Forever Now is the third studio album by English rock band the Psychedelic Furs. The 10-song album, including the hit single "Love My Way", was recorded in the spring of 1982 and released on 24 September of that year by Columbia/CBS. A 20th-anniversary reissue included six related bonus tracks.
The album represented a turning point in the musical maturation of the band, after a turbulent period of personnel changes in which they shrank from a six-man ensemble to a quartet. Working with the Furs for the first time, Todd Rundgren placed his own sonic imprint upon the album as producer and guest musician. Rundgren also added new types of instrumentation to the band's sound, including cello and marimba.
Background
In the year after the recording of their second album, Talk Talk Talk (1981), the Psychedelic Furs underwent a tumultuous time of change and, in the words of the guitarist John Ashton, "a bit of a dark period in the band's history". Two of the original members – the saxophonist Duncan Kilburn and the guitarist Roger Morris – abruptly and rancorously left. The band's main patrons at CBS Records had largely left the company by this time, and their successful recent producer, Steve Lillywhite, was now unavailable to them. Even the drummer Vince Ely's commitment to the band seemed to be in question. Not only had their large ensemble been unexpectedly reduced to a traditional four-piece band, but now the core members of Ashton, Tim Butler and Richard Butler mostly had to compose new songs without drums, using a Casio VL-1 synthesizer until they had developed enough music for an album.
Choice of record producer
When the time came to return to a recording studio, the band sought out a new record producer. Lillywhite, who had done the work for both of their previous albums, had other commitments, and many in the band felt it was time to chart a new course anyway. Columbia management first attempted to match the band with David Bowie, who was a high-profile Furs supporter and who expressed enthusiasm for working with them. Bowie, however, also had commitments which would have postponed work for what the band felt would be an unacceptably long time. More importantly, there was a belief among some band members that this partnership would not yield much of a change. According to Richard Butler, "the media were already making lots of comparisons between our music and his", and the band did not want to appear too indebted. A last-minute offer by Lillywhite to fit the band into his schedule was politely declined.
It was Ely who first suggested the American producer Todd Rundgren. The band members gathered for an exploratory visit to his Utopia Sound studio in upstate New York where Rundgren, who was already a fan of the Furs' music, quickly signed onto the project.
The partnership with Rundgren – an established industry giant, known for his work with major label successes like Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell – was derided by some as the inevitable "pop sellout", but others saw it as a positive development, even a "major production coup". The band members themselves were pleased with Rundgren's assistance, and have all expressed pride in the results and gratitude for the experience.
Recording
Rundgren invited the band to move their recording sessions from his commercial space into the private studios in his own home on nearby Mink Hollow Road, Lake Hill, New York. Recording was completed there over a six-week period in April and May 1982.
Rundgren enhanced the Furs' sound by adding new elements to their musical arrangements – along with his own varied musical contributions, Rundgren brought in session musicians to augment the band. Gary Windo was a renowned saxophonist in the jazz world who had in recent years collaborated with major rock acts like Ian Hunter and Nick Mason. Extra horn work was contributed by Donn Adams, a longtime player with the American rock band NRBQ. A classical cellist, Ann Sheldon, was recruited from the Royal College of Music. Lastly, the seasoned pop backing vocal team of Flo & Eddie were called in by Rundgren to round out many of the songs. The instrumentalists had all been accepted by the band willingly, even enthusiastically – the backing vocalists, however, were another matter.