Lewis Furey -

Lewis Furey is a Québécois cabaret/art-pop singer/songwriter who released the 1975–79 Aquarius albums Lewis Furey, The Humours Of, and The Sky Is Falling. His subsequent work includes film scores, musical theatre, recordings with Carole Laure, and the 2017 solo release Haunted by Brahms.

Background

Furey was born Lewis Greenblatt on June 7, 1949, in Montréal to French and American parents. He studied violin from childhood and appeared with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra during a Matinées pour la jeunesse concert at age 11. From 1961 through 1965, he attended the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal before continuing his studies at the Juilliard School in New York.

Furey moved from classical performance into his own songs during the early seventies. Gamma issued “Lewis Is Crazy” in 1972 (b/w “What a Sad Summer”), with John Lissauer overseeing the session. Furey also published poems in After Dark, Dance Magazine, and Interview. Doug Chapin connected him with BKM Management and A&M executives Gil Friesen and Jerry Moss.

During 1974, Furey played viola on the Leonard Cohen album New Skin for the Old Ceremony. The sessions introduced several musicians who later appeared on the first Furey album, including Lissauer, banjoist Jeffrey Layton, and drummer Barry Lazarowitz.

Lewis Furey

Lewis Furey released his self-titled debut album in 1975 on Aquarius Records in Canada. A&M handled editions in the United States and other markets.

The album contains ten originals by Furey, who plays piano throughout and violin on selected passages. Producer-arranger John Lissauer plays keyboards and reeds. Banjoist and mandolinist Jeffrey Layton joins bassist John Miller and drummer Barry Lazarowitz. Estelle Ste-Croix and Erin Dickins enter the vocal groups; Cat Stevens and Tim Curry appear on “Kinda Shy.”

“Hustler’s Tango” saunters through a louche tango, casting its street-corner bargain as brazen theatre. “Last Night” croons through cool romantic poise and conversational phrasing. “The Waltz” whirls through Viennese contours and delirious romantic dread. “Cleanup Time” stamps a tough dance figure with blunt, restless phrasing. “Louise” flares from intimate address into fevered romantic drama.

“Kinda Shy” marches under baroque accents while distant group replies recede behind his lead. “Lewis Is Crazy” prances through cabaret patter and a light repeated chant. “Caught You” recoils through fragmented lines and accusatory turns, tightening each phrase into private menace.

A1. “Hustler’s Tango” (2:40)
A2. “Last Night” (3:05)
A3. “The Waltz” (2:21)
A4. “Cleanup Time” (2:33)
A5. “Louise” (3:36)

B1. “Kinda Shy” (2:44)
B2. “Lewis Is Crazy” (2:58)
B3. “Closing the Door” (4:06)
B4. “Caught You” (2:24)
B5. “Love Comes” (3:25)

Furey recorded the album at Sound Ideas Studios in New York with producer John Lissauer and engineer Rick Rowe. Nick Blagona mixed the tapes at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Québec, assisted by Leanne Ungar. Lissauer and Rowe had recently worked on the 1974 Cohen album New Skin for the Old Ceremony, while Blagona joined the 1975 mix team for Cat Stevens (Numbers).

Multimedia artist Stephen Lack devised and photographed the cover. Junie Osaki designed the sleeve under A&M art director Roland Young. Young and Osaki also worked together during 1975 on packages for Styx (Equinox) and Elkie Brooks (Rich Man’s Woman).

A&M issued “Hustler’s Tango” during 1975 (b/w “Last Night”). The song received substantial Montréal radio exposure.

Japanese CD editions appeared during 1990 and 2001. Furey restored the album to his catalogue through LFP Records in 2010, with “Lewis Is Crazy” moved to the first position on the revised sequence.

The Humours Of

Lewis Furey released his second studio album, The Humours Of, in 1976 on Aquarius Records. A&M distributed the album outside Canada.

The album incorporates material connected to Furey’s first film assignments. “Cops Ballet” came from La Tête de Normande St-Onge, while “Rubber Gun Show” and “Who Got the Bag” connect to Allan Moyle’s The Rubber Gun. Bassist and arranger Graham Preskett directs the supporting parts. Guitarist Ricky Hitchcock and drummer Henry Spinetti complete the core group. Stephen Lack shares the “Top Ten Sexes” credit; the remaining selections carry Furey’s sole credit.

“Rubber Gun Show” ricochets through bouncy menace, turning police-bust imagery into camp theatre. “Top Ten Sexes” sashays on a dusky dance beat with arch sexual patter. “Poetic Young Man” parades through brisk, galvanic accents and sly theatrical patter. “Legacy” swells into broad, high-drama declamation.

A1. “Cops’ Ballet” (0:32)
A2. “Rubber Gun Show” (2:35)
A3. “Top Ten Sexes” (2:46)
A4. “Lullaby” (3:18)
A5. “Clarabelle’s Lament” (2:50)
A6. “Poetic Young Man” (3:00)

B1. “Casting for Love” (2:46)
B2. “Lucky Guy” (3:31)
B3. “Romance” (2:11)
B4. “Who Got the Bag” (2:10)
B5. “Haunted” (1:33)
B6. “Legacy” (3:56)
B7. “Cops’ Ballet (Reprise)” (0:42)

Furey recorded The Humours Of at Sarm Studios in London with producer Roy Thomas Baker and engineer Gary Lyons. Rick Curtin assisted Lyons. Baker had just co-produced the 1975 Queen album A Night at the Opera, which also carried an additional-engineering credit for Lyons and acknowledged Curtin among the studio staff.

Roland Young and Junie Osaki returned as art director and designer. Stephen Lack supplied the photography, extending the visual team from the debut album.

A&M issued “Lullaby” during 1976 (b/w “Who Got the Bag”). “Top Ten Sexes” followed as a second single during September. Furey received a 1976 Juno nomination for most promising male vocalist.

Japanese CD editions followed during 1990 and 2001. LFP Records reissued the album in 2010.

Film and Stage Work, 1975–78

Furey entered film composition with Gilles Carle’s 1975 feature La Tête de Normande St-Onge. He met actress Carole Laure through his association with Carle and later composed the score for the 1977 film L’Ange et la femme, in which he also acted. Allan Moyle used his music for the 1977 release The Rubber Gun. Theodore J. Flicker then commissioned him for the 1978 adaptation of Mordecai Richler’s Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang.

Furey wrote and co-produced Laure’s debut album Alibis with John Lissauer. Dominique Issermann adapted several texts into French, including versions of “Lewis Is Crazy” and “Kinda Shy.” Furey and Laure presented L’histoire d’une rencontre at Le Palace and Bobino in Paris, followed by the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde in Montreal. Jean-Claude Vannier directed the accompanying musicians. Their 1979 production received the ADISQ award for spectacle of the year.

Playwright Jean-Michel Ribes commissioned Furey to compose the songs and music for Jacky Parady, staged at the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris. Two pieces from the production later entered Furey’s third solo album.

The Sky Is Falling

Lewis Furey released his third studio album, The Sky Is Falling, in 1979 on Aquarius Records. Saravah and RCA handled the French edition.

The album incorporates “Jacky Paradise” and “Desire Machine” from the Ribes production Jacky Parady. Returning drummer Barry Lazarowitz joins guitarist Jeff Layton and bassist Stu Woods. Lissauer arranged and conducted the program, while Erin Dickins, Lani Groves, and Merle Miller form the principal backing group. Carole Laure speaks the Lorca passage on “Song to Lorca,” and Tim Curry joins the group voices on “Thieves.”

“Jacky Paradise” ascends through buoyant women’s replies toward a full-cast shout. “Pretty Baby” glides through bright replies and climbs into an exuberant peak. “Desire Machine” smolders beneath measured phrasing that shifts among hushed personas. “Song to Lorca” hushes into a tender, intimate address.

A1. “Jacky Paradise” (3:15) – Furey, Jean-Michel Ribes
A2. “Waiting on You” (2:53) – Furey, Barrie Wexler
A3. “The Sky Is Falling” (3:11) – Furey
A4. “Pretty Baby” (2:57) – Furey
A5. “Desire Machine” (3:26) – Furey, Lissauer

B1. “Circus Melodie” (3:37) – Furey, Lissauer
B2. “Song to Lorca” (3:39) – Furey
B3. “Thieves” (5:34) – Furey
B4. “Big Casino” (2:28) – Furey
B5. “Ordinary Guy” (4:30) – Robert Charlebois, Pierre Nadeau; English adaptation by Furey

Furey recorded the album at Sundragon Studios in New York with producer, arranger, and conductor John Lissauer. Leanne Ungar engineered the sessions with Neil Okeson as assistant. Lissauer returned after producing Loudon Wainwright III (Final Exam) and arranging the 1976 Bette Midler album Songs for the New Depression.

Stephen Lack designed and photographed the cover. Lewis Bernatches contributed the “Carole’s Domino” artwork. Evelyne Persin arranged the layout around an elongated portrait of Furey, continuing Lack’s visual role across the three solo albums

Aquarius issued “Waiting on You” during 1978 (b/w “The Sky Is Falling”), ahead of the album. Saravah, Columbia, and Omagatoki issued a CD edition in 2003.

Fantastica and the Porte Saint-Martin

Furey composed the score for Maurice Dugowson’s 1979 film Au revoir à lundi. Gilles Carle then cast him opposite Carole Laure in the 1980 musical film Fantastica, for which he received a Genie nomination. Furey wrote its songs and score, while he and John Lissauer produced the soundtrack album for RCA/Saravah. The sessions reunited them with guitarist Jeffrey Layton and drummer Barry Lazarowitz; bassist Jay Leonhart completed the principal group. RCA and Saravah issued “Fantastica” as a 1980 single (b/w “What’s Wrong with Me”).

In 1980, Furey composed the film score to Agency, a Canadian crime thriller by director George Kaczender starring Robert Mitchum and Six Million Dollar Man star Lee Majors.

Furey and Laure presented the theatrical concert Vous avez dû mentir aussi, a theatrical concert presentation at the Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin in Paris. The production combined Furey’s songs with his spoken monologues and produced a 1982 live album, which combined songs from the three solo records with selections from Alibis and Fantastica. Furey and Ian Terry produced the recording; Neil Chotem directed the stage ensemble and shared the orchestral work with Furey and Lissauer.

Maria Chapdelaine

Lewis Furey released the soundtrack Maria Chapdelaine in 1983 on Kébec-Disc. The music accompanied the Gilles Carle adaptation of the 1913 romance novel by Breton writer Louis Hémon novel.

The album sequences seventeen Furey-composed cues, conducted by Richard Grégoire. In the film, Carole Laure plays Maria opposite Nick Mancuso as François Paradis.

A1. “Maria Chapdelaine” (2:37)
A2. “Départ pour Péribonka” (2:22)
A3. “La Nuit sur le bateau” (3:26)
A4. “Le Rêve de Maria” (1:45)
A5. “L’Arrivée de François Paradis” (3:59)
A6. “Une Journée d’été sur la ferme Chapdelaine” (2:21)
A7. “Le Fox-trot de Lorenzo Surprenant” (2:07)
A8. “La Partie de cartes” (1:45)
A9. “La Scène des bleuets” (5:42)

B1. “La Déclaration d’Eutrope Gagnon” (3:18)
B2. “François séducteur” (1:33)
B3. “Les Bûcherons travaillent” (1:24)
B4. “Mort de la mère Chapdelaine” (5:06)
B5. “François décide de partir” (2:26)
B6. “Une triste nuit de Noël” (2:46)
B7. “Maria pense à son amour perdu” (1:33)
B8. “Thème de Maria / Finale” (4:26)

Ian Terry mixed the recording after co-producing the 1982 Porte Saint-Martin album by Furey and Laure. Grégoire had previously worked as an arranger and film composer in Québec; Furey engaged him here as orchestral conductor before assigning him the same responsibilities on the 1985 production Night Magic.

The score won the Genie Award for best original score during the 1984 ceremony. It also received an ADISQ nomination for instrumental album.

Disques Cinémusique issued an expanded CD in September 2003. The edition restored the recording from the session tapes, extended several cues, and presented the score in a revised 17-track sequence.

Later Work

Furey directed and composed the 1985 musical film Night Magic, which he co-wrote with Leonard Cohen. Cohen supplied the song texts, while Richard Grégoire orchestrated and conducted the music. RCA and Saravah released the double soundtrack under the joint Laure/Furey credit. “Angel Eyes” received the Genie Award for best original song.

During the same year, Furey composed songs for The Peanut Butter Solution. Céline Dion recorded “La Ballade de Michel” and “Dans la main d’un magicien,” with Eddy Marnay supplying the French words. Dion also recorded “Michael’s Song” and “Listen to the Magic Man” for the English-language soundtrack; the latter became her first English-language studio recording.

Film and television work continued with Sauve-toi, Lola, the Shades of Love series, and the 1988 feature Shadow Dancing. Furey produced and arranged the 1989 Carole Laure album Western Shadows, which received the Grand Prix du Disque from the Académie Charles Cros.

Furey subsequently wrote and produced the Laure albums She Says Move On and Sentiments naturels. His direction of the 1994 Paris production of Starmania received an ADISQ award for stage direction. Later projects included the film Rats and Rabbits, theatrical works drawn from Shakespeare, and the 2017 recital album Haunted by Brahms.

Discography: