From OUTSIDE INSIDE
Written by David Foster, Steve Lukather & Fee Waybill
Here’s another good answer to all those people who always talk about David Foster as a writer of “syrupy love songs”. He is, without any doubt, the master of pop ballads but his incredible talent has brought him often in other territories like jazz/fusion, r&b and pure rock.
From WHEN LOVE COMES CALLING
Written by Deniece Williams, Carole Bayer Sager & David Foster
This ballad brings us back once again to David Foster’s finest r&b work. In 1979 he was probably asked by Maurice White to produce the majority of Deniece Williams’ new album (3 cuts were produced by former Raydio leader Ray Parker jr.) and, as usual, the results were outstanding.
From SHINE
Written by Alan Gorrie
Let’s take another break from David Foster’s amazing string of ballads and take a listen to this energetic r&b/disco groove from Average White Band’s Shine album that he produced in 1980. Average White Band is the funkiest band ever to come out of Europe, six guys from Scotland that had tremendous success in the seventies with classics like “Pick Up The Pieces” and “Cut The Cake”.
From BI COASTAL
Written by David Foster, Peter Allen & Carole Bayer Sager
1980 is one year that many Foster fans remember with a smile on their faces. It is the year of the Airplay project as well as Boz Scaggs’ “Middle Man”, the Average White Band’s “Shine” and especially the year of “Bi Coastal”.
From FROM THE INSIDE
Written by Alice Cooper, Dick Wagner, Bernie Taupin & David Foster
It is a rock song full of heavy guitars (Dick Wagner, Steve Lukather, Jay Graydon…) and with a strong vocal performance by Cooper, but being a Foster production, it is also classy and perfectly arranged like other of his more rock oriented productions like “Stranded” or “Sweet Body” on “Airplay”, or the whole second side of Hall & Oates’ “Along The Red Ledge” (which was released the same year).
