TO
ORDER DAVID'S EXPECTATIONS OF LOVE OR ANY OF HIS AVAILABLE CDS,
visit
our CONTACT/SHOP page.
FAN
PHOTOS REMINDER
Just a reminder
that we're going to add a page to the Photos section of our site featuring
photos of David taken by fans (either performing or with you). If you'd
like to be included, please send photos as follows:
by regular mail: David Lasley Dept. FFF PO Box 46667 Los Angeles, CA
90046
PLEASE INCLUDE your
email address along with a short note explaining when and where the photo
was taken, and who is pictured. Photos will not be returned unless you
request it and provide a pre-addressed return envelope.
Sunday,
September 2, 2000
Hello everyone!
DAVID'S
EXPECTATIONS
OF LOVE CD MAKES
"SWEET RHYTHMS" CHART IN THE U.K.!
David's Expectations
of Love CD is Number 19 on the "Sweet Rhythms" chart in the United
Kingdom, according to SolarRadio.com, which unveils a new list every week.
The chart is based
on a combination of record sales in specialty shops throughout the U.K.
and play lists of DJs who play soul or jazz either in clubs or on the radio.
SolarRadio.com notes that, "The chart is broad-based enough to include
some soulful garage and urban contemporary sounds - and even the occasional
jazzy rap - but the main thing that stands out is the pure quality of the
music."
TO
HEAR SONGS FROM EXPECTATIONS OF LOVE, visit our SOUNDS
page.
We've included sites
based all over the world that feature David in some way, discussion groups,
music sites, and sites of some artists with whom David has worked over
the years, including a whole section of James Taylor-related links.
We're thinking of
adding a page to the Photos section of our site featuring photos of David
taken by fans (either performing or with you). If you'd like to be included,
please send photos as follows:
by regular mail: David Lasley Dept. FFF PO Box 46667 Los Angeles, CA
90046
PLEASE INCLUDE your
email address along with a short note explaining when and where the photo
was taken, and who is pictured. Photos will not be returned unless you
request it and provide a pre-addressed return envelope.
Sunday,
August 20, 2000
Hi everyone!
DAVID
FEATURED ON SOUL WALKING WEB SITE
Check out the new
page devoted to David on Soul Walking, a terrific web site about "soul
music - past, present & future." David joins a stellar roster of artists
profiled on the site including Patti Austin, Anita Baker, James Brown,
Angela Bofill, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight,
Patti LaBelle, Smokey Robinson, Brenda Russell, Luther Vandross and many
others. (Most of the artists just mentioned have recorded David's songs.)
The beautifully designed site also has CD reviews, photos and links, among
other things.
Click HERE
then scroll down to the "L" section and click on David's name. Or, you
can take
this link to go directly to David's section.
The site also features
an interesting opinion piece that discusses "What Is Soul?" In it, David
is referred to in the following excerpt:
"When I
say that 'I struggle' with some artists, what I mean is that they have,
unquestionably, had an enormous input on the real soul market. I am talking
about the likes of Michael Franks, Dusty Springfield, Carole King, David
Lasley, Bernard Oattes, Brecker Brothers etc. Now, I love the output that
has originated from these great people and I would consider them to be
within the real soul fraternity."
Thanks to Soul Walking
webmaster Toby Walker for including David on his site!
PRAISE
FOR DAVID IN OLD MICHAEL FEINSTEIN INTERVIEW
Also, we just unearthed
the following quote about David from a 1998 interview with Michael Feinstein
by music/entertainment writer Gregg Shapiro about Feinstein's Michael
& George: Feinstein Sings Gershwin (Concord Jazz).
Waxing Rhapsodic
with Feinstein The Past is Part
of Present for Michael Feinstein by Gregg Shapiro
Gregg Shapiro:
On your
album Michael and George, you have a wonderful trio of some of my favorite
back-up vocalists. You have David Lasley, Bruce Roberts and Arnold McCuller,
three of the best voices in the world, next to yours of course. How did
you come together with the three of them?
Michael Feinstein:
I've known
Bruce socially for many years and we've spoken about doing some work together
for as many years as we've been acquainted with each other. We were at
Bruce's house one day and started talking about the Gershwin centennial
and doing an album and we went down to Bruce's studio and we literally
just started on it. He turned on some equipment, flipped some switches,
and we started doing an album. It grew out of the hanging out with Bruce.
And then he brought
David and Arnold in and I was thrilled to be able to do that kind of a
spin on the Gershwin songs. For me, to be able to push the envelope a little
bit, yet retain the essence of what the songs are about was the real trick.
To be able to go a little bit farther, but use Gershwin's harmonies and
certain things that I consider essential for the recognition of the pieces.
It was a great challenge and it was very exciting. That's one of the reasons
that this recording is my favorite of all those that I've done. Usually,
I'm not so positively minded towards recordings because there are always
things that I don't like. But this one, I really think that it was done
so carefully. We really wanted to make sure that it would achieve something
that was different from me and different for people who love Gershwin,
and yet retain the essence. It's been a real joy.
TO
ORDER DAVID'S CDs
To order David's
CDs, visit our
CONTACT/SHOP page.
MORE
DAVID NEWS SOON!
And, if you haven't
visited our SOUNDS page recently, check out the
new songs we just added.
Wednesday,
August 2, 2000
Hi everyone!
NEW
FEATURED SONGS FROM EXPECTATIONS OF LOVE
For August's "Featured
Songs" on our site, we've just added "Expectations of Love" and "Dancin'
On The Smooth Edge" from David's new Expectations of Love CD (Expansion
Records). We've also added "The Right Way," another song from that recording.
"Dancin' On The
Smooth Edge," written by David and Robbie Long, was also recorded by Whitney
Houston. "The Right Way" was featured in the film of the same name.
For more information
about Expectations of Love and reviews, see BELOW.
TO
ORDER DAVID'S CDs
To order Expectations
of Love (or any of David's CDs), visit our
CONTACT/SHOP
page.
AND
FINALLY...
We'll have "sounds"
from David's upcoming retrospective Back to Blue-Eyed
Soul next month!
Wednesday,
July 19, 2000
Hello everyone!
We're pleased to
report that David's recent overseas CD releases -- Expectations of Love
on Expansion Records (Great Britain), Soldiers on the Moon on Cool
Sound (Japan) and Rosie's Better Late Than Never on BMG Japan (Japan)
-- ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON OUR SITE. (And the "official" release of Back
to Blue-Eyed Soul is imminent.)
Click here for DETAILS
on each recording. Click here to ORDER
them.
We've learned that
the CDs are selling very well in England and Japan, and "Expectations of
Love" is getting substantial radio airplay and favorable press attention
in the U.K.
EXPECTATIONS
OF LOVE
Ralph Tee, owner
of Expansion Records which issued Expectations of Love, reported
on his web site that the CD is "already MASSIVE on the underground soul
circuit."
And Jean-Luc Raymond,
who runs the West Coast Rendez-Vous web-site ("The Official Site for West
Coast Music in France"), reviewed "Expectations of Love" recently, saying
(translated from French):
"I have
just received yesterday David LASLEY's new album (Expectations of Love)
on Expansion Records UK... And this is a killing album! One of the best
albums I have listened to these past few years... So inspiring, very nice
production... Incredible vocalist, songwriter... Beautiful music by marvelous
musicians (Jay Oliver, David Benoit, Dominic Messinger, Todd Robinson...)
and also of course Arnold McCuller incredible background vocals parts.
Pay attention to
this wonderful album... Thanks to this guy to bring us wonderful music
just at the nice time (for the beginning of summer). His new album is a
perfect one... Pure Soul and West Coast Music. Enjoy good music!"
On behalf of David,
thanks Jean-Luc!
MORE
REVIEWS - DEMOS and LAST DANCE
Also, some months
ago -- December 1999 to be exact -- the Adult
Contemporary Music in Japan web site reviewed David's first two Cool
Sound CD re-issues, Demos and Rosie's Last Dance, as follows
(translated from Japanese):
DEMOS "David Lasley,
known for his incredible falsetto vocals and good songwriting works such
as "Jojo" performed by Boz Scaggs, made a demo album and distributed in
very limited number of vinyl in 1981 for the purpose to show his songwriting
talent and to get the deal as a solo artist. As a result, David had succeeded
to release his masterpiece album "Missin' Twenty Grand" in 1982 under EMI
America. And needless to say, many songs on this demo album were recorded
by many artists in 80's.
This demo album
has been one of most wanted collector-items among crazy Westcoast /AOR
fans for a long time because of its marvelous sound quality and perfectness
achieved by the support of very talented musicians such as David Sanborn,
David Benoit and others. And now, COOL SOUND has succeeded to get this
demo album (24 tracks on 2 Vinyl as original) alive again with a quite
large number of bonus tracks. 40 tracks on 2 CD remastered by Bob Stone!!
For your information, several tunes including on the original Demo album
are the alternative version featuring David Lasley's own vocals instead
of those of guest vocalists."
LAST DANCE "Another David
Lasley related album has been reissued on CD also in November. "Last Dance"
(1977) is the 2nd album of the trio vocal group "Rosie" David belonged
before starting his solo activity. You can confirm the musical roots of
David Lasley by listening to this album."
Thanks for the nice
comments!
These two albums
are also available on our site.
Click here for details
on Demos Click here for
details on Last Dance Click here to ORDER
them.
Saturday,
July 1, 2000
Just in
time for the 4th of July holiday, we've added two new FEATURED
SONGS to our Sounds page: "I'm Waving My Flag" from David's Demos
CD and "Warm As The Wind" from his Soldiers on the Moon CD. Check
them out!
Sunday,
June 18, 2000
Hello everyone!
We're excited to
report that three new releases of David's work (in addition to the upcoming
Back
to Blue-Eyed Soul) will be issued this month and next. These CDs will
be available on our site as soon as possible.
EXPECTATIONS
OF LOVE TO BE RELEASED
IN THE U.K.
Expansion Records is releasing
a CD in the UK and Ireland of all new work by David called Expectations
of Love. Among the tracks are songs written by such artists as Phillip
Bailey, Josh Kadison, Michael Kamen, Kathy Wakefield, Robbie Long, Robin
Lerner, Marsha Malamet, Roxanne Seeman and David himself. Musicians include
David Benoit, Bobby Watson, Jay Oliver, Marty Walsh and others.
SOLDIERS
ON THE MOON WITH FIVE BONUS TRACKS TO BE RELEASED
IN JAPAN
A re-issue of Soldiers on the
Moon with 5 bonus tracks will be in stores in Japan on July 25. The
CD, released by Cool Sound, which also re-issued David's Demos and
Last
Dance (Rosie) last fall, features all 11 original tracks plus four
alternate takes (of "Soldiers on the Moon," "It's too Late," "Without the
One You Love," and "Warm as the Wind") and a new track called "This is
Real." Musicians/background vocalists on this highly regarded and sought-after
recording include David Benoit, Luis Conte, Rita Coolidge, Bob Mann, Arnold
McCuller, Jeff Porcaro and Luther Vandross.
BETTER
LATE THAN NEVER (Rosie) WILL ALSO
BE RELEASED IN JAPAN
And, BMG Japan is re-releasing
Rosie's first album, Better Late Than Never, on June 25 in Japan.
One of this recording's distinctive features is David singing most of the
tracks in his low voice. The album includes the talents of Ralph Schuckett,
Chris Parker, Bob Babbitt, Lance Quinn, Jeff Mironov, Rick Marotta, Michael
Zager, Pee Wee Ellis, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Leon Pendarvis and
Anthony Jackson backing Rosie (David, Lana Marrano and Lynn Pitney).
DAVID'S
WORK FEATURED ON CDs BY BRENDA
RUSSELL AND JETTE TORP
David's background vocals are
featured on Brenda Russell's "Walking in New York" from her new Paris
Rain CD (Hidden Beach). Arnold McCuller also sings on this track.
And finally, a song that David
wrote called "It's Not Enough" was recorded by a Swedish artist named Jette
Torp on her CD What If I Do (EMI RecArt), which was recently certified
platinum.
THANKS FROM
DAVID
THANKS from David to all of you
who have written. He appreciates all the compliments. (For David's address,
see our Contact page.)
Friday,
June 2, 2000
INTERESTING
EBAY ITEM
We were amused to
discover an ebay item that offers a 1982-era autograph from David! (for
$20, no less!)
As those of you
who have ordered David's CDs from this site know, when you order
a CD, you can get a free autographed photo of David right here!
Saturday,
May 20, 2000
"BACK
TO BLUE-EYED SOUL," DAVID'S NEW CD, COMING
SOON
"Back to Blue-Eyed
Soul," a first-time compilation from David's prolific career as a singer,
songwriter and background vocalist, will be released very soon. This retrospective
features rare recordings dating back to 1966, many of which are being made
available for the first time on this CD.
Among "Back to Blue-Eyed
Soul's" selections are songs from two of David's early groups, The Utopias
and Rosie, as well as out-takes from his solo albums and other sessions,
out-of-print solo singles, movie themes, radio jingles and several previously
unreleased recordings.
Watch the site for
more information and an announcement about the release within a few weeks.
SOUNDS
We've added four
song excerpts to the Sounds page, one each from
"Soldiers on the Moon," "Demos," "Raindance" and "Missin' Twenty Grand."
We'll have sound clips from "Back to Blue-Eyed Soul" very soon.
PHOTOS
We've also added
a new Photos page with some recent pictures
of David.
If you have subscribed
to David's mailing list and did not receive an email from the list (containing
the above information) within the last 24 hours, please re-subscribe using
the box above or on the site's Home page. We've
had a few "returned mail" entries.
Thanks for all your
positive feedback on David's work and about the site!
Tuesday,
May 2, 2000
David's
web site has been chosen "Site of the Week" by Singer/Songwriter (http://singer-songwriter.com),
a comprehensive site with links to official home pages and fan sites for
a wide range of musicians as well as music industry search resources. Previous
"Sites of the Week" have included those for James Taylor (JTO), Elvis Costello,
Sarah McLachlan, Leonard Cohen, Jewel, and Randy Newman, among others.
Thanks to everyone
for your positive comments about the site. Look for some new photos of
David to be added soon, and also for an announcement about the release
of David's long-awaited retrospective CD.
Saturday,
April 22, 2000
We have
added excerpts from three of David's songs to the Sounds page.
They are "Got to
Find Love" (featuring James Taylor and Arnold McCuller on backing vocals)
from Missin' Twenty Grand, "Afterglow" from Raindance, and
"Soldiers on the Moon" from Soldiers on the Moon.
Sunday,
April 16, 2000
Thanks
to all of you who have written to express your enthusiasm for the site!
Many of you have
asked about how to order David's recordings if you reside outside the United
States, so we wanted to let you know that the Contact/Shop page is now
set up to do that.
Wednesday,
April 12, 2000
Welcome
to David Lasley's official web site! Here is a message from David.
Welcome
to my web site!
The
resurgence of interest in my work has been very exciting, and the recent
Europe/Japan reissue of my recordings has meant that several of my out-of-print
albums (Missin' Twenty Grand, Demos
and Rosie's Last Dance) are now available
for the first time on CD. Soldiers on the Moon
will be reissued shortly, and you can also look for more releases soon.
