The Glen Foster Group take an epic journey through the past with the fittingly titled new anthology Compilation — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
B.C. singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer and all-around music industry vet Foster has a T-shirt that proclaims him a ‘legend in my own mind.’ And he stands by that statement — but not in the way you think.
“You have to believe in yourself if you want others to believe in you,” he explains. “I’ve been around long enough to know that if you have a fragile ego it’s easily shattered.” Being in the music business for over 40 years certainly qualifies as long enough, as he illustrates in a song on his last album: ‘I’ve been emerging for over 40 years, everything’s so clear like the words I hear here in my head, I’m Seeing Red.’
“If you’re an ’emerging artist’ and not all of your dreams are coming true, it’s easy to be discouraged,” Foster says. “It’s no wonder people get angry (seeing red) or depressed.” But as another line from one his songs expresses, “in my deepest damned depressions in the darkest, dreary night, inspiration springs to lift me to new heights.”
Foster has certainly been inspired over his lengthy career having recorded 10 albums, and toured the country multiple times. He’s performed in legendary places like the Riverboat, El Mocambo, Orpheum and Massey Hall, and has appeared on plenty of TV and radio shows, working with various luminaries in the entertainment industry. “I met Elvis once and he told me son, whatever you do don’t be a name dropper! That’s a line that I borrowed from one of the Burnettes,” he chuckles.
This all leads to Compilation, a new album of old songs. “It’s a collection of my favourite songs that I’ve written and recorded over my career. Like someone’s best of or greatest hits, these are my nearest misses,” he jokes. “I’ve produced a collection of my favourite compositions on different formats. There’s a 24-song digital download version and a LP vinyl record with 10 tracks, representing the best of my best. It wasn’t easy whittling it down to 24 songs, but the nothing’s ever easy, is it?”
There is also a four-song version (not commercially available) on CD and digital format strictly for media and music professionals. Foster explains “those four are remastered tracks that have never been properly released and promoted. When I looked back through my catalogue of literally hundreds of songs, these four stood out. I really think they are some of my best and most loved songs of them all, and among the first songs I ever recorded.”
Those tracks include I Do It For You, which was the B-side of Foster’s first 45 rpm single released in 1978, and Los Alvarez, from his first album Walk Into The Mirror by his band Falcon, distributed by Quality Records. “I was so fortunate to be able to work with Daniel Lanois in his studio (Grant Avenue) on my very first album. I worked with some of the top names at the time, including Lanois and his brother Bob, Bob Doidge from Tranquility Base, Rita Chiarelli, who has become an international blues artist, and members of Ray Materick’s band (who I was gigging with at the time), plus Bill Dillon, Ed Roth, Sonny Del-Rio, Terry Bramhall and lots of others. I realized that these were excellent productions that sounded fantastic by any standards and were very well-constructed tunes.”
Two more of those four songs are Love You Forever (from an EP by Foster and Eakins) produced by Scott Littlejohn at Nanaimo’s Intimate Sounds, and Meant For Me, a super-charged, high energy number by a band called The Now, issued in 1979 at the height of the new wave and punk era. “Those songs give me shivers when I hear them now — among the most emotional of all my recordings! That’s why I feel they’re at the top of my list.”
Love You Forever was co-written with Materick, best known for the hit song Linda Put The Coffee On, in 1976. “We were rehearsing one day and Ray started playing these three chords back and forth, improvising lyrics, and it was so mesmerizing that I’ll never forget it. Together we came up with a very simple two-chord chorus, and then it was shelved and forgotten. Years later when my son was born in 1982, I was inspired to write these beautiful, poetic lyrics and bring the song back to life.”
Life for Glen is a little more laid back these days. He still performs regularly, sometimes with a band but more often as a singer-songwriter either solo or in a duo with his forever wife Maggy. Gone are the days of national touring, airplanes, Cadillacs and equipment vans going from gig to gig. Locally there are festivals, small bars and folk houses to play at today.
“I just thought the time was right to produce a compilation album, after having released my 10th album last year,” he says. “I’m still always writing new music but between albums I wanted to release something digitally that I’m happy with, that includes exciting new material which sounds terrific and fresh. I also keep busy making my own music videos and promoting them on social media, plus I’m writing a novel for the first time.”
Life may be more laid back nowadays, but Foster is still just as passionate and enthusiastic as ever. Just take in one of his gigs or listen to Compilation below and find out for yourself.”
