BOB ESTY Once If I Knew the Song, Re /P (Tom Lubin): Primarily Your Back- Baker

PP ... mixing is an extension of arranging .. 1JITmeme___ r arranger producer song writer BOB ESTY once if I knew the song, Re /p (Tom Lubin): Primarily your back- Baker. Because of that I also arranged anot her Georgio had asked me time I did "Oh! Happy Day" ... then asked if I wanted to ground is that of a song writer . song on the album. At that same Paul do gospel disco. I said, "Sure, why not!" Bob Esty: I was originally in arranger /conduc- "Last Dance," which happened through I co- Roberta, who was raised a Roman Catholic, tor. I had written music, but not with the idea of Jabara who I knew from New York. had to gospel or writing pop songs until about 1976. I found a written a song with Paul for his first album, had very little previous exposure it off great. writing and singing partner named Michele called "Shut Out." Donna Summer sang apart how to sing it. But she pulled done I came Los Aller. We put together an Ashford & Simpson in it; that's how I met her. Once the vocals were The tape type thing and performed it at The Troubador When it came time to do "Last Dance" Angeles and put on choir and strings. to mixed by in '77. A lot of people came to see us. Michele (which Paul had talked her into doing), Neil was sent back to Munich be Kopper, who was his and I tried to write with another songwriter Bogart said he wanted it recorded. He had Georgio with Jeurgen friend of mine, but it turned out to be very heard a piano /voice demo we had done with engineer. Dance," awkward because his writing background was her and had liked it. Arranging the piece was In the meantime, because of "Last me to Casablanca much more musical theater. He put a lot of interesting since I had never really done a Neil Bogart wanted to sign how. I said I emphasis on the song as a craft, which we serious disco arrangement. (In 1976 I did a sort as an artist, and wasn't sure partner. appreciated, but the direction had nothing to of pseudo -disco thing with Paul called "Yankee wanted to be signed with my writing he had no idea do with what we were trying to present. We Doodle Dandy. ") After listening to "Last We signed as an act, though was for D. were more interested in being a high energy Dance" Georgio Morodor and Pete Belotte, what it was. My first full production God It's Friday." We R &B -based act. Michele said, "Well, if he can her producers, asked me to go to Germany to C. LaRue with "Thank then I did his write, we can write." So we wrote a few songs arrange Donna's "Once Upon A Time" album. did a couple of cuts for the film, I learned very and presented acts. We didn't know anybody I knew a little German, but I didn't know album called "Confessions." has in the record business. We invited anyone we anybody there. I learned a lot through quickly that every act its own peculiarities. Each has could contact. Barry Crost, who is now a observation; it was a great opportunity. Until they either write songs or they don't. of doing it. In D. C. movie producer, at the time was the personal then I hadn't ever thought of producing, it was its own unusual way manager to Cat Stevens and Dusty never in my mind. LaRue's case, he is not primarily a singer, he's with a concept Springfield, invited Dusty to the presentation a concept person. He comes up writes songs to fit the at the Troub in '77. Barry was interested in R -e /p (Tom Lubin): Were you interested in for an album and then thing. His music was managing us as an act. Kenny Loggins came to performing? concept. It's like a fantasy disco. He has a it because he knew someone in the band. Out Bob Esty: Performing and writing. I wasn't a very hard core, avant -garde which I wasn't of that performance we got a lot of interest. We sure what a producer did. Being in Germany cult following and everything, I working with him. sent out a mailing to everybody ... a poster, with them, well, I still wasn't sure what even aware of until started that etc. We sent out about 300 of them to every producers did. They were good as a team I got involved with two other projects and ended up name in any record company that we could because Pete really controlled musically what had problems, took a long time, find, knowing, of course, that a great majority went on, and Georgio wrote the songs, and going nowhere. after of them would throw them out. Donna did the lyrics with Pete. It was done As a result I became quite concerned We called up the record companies and backwards from the way I thought it was done. spending so much time trying to create things I wanted to asked who was head of A &R, who was the vice I thought you had a song and you recorded it. for people just for the experience. Neil president, the president; whether or not they They would have a sketch of a song without do something that made some sense. So me to Cher. had a publishing company, and who was head knowing what it was about. The whole album Bogart said he wanted produce I some of of that. Michele was signed to Motown was done that way. No one knew what the My first reaction was laughter. liked Records for awhile until 1973. She was one of songs would be so I had to put them in order the things she sang. I figured she'd be difficult, the first white artists to be signed to Mo -West. based on their musical content. I knew the but I really didn't know what to think. !met her So Michele knew some people through that whole concept was Cinderella, but that was it. and was still unsure. I found her delightful, but means. and, as it turned out, the legal department Pete was there most of the time. Georgio was we didn't exactly hit it off by any were friends of her family. She knew the seldom there, he would come in when Donna I got together with Neil Bogart and Michele . as an artist producer of Rock Concert, so we got a list did the vocals and when the basics were cut. It . who had been on the back burner from them. Bonnie Burns brought a lot of was a 24-hour grind for three weeks to get the along with me. I had brought her in on one of people. We contacted Richard Perry's office double LP done. the previous projects but it didn't really work him. and he sent Carol Pinkess to see us, and they While I was there Georgio asked me if I out. The artist felt we were ganging up on gave us studio time to do a demo of our would like to co-produce Roberta Kelly, who For Cher we wrote this song called "Take material. was an artist on Casablanca living in Munich. I Me Home" because Neil said he wanted to Out of this whole thing we got a song on a said, "okay." It turned out to be less of a co- have a "Last Dance" type song that expressed Dusty Springfield album for United Artists production than I had planned. Georgio didn't a strong female point of view ... disco. We a girl in a who called, "It Begins Again." I went in and come to any of the sessions ... I did the whole wrote her something about club arranged it; the producer was Roy Thomas album. It was all supposed to be gospel. takes the initiative about wanting to go home. R -e /p 24 O February 1980 www.americanradiohistory.com.

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