DIONNE WARWICK ... 72 / 50

[gillanddon]

Hi face ... the careers of Dionne and Whitney are difficult to compare. The 'sound' pioneered by Burt Bacharach/Hal David and Dionne was quite extraordinary as forged new territory and it held it's own during the era of the groups and then disco. Dionne's road to success was therefore defined in a different way to Whitney's. She had a more selective type of an audience. Whilst all my friends were listening to the Stones etc I was listening to Bacharach. In that sense Dionne didn't experience the same kind of mega stardom that Whitney did .. neither the same mega sales and HUGE universal superstardom. It was different for Dionne and despite the huge chart successes she had with Burt and Hal, the world of 'celebrity' wasn't as highly developed then as it is now and the music industry then was probably a bit more innocent .. or rather, the sophisticated marketing and sales of Arista Records under Clive Davis gave Whitney's well planned launch a huge boost. As a child of her time, Whitney's success was awe inspiring as was Dionne's but on a different level.

[ron hertel]

"blue"

THANKS for posting that link to "Looking With My Eyes" ....... that was one of several lost treasures from the "HERE I AM" album. ...... It's available on iTunes (remastered)

ron

[ron hertel]

gillanddon:

You are "right on" when comparing Dionne's and Whitney's success. .... As much as I initially liked Whitney's recordings as well as others like Celine Dion when they were first released - I rarely play them. ......... It's Dionne's inimitable vocal skills - combined with Burt's complex and sophisticated compositions - that has kept her on the top of my playlist for years. ...... Patti LaBelle has also done some great BB recordings as well as Aretha Franklin - and - Dusty Springfield did a remarkable job on "The Look Of Love" ........ Very few others have brought the interpretive skills worthy of being considered Bacharach "definitive versions". .... Listen to: "Is There Anybody Out There?" - and - "Love Is Still The Answer" from the recently released "NOW" CD. ..... With the proper production and vocal restraint - Dionne can still deliver the goods!

ron

[gillanddon]

Hello Ron .. I absolutely agree .. I rarely revisit the Whitney songs. There is too much hard work in them. It's Dionne's interpretive skills which are excellent. I love her new songs on the new album and wish there were a whole lot more. She has a perfectly relaxed tone but with depth and meaning to it .. if that makes sense? I never get tired of it. I don't think Whitney's attempts to sing Bacharach worked either.

[blueonblue]

Wouldn't it be wonderful if Dionne released a "Now" # 2 including many more "lesser known"
Bacharach / David songs like "How Many Days Of Sadness"..."Who Is Gonna Love Me"
"In Between The Heartaches"..."Loneliness Remembers"......the list is endless......
.....and this beautiful song.


We can but dream,
"blue"

[gillanddon]

Yes blue .. it would be fantastic ... the songs you have listed are brilliant and would respond to the full Phil Ramone treatment in the same manner as the current songs on 'Now'. Word needs to get across to either Phil or Dionne NOW!

[blueonblue]

Gill,
And not forgetting "Dream Sweet Dreamer"...."Let Me Go To Him"...."Walk Little Dolly"
"The Green Grass Starts To Grow"....."Here I Am" ....."Odds And Ends"..."Paper Mache"
and many, many more.
Dionne and Phil....are you listening ???


"blue"

[Jerry]

And maybe Burt would be willing to rework 'I'm a Better Man' for Dionne?! Another of so many undervalued gems you guys mentioned!

You are on fire with this post, Bacharachians!!

[Peter Greenhill]

Giianddon wrote: I sadly have to note zero response to Dionne Warwick's birthday (and 50th anniversary in song) on this site apart from Ron Hertel and myself.

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Why would anyone post birthday wishes to Dionne Warwick on a Burt Bacharach discussion group when she has an excellent Facebook page where she just might actually read the greetings being sent to her.

Dionne Warwick is a very significant part of Burt Bacharach's career but that doesn't mean they're a Laurel and Hardy act. EDIT: have removed last part of final sentence which was innacurate.

[gillanddon]

Sorry Peter ... have to disagree ... they 'separated' long ago but have recorded a surprising amount of songs since then. Quite a long list in fact .. and have performed together on many occasions. Dionne's new album has solely Burt and Hal songs ....

[BachtoBacharach]

Peter Greenhill wrote: Dionne Warwick is a very significant part of Burt Bacharach's career but that doesn't mean they are a Laurel and Hardy act. Their careers, apart from a few songs, seperated long ago.

Nothing could be further from the truth Peter. Dionne Warwick recorded over 130 tunes with Bacharach where he was composer or arranger or producer or a combination any/all of those three.

As far as the perspective on Dionne's stardom and status from someone who was there from the earliest recordings, I'll write more on that after Christmas...suffice it to say that Dionne and Aretha were the two best-selling and most charted solo female artists in the 1960s, bar none. Dionne's stardom was very broad in the US and international in scope. She appealed to everyone. Aretha had a much narrower fan base and her exposure on television a little more limited than Dionne's. Aretha rarely if ever toured overseas and although she sold a lot of records internationally, she sold nowhere near as many as Dionne did overseas. Dionne was selling out arenas and large venues when Aretha wasn't. Again, more details on that later but those of us who were there know that Dionne was an enormous star. Aretha was big as well but she became legend in the 1980s and 1990s. Dionne and Elvis Presley were the only two artists to sell out a large venue in Miami of 6500 in 1970, something even the Supremes, Aretha, the Fifth Dimension, Janis Joplin and other big name acts failed to do and I have many other examples of Dionne drawing crowds of 10,000 and more to her concerts in large venues. As far as record sales go, estimates are that Dionne and Aretha each have combined US and overseas record sales in excess of 100,000,000 units although sales recordkeeping was shoddy under the best of circumstances and many of Dionne's recordings were never submitted to the RIAA for sales audits and certifications. The devaluation of Dionne Warwick's stardom began in the 1990s just a short while after the Psychic Friends Network and other scandals reared their heads...this revision of history irks me to no end.

[GehVorbei]

Dionne at her Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach concert last Saturday. She also celebrated her birthday there with Stevie Wonder a surprise guest...

Incredible legs at 72 (you got to scroll down the pic:-)

[gillanddon]

Hey Ron .. it's Christmas Eve and I'm listening to Dionne's amazing Christmas album recorded a few years ago and I can't think of any much better. Produced by the amazing Tena Clark, every song an absolute gem. Dionne's Christmas album, long over due, leaves Rod Stewart's (awful)and Michael Buble's (awful) album in the dust both vocally and instrumentaly. It drives me mad that she's not up there with the Christmas best sellers, even with 'Now' on the Christmas shelves. Who is doing her marketing and PR? I Want the job Now!!

[ron hertel]

Cheers! ...gillanddon - I listened to it a few times myself this holiday season. ...... Not including Burt's "The Bell That Couldn't Jingle" was a real missed opportunity here. ......... That song has certainly not had the exposure it deserved and Dionne could have handled it beautifully! ..... Have you ever heard or seen the video of "Christmas in Vienna" featuring Dionne and Placido Domingo??? ..... Another under appreciated Christmas gem! .... Dionne also performed a few memorable songs in the "Christmas At The Vatican" a few years back (DVD and CD available) ............ Commercial success requires marketing to a far greater audience than a loyal fan base.

[gillanddon]

Yes Ron .. well said. A good LA friend of mine said exactly the same .. the Christmas album could have been relaunched on the back of the new album ....

To compensate I listened to an excellent BBC Radio 2 hour tonight called 'The Wonder of Warwick' .. suberbly done covering her entire career.

It's heart warming to see her new brand new grand daughter being named Whitney eh?