Magnificent Obsession

Magnificent Obsession is the second and final studio album from 1980s American pop-rock act Cellarful of Noise, a solo project of Mark Avsec of Donnie Iris fame. The album was released in March 1988, with some of the tracks featuring Donnie Iris on vocals. Background During 1984-85, Mark Avsec began working on a solo project under the moniker Cellarful of Noise. After releasing the album of the same name that year, both Avsec and Donnie Iris maintained that Donnie Iris and the Cruisers were still their main focus. The band returned to the studio in 1986 and recorded a new album titled Cruise Control; however, a lawsuit with the band's former label MCA resulted in the shelving of the album. With the band's current label HME going out of business, the band became an unsigned act. Since the band had come to a halt, Avsec started working on the second Cellarful of Noise album Magnificent Obsession. This time, however, he approached Iris to help on the project, and he provided lead vocals on a selection of tracks, as well as co-writing a couple of them. Alan Greene once more contributed guitar parts, while the Cruisers' Marty Lee also added some guitar. Released in 1988, the album produced a moderately successful single, "Samantha (What You Gonna Do)", which reached No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 1988. Afterwards Avsec backed away from the music scene as a solo act and has since continued to perform and record with Iris as well as pursue his full-time career as an entertainment lawyer. In a 1988 interview with AOR Basement, Avsec revealed to Ian McIntosh: "After doing another LP [with Donnie Iris] called "Cruise Control", I went off to work with Mason Ruffner on his "Gypsy Blood" LP. After that I started doing the new Cellarful of Noise record and eventually I asked Donnie if he'd like to team up with me and he was into that. Then we went to England (Bath) to mix it, and now here's that record coming out..." He also spoke of the debut Cellarful of Noise album: "Right after it came out, I wanted to get more serious about it and make a better sounding record." When asked about the future of the project, Avsec stated "For now we're watching what's happening - if the new LP does well then we'll eventually put together a band and hit the road. I'm always writing new material too.