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DAVID'S COMMENTS ON EACH TRACK
1. What's It
Gonna Take
I wrote this song in 1996 or 1997 with Robin
Lerner ("This Kiss") and Marsha Malamet and did the lead and background
vocals at the programmer's house in Glendale, California. Although it was
intended as a song about relationships, I have a different understanding
of it as I listen now. Since the deaths in 1997 and 1998 of my mother and
my sister, the lyric "Time to start all over... Time for letting go....
How to live without you... I will never know" resonates in another way.
It's funny and ironic to me that the meaning can change as you grow and
mature and experience life's ups and downs. And isn't it odd how songs
can have so many different interpretations for so many people? Maybe that’s
why the language of music is so powerful.
2. Look at the
Clock (The Utopias)
This song is believed to have been written
by Pam Sawyer and Lori Burton. It would have been the fourth and final
single from The Utopias (David Lasley, Julie Lasley, Joan Hughes). Sadly,
it was never released, even though it was our best produced record. Joan
left the group to get married, my sister Julie went back to high school
and I concentrated on songwriting. "Look at the Clock's" 1967 session took
place at Terra Shirma on Livernois Avenue in Detroit. Various Motown players
contributed, including either Babbit or Jamerson on bass, Jack Ashford
on percussion, the Andantes on additional background vocals, either Dennis
Coffey or Ray Monette on guitar, and Andrew Smith on drums. It was engineered
by Milan Bogden and/or Russ or Ralph Terrana and produced by Carl Cisco
and Roger Bass.
3. If I Had
My Wish Tonight
Written by Randy Goodrum and Dave Loggins,
this song was on my Missin’ Twenty Grand LP (EMI America, 1982) and went
to #36 with a bullet on Billboard’s Hot 100 in May 1982. I first heard
it on Dave Loggins’ solo album and loved it. I believed in it a lot, and
I suggested to many of my friends that they record it. Nobody heard it
the way I heard it, so I recorded it myself, and – go figure – it was my
only chart hit. “Wish” features Bonnie Raitt on background vocals and Arif
Mardin’s string arrangements.
4. Girls Are
Against Me (The Utopias)
Recorded at United Sound Studios in Detroit
in 1967, this was The Utopias’ third single (and the last to be released).
A regional hit, it was written, arranged and produced by Roger Bass, engineered
by Danny Dallas and released on LaSalle/Solid Hitbound Productions.
5. Roomate
This recording of “Roomate” is a rare, rough
mix produced by Joe Wissert in 1981 for Geffen Records, to whom I was signed
at the time. It was one of the three songs I recorded for David Geffen,
and it was intended for my Missin’ Twenty Grand album, which was eventually
released on EMI America. This version features Brenda Russell, Luther Vandross,
Lynn Pitney and me on background vocals. The Missin' Twenty Grand “Roomate”
track (which features Pete Townshend on guitar) is a completely different
recording, so this track is being released for the first time. I like the
feel of the lead vocal and the way it’s right “in the pocket.” In a way,
the first line of the song is a tribute to Garland Jeffries’ “I May Not
Be Your Kind” from his Ghost Writer album.
6. It’s a Crying
Shame
This is the 45 version of “It’s A Crying Shame,"
which was the first single from my Raindance album (EMI America, 1984).
The brilliant Don Was came to Los Angeles from Detroit, and in July 1983
we worked with Craig Siegel at his house in the San Fernando Valley on
a rainy night complete with lightning. Craig programmed the song on a Fairlight,
and after about eight hours work, we had nearly completed the track. The
next thing we knew, Craig’s house was struck by lightning, knocking out
the power, and we lost everything. This was my first experience with “programming”
music. Needless to say, I was very dismayed, but, happily, we rebuilt the
track. I did lead and background vocals at Cherokee/Larrabee (recorded
by engineers Steve Hodge and Dave Iveland, respectively), with additional
background vocals by the ultra-brilliant Ula Hedwig, Joann Harris and Jason
Scheff (who went on to become Chicago's lead singer and bass player). Chuck
Cochran plays the guitar solo, and the late, great Yogi Horton did drum
overdubs at Media in New York with Michael Brauer. The album version of
the song had to be shortened for radio, so after an editing "contest" between
Don and me, which he won, we took out two of the lines in the last verse,
and it worked brilliantly. That is the version you are hearing here.
After Raindance was pressed, the promotion
men at EMI met to discuss promoting this song as a single. I waited outside
the meeting room -- it felt something like waiting for the dentist -- and
when they came out, they said, "David, you might as well go on vacation
for six weeks. We don’t get it." So there was no promotion for "It's A
Crying Shame" as a single. EMI’s Gary Gersh was puzzled, and my manager
Gary Borman and I were sad because we felt this was my shot at a big pop
hit. Today, Don Was and I see each other in the studio, play this song,
and marvel at how modern it sounds, considering it's nearly 20 years old.
Just bad timing, I guess.
7. Roll Me Through
the Rushes
(Rosie - David Lasley, Lana
Marrano and Lynn Pitney)
"Roll Me Through the Rushes" is the first and
only single from Rosie’s Better Late than Never album (RCA, 1976). Rosie's
record deal came about because singer Genya Raven (of Ten Wheel Drive fame),
who had acquired a production deal at RCA, saw us performing at Max’s Kansas
City. At this point, Rosie included Ula Hedwig as well as Lynn Pitney,
Lana Marrano and me, but we had just decided to go our separate ways. After
working on the club scene for four years, we were starving while other
groups like Manhattan Transfer and LaBelle had become huge. I went to my
attorney’s office for advice about the group's break-up, and, by a stroke
of luck, I met Genya there for the first time. She offered to audition
Rosie, liked what she heard and walked us into the RCA office of Mike Berniker
(Barbra Streisand’s legendary producer). We sang live in his office, with
Marsha Malamet playing piano. Even though Ula had joined the Harlettes,
she knew all of the parts and came along to the audition to help us out.
We got the deal, and the record was released some months later. You are
hearing here a shortened version of the long LP cut.
Ironically, The Harlettes later recorded this
song, and Chaka Khan was in the audience while they were performing it
at a Bette Midler concert. That’s how she first heard the song and eventually
went on to record it. I was lucky enough to sing background vocals on Chaka’s
version, produced by Arif Mardin, who I’ve known and worked with for 30
years.
8. Earth Children/Life
Goes On
An out-take from Missin' Twenty Grand, this
is a medley of two of my favorite songs: "Earth Children," written by Booker
T. and Priscilla Jones, and "Life Goes On" written by Benard ("Everything
Must Change") Ighner. This recording is very special to me because, along
with Benard and me, the choir consists of Arnold McCuller, Priscilla Coolidge
Jones, and the late, great, incredibly magnificent Dusty Springfield. Like
"Roomate," this is a rough mix and the only tape in existence. We had to
use this version on Back to Blue-Eyed Soul because the two-inch master
was lost, and therefore some of the vocals are not as loud as they should
be (sorry, Benard). But Priscilla’s soprano notes are exquisite, and Dusty
shimmers like the angel that she now is. The track was engineered by Dave
Iveland at A&M’s Studio C. It was a difficult session, because my nervousness
and anxiety made me ill-prepared as a producer, but the singers were swell
and held my hand, and we got through it. Though he absolutely loved it,
my pal Gary Gersh didn’t feel it fit into Missin' Twenty Grand's vibe.
It was intended for the B side of my fourth single, "Never Say," which
was never released.
9. Back in the
Woods (The Utopias)
Recorded for the B side of "Look at the Clock,"
this song features my lead vocal, with Julie, another Utopias member named
Barbara (who had replaced Joan), me and, possibly, Rose Simpson on background
vocals. It is a cappella, except for “Bongo” Eddie, whose real name is
Eddie Brown. We made it with no rehearsal at Terra Shirma in Detroit, probably
on four track. Written by my late older sister, Judy Nash, the late Roger
Bass, Julie and me, it's about the double lives we led as country farm
kids going to the city, performing in nightclubs and on TV, becoming local
stars there, and going back to our small town and being completely misunderstood.
That's how Julie and I felt: very understood in the city and very misunderstood
in the country.
This song was recorded in 1967, the year before
Laura Nyro's second album. Laura was probably my greatest inspiration,
and, interestingly, "Back in the Woods" is very similar to some of her
songs that I had not yet heard! Although Laura grew up in the city subways,
and I grew up in the cow pastures, we both loved girl groups and doo wop.
Isn't it strange and wonderful?
10. Stay Gold
"Stay Gold" is short and sweet. It's a short
song with a great melody by the late Carmine Coppola (Francis' father)
and beautiful words by Stevie Wonder. Stevie’s version was the theme to
the film The Outsiders. My version was intended for the movie and soundtrack
release in Japan and Europe with Carmine’s orchestral track, although it
never was used in the end. After Carmine scored the movie, I went into
the studio to sing for him. We put on the tape and realized there was nothing
for the first 16 bars, not even a click track. Dead silence. So Aaron Zigman
came in and manually put down an intro with some keyboard pads and bell
tones. Then Carmine conducted my vocal, line for line and word for word
so I could find my way until we got into the body of the tune. It was 1984,
and I believe he was in his 80s at the time. Despite remaining awake 26
hours straight, Carmine had more energy than anyone in the room did and
more passion for his art than any 17-year-old I’ve ever met.
For some strange legal reason related to the
fact that I was signed to EMI, this version could never be released, so
it is, like several other songs on Back to Blue-Eyed Soul, being heard
for the first time. What is so beautiful to me is that while putting this
retrospective together, I finally understood this song completely. It's
about death and dying -- One breath away... And there you will be... Stay
gold... It touches me because it reminds me of the losses I’ve experienced
in the last few years.
11. Tell Me
Tomorrow
When I left Almo Music in 1984 and signed with
Chappell the next year, Ira Jaffe arranged a songwriting date for me with
Randy Goodrum, whom I’d never met even though he'd written "If I Had My
Wish Tonight." Randy and I got together in his Studio City, California
studio. We wrote this track, he programmed it, and I did all the lead and
background vocals -- in two hours! I believe that Randy asked Bill Schnee
to come over to listen and tweak the mix a little. After I submitted it
to Chappell, Clive Davis chose it to be recorded by Angela Bofill, and
it was a Top 20 R&B hit and a mild pop hit.
It was also the beginning of a special association
with Randy, who I feel is the best pop songwriter, versatility wise, of
that genre since Neil Sedaka and Barry Mann. His hits have ranged from
"Who's Holding Donna Now" by Debarge and "I'll Be Over You" by Toto to
"You Needed Me" and "Broken Hearted Me" by Anne Murray, and "Bluer Than
Blue" by Michael Johnson. And as talented a craftsman as he is, he's that
nice a person as well.
12. On a Circus
Ride
This song was written on a manic spring day
in 1986. I awoke from a deep sleep, went to the piano, sat down, started
the recorder... and the words and music you are hearing now are exactly
what came out then, chord for chord, word for word. When I recorded it,
I didn’t change a thing.
"On A Circus Ride" was written from my subconscious,
inspired by the meltdown in Chernobyl, my own broken heart from the recent
end of a relationship, my frustration with the publisher I was then signed
to, my wanting to move back to the country and grow vegetables, and my
feelings of confusion about gender roles in America. Even now, each time
I hear it, it has a totally different meaning to me depending on the day
of the week and the mood I'm in.
Since it's a genre of music that I don't usually
write or perform, I was fully aware that I would never be able to play
it again, and I was afraid it would "disappear." So, the next day, I called
David Benoit, with whom I have collaborated often over the years. He did
a chord chart, and I wrote the words out on a big piece of poster board.
We went immediately into the studio, managed to record it in just two takes,
and I’ve never sung it since. But I am very proud of this song. And, of
anything I’ve ever written, it's probably closest to my theatrical roots.
13. Promise
Me the Moon
I love this song, written by Danny Kootch for
his group, The Attitudes, on their Dark Horse album (George Harrison’s
label). Hyram Bullock also recorded it on a David Sanborn album. I don’t
know where we got the lead sheet, but it was recorded very early in the
morning at A&M's Studio C, with David Williams on bass, Mitch Roberts
on drums, David Benoit on keyboards, and my lead vocal with no overdubs.
It was a demo that we presented to David Geffen to be recorded for his
label, but the A&R department felt it was not suitable. Oddly enough,
for years afterward, that demo got circulated and submitted to various
artists including Quincy Jones and Patti Austin. I think it’s a brilliant
song, and although it’s very rangy and the time signatures are difficult,
we made it through in about 45 minutes. I had intended for Kootch to do
guitar overdubs (which explains my “Where are you, Danny Kootch?" lyric),
but there wasn’t time.
14. Aunt Jemima
Pancakes/Seagram's Wine Cooler
(Radio Jingles)
The Aunt Jemima pancake commercial was written
and produced by Debra McDuffie, and my lead vocal was recorded in New York.
I also sang backgrounds on it with Hilda Harris and the late Kasey Cisyk
(the only time I ever got to work with her). Having only heard my singing
voice, the ad agency thought that I was a black woman named "Davis."
I performed the Seagram's Wine Cooler commercial,
also written by Debra McDuffie, in my baritone vocal, and it was played
mostly on black radio stations. The backgrounds featured James Ingram,
Howard Hewitt, Luther Vandross, and me.
15. One Fine
Day
This is one of my favorite Goffin-King songs.
It was produced by Johnny Powers and recorded in various cities from 1969
to 1973, with the original track and lead vocals done by me (with friends)
in Detroit. The guitar overdubs were done by Saundra Rhodes, the drums
by Donna Rhodes, and the strings were arranged by Roger Keith Bass and
recorded in Memphis. That's me whistling the bird sound effects, because
we couldn’t find any recorded ones!
After an unsuccessful two and a half year search
for a deal, Johnny took the tapes to Philly Groove in Philadelphia. They
added drum overdubs by Earl Young or Charles Collins, released it as an
early disco record, and it made the Billboard charts in August 1973. As
a side note, to end the confusion as to whether this record exists on vinyl,
it does. It's on Philly Groove's Red Label, Orange Label and White Label,
and it is rare, although not as rare as a Utopias record.
16. It’s Too
Late
Of all the songs I've ever recorded, this one
(from my Soldiers on the Moon CD - Agenda, 1990) has my all-time favorite
vocal. Soldiers was a live-to-two-track recording with no edits or overdubs
(at Oceanway in Los Angeles), so singing it was a very difficult task.
Fortunately, I had great players and singers (Luther Vandross, Jeff Porcaro,
David Benoit, Gregg Karukas among many others), and a good string section,
and we got it on the second take on the first night of recording in May
1989. We were all happily shocked when we went into the control room and
heard the playback and how beautiful it was.
17. Change
All of That
This is my demo version of another Lasley/Malamet/Lerner
song that Bonnie Raitt recorded but never released. It has also been recorded
by Arnold McCuller and by Charles and Eddie (for the film Let It Be Me).
Jay Oliver programmed the track, and it features Diana Grasselli, John
West and me on background vocals.
18. Hot Butterfly
Taken from a rough cassette mix, this is a
very rare, obscure version given to me by Gregg Diamond (Bionic Boogie)
on the day it was recorded in New York City. A few weeks earlier, I had
worked on Gregg's entire Hot Butterfly album (with Luther Vandross and
Cissy Houston). I'd come back to the studio straight from a vacation in
Michigan to sing the lead vocal for one more song, "Paradise," which became
a disco hit in 1978. My 16-year-old cousin Carolyn and my 16-year-old nephew
Mark were with me on their first visit to the city. I barely made it to
the session on time because our plane was delayed out of Detroit Metro
Airport, so I brought Carolyn and Mark along.
After "Paradise" was done, Brad Baker (the
horn arranger), Geoff Diamond (the engineer) and Gregg suggested I take
a crack at the "Hot Butterfly" lead vocal. Luther had already recorded
it and had done a beautiful job, but since my cousin and nephew were there
-- and I could "show off" a little -- I decided to go for it. I will never
forget the surprised and awed looks on their faces as they watched me sing.
This performance is definitely one of my favorites, and it certainly includes
the highest (recorded) notes I've sung. It's a wild one, but so were all
the great Bionic Boogie records.
19. Teamwork
This song, from the movie Body Rock, was written
by Bruce Roberts and Andy Goldmark, executive produced by Phil Ramone,
produced by Bruce Roberts, and recorded at the old A&R Studios in New
York, now torn down. Bruce and I did most of the vocals with Gordon Grody,
Patti Austin and others joining in. Although the song was a mild hit, it
found real fame for years as a popular number in aerobics dance classes
-- maybe even yours.
20. What A
Piece of Work is Man?
"What A Piece of Work Is Man," written by Galt
McDermot, Jim Rado and Gerome Ragni, is from the musical Hair, which played
a large role in my life because I appeared in the Detroit and touring companies
in the early 1970s. This version, a duet by 12-year-old Alex Paez and me,
was recorded in November 1977 in New York for the movie, which we filmed
shortly thereafter. Sad to say, the song -- along with "Frank Mills," "Air"
and many others -- were cut from the final version of the film (and I’ve
never seen the footage). The song does appear on the Hair soundtrack album.
21. Tell Her
She's The One (David and Julie, piano track)
This song, "Tell Her She’s The One," is 16-year-old
David and 13-year-old Julie in our living room on mama’s piano singing
into a reel-to-reel recorder. Inspired by The Ikettes' "I'm Blue," it's
one of the first songs that I ever wrote. I love that Back to Blue-Eyed
Soul, which begins with one of my more recent recordings, ends with one
of my earliest. |
