David Foster (album)
Encyclopedia
David Foster is a self-titled solo album released in 1986. The album is mainly instrumental with two duet-style songs featuring rare vocals from Foster himself. This work led to Foster receiving the Juno Award
for "Instrumental Artist of the Year
" in 1986 and 1987, and a Grammy Award
nomination for "Best Pop Instrumental Performance" in 1986. Co-producer Humberto Gatica was also nominated for a Grammy Award in 1986 for "Best Engineered Recording" for this album.
numerous commercially successful albums for other artists during the 1980s, David Foster
released his first major label debut in 1986. The album features many of Foster's friends and collaborators from the Los Angeles
-area studio musician
scene who had worked with him on previous releases including his first solo album "The Best of Me" and the St. Elmo's Fire soundtrack.
The first track is the instrumental version of the "Love Theme" from the 1985 film St. Elmo's Fire
, which also appears on the film's soundtrack. Foster received a Juno Award for "Producer of the Year
" for that album in 1986. A video was produced for this song, featuring a storyline where Foster is writing the song on piano interspersed with scenes of him pursuing a girl riding on horseback.
The second track is from the 1985 Spielberg
film The Color Purple
. The CD soundtrack for this film features a different track entitled "High Life/Proud Theme" (1:12), and it is not clear if this version actually appears in the movie. The song was composed by award winning producer Quincy Jones
, his frequent co-writer Rod Temperton and arranger Jeremy Lubbock. All three were nominated for the Academy Award for "Original Music Score
" in 1985 for their work on this soundtrack.
The third track "Flight of the Snowbirds" is inspired by the Canadian Forces Snowbirds
aerobatic flying team. Foster was subsequently made an honorary member of the Snowbirds.
The fourth track, "All That My Heart Can Hold," would be covered with Spanish lyrics by singer Luis Miguel
as "Ayer" (Yesterday). "Ayer" was the first single released from his Grammy-winning album, Aries
, and was also a #1 hit in both Mexico and the US.
The fifth track "The Best of Me" is the first vocal song on the album featuring a duet between Olivia Newton-John
and Foster. The two had previously worked together on the 1983 Two of a Kind
soundtrack, including the songs "Take a Chance" and "Shakin' You". This soft rock
single was a Top 10 hit on the Billboard AC charts in the U.S. and a Top 40 hit in Canada
. The accompanying music video
features Newton-John and Foster singing and playfully spending time together in his home recording studio. Foster's co-writers on this song are Jeremy Lubbock and Richard Marx
who would provide background vocals on other Foster productions before becoming a major solo artist on his own.
The sixth track "tapDANCE" is from the 1985 film White Nights starring the late Gregory Hines
. Hines provides the tap dancing
heard in this song, likely from a scene in the movie.
The seventh track "Who's Gonna Love You Tonight" is the second song featuring vocals, with Foster and Richard Page
who is best known as the lead vocalist for Mr. Mister
(of "Broken Wings" fame). This pop rock-style song was written with well known lyricist John Bettis
and the late Keith Diamond. The song was later briefly featured in the 1989 film, "Listen to Me."
The instruments used in the recording of this album were considered cutting-edge technology at the time, including the newly invented synthaxe guitar
, as well as host of synthesizers and sequencers including the Wendell Junior, Kurzweil
, Fairlight
, PPG 2.3 with Waveterm
, Jupiter 8
, Emulator 3, Matrix 12
Oberheim system
and the Linn LM-1
drum machine with A.M.S.
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
for "Instrumental Artist of the Year
Juno Award for Instrumental Album of the Year
The Juno Award for "Instrumental Album of the Year" has been awarded since 1976, as recognition each year for the best instrumental album in Canada. The award was originally called the "Instrumental Artist of the Year"....
" in 1986 and 1987, and a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination for "Best Pop Instrumental Performance" in 1986. Co-producer Humberto Gatica was also nominated for a Grammy Award in 1986 for "Best Engineered Recording" for this album.
Background and writing
After producingRecord producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
numerous commercially successful albums for other artists during the 1980s, David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
released his first major label debut in 1986. The album features many of Foster's friends and collaborators from the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-area studio musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
scene who had worked with him on previous releases including his first solo album "The Best of Me" and the St. Elmo's Fire soundtrack.
The first track is the instrumental version of the "Love Theme" from the 1985 film St. Elmo's Fire
St. Elmo's Fire (film)
St. Elmo's Fire is a 1985 American coming-of-age film directed by Joel Schumacher. The film, starring Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy and Mare Winningham, is a prominent movie of the Brat Pack genre, and revolves around a group of friends that have...
, which also appears on the film's soundtrack. Foster received a Juno Award for "Producer of the Year
Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award
The Juno Award for "Producer of the Year" has been awarded since 1975, as recognition each year for the best record producer in Canada. It was renamed the "Jack Richardson Producer of the Year" award in 2003, after Jack Richardson who is a noted Canadian record producer.-Producer of the Year...
" for that album in 1986. A video was produced for this song, featuring a storyline where Foster is writing the song on piano interspersed with scenes of him pursuing a girl riding on horseback.
The second track is from the 1985 Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
film The Color Purple
The Color Purple (film)
The Color Purple is a 1985 American period drama film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Alice Walker. It was Spielberg's eighth film as a director , and was a change from the summer blockbusters for which he had become famous...
. The CD soundtrack for this film features a different track entitled "High Life/Proud Theme" (1:12), and it is not clear if this version actually appears in the movie. The song was composed by award winning producer Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
, his frequent co-writer Rod Temperton and arranger Jeremy Lubbock. All three were nominated for the Academy Award for "Original Music Score
Academy Award for Original Music Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
" in 1985 for their work on this soundtrack.
The third track "Flight of the Snowbirds" is inspired by the Canadian Forces Snowbirds
Snowbirds
Officially known as the Royal Canadian Air Force's 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, the Snowbirds are Canada's military aerobatics or air show flight demonstration team whose purpose is to "demonstrate the skill, professionalism, and teamwork of Canadian Forces personnel". The squadron is based at...
aerobatic flying team. Foster was subsequently made an honorary member of the Snowbirds.
The fourth track, "All That My Heart Can Hold," would be covered with Spanish lyrics by singer Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri is a Mexican singer. He is widely known only by the name Luis Miguel and is often referred to as "El Sol de México"...
as "Ayer" (Yesterday). "Ayer" was the first single released from his Grammy-winning album, Aries
Aries (album)
-Singles released:The first single released was "Ayer", with a very big promotional campaign behind it. The singer shot three different versions for the video and they were premiered on "Siempre en Domingo" for three consecutive weekends...
, and was also a #1 hit in both Mexico and the US.
The fifth track "The Best of Me" is the first vocal song on the album featuring a duet between Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
and Foster. The two had previously worked together on the 1983 Two of a Kind
Two of a Kind (1983 film)
Two of a Kind is a 1983 American romantic comedy film directed by John Herzfeld and starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The original music score was composed by Patrick Williams. The film has Travolta as an inventor and Newton-John as a bank teller. It is up to both criminally-minded...
soundtrack, including the songs "Take a Chance" and "Shakin' You". This soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
single was a Top 10 hit on the Billboard AC charts in the U.S. and a Top 40 hit in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The accompanying music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
features Newton-John and Foster singing and playfully spending time together in his home recording studio. Foster's co-writers on this song are Jeremy Lubbock and Richard Marx
Richard Marx
Richard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"...
who would provide background vocals on other Foster productions before becoming a major solo artist on his own.
The sixth track "tapDANCE" is from the 1985 film White Nights starring the late Gregory Hines
Gregory Hines
Gregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
. Hines provides the tap dancing
Tap dance
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sound of one's tap shoes hitting the floor as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a form of music. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the...
heard in this song, likely from a scene in the movie.
The seventh track "Who's Gonna Love You Tonight" is the second song featuring vocals, with Foster and Richard Page
Richard Page (musician)
Richard Page , is an American musician who is the lead singer and bassist of 1980's US band Mr. Mister and is now a songwriter and solo artist.-Early life:...
who is best known as the lead vocalist for Mr. Mister
Mr. Mister
Mr. Mister is an American pop rock band most popular in the 1980s. The band's name came from an inside joke about a Weather Report album called Mr. Gone where they referred to each other as "Mister This" or "Mister That", and eventually selected "Mr. Mister." Mr. Mister may be considered as...
(of "Broken Wings" fame). This pop rock-style song was written with well known lyricist John Bettis
John Bettis
John Bettis is an American lyricist who has co-written many famous popular songs over the years. In 2011, John was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame as well as the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame....
and the late Keith Diamond. The song was later briefly featured in the 1989 film, "Listen to Me."
The instruments used in the recording of this album were considered cutting-edge technology at the time, including the newly invented synthaxe guitar
SynthAxe
The SynthAxe is a fretted, guitar-like MIDI controller, created by Bill Aitken, Mike Dixon, and Tony Sedivy and manufactured in England in the middle to late 1980s. It is a musical instrument that uses electronic synthesizers to produce sound and is controlled through the use of an arm resembling...
, as well as host of synthesizers and sequencers including the Wendell Junior, Kurzweil
Kurzweil Music Systems
Kurzweil Music Systems is a company that produces electronic musical instruments for professionals and home users. Founded in 1982 by Raymond Kurzweil, a developer of reading machines for the blind, the company made use of many of the technologies originally designed for reading machines and...
, Fairlight
Fairlight CMI
The Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
, PPG 2.3 with Waveterm
Palm Products GmbH
Palm Products GmbH was a highly-regarded manufacturer of audio synthesizers. Founded and owned by Wolfgang Palm, PPG was located in Hamburg, Germany and, for 12 years from around 1975 to 1987, manufactured an acclaimed and eclectic range of electronic musical instruments, all designed by Palm.-...
, Jupiter 8
Roland Jupiter-8
The Jupiter-8 is an eight-voice polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizer introduced by Roland Corporation in 1981.The Jupiter-8, or JP-8, was Roland's flagship synthesizer for the first half of the 1980's...
, Emulator 3, Matrix 12
Oberheim Matrix synthesizers
Oberheim Matrix synthesizers are a historic product line of analog synthesizers from Oberheim featuring a method of synthesis which Oberheim called "Matrix Modulation" as a method of defining preset and user patches...
Oberheim system
Oberheim
Oberheim Electronics is an American company, founded in 1969 by Tom Oberheim , which manufactured audio synthesizers and a variety of other electronic musical instruments.-Oberheim Electronics:...
and the Linn LM-1
Linn LM-1
The LM-1 Drum Computer, manufactured by Linn Electronics Inc., was the first drum machine to use digital samples of acoustic drums. Conceived and designed by Roger Linn, it was also one of the first programmable drum machines...
drum machine with A.M.S.
Track listing
- "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire (instrumental)" (Foster) - 3:28
- "Theme from The Color Purple (Mailbox/Proud Theme)" (Quincy JonesQuincy JonesQuincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
, Rod TempertonRod TempertonRodney Lynn "Rod" Temperton is an English songwriter, record producer and musician most famous for writing a number of songs performed by Michael Jackson, including the title track of Jackson's Thriller, the biggest-selling album of all time.-Biography:As Temperton remembers music was in his bones...
, Jeremy Lubbock) - 3:45 - "Flight of the Snowbirds" (Foster, Lubbock) - 5:26
- "All That My Heart Can Hold" (Foster, Lubbock, Richard MarxRichard MarxRichard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"...
) - 3:54 - "The Best of Me" (Foster, Lubbock, Marx) - 4:09
- "tapDANCE" (Foster, Jerry HeyJerry HeyJerry Hey is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Thriller and the distinctive flugelhorn solo on Dan Fogelberg's hit Longer....
, Tommy Keane) - 4:02 - "Who's Gonna Love You Tonight" (John BettisJohn BettisJohn Bettis is an American lyricist who has co-written many famous popular songs over the years. In 2011, John was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame as well as the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame....
, Keith DiamondKeith Diamond (songwriter)Keith Diamond was a songwriter and producer who worked with artists such as Donna Summer, Michael Bolton, Sheena Easton, Mick Jagger and Don Johnson. Diamond also produced and wrote Billy Ocean's "Suddenly," "Caribbean Queen ," "Loverboy" and "Mystery Lady," as well as producing and managing...
, Foster) - 3:52 - "Elizabeth" (Foster, Keane) - 4:22
- "Playing with Fire" (Foster, Michael LandauMichael LandauMichael Landau is a prolific session musician and guitarist who has played on a large number of albums since the early 1980s with artists as varied as Seal, James Taylor, Helen Watson, Richard Marx, Steve Perry, Pink Floyd and Miles Davis...
) - 4:30 - "Sajé" (Foster) - 3:08
Singles
The following singles were released from the album, with the highest charting positions listed.| # | Title | Date | Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
AC | CAN Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire" | 1985 | 15 | ||
| 2. | "The Best of Me" | 1986 | 80 | 6 | 32 |
| 3. | "Who's Gonna Love You Tonight" | 1986 |
Personnel
- David Foster - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, vocals - Olivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
- Vocal duet on "The Best of Me" - Richard PageRichard Page (musician)Richard Page , is an American musician who is the lead singer and bassist of 1980's US band Mr. Mister and is now a songwriter and solo artist.-Early life:...
- vocals on "Who's Gonna Love You Tonight" - David Boruff - saxSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
solos - Chicago HornsChicago (band)Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
on "Playing with Fire" - James PankowJames PankowJames Carter "Jimmy" Pankow is an American trombone player, songwriter and brass instrument arranger best known as a founding member of the rock band Chicago.-Early life:...
, Walter ParazaiderWalter ParazaiderWalter Parazaider is best known for being a founding member and saxophone player for the rock band Chicago. He also plays the flute and other woodwind instruments in the band, including clarinet. On the hit "You're Not Alone," he played backing rhythm guitar.Parazaider began playing the clarinet...
, Lee LoughnaneLee LoughnaneLee Loughnane , born 21 October 1946 in Elmwood Park, Illinois to Juanita Wall and Philip Louis Loughnane, is an American trumpeter, flugelhorn player, vocalist, and songwriter, best known for being a founding member of the rock band Chicago.- Biography :... - Lee RitenourLee RitenourLee Mack Ritenour is an American jazz guitarist who has recorded over 42 albums, appeared on over 3000 sessions, and has charted over 30 instrumental and vocal contemporary jazz hits since 1976. One of his most popular songs was the smash hit, “Is It You” in 1981. Ritenour is considered to be a...
- synthaxe guitarSynthAxeThe SynthAxe is a fretted, guitar-like MIDI controller, created by Bill Aitken, Mike Dixon, and Tony Sedivy and manufactured in England in the middle to late 1980s. It is a musical instrument that uses electronic synthesizers to produce sound and is controlled through the use of an arm resembling...
on "Playing with Fire" - Michael LandauMichael LandauMichael Landau is a prolific session musician and guitarist who has played on a large number of albums since the early 1980s with artists as varied as Seal, James Taylor, Helen Watson, Richard Marx, Steve Perry, Pink Floyd and Miles Davis...
- guitars - Tris ImbodenTris ImbodenTris Imboden is the current drummer with Chicago. He replaced their original drummer Danny Seraphine following his dismissal in 1990. Prior to joining Chicago, as well as during his tenure with the band, Imboden has had a career as a studio session player...
- drum overdubs - Carlos Vega - additional drum overdubs
- Jerry Hey & David Foster - Horn arrangements on "tapDANCE"
- Horns on "tapDANCE" - Jerry Hey, Gary Grant, Chuck Findlay, Bill Reichenbach Jr., Larry WilliamsLarry Williams (jazz musician)Larry Williams is a Grammy-nominated producer, composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist who formed the jazz fusion group Seawind in the mid 1970s...
- Gary Herbig - sax solo on "tapDANCE"
Production
- Producers - Humberto GaticaHumberto GaticaHumberto Gatica is a Chilean-born American record producer, music mixer, audio engineer anda long-time collaborator with producer David Foster....
& David Foster - Arrangements - David Foster
- Engineer & Mixer - Humberto Gatica
- Assistant Engineers - Tommy Vicari, Woody Woodruff, Laura Livingston, Larry FergusonLarry FergusonLarry Ferguson was a college football player for the University of Iowa. He was named a first team All-American in 1960 and played one season for the Detroit Lions.-Playing career:...
, Glen Holguin, Rick Holbrook, Claudio Ordenes - Art Direction - Bob Defrin
- Design - Jodi Rovin
- Photography - Aaron RapoportAaron RapoportAaron Rapoport is an American photographer, best known for his photographs of music artists.-Biography:In a career that spans over three decades, Rapoport has photographed in a wide variety of areas including commercial photography. His photography of album/CD covers is particularly well known...
- LP mastering - Bernie GrundmanBernie Grundman-Biography:He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1983 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan and Brian Gardner, mastered 37 projects which received Grammy Award nominations in 2005.Grundman...
- CD mastering - Barry Diament