Guitarist
Jay Graydon
and keyboardist
David Foster
were both already West Coast studio pros with deep credits by the time they recorded their polished 1980 album
Airplay
. Prior to this, they worked with an impressive array of artists from across the pop and R&B spectrum, including
Boz Scaggs
,
Barbra Streisand
George Harrison
Michael Jackson
, and others.
Graydon
famously beat out both
Larry Carlton
and
Robben Ford
to play the guitar solo on
Steely Dan
's 1977 hit "Peg." They brought all this experience to bear on
's 1980 debut, bringing on board vocalist
Tommy Funderburk
, drummer
Jeff Porcaro
, bassist
David Hungate
, and other longtime studio associates.
is the kind of pop album only the most confident, virtuosic musicians can make. These are players who've recorded on so many hits they can't help but overplay their hand as insiders who know not only how to write a perfect chorus hook (and there are several here), but also drench it in as much vocal and guitar stank as they can muster. The album is loaded front to back with stacked laser beam vocal harmonies, proto-metal guitar riffs,
Chicago
-style horns, and a tidal wave of keyboards. Along with
Toto
-meets-
Queen
anthems like "Stranded" and the jazzy "Bix," they also play several songs they had written for other artists, including their original version of "After the Love Has Gone" (with lyrics by
's
Bill Champlin
), which was a Grammy-winning hit for
Earth, Wind & Fire
in 1979. They also offer an alternate take on their
Manhattan Transfer
number "Nothin' You Can Do About It." While
remained a one-off project,
Foster
enjoyed highly successful careers in the years that followed.
remains a somewhat overlooked gem of smooth West Coast adult-contemporary pop. ~ Matt Collar