Over the next year Terje Fjelde has agreed to listen to nothing but David Foster on his iPod. He’s loaded the thing with over 1,200 songs produced, arranged, composed, and/or played by David Foster. A deal with the devil? He keeps wondering.

It’s time for another Theme Week! I’ll leave it up to you to figure out what’s the theme, though. It should be pretty obvious.

I heard Donna Summer’s “Livin’ In America” (1982), produced by Quincy Jones, for the first time when I watched a documentary about Quincy released around the same time as his album Back On The Block in 1989. He had invited a bunch of hot rappers such as Ice T, Melle Mel, Big Daddy Kane and Kool Moe Dee to join him along with a stellar cast of musicians but, me being a very pale and very Scandinavian teenager, I just didn’t get the rap and hip hop thing at all in 1989. Well, I still don’t for the most part, but that’s another story. Anyway, I was for all purposes hoping for The Dude, Part 2 at the time of its release, and thus Back On the Block turned out to be a huge disappointment. It just didn’t sound smooth enough for me at the time by far, which I guess is kinda telling — and utterly and completely incomprehensible: Have you ever heard “Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song)” or “The Secret Garden”? Smooth as silk. Or “Tomorrow (Better You, Better Me)” with a very young Tevin Campbell on lead vocals? The only thing with an edge on it is Tevin’s braces.

Still, that’s probably why I remember “Livin’ In America” so well from the soundtrack - it was one of very few tracks with Quincy’s smooth, early 1980s pop sound. I loved what I heard and went straight out and bought Donna Summer from 1982 and I was happy as a hippo for months, playing my new old Donna Summer album all the time whilst everybody else was listening either to the Stone Roses or Roxette. I was so out of touch with anything resembling hipness. Some things never change. (more…)

Over the next year Terje Fjelde has agreed to listen to nothing but David Foster on his iPod. He’s loaded the thing with over 1,200 songs produced, arranged, composed, and/or played by David Foster. A deal with the devil? He keeps wondering.

I’m procrastinating. I really don’t want to think about David Foster today, Neither do you, of course, but I’m bound by my promise to write about the guy every week for a year, so I’m kinda stuck here.

The weather’s really beautiful — and that rarely ever occurs in Norwegian summertime. I’m hangin’ out with my friends and family by the mountainside, and all I really want to do is to join them for a beer or maybe play some soccer - but I’m stuck in my room with freakin’ David Foster. Am I sensing fatigue? Well, maybe a little bit, but it’s just a phase. I’ll be back at the top of my game next week, I promise — when the weather has returned to its usual cold, grey self. Autumn is just around the corner.

Anyway, we’ve covered the ’70s pretty well so far, wouldn’t you agree? It’s worth mentioning that Foster’s career got its first big boost in 1979, when he won a Grammy for co-writing Earth, Wind & Fire’s “After the Love Is Gone” with Jay Graydon and Bill Champlin. This award set him up for all kinds of wonderful adventures in sound as the ’80s dawned, but I figure everyone knows the tune, so we’ll just skip it gently. (more…)

Over the next year Terje Fjelde has agreed to listen to nothing but David Foster on his iPod. He’s loaded the thing with over 1,200 songs produced, arranged, composed, and/or played by the man. A deal with the devil? He keeps wondering.

I guess congratulations are in order. David Foster became an uncle this month, and he now has a nephew named Parker Foster Aiken.

David’s 50-year-old sister Jaymes Foster was artificially inseminated by Clay Aiken, of all people, and the dark-haired baby boy was born at 8:08 AM on Friday, August 8 (could it possibly have been a c-section?), weighed six pounds, two ounces, and was 19 inches long. Amazing.

I wonder who they named him after. Colonel Parker? Nah, that’s kinda weird considering that David recently divorced Elvis Presley’s ex-girlfriend. Charlie Parker? Dorothy Parker? Hardly.

Probably Sarah Jessica Parker.

You know, every now and then I dream of the decadent lifestyle of a successful writer-producer-something-anything in the hills of Beverly. But it only takes a quick glance at the surreal lives of these plastic-coated people to realize it would be like entering the Roman Empire just before the fall of Rome.

It’s comforting to see sturdy old people like uncle David staying true to themselves in the face of the impending Dark Ages, though, never giving an inch to the decay, with a mere three wives and half a dozen kids or so, everything under fairly conventional circumstances, or so it seems. Bear in mind that whenever I say “it seems” in this series I appear to be wrong.

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Over the next year Terje Fjelde has agreed to listen to nothing but David Foster on his iPod. He’s loaded the thing with over 1,200 songs produced, arranged, composed, and/or played by the man. A deal with the devil? He keeps wondering.

The Manhattan Transfer, “Nothin’ You Can Do About It” (from Extensions, 1979) (download)

The Manhattan Transfer was never my cup of tea. I’ve usually found their attempts to mix vocalese with a contemporary sound to be a bit contrived. They’re incredibly talented singers, no doubt about it, and I’ve tried to like them for years. I’m sympathetic to their projects. I like what they’re trying to do. But whenever I sit down to listen to one of their albums, I just get this uneasy feeling — I can’t put my finger on what it is exactly, but it’s something — and I eventually turn it off.

As a result, I own several of their albums, but I don’t think I’ve listened all the way through a single one of them. There is, however, one significant exception to my reservations, and that is “Nothin’ You Can Do About It,” from their 1979 release Extensions. That is one brilliant pop tune.

I never lose control. I’m the most mild-mannered, controlled person you can imagine, a model of polite restraint. But whenever that piano intro starts rolling, I’m right up there on the table going completely crazy, wildly (over)playing air piano and singing along in falsetto. I’m horrible at remembering lyrics; I don’t even remember the lyrics to songs I’ve written myself. But this one I know by heart. It’s probably the only song I can sing all the way through.

Again, David Foster is deeply involved. He cowrote the song with Steve Kipner and Jay Graydon. Graydon produced the album. Foster plays the dominant piano riff with those brilliant off-the-beat dissonances.

There are so many great twists and turns on this track. It’s energetic and upbeat. There are jazz references, complex chord structures, modulations, syncopations — all the things I cherish in a really good pop song. There’s also a wonderful synth solo by Greg Mathieson. Love every note of it. And the Manhattan Transfer’s vocal harmonies are, for once, perfect in a contemporary pop setting. Oh, how the “ba-ba-do-aahs” prior to the chorus make my heart skip a beat, if not two!

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Over the next year Terje Fjelde has agreed to listen to nothing but David Foster on his iPod. He’s loaded the thing with over 1,200 songs produced, arranged, composed, and/or played by David Foster. A deal with the devil? He keeps wondering.

The Olympics are coming up, folks, and what better time to take a look at Mr. Foster’s efforts in the games over the years?

David Foster boasts a proud Olympic history — he composed the classic pop instrumental “Winter Games” and conducted the orchestra during the ceremonies at the Winter Olympics in Calgary in 1988; he conducted alongside John Williams at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and provided a song for Celine Dion at that; he wrote Leann Rimes a tune for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and, finally, he stroke up the band with Andrea Bocelli’s “Because We Believe” at the closing ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

Now the moment we’ve waited for is coming true
And our hopes and our dream will soon shining through
And the feeling we know is here to stay
And whatever may come, we’ll see it through remembering today.

If only, my friends, if only. (more…)

Over the next year Terje Fjelde has agreed to listen to nothing but David Foster on his iPod. He’s loaded the thing with over 1,200 songs produced, arranged, composed, and/or played by David Foster. A deal with the devil? He keeps wondering.

Are you bored? What can I say? My David Foster experience is a breeze. It’s fun. It’s educational. My posts so far are almost snark-free, I’m turning into a blind-eyed David Foster apologist a la the loyal hordes of Trent Reznor. Is this real, or is it a subliminal reaction to my unsound David Foster exposure? It’s too early to tell for sure, but you can rest assured I’ll be keeping a close eye on my condition, and keep you updated on any sign of mental decay.

Dolly Parton - “Here You Come Again,” from Here You Come Again (1977)

David Foster collaborated with Dolly Parton on several occasions, but this was probably their most important encounter. You may even say that a little bit of pop music history was made during the recording of this Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil song. Then again, you may not. Anyway, here’s David Foster in 1986:

I love that sound of the Rhodes and the piano together. We stumbled across that when we were doing “Here You Come Again” for Dolly Parton. Gary Klein was the producer, and I was playing keyboards. I don’t remember whether I started on the Rhodes or the acoustic, but after we got the track, I said, “Hey, why don’t try the exact same part again on the other piano?” I did it, and it was this very cool sound. That sound stuck with a lot of people for a few years.

I loved that sound, too. I still do, actually, but I’m embarrassed to admit it, so therefore I speak in the past tense. (more…)

Over the next year Terje Fjelde has agreed to listen to nothing but David Foster on his iPod. He’s loaded the thing with over 1,200 songs produced, arranged, composed, and/or played by David Foster. A deal with the devil? He keeps wondering.

Let’s return to the 1970s today, shall we? Up for some pre-teen pop, maybe? Wait, don’t go! It’s better than you may think.

The Keane Brothers by The Keane Brothers (1977) is another early David Foster production. The record was released when John Keane was 11 and Tom Keane 12, and all songs (save one) were written by the brothers themselves. Both of them were multi-instrumentalists and they were coached by their dad, Bob Keane, musician, producer and owner of Del-Fi Records. These guys were pretty amazing — take a look at this clip from a TV show in early 1977. It’s John on drums and Tom on piano and vocals. “Amy (Show The World You’re There)” refers to Amy Carter, by the way:

The Keane Brothers consists of light pop with some unmistakable David Foster trademarks. He produced and arranged the album and, as usual, he’s in good company: The Tower of Power horn section, Bill Champlin on background vocals and arrangements, Larry Carlton and Jay Graydon on guitars, Jeff Porcaro, Ed Greene and Nigel Olsson on drums and Lee Sklar and Mike Porcaro on bass.

All these guys had settled as first-call studio players by this time, and you can find them on most of Foster’s productions (and just about everything else recorded between 1977 and 1990) along with the rest of the gang: Dean Parks, John Robinson, Dave Hungate, Abe Laboriel, Mike Landau, Ray Parker, Jr., and so on — you’re a Popdose reader, so you probably know the deal.

Now that you know who plays on all these records I’m writing about, I guess there’s no need for me to ever bring it up again. Too bad; I love listing session musicians. (more…)

Over the next year Terje Fjelde has agreed to listen to nothing but David Foster on his iPod. He’s loaded the thing with over 1,200 songs produced, arranged, composed, and/or played by David Foster. A deal with the devil? He keeps wondering.

One of the more practical difficulties that I’ve encountered during this project is that I’m desperately dependent on my iPod when I’m working out and running. And if you know anything about David Foster, it’s probably that he’s not famous for his killer grooves and up-tempo stuff. But I can’t very well run to the rhythm of “You’re the Inspiration” or “I Will Always Love,” now can I?

I’m a pretty casual runner, but I like to keep a steady rhythm, and I need to keep it somewhere between 150 and 152 beats per minute to be comfortable. Usually my playlist consists of fast rock, a la Arcade Fire, We Are Scientists, and the Jam.

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Over the next year Terje Fjelde has agreed to listen to nothing but David Foster on his iPod. He’s loaded the thing with over 1,200 songs produced, arranged, composed, and/or played by David Foster. A deal with the devil? He keeps wondering.

Jaye P. Morgan - “Keepin’ It To Myself,”
Jaye P. Morgan - “Can’t Hide Love,”
from Jaye P. Morgan (1976)

Aah, finally — the time has come. The classic Foster/Graydon sound in full bloom. So far we’ve listened to session dates where David Foster probably didn’t have a lot of influence, but somewhere along the line, he connected with guitarist Jay Graydon. They helped each other out, each recommending the other for session work — quickly spreading the word and gaining a strong reputation as talented studio musicians. And when future Chicago member Bill Champlin came down from San Francisco in the mid 1970s, they did the same thing for him, enabling him to get work as a background vocalist and vocal arranger on countless records throughout the decade. Foster even helped Champlin get an apartment not far from him and his wife, so these guys were pretty close back in those days.

Between their recording sessions with Steely Dan and George Harrison, they must have come up with a plan. A light, breezy pop/rock sound with touches of jazz and funk. Jay Graydon’s multi-layered guitar licks — it’s almost as if he orchestrates his guitar solos. Syncopation — lots and lots of syncopation. Easy melodies supported by complex chord structures. Rich harmony vocals. The occasional, heavily compressed horn sound of trumpeter Jerry Hey and his Seawind chums. And Foster’s romantic Rhodes and piano sound spiced up with some funky Clavinet. David Foster drove a Mercedes 450 SL back in those days, and somehow that makes perfect sense listening to his music. If Foster’s music is a sleazy white limo today, it was a 450 SL convertible in 1978. (more…)

Over the next year Terje Fjelde has agreed to listen to nothing but David Foster on his iPod. He’s loaded the thing with over 1,200 songs produced, arranged, composed, and/or played by David Foster. A deal with the devil? He keeps wondering.

When I started writing for this series I asked my wife to read the first draft, just to get an idea of how people would react to the concept.

MY WIFE (sighing, after being asked the same question five times in an hour): OK, OK, Terje, I’ll read it soon. What’s it about anyway?

ME: It’s about David Foster, my childhood hero!

(She rolls her eyes.)

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