I’ve been listening to a lot of music during this Stay-At-Home phase. And some of the music comes directly or indirectly from Canadian musical prodigy, David Foster.
HITMAN is the memoir of David Foster who had a hand in producing dozens of hit songs. Foster has worked with many of the top singers. I enjoyed the story of a young kid from Canada who took risks and found himself in Los Angeles as a session player. But, a successful career as a musician wasn’t enough for Foster. He took the leap to producing records and after a shaky start, began to evolve into a hit song machine.
If you’re interested in the music industry and how hit songs are made, HITMAN will fascinate you. Check out the soundtrack to the book below. Do you see any songs you like?
TRACK LIST:
Disc: 1
1. Love Theme from St. Elmo’s Fire (feat. Kenny G) [Live] – By David Foster
2. Home (Live) – By Michael Bublé And Blake Shelton
3. I Have Nothing / I Will Always Love You (Live) – By Charice
4. Bridge over Troubled Water (Live) – By Josh Groban And Brian McKnight
5. Because You Loved Me (Live) – By Celine Dion
6. Wildflower (Live) – By Blake Shelton
7. Somewhere (Live) – By Katharine McPhee
8. Hard to Say I’m Sorry / You’re the Inspiration / Glory of Love (Live) – By Peter Cetera
9. The Prayer (Live) – By Andrea Bocelli And Katharine McPhee
Disc: 2
1. Andre Agassi Intro (Live)
2. Love Theme from St. Elmo’s Fire (feat. Kenny G) [Live] – By David Foster
3. Can’t Help Falling in Love (Live) – By David Foster
4. She’s a Beauty / Man in Motion (Live) – By Michael Johns
5. Mornin’ / After the Love Has Gone (Live) – By Brian McKnight
6. Video – By Barbra Streisand
7. Somewhere (Live) – By Katharine McPhee
8. Through the Fire (Live) – By Renee Olstead
9. Got to Be Real (Live) – By Cheryl Lynn
10. Wildflower (Live) – By Blake Shelton
11. Video – By Urban Cowboy
12. Look What You’ve Done to Me (Live) – By Boz Scaggs
13. Jo Jo (Live) – By Boz Scaggs
14. Chocolate Legs (Live) – By Eric Benét
15. Hard to Say I’m Sorry / You’re the Inspiration / Glory of Love (Live) – By Peter Cetera
16. Amapola (Live) – By Andrea Bocelli
17. Because We Believe (Live) – By Andrea Bocelli
18. The Prayer (Live) – By Andrea Bocelli And Katharine McPhee
19. Asturias (Live) – By William Joseph
20. Video – “Because You Loved Me” – By Celine Dion & David Foster
21. I Swear (Live) – By Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds And Kevon Edmonds
22. Feeling Good (Live) – By Michael Bublé
23. Home (Live) – By Michael Bublé And Blake Shelton
24. Save the Last Dance for Me (Live) – By Michael Bublé
25. Video – By Bodyguard w/ Kevin Costner
26. I Have Nothing / I Will Always Love You (Live from David Foster & Friends) – By Charice
27. Alla Luce del Sole (Live) – By Josh Groban
28. Bridge over Troubled Water (Live) – By Josh Groban And Brian McKnight
29. You Raise Me Up (Live) – By Josh Groban
30. Got to Be Real (Live)
Nothing on there that I like and a lot of “artists” I dislike with the possible exception of Boz Scaggs. I really really really dislike Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Michael Buble, Blake Shelton and Josh Groban. This is a whole catalog of middle of the road, easy listening and elevator music. If David Foster was a novelist he would be James Patterson, Daniel Steele and Mitch Albom rolled into one. The only thing missing here is Barry Manilow Christopher Cross and the Little River Band. If he lived a generation earlier he would have been producing Andy Williams, Lawrence Welk, Perry Como and Mantovani.
Steve, you’re right – but with the current social isolation even we Rock fans sometimes listen to elevator music.
I know some of the songs, probably heard them all during shopping …
Though some of the businesses her in Hungary are turning to more “Rocking sounds” – I was kind of astonished o hear Eric Clapton and Spencer Davis group in our Interspar (comparable to Tesco) lately.
Btw is that Peter Cetera from Chicago? One of my favourite bands …
Wolf, yes, David Foster produced a couple of albums for Peter Cetera. Foster also produced three CHICAGO albums with CHICAGO 16 being the most successful.
Steve, well said! David Foster even makes a comment in this book that the songs he produced are often heard in elevators.
Steve, I wish you’d tell us how you really feel! Seriously, though, I mostly agree with you (though I do like some of Streisand’s early work from the ’60s). The only – and I mean only, 100% – thing I like on this list is the Boz Scaggs. His three latest self-produced (MEMPHIS was the first) CDs are the way I would go, rather than anything to do with Foster. I notice he is featuring his current wife McPhee.
Jeff, David Foster praises McPhee in the chapter where he first works with her. No surprise he married her.
Steve was right on the mark!
Bob, Steve is almost always on the mark!
I can’t add anything to Steve’s very succinct analysis. However, I would urge you to read the “Personal Life” section Foster’s Wikipedia entry: he’s been married umpteen times, has multiple kids, step-kids (including a couple of the Jenners), grandkids; is uncle to Clay Aikens’s baby; and is currently married to an American Idol runner-up who is 35 years his junior. Also, he was the driver who hit Ben Vereen when he (Vereen) was walking along Pacific Coast Highway. I think the term “messy private life”—with all that implies—probably applies here.
Deb, one of the reasons I liked HITMAN was David Foster’s honesty in admitting his mistakes (he’s made a few!). Foster confesses he’s “hard to work with” with explains some of his career problems…and his many wives and “girl friends.”
He hit Ben Vereen? So that is where the books title comes from.
Steve, I was shocked that Ben Vereen didn’t sue David Foster for millions after that car accident!
I spent last night trying to and eventually succeeding in watching the celebration of Stephen Sondheim’s 90 th birthday. It was on you tube and after an hour delay, they got it going. Everyone who ever sang a Sondheim song was on it. And most of them live from their homes. I am not a great Sondheim fan but there is something heartening in seeing the struggle people are making to keep their spirits up and raise money. I am sure it is still available on you tube today. I had to miss a lot of it due to my early bedtime (10:30).
P thanks for this advisory I got frustrated after a minute or two. I’ll try it today. I do like sondheim, though not everything. He was sitting about 3 rows behind me on one of my boy from oz performances
Patti, I didn’t know that was on, but we will definitely look for it. We are big Sondheim fans (up to a point). By coincidence we listened to the 2 CD live September 1985 recording of FOLLIES done at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center. We loved FOLLIES when we first saw it. Sadly, most of the people involved in this have died since – Betty Comden & Adolph Green, Phyllis Newman, Barbara Cook (who we saw not only live doing an all-Sondheim evening, but on line in front of us at the Gumbo Shop in New Orleans!), Elaine Stritch, Lee Remick (only 55 when she died), Liliane Montevecchi, opera singer Licia Albanese (who lived to 105!). The only ones left from the “older” generation are Carol Burnett (who turned 87 yesterday) and George Hearn (85, I think). Mandy Patinkin was also in it.
Jeff, Carol Burnett is mostly forgotten today. My students would have no idea who she was. I wish Carol Burnett had done more movies.
My girls only know her because on “30 Roc” Liz Lemon had a boyfriend (played by Matt Damon) named Carroll Burnitt (obviously an homage on Tina Frey’s part). We had to explain To them why we found the name amusing.
Deb, I had forgotten all about “Carroll Bunitt.” Thanks for jogging my memory!
Liz also had a boyfriend named Wesley Snipes (a very proper Englishman, played by Michael Sheen) whose catchphrase was, “I am the only Wesley Snipes…well, except for that other one.”
Deb, ha ha! Very clever! Too bad the “other” Wesley Snipes faded away.
Sorry George, I’m with the chorus. “Love Theme from St. Elmo’s Fire” says it all.
Fred, ST. ELMO’S FIRE was an early David Foster success. He went on to Bigger Things.
About the only artist on here I don’t care for is Celine Dion. Though my favorite music genre is 60’s & 70’s rock, I also like show tunes and some easy listening. Also a big fan of Gilbert & Sullivan. He had a great G&S troup here for many years. I worked with a man who played “modern major general” and Mikado. He also did the posters (was a skillful calligrapher and designed my first business card). He died a few years ago and his widow gave me some of my favorite posters that I hadn’t kept.
Maggie, Celine Dion has a lot of tragedy in her life. Both David Foster and Celine Dion are Canadians.
Here is the you tube link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A92wZIvEUAw
thanks, Patty
Thanks, Patti. We’ll watch it on YouTube on television.
1) What the hell does staying at home have to do with what music you listen to??
Rick, in the pre-coronavirus days I spend time at the Pool, running errands, listening to sports talk radio, etc. Now that I’m in Stay-At-Home mode, I spend more time listening to music.
2) I agree with Steve on this. There’s little here I even know, and the ones I do, I don’t like, excepting Boz Skaggs, and probably not that song. So, to sum up: I wouldn’t read the book, wouldn’t listen to the music.
Rick, David Foster won 16 Grammy Awards and sold millions of albums so clearly there’s an audience for his elevator music.
And Trump was elected, so clearly he’s a great President. That logic doesn’t work, George. Popularity and skill/value often aren’t the same thing.
Rick, I don’t think David Foster had the Russians help him win those Grammy Awards.
George-I don’t know how to set a link but you can go to youtube and check out the new Rolling Stones single-Living In A Ghost Town. It’s pretty good.
Steve, thanks for the recommendation! I went to YOUTUBE.COM and watched/listened to “Living in a Ghost Town.” The Rolling Stones were supposed to play a concert in Buffalo on June 6, 2020 but that’s been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Yep, pretty good indeed. Thanks, Steve!
The Rolling Stones’ video might have been good if some artsy-fartsy director hadn’t inserted those damnable light explosions over the picture every five seconds!
I looked at this post early this morning and thought “who cares” and moved on. Shows how much I know, but I still don’t care. LOVE the new Stones song! It’s great hearing something new from them.
@ Jeff, hope have not permanently damaged friendship. I feel terrible about it. Really sorry.