The Burt Bacharach Discussion Forum

ron hertel wrote:Dionne did record "Stronger Than Before" and it was included on her 1985 Arista album "Friends". ......... The track was produced by Burt & Carole.

You're right! Dionne did record "Stronger Than Before" and I think it's great! So much better than Carole's version, don't you think?

Here's The Carpenters version of "Somebody's Been Lying".........


"blue"

Vintage footage of another musical Genius at work........


"blue"

Sorry, Enormous, but DW`s version of "Stronger..." never cut it for me. I never thought that the combination of "The Triumvirate" could produce something so limp. Of course, Burt (tellingly) neither arranged nor produced this track which surely explains my reaction.
I sincerely hope that all of this blather over Dionne`s last forty(!) years is at an end. The diva worshippers can continue to light their candles, but as a departing poster wrote, the BB/HD/DW era is at an end. I like to imagine that we`ll get at least one last album from Burt, but even if that doesn`t materialize...really, what more can we ask for?

Honestly Blair .. thought better of you! It's fabulous 'Stronger Than Before' .. great song and VOICE! Absolutely hate all this doom watcher end of an era stuff ... we are only here one time around so make the most of it.

Maybe my point is that "the most of it" has already been made - in every sense.
Friends was a horribly lame album.
I just now finished listening to At This Time for the first time in years and found it to be as obnoxious and New-Age-y as I always did.
Write it off to my taste, but all good things come to an end and most of us are slow to realise when that end comes.
It`s not the end of the world or our lives or music.
Let`s be grateful that we were around to enjoy this timeless art while the best of it was made.

I love hearing people's opinons about everything and anything. What is a discussion board for, for heaven's sakes? If we all agreed about Burt or Dionne or the songs then the air might get a little stale around here.

Regarding "At This Time": I still think it's absolutely fabulous with music that never gets boring. I listen to various cuts all the time. And, as I've said many times before, I think that "Danger" is one of Burt's best instrumentals ever. But, hey! That's why they make blueberry pie and cherry pie.

Did Burt not arrange "Stronger Than Before" even on Carole's album? Either way, I would never even think of using the word "limp" to describe that great song.

Okay, I`ll apologise for using the adjective "limp" regarding "Stronger Than Before." I think it just slipped out of my sub-conscious which was channeling the old Scepter recordings.
But I stick by my pan of At This Time. I`ve tried - even striven - to like it. I even saw him debut a couple of these tracks live. It just doesn`t work for me. Maybe it`s all that soprano sax. Never mind Kenny G, I didn`t even like to hear Coltrane play that dog-whistly thing.

Hi Blair .. yes sadly a lot of 'At This Time' is forgettable. What did you make of 'Painted From Memory' with Elvis Costello? Perhaps the problem with Dionne's 'Friends' album was the surprise hit of 'That's What Friends Are For' and Clive Davis's instinct to quickly launch an album on the back of it?

I`ve always maintained that PFM and the Isn`t She Great ST were the last great recordings we`ve had of Burt`s music. There`s been the isolated song but nothing as melodically strong as those compositions and certainly not an album`s worth. My fingers are crossed for one more burst of real inventiveness.

Blair I agree that PFM was probably the last great work Bacharach did and I also agree that the Isn't She Great soundtrack was outstanding. Isn't She Great elicited the last wonderful recorded performance Bacharach and David got from Warwick. Her vocal limitations were very apparent but somehow, the whole thing worked and it was very poignant to hear Dionne sing the tune so convincingly. Burt's work with Elvis was just stunning and the tune that sent chills up my spine from that album was This House Is Empty Now...probably the single greatest tune Bacharach has composed in the past 25 years. I never found At This Time to be interesting and agree with your assessment. As far as Dionne's Friends album, the album was rather dull and rote and the only tune that seemed to come alive for me was That's What Friends Are For. Not much has ever been discussed here about her Reservations for Two album. I found that rather dull too and the reliance on duets (although that was the theme of the album) was something Dionne seemed to get stuck on after that. Love Power was a tune that I have discussed here before and it leapt up the charts in 1987 in the fastest riding Billboard performance either Bacharach or Dionne ever had...it debuted and then rocketed into the top 30 if I remember correctly in the summer of 1987 but then just seemed to die at #12. Again, that was one interesting (strange) tune with some very odd vocal interplay between Dionne and Jeffrey Osborne and in the lyric, Carole BS paid "homage" to Dionne's fascination with psychics. Not a great effort but interesting as Dionne's last foray into the top 40 singles chart.

From Some Lover's the musical. I sure hope someone makes a record of all these songs.

'Ready to be Done with You'

Hauntingly beautiful, IMO.
I would love to listen to all the songs, but I still wish to have them packed as an original (Bdway) cast album. Icing on the cake, Burt would then release his own mainly orchestrted versions as he did with PP on the Make It Easy on Youself album.
BTW: I got to listen to Hush, from the musical, yesterday. The title says a lot. I found it really beautiful.

Believe me, I hate to disagree but this (and most of what I`ve heard from SL) just falls short. Some of it is nice enough but it mostly reminds me of the lazy stuff he got away with under Carole`s influence and that resurfaced on At This Time.

Sorry to change the subject for a moment but here's Trijntje Oosterhuis riffing at length on one of her signature BB tunes, "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?"