Written by Peter Allen & David Lasley

In 1980, the great Peter Allen (1944-1992) released his career’s most commercially successful album, Bi-Coastal. Produced by David Foster, Bi-Coastal, with its smooth, refined content, was considered one of the seminal records of the west coast/pop genre. Foster and Allen co-wrote the bulk of the album. They delivered a string of pop masterpieces including the Billboard’s Hot 100 entry “Fly Away.”

A gorgeous ballad additionally co-written by Carole Bayer Sager, “Fly Away” went on to be #55 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and #45 on the Adult Contemporary chart. That song, and other gems from Bi-Coastal, were previously reviewed here and can be rediscovered in the archives.

Another beautiful moment on Bi-Coastal, and the song for this week is “Somebody’s Angel.”

“Somebody’s Angel”  was co-written by Allen and David Lasley (1947-2021), another genius singer/songwriter that sadly died last year. Lasley was responsible for some timeless songs including “You Bring Me Joy” for Anita Baker and “Lead Me On” for Maxine Nightingale. “Somebody’s Angel” was a tender ballad that featured one of Allen’s most heartfelt performances. Foster’s instrumental arrangement was a thing of beauty with the trademark mix of piano and Rhodes that led the melody. Erich Bulling, LA based Chilean arranger, conductor and producer wrote a gorgeous string arrangement. Allen’s amazing, warm vocal was supported by the angelic harmonies of two young singers, Richard Page and Steve George. Page and George would soon become the kings of LA vocal sessions and, eventually, the main men of the successful pop/rock band, Mr. Mister.

A true masterpiece, “Somebody’s Angel” was sung by Dionne Warwick on her 1980 hit album, No Night So Long. A year later, Sarah Dash (1945-2021) sung the ballad on her little-known, but noteworthy, Close Enough record.

Listen

• Lead Vocal & Fender Rhodes: Peter Allen
• Piano: David Foster
• Drums: Ralph Humphreys
• Bass: Mike Porcaro
• Guitar: Richie Zito
• Backing Vocals: Richard Page & Steve George

• Strings Arrangement by Erich Bulling
• Produced by David Foster

Lyrics

Everybody’s been taking
‘Till my poor heart is breaking
It’s so hard believing
That life is worth living
But now that I met you
I see a chance that you might come through
Don’t let me down
Right now I stand
My heart in your hand
So please
Don’t you wanna be somebody’s angel
Just for tonight
Only you can save me
Only you do it right
Don’t tell me I’m crazy
When I say forever’s not far away
Just close your eyes
Repeat after me
Hold on
Say I love you

Written by Djavan

Djavan Caetano Viana is simply known as Djavan. He is a legendary Brazilian singer/songwriter. From his debut in the second half of the seventies up to now, Djavan’s music is a landmark in terms of sophisticated songwriting and meaningful lyrical content. He is a star in his own country, but his music quickly became loved by singers, musicians and audiences around the world.

In the early eighties, Djavan’s art was discovered in North America with thanks to the help of people including guitar great Lee Ritenour, Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones. Everyone that experienced Djavan’s art fell in love with his music and became ambassadors of his talent. Djavan was also quite influenced by the best sounds coming from Los Angeles and those factors lead to a string of albums recorded there including Luz, Bird Of Paradise and Lilas. Those three records were chocked-full of wonderful songs delivered by Djavan with the help of the best musicians in the world. In this writer’s opinion, Lilas was the best Al Jarreau (1940-2017) album never recorded by the late Milwaukee singing legend. Lilas was recorded in L.A. between February and March of 1984 with Erich Bulling co-producing and Humberto Gatica in the control room. Djavan co-produced Lilas and surrounded himself with absolute geniuses including David Foster and Greg Phillinganes on keyboards and doing arrangements, Michael Landau and Paul Jackson, Jr. playing guitars, Nathan East and Mike Porcaro (1955-2015) accompanying on bass, John Robinson and Carlos Vegas (1956-1998) hitting the drums, Jerry Hey arranging the strings and horns plus many more. As already mentioned, the sounds of Lilas was along the same sophisticated lines of the magical Jarreau’s recordings with Jay Graydon and could rival any quality pop album. As always, Foster arranged a few numbers and worked his trademark magic on keyboards and synths.                                                                                                                            

These pages already saw past reviews of gems like “Liberdade” and “Iris.” This week the spotlight is on a gorgeous mid-tempo entitled “Infinito.”

Beautifully crafted by Djavan with Phillinganes, “Infinito” featured all the most treasured elements of sophisticated pop. Hear a sweet carpet of keys and synths arranged by Foster, a Michael Landau solo to die for and Jerry Hey’s classic horn licks. Djavan’s voice was perfectly at ease with such an elegant musical background and delivered a great performance. 

Material from Lilas was eventually covered by several singers around the world including his compatriot Simone who sang “Liberdade” and “Esquinas.” Italian pop star Loredana Bertè performed “Iris,” “Transe,” “Infinito” and “Esquinas” and Manhattan Transfer sang “Esquinas” with English lyrics under the title “So You Say”.

Listen

• Lead Vocals & Acoustic Guitar: Djavan
• Keyboards & Synths: Greg Phillinganes & David Foster
• Guitar: Paul Jackson, Jr.
• Guitar Solo: Michael Landau
• Drums: John “J.R.” Robinson
• Bass: Nathan East
• Percussion: Paulinho Da Costa
• Synth Programming: Erich Bulling

• Rhythm Arranged by Djavan & Greg Phillinganes
• Synthesizer Arrangement by David Foster
• Horns & Strings Arranged by Jerry Hey

• Produced by Djavan with Erich Bulling

Lyrics

Tô perdido por alguém
Não consigo ver nada além
Do que eu digo nada sei
Compreender o amor
Não é de hoje
Já vai longe
E nem sinal

Hoje
Estou longe
Preso a você
Livre na prisão
Sem castigo
Faz chorar
Distraído rói devagar
É pedindo que Deus dá

Por falar no amor
Acho que vou buscar
Viver por você
Ou me acabar
Quem mandou me acorrentar
Fazer-me refém
Nas grades do amor

Vou buscar
Viver por você
Ou me acabar
Quem mandou me acorrentar
Fazer-me refém
Nas grades do amor

Te vejo lá no luar
Te espero lá do sol
Te vejo lá no luar
Te espero lá do sol

Tô perdido por alguém
Não consigo ver nada além
Do que eu digo nada sei
Compreender o amor
Não é de hoje
Já vai longe
E nem sinal

Hoje
Estou longe
Preso a você
Livre na prisão
Sem castigo
Faz chorar
Distraído rói devagar
É pedindo que Deus dá

Por falar no amor
Acho que vou buscar
Viver por você
Ou me acabar
Quem mandou me acorrentar
Fazer-me refém
Nas grades do amor

Vou buscar
Viver por você
Ou me acabar
Quem mandou me acorrentar
Fazer-me refém
Nas grades do amor

Te vejo lá no luar
Te espero lá do sol
Te vejo lá no luar
Te espero lá do sol

Te vejo lá no luar
Te espero lá do sol
Te vejo lá no luar
Te espero lá do sol

Te vejo lá no luar
Te espero lá do sol
Te vejo lá no luar
Te espero lá…

When a beautiful melody was put in the capable hands of David Foster, the result was a work of art. “Liberdade” was such a ballad. Written by Djavan, one of Brazil ’s most revered musical minds, “Liberdade” (that translates to freedom, liberty or independence in English) was recorded in 1984 for Djavan’s Lilas album. Foster was a key figure on Lilas along with top sidemen Greg Phillinganes, Nathan East, Mike Landau, Jerry Hey and John Robinson.

These super-talented performers brought an elegant west coast approach to Djavan’s superb material. Under the noted direction of Erich Bulling and with Humberto Gatica in the control room, gorgeous soul/pop tunes like “Iris,” “Esquinas” and “Infinito” were enriched by ingenious arrangements from Foster, Phillinganes and Hey. These songs became gems of the most exquisite sophisti-pop. Musically, the tunes sounded like a Brazilian-tainted version of Al Jarreau’s albums of the early eighties. But, “Liberdade” ended Lilas and revealed a shining moment. Here, Djavan penned a delicate melody and matched it with some evocative, tender lyrics delivered by an intense vocal performance. “Liberdade” proved to be a joy to listen to with its synthesizer-laden intro, a memorable refrain and a slow, lush finale. Foster fueled the song’s emotional impact with a spectacular instrumental arrangement built by his work on the keyboards and synthesizers like a gifted architect. “Liberdade” musical scenario was absolutely sublime with East’s smooth performance on bass and Robinson’s precise drumming. Listening to this song and the whole Lilas album shows an appreciation for Foster’s work and helps savor the art of Djavan, one of Brazil ’s most gifted singer/songwriters.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Liberdade.mp3|titles=Liberdade.mp3|artists= Djavan]

Lead Vocals: Djavan
Keyboards: David Foster
Bass: Nathan East
Drums: John Robinson
Percussion: Paulinho DaCosta
Keyboards Programming: Erich Bulling

Rhythm Arrangement by David Foster
Keyboards Arrangement by David Foster

Produced by Djavan & Erich Bulling

Lyrics

Um amor
Ou um gen da mesma cor
Cintila em mim
O chão a tremer
Conduz a luz

Meu amor
E quer me matar de amor
Que seja assim
Por obedecer
Viver por mim

E voar
Onde o longe é pouco
Cruzar os muros do além E assim pousar na terra

E amar
Muito mais que poucos
Pousar a vida em tuas mãos
E assim cruzar a terra

Liberdade
Vai na poesia
Traz meu destino
Que eu vou sair

written by Peter Allen & David Lasley

“I Don’t Go Shopping” is a sweet love song by the late Peter Allen that was originally included on his 1980 album, “Bi-Coastal.” The Australian-born singer/songwriter and Broadway performer co-wrote this tender ballad with David Lasley, another outstanding talent of James Taylor’s band fame. Lasley, a super-fine singer/songwiter to his own credit, is also the composer of pop gems like Anita Baker’s “You Bring Me Joy” and Maxine Nightingale’s “Lead Me On.” The meeting of these two creative minds resulted in “I Don’t Go Shopping.” That song and “Bi-Coastal” were both produced by David Foster.

The superior creativity of the now-legendary Canadian music-maker lends to “I Don’t Go Shopping” very sophisticated arrangement. The comfy texture of the jazzy accompaniment gave the tune a torch-song-like atmosphere. Allen beautifully sings the romantic lyrics and plays piano supported by Foster’s smooth touch on the electric piano. The silky strings arranged by Erich Bulling and a warm saxophone solo by Lon Price give this ballad a sentimental power that caught the eye of R&B songstress Patti Labelle. She recorded “I Don’t Go Shopping” for her 1980 album “Released”.

“Bi-Coastal” also included “Somebody’s Angel,” another rarefied ballad co-written by Allen and Lasley. This ditty was also covered that same year by soul diva Dionne Warwick on her record “No Night So Long.”

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/i_don_t_go_shopping.mp3|titles=I Dont Go Shipping|artists=Peter Allen]

Lead Vocals & Acoustic Piano: Peter Allen
Keyboards : David Foster
Bass: Dave McDaniel
Drums: Ralph Humphries
Alto Saxophone: Lon Price
String Arrangement by Erich Bulling
Produced by David Foster

Lyrics

I don’t go shopping for love
You’re something money can’t buy
I dream in colors
And my dreams are only shades of you
So I’m never blue

I don’t go wishing on a star
Just want to be where you are
Too many times it felt so right
But it was just the night, now I see the light

I don’t care nothing ’bout going out
Now that I found out what it’s all about
Hear me shout, I’ve saved it all up for you
And if you feel like I do, well, we’re long over due

I’m never out after dark
You’ll always find me here at home
And if you decide to stay up late

Hey baby, don’t you hesitate
Oh, I can’t hardly wait

I don’t care nothing ’bout going out
Now that I found what it’s all about
Hear me shout, I’ve saved it all up for you
And if you feel like I do, well, we’re long over due

I said we’re long overdue
What about me, what about you? Long overdue
What about me, what about you? Long overdue

I don’t go shopping, anymore
What about me, what about you
Long overdue

I don’t go shopping anymore

Through the years many Japanese artists went to L.A. to work with top-notch west coast producers, arrangers and session players to give more substance and weight to their albums. The end results were mixed and not always first class especially when the compositions and/or the singer weren’t up to the amazing level of the musicians involved. Hiromi Iwasaki’s 1984 release, “I Won’t Break Your Heart” luckily belongs to the first league of this kind of albums. Arranged by Erich Bulling, a talented music maker who often collaborated with Japanese and Brazilian artists. Bulling also co-wrote the bulk of the album that’s along the lines of Earth Wind & Fire’s smooth sounds. Former EWF’s guitar player Al McKay appeared on the album together with David Foster, Michael Landau, Steve Lukather, the late Carlos Vega and Randy Kerber. Foster added his magic keyboards to three compositions, the uptempo synth heavy, “Come Softly” and two gorgeous ballads, the title track and Bill Champlin’s “Every Now And Then.” Champlin also co-wrote with Carmen Grillo and sung with Iwasaki another smooth ballad, “Both Of Us” that’s simply breathtaking. Iwasaki’s sweet voice is quite good. All but the Champlin songs are sung in Japanese but the outstanding musical background, often with lush strings and horns, makes of “I Won’t Break Your Heart” an excellent listen for those who appreciate deluxe sounds and elegant pop/soul music.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/every_now_and_then.mp3|titles=Every now and then|artists=Hiromi Iwasaki]

Lead Vocals: Hiromi Iwasaki
Drums: Carlos Vega
Keyboards: David Foster, Randy Kerber & Erich Bulling
Guitars: Michael Landau
Bass: Neil Stubenhaus
Percussion:
Background Vocals: Finis Henderson, Adonis Hampton, Ralph Johnson
Arranged by Erich Bulling
Produced by Hisahi Kopida
Associate Producer: Shigeru Yamada

Lyrics

NO LYRICS