Andy Fraser: vocals, (bass?)
Bob Marlette: keyboards
Michael Thompson: guitar
Davey Faragher: (bass?)
Tony Braunagel: drums

Produced by Bob Marlette, John Eden and Andy Fraser. Recorded and mixed by John Eden.

In 1983, not long after I signed with publisher Almo-Irving, I was given an assignment to co-write with another Almo-Irving writer, Andy Fraser. This was an exciting opportunity for several reasons ...

First, I was anxious to prove to my new publisher that I could successfully collaborate with other writers.

Second, Andy Fraser was a founding member of the British group "Free". I was a huge fan of the band, especially their 1970 song "Alright Now", which Andy had co-written!

I flew from Vancouver to L.A., rented a car at the airport, and drove out to Andy's house in Pasadena. He lived on top of a mountain in a ranch-style home with a spectacular view of the valley below.

Andy was a very pleasant fellow. We spent an hour chatting and getting acquainted before we tackled the task at hand. Among other things we talked about our musical influences, our philosophies on songwriting, and of course, I had lots of questions about Andy's work with "Free". 

But most of all, I couldn't keep my eyes off the television in the corner of the room.  This was 1982. Even though MTV had been broadcasting in the USA for a year or two, I lived in Canada and I had never seen MTV!

I was mesmerized.

We eventually made our way out to Andy's studio, a separate building on the property, where he played me a bunch of songs in various stages of development, none of them complete. According to my publisher, Andy's songs had been in this incomplete state for many months, and he hadn't been unable to finish any of them. Now I understood why I'd been brought in.

I spent three days with Andy. I'm pleased to say, at the end of our time together there were actually some finished songs! Mission accomplished.

Before I left his house on the last day, Andy asked me what songwriting percentage I wanted on each of the songs. As a newcomer to co-writing I was hesitant to suggest anything for fear of asking for too much. So I said -- (famous last words) -- "Just give me what you think is fair".

A week or two later my publisher sent me some papers to sign, confirming the percentages on my Andy Fraser co-writes. To my amazement, on two of the songs Andy had only given me 5% credit.  Even worse, on one of the songs I was given a mere 1% share!

Andy was a nice guy, and I'm quite sure it wasn't intended as an insult.  Maybe he really believed that was the full extent of my participation!

Anyway, I was too shocked and embarrassed to say anything to my publisher, although I did mention it to him over dinner one night, about 15 years later. He said "Why didn't you tell me?!?

It really doesn't matter -- it's "water under the bridge" -- but I did learn a valuable lesson, one that all songwriters, beginners or professional, should adhere to:

Always discuss percentages with your co-writer before you walk out the door!!

Andy Fraser's life and career were remarkable, with highs and lows that would be unsurvivable for most of us. 

Sadly, he passed away on March 16, 2015 at the age of 62.