Musical self-expression manifests itself in many ways. Songwriting and live performance have been the most direct methods of creation and dissemination of music. But for generations, the art of capturing music in the recording studio has allowed for profound and unique musical creations. In 1986, Jess Roden, Steve Dwire, and Michael MacDonald released a recording achieved through creative collaboration in the studio. Seven Windows was originally issued on Friends Records in the Netherlands. It will be reissued for the first time, remastered with four additional unheard tracks, by Sunnyside Records on April18, 2025. // British vocalist and songwriter Roden made a splash in the rock and pop worlds while signed to Island Records in the 1970s. After relocating to New York City, he was introduced to producer/bassist Dwire. The two became friends and ended up in the short-lived band, The Rivits. During this time, Roden began recording home demos of eclectic material that was very different from his Island work. It was music influenced as much by contemporary jazz and new age as it was by rock. // Dwire met MacDonald while doing some independent production work. As a recording engineer, MacDonald had access to the top recording studios where he could develop his own music. Dwire and MacDonald began to share their music with one another and, eventually, Dwire introduced MacDonald to Roden and his demos. The three convened in Roden’s apartment on the Upper East Side to listen to the sketches, which they then began to flesh out. // The trio first worked on an instrumental track that would become “Steppes.” For their second piece, the ever-polite Roden suggested that he sing, surprising MacDonald with a sublime voice honed by singing blue-eyed soul for years. From there, they were into the collaboration fully, as they pieced together song after song. // MacDonald and Dwire were already keyed into the New York studio scene. They began to consider who they might call to enhance elements of their tracks. Without a bit of self-consciousness, they dialed guitarist Elliot Randall from Steely Dan. They played him the piece and let him know they would only be able to offer $100 for the session. Randall was in. // The project snowballed from there. Co-producers Dwire and MacDonald called musician after musician, and most accepted their terms immediately. Perhaps the most daunting call was to get arranger Paul Buckmaster, who was staying with Miles Davis. Buckmaster was agreeable and asked only for help finding a place to stay for another week in the City. The project even began to attract musicians who heard about it and wanted to be included. // The trio looked to the model of Steely Dan, a band that had a small core and reached out to other talents to amplify what they wanted to achieve. Seven Windows, as the trio began to call themselves, brought in session players they trusted as both performers and craftsmen. The theory was that if you brought in the right person, they would do what was needed for the music. // As the songs developed over a three-year period, an esthetic began to emerge. The principal musicians envisioned the pieces as soundtracks. The mid 1980s were awash in synthesized sounds. Seven Windows utilized those sounds expertly, thanks in large part to the exceptional keyboardist Jack Waldman.