In the mid-seventies, David Foster was starting his career in LA as a high-profile session player. Among the dozens of studio dates he played, there was a pretty good soul/R&B project for Eric Mercury. Mercury was a fellow Canadian musician who, like Foster, relocated to California in the early seventies.

He had solid songwriting talent with great vocal skills that delivered a warm, bluesy voice. Mercury’s album, Eric Mercury, was released in 1975 and included a number of originals that were mostly co-written with another great Canadian singer/songwriter, the late William “Smitty” Smith (1944-1997). Co-produced by Mercury with Trevor Lawrence, Eric Mercury showcased the singer’s outstanding voice backed up by a string of fantastic players that performed the heck out of his songs. The material included was extremely appealing, from soulful ballads to some light funk with smart arrangements that threw in some well-dosed gospel and country flavors. Some of the album’s atmospheres were due to Mercury’s beautiful baritone which reminded the listener of Joe Cocker’s (1944-2014) most soulful stuff. Foster and his fellow members of Attitudes including guitarist Danny Kortchmar, drummer Jim Keltner and bassist Paul Stallworth, played on the album with other legends Jeff Baxter of Doobie Brothers, David Paich of Toto, Waddy Wachtel, Bobby Keys and Dennis Coffey.

The Song of the Week picked from Eric Mercury is “Forgive A Fool In Love.”

“Forgive A Fool In Love” was a refined soul ballad that featured Foster’s piano supporting Mercury’s intense vocal performance. This song and another track, “Sweetie Pie,” were covered by co-writer Smith for his 1978 album, Smitty.  Another beautiful ballad included on Eric Mercury  was “Down The Backstairs Of My Life.” This song was covered by singers Yvonne Elliman (Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack, Jesus Christ Superstar), Thelma Houston, Leah Kunkel and Kenny Rankin (1940-2009).

Listen

• Lead Vocals: Eric Mercury
• Piano: David Foster
• Drums: Jim Keltner
• Guitars: Dennis Coffey & Jesse Ed Davis
• Bass: Klaus Voormann
• Horns: Bobby Keys, Doug Richardson & Trevor Lawrence

• Strings & Horns Arranged by Trevor Lawrence
• Produced & Arranged by Trevor Lawrence & Eric Mercury

Lyrics

No Lyrics

To celebrate the upcoming Christmas season, go back to Josh Groban’s masterpiece, Noel. Released in the fall of 2007 and fully produced by David Foster, Noel skyrockets to the top of the charts and becomes one of the most successful Christmas albums of all time.

Certified platinum six-times in the US alone, Noel set a new, higher standard for seasonal recordings. The match of Groban’s warm and powerful baritone with Foster’s unique craftsmanship create a record that is a staple to listen to every Christmas holiday. For this occasion, the spotlight is on a gorgeous rendition of the traditional, festive song, “The First Noel.”

“The First Noel” was a duet between Groban and pop/country superstar, Faith Hill. Groban and Hill delivered a fantastic performance and gave further proof they are two of the most gifted singers in the music business. Foster, who played piano on the recording, decided to infuse some gospel power in this rendition of “The First Noel.” Who better to give the song that flair than the gospel king, Kirk Franklin? Franklin arranged the song with Foster and directed the magnificent choir that supported both singer’s top-notch vocals. One last mention to the soothing orchestral arrangement courtesy of maestro Bill Ross and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Enjoy the magic and Merry Christmas!

Listen

• Lead Vocals: Josh Groban & Faith Hill
• Keyboards: David Foster
• Choir: Angela Fisher, Brandon Winbush, Cammie Knight, Esther Austin, James Burney, Jonique Aquil, Kurt Lykes, Nita Hutton, Richard Redd, Roshaun Stovell, Shawntae Jackson, Traneen Young
• The London Symphony Orchestra

• Arranged by David Foster & Kirk Franklin
• Orchestrated by Bill Ross
• Choir Director: Kirk Franklin
• Produced by David Foster

Lyrics

Noel, Noel
Noel, Noel
The First Noel, the Angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!
Noel, Noel
Noel, Noel

They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the East beyond them far
And to the earth it gave great light
And so it continued both day and night
Noel, Noel
Noel, Noel
Noel, Noel
Noel, Noel
Noel, Noel
Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!
Born is the King of Israel!
Noel, Noel
Noel, Noel

Between the end of the Eighties and the start of the Nineties, David Foster had a couple of years where he was absent from the top of the charts. During that time, Foster focused on movie soundtracks like Stealing Home and One Good Cop, released a couple of solo projects, produced Japanese artist Seiko Matsuda and produced new talent like Celine Dion’s debut cd for the English market.

The most important production of those years was Neil Diamond’s The Best Years Of Our Lives  cd. This outstanding work saw the light of day in December 1988. The Best Years Of Our Lives was a well-balanced pop/rock collection split between ballads and more up-tempo numbers. Diamond and Foster co-wrote a good portion of the album including the Adult Contemporary hit ballad, “This Time.” Another single off The Best Years Of Our Lives was the title-track that reached #7 on the same chart.

Written by Diamond, “The Best Years Of Our Lives” is the song in the spotlight for this week.

This catchy rocker opened the album sporting a powerful beat and loud guitars to support the superstar’s convincing vocal. This song sounds a tad influenced by the classic rock of Bruce Springsteen with an instrumental performance that was right on target. Delivered by guitar gods Steve Lukather and Mike Landau, they fueled the right amount of energy into the track. There were also some rousing female vocal harmonies on the song performed by famous Australian singing sensation, Renée Geyer. It’s always interesting to listen to a Foster production that’s a bit out of his comfort zone. However, the end result here was still typically Foster with his refined and impeccable sounds. Its parent album, even though certified gold, went only to #46 on Billboard’s Top 200. Obviously, the album fell short of Foster’s expectations.

Yet, time has been kind to The Best Years Of Our Lives. This work was almost unanimously considered one of Diamond’s most solid releases of that era.

To round out this review, here are a few words that the Hitman kindly sent:

“Listening to this song is really a trip down memory lane. It sounds like Lukather on the guitar solo and I think it’s me on the B3 organ, but I can’t be 100% sure. I really thought we had nailed a great album, but it didn’t do very well although I really loved working with Neil. Here’s a funny story: I was in Neil’s band for 3 months around 1975 or 76, but I got fired before we even did one gig because the musical director didn’t like me. Then, about a decade later, I was asked to produce him and that was quite a nice satisfaction.”

Listen

• Lead Vocals: Neil Diamond
• Keyboards: David Foster
• Guitars: Dean Parks, Steve Lukather & Mike Landau
• Bass: Reinie Press & Mike Brignardello
• Drums: Tris Imboden & Carlos Vega
• Horns: Jerry Hey, Gary Grant, Larry Williams, Bill Reichenbach & Dan Higgins
• Synthesizer Programming: Rhett Lawrence, Rick Bowen & Kevin Maloney
• Backing Vocals: Renée Geyer

• Horns Arranged by Jerry Hey & David Foster
• Produced & Arranged by David Foster

Lyrics

Hey, listen to the working man
And can you hear the dream
That resides in his soul?
And when you hear that poor man singin’
Can you hear a story
That cries to be told?
Wanna hear you say “oh yeah”
I need to hear you say “oh yeah”
It’s time to stand up and be counted
These are the days of our beginnings
This ain’t the time for the faint of heart
No don’t wanna lose
The chance we are given
These are the best years of our lives
The very best years of our lives
Oh yeah, hear the song of womankind
Carried ’til she ached
Now she’s takin’ her stand
Says she’s got the right to be
Right beside and equal with ev’ry man
Wanna hear you say “oh yeah”
Need to hear you say “oh yeah”
It’s time to stand up and be counted
These are the days of our beginnings
This ain’t the time for the faint of heart
No don’t wanna lose
The chance we’re given
These are the best years of our lives
The very best years of our lives
Say “oh yeah”
(Organ solo)
(Guitar solo)
Say it now, and just say it right
If you truly believe it,
You’ll be saying it right.
So say “oh yeah”
Gotta say “oh yeah”
It’s time to stand up and be counted
Better days are just beginning.
There ain’t no place to run and hide to
Don’t throw away
The chance we’re given.
These are the best years of our lives
The very best years of our lives

Say “oh yeah”
“Oh yeah”
Say “oh yeah”
Say “oh yeah”
These are the best years of our lives

Boz Scaggs’ Middle Man was another million seller for the veteran, blue-eyed soul singer/songwriter. That great album gave international audiences and radio programmers another tool to discover the outstanding talent of David Foster.

Foster co-wrote and arranged the bulk of Middle Man including the two hit singles, the refined “Jojo” and the rocking “Breakdown Dead Ahead” plus the title track. Another highlight on this now-classic collection was “You Can Have Me Anytime.”

Foster always had a unique knack to tackle a romantic melody and, in this case, here was one of his best examples ever. “You Can Have Me Anytime” was a tender ballad that paired Foster’s magnificent music and brilliant arrangement with Scaggs’ inventive lyrics. “You Can Have Me Anytime” wasn’t your typical love song. The unique craft, the superb crescendo and the fundamental orchestral embellishment was created in collaboration with supreme arranger, Marty Paich (1925-1995). Foster’s and Paich’s elegant touches resulted in a true work of art. Scaggs was vocally in his prime and delivered a subdued yet world-class performance. The musicians on Middle Man were the cream of the L.A. scene of the late seventies. There were some Toto guys that included Jeff Porcaro (1954-1992) on drums, David Hungate on bass and Steve Lukather on guitars. Foster’s keyboards including his trademark piano/Fender Rhodes were heard everyplace on this album. The collaboration on “You Can Have Me Anytime” shaped perfect ear-candy. A final mention goes to a vibrant guitar solo on the track played by the legendary Carlos Santana.

Later, a Foster/Scaggs partnership would go on the same romantic path to create the hit ballad, “Love, Look What You’ve Done To Me” from the film Urban Cowboy and “The Perfect One,” a lesser-known gem included on the soundtrack of the Two Of A Kind movie. All the aforementioned songs can be found in the archive section of this website.

Listen

• Lead Vocals: Boz Scaggs
• Keyboards: David Foster
• Drums: Jeff Porcaro
• Bass: David Hungate
• Guitar: Steve Lukather
• Guitar Solo: Carlos Santana

• Strings Arranged by Marty Paich
• Produced by Bill Schnee

Lyrics

Here we are in a room full of strangers
And an open door
Here we are away from all dangers
But that open door is calling out again

Acting like a friend who wants to know
If you might come away
I wonder what you’ll say
You wonder out again

On wings of the night
Once again you’ll take flight
And I don’t hear your voice anymore
Tonight’s dream will end
But I’ll stay long after then
And you can have me anytime

Here we are
Alone in the shadows of our lonely rooms
Here we are
We are hollows, very lonely rooms

Like a faithless child
Frightened of the wild he runs and hides
To keep from being still
We run around until we lose ourselves again

On wings of the night
Once again you’ll take flight
And I don’t hear your voice anymore
Tonight’s dream will end
But I’ll stay long after then
And you can have me anytime

Tonight’s dream will end
But I’ll stay long after then
And you can have me anytime

Released in September of 1979, the catchy rocker “Heartache Tonight” was the last song by the legendary Eagles to reach #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100. The song was sung by the great Glenn Frey (1948-2016) and included on their The Long Run album.

Co-written by Frey and Don Henley with frequent collaborator J.D. Souther and fellow superstar Bob Seger, “Heartache Tonight,” immediately became a staple of the Eagles’ live shows thanks to its roaring feel and rocking rhythm.

Thirty years later, in October 2009, Canadian superstar Michael Bublé released his Crazy Love cd. David Foster was again at the helm of a good portion of the record that presented, among its varied track listing, a rousing, big-band version of “Heartache Tonight.” Foster updated the song to fit Bublé’s style and gave it the right jazzy feel with the collaboration of renowned musician and arranger, John Clayton. Bublé’s impeccable vocal was the ice on the cake of this powerful big-band affair. Here was the usual elegant music scenario, courtesy of Foster, although the Hitman kept the backing track a tad bluesy and dirty by adding some effective guitar playing courtesy of session god, Michael Thompson as a nod to the Eagles’ original.

The Crazy Love cd zoomed to the top of the charts worldwide. It was soon certified double-platinum in the US and sold more than 3 million copies in the UK alone.

Recently, Foster re-crafted “I Can’t Tell You Why,” another classic song from the Eagles’ The Long Run cd. “I Can’t Tell You Why” was for Foster’s 2015 collaboration with jazz superstar Diana Krall on her Wallflower cd. A review of that beautiful rendition can be found in the archives.

Listen

• Lead Vocals: Michael Bublé
• Keyboards: David Foster
• Bass: Brian Bromberg
• Drums: John Robinson
• Guitar: Michael Thompson
• Harp, Programming & Sound Design: Jochem van der Saag

• Arranged by David Foster, Jochem van der Saag & John Clayton
• Produced by David Foster

Lyrics

Somebody’s gonna hurt someone
Before the night is through
Somebody’s gonna come undone
There’s nothing we can do

Everybody wants to touch somebody
If it takes all night
Everybody wants to take a little chance
And make it come out right

There’s gonna be a heartache tonight
A heartache tonight, I know
There’s gonna be a heartache tonight
A heartache tonight, I know

Some people like to stay out late
Now ome folks can’t hold out that long
But nobody wants to turn back now
There’s too much going on

This night is gonna last forever
Last all, last all summer long
Some time before the sun comes up
The radio is gonna play that song

There’s gonna be a heartache tonight
A heartache tonight, I know
There’s gonna be a heartache tonight
A heartache tonight, I know
Oh, let’s go

There’s gonna be a heartache tonight
The moon’s shining bright
So turn out the light
And we’ll get it right
There’s gonna be a heartache tonight
A heartache tonight, I know

Somebody’s gonna hurt somebody
Before the night is through
Somebody’s gonna come undone
There’s nothing we can do

But everybody wants to touch somebody
If it takes all night
Everybody wants to take a little chance
And make it come out right, right, right now

There’s gonna be a heartache tonight
A heartache tonight, I know
There’s gonna be a heartache tonight
A heartache tonight, I know
Oh, let’s go

Well, we can beat around the bushes
We can get down to the bone
We can leave it in the parking lot
But either way there’s gonna be a
Heartache tonight, a heartache tonight I know
Oh oh
There’s gonna be a heartache tonight
A heartache tonight, I know