Donnie Iris - Fortune 410 (1983/2021)

Digitally remastered and expanded edition includes live bonus track. 12 page full-color booklet with 2,000 word essay. With three albums under his belt, Donnie Iris and the band were feeling pressure to deliver a knockout punch. MCA had stood by him through thick and thin - and let's face it, most of it was pretty thin - but there was a belief that he was just one song away from making a major breakthrough. Of course, musically the band had never been more on top of their game, crafting songs that in another time and place really ought to have propelled them to bigger success. For Fortune 410, it was decided to move from their local studio in Pennsylvania to record in Cleveland, Ohio, closer to the home of main songwriter/keyboard player Mark Avsec. Fortune 410 is their most concise and enjoyable album. It was also a record that saw the band embrace computer technology but not in a wacky experimental way. The sound became more processed but still retained an edge of perfect pure pop, with some of their most expressive vocals and songs, like 'Stagedoor Johnny', 'I'm A User', 'Do You Compute' and the insanely catchy 'Cry (If you Want To)', paving the way for a tidal wave of praise from fans. And the album title? Well, that was the style of Donnie's black horn-rimmed glasses... The same, in fact, as Buddy Holly's!