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Chicago 18

Can’t believe my luck - picked up a near mint Direct Metal Mastering (DMM) pressing of Chicago 18 from Repressed Records in Newtown. Finally listened to it today.

For those unfamiliar with 1980s pop culture, Chicago 18 was the last of the David Foster produced albums which catapulted the band to pop chart success, reinventing the band to focus on MOR and soft ballads. David Foster was undoubtedly a Pop Kingmaker in the 1980s and 1990s, responsible for a string of successful albums from artists like Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand.

Listening to it with perfect hindsight, it’s easy to unpick the elements of the David Foster touch, the slick synth arrangements, the saccharine sweet mix from Humberto Gatica, and contributions from the Who’s Who of 1980s LA session musicians including Jeremy Lubbock, Michael Boddicker, Steve Lukather and even James Newton Howard.

I have forgotten how LOUD and dynamic DMM sounds - it’s the equivalent of turning the amp to 11!