out punch of Steinman's two contributions to the previous album, but his four songs here are suitably intense: "Ravishing," "Loving You's A Dirty Job But Somebody's Gotta Do It," "Rebel Without A Clue," and "Holding Out For A Hero." The remaining half is slick and generic '80s filler marred by a horribly overblown "Band Of Gold," but with "If You Were A Woman" (soon to be reborn as "You Give Love A Bad Name") there's actually a non-Steinman song worth remembering.
Published
Bonnie Tyler did incredible things surrounded by Jim Steinman's gloriously gothic soundscapes, "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" is one of Steinman's best, and "Faster Than The Speed Of Light" is not far behind. The problem, as evident throughout much of Steinman's work, is that his songs are so epic, so incredible, they do not work and play well with others, a secondary Steinman song (see Meat Loaf's **Dead Ringer**) is still more satisfying than something like "Straight From The Heart." On **Faster Than The Speed Of Night** the consistency problem was a disaster, but **Secret Dreams And Forbidden Fires** is a bit more streamlined, and thus the problem is more accute. None of the songs reach the heights of the previous albums highlights, though "Holding Out For A Hero," "Loving You's A Dirty Job But Somebody's Got To Do It," "Rebel Without A Clue," and "Ravishing" are more than perfectly satisfying entries into the canon. "If You Were A Woman (And I Was A Man)" which would shortly be recast into "You Give Love A Bad Name" actually works pretty well in this company. "No Way To Treat A Lady," "Lovers Again," and "Before This Night Is Through" are pretty generic, better than the filler on the previous album, but not nearly as exciting as the Steinman tracks. "Band Of Gold" is an overbaked mess, almost as bad as "Twentieth Century Fox" from Pandora's Box (well, maybe not), but the production was gratituous and the effectiveness of the song was lost. **Super Hits** is still the way to go for the Bonnie Tyler fix, and its worth getting one.
Published
Not as strong as Faster Than the Speed of Night but a good second coming with Jim Steinman as producer who wrote more songs this time and star writer Desmond Child also wrote some songs - I guess I'm not the first one to notice that Child recycled the intro of "If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)" for Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name" later on. Some long, epic Steinman songs again, the best is "Loving You's a Dirty Job but Somebody's Gotta Do It" which also features Todd Rundgren on vocals and "Rebel Without a Clue" is some eight and a half minute diddy which has a favorite line of mine in "Did anybody say something incredibly stupid like there isn't any paradise", just a good, humorous way with words that Steinman guy has and the combination with those faithful, over-serious performances cut the cake really - that's absurd Pop heaven for me! The opener "Ravishing" is Steinman recycling his Hulk Hogan theme with added vocals. Bonnie's vocals don't lack in conviction and most songs are strong but the production feels a bit colder than on the previous album hence the lower rating.. By the way: "Holding Out for a Hero" (also from Steinman) is really the best song here but more or less a bonus track since it originally appeared on the Footloose soundtrack from two years earlier.
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Catalog
27 May 2024
20 May 2024
1 May 2024
19 Apr 2024
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A1
Ravishing
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A2
If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)
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A3
Loving You's a Dirty Job but Somebody's Gotta Do It
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A4
No Way to Treat a Lady
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B1
Band of Gold
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B2
Rebel Without a Clue
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B3
Lovers Again
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B4
Holding Out for a Hero
2 Apr 2024
24 Mar 2024
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A1
Ravishing
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A2
If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man)
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A3
Loving You's a Dirty Job but Somebody's Gotta Do It
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A4
No Way to Treat a Lady
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B1
Band of Gold
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B2
Rebel Without a Clue
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B3
Lovers Again
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B4
Holding Out for a Hero
21 Mar 2024
19 Mar 2024
18 Mar 2024
13 Mar 2024
12 Mar 2024
11 Mar 2024
9 Mar 2024
8 Mar 2024
3 Mar 2024
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