Going to see the Stylistics perform tonight in Detroit.
Just wondering if they recorded any other Bacharach songs
besides You'll Never Get To Heaven. One of my favorites.
Can't seem to find any others.
Toms
Burt and The Stylistics
Moderator: mark
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An Enormous BB Fan
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nymusicalsguy
RE: Burt and the Stylistics
The Stylistics' 1991 album LOVE TALK (Amherst) features two compositions with music by Burt & lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager and other collaborators including Gerry Goffin (of Goffin and King). These two songs, "Hang Your Teardrops Up To Dry" and "I Just Don't Know What To Do", are the highlights of the album, though Burt's songwriting and production here aren't in the class of the Stylistics' earlier work with Burt acolyte Thom Bell. Still, I recommend this album to any fan of BB and/or the Stylistics, and both songs have memorable melodic hooks. Too bad the title of the latter recalls a far stronger song with a Hal David lyric....
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Toms
Origianl Members
Hi, the concert was excellent. This concert was special becuase the original lead singer was there. His name is Russell Thompkins Jr.
Not sure if the 3 backup singers are the origianl.
Russell Thompkins Jr. is now going solo and released a CD, this year.
He sang one song from the CD. The Stylistics in the past few years have been touring without him. Not sure who takes the place of him.
Anyway the concert was a night of smooth soul music. One hit after another and when it came to the song "You'll Never Get To Heaven" by Burt Bacharach, Russell said he has worked with many great composers of music in his 35 year career and Burt was one of them. When the song began the audience gave a big round of applause and throughout the song they were singing too. Great night of music.
Tom
Not sure if the 3 backup singers are the origianl.
Russell Thompkins Jr. is now going solo and released a CD, this year.
He sang one song from the CD. The Stylistics in the past few years have been touring without him. Not sure who takes the place of him.
Anyway the concert was a night of smooth soul music. One hit after another and when it came to the song "You'll Never Get To Heaven" by Burt Bacharach, Russell said he has worked with many great composers of music in his 35 year career and Burt was one of them. When the song began the audience gave a big round of applause and throughout the song they were singing too. Great night of music.
Tom
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Toms
Stylistics Burt Comparison
Below is a review found on Amazon.com It says it all.
Pop Masterpieces, February 20, 2003
Reviewer: auburndaleman (see more about me) from Auburndale, MA United States
Strange things happen in recording studios. Who'd have imagined, for example, that the members of a couple of obscure R&B groups, plus a lead singer given to hitting notes so high they'd blow out windows (practically the first thing he heard from the control booth, reportedly, was something along the lines of "Hey, Russ, could you bring it down a scosh?") would one day team up with an equally obscure African-American record producer, slash arranger, slash songwriter, and a Jewish girl at Gamble & Hoff's Philadelphia International Records, and somehow create a handful of pop songs so darned soulful and musically ravishing they would all but instantly establish themselves as the absolute apotheosis of what would soon be known as "Philly Soul"? True, you can clearly tell the classically trained Thom Bell and his lyricist, the late Linda Creed (all but two of the tracks here are theirs), took more then a few pages from Burt Bacharach and Hal David's book to pull off this unlikely marriage of soaring doo-wop harmonies and Brill Building cool. But if you're going to steal from somebody it's pretty hard to go wrong stealing from them. (And I for one couldn't be more grateful. Where would the enthralling (and wrenchingly sad) "Break Up To Make Up" be without that wonderful little euphonium riff they filched from Bacharach and David's 1965 top ten single "What The World Needs Now Is Love"?) In any case, they're all here. More timeless pop masterpieces then you're likely to find on any one CD in many a year.
Toms
Thanks Nymusicalguy for info.
Pop Masterpieces, February 20, 2003
Reviewer: auburndaleman (see more about me) from Auburndale, MA United States
Strange things happen in recording studios. Who'd have imagined, for example, that the members of a couple of obscure R&B groups, plus a lead singer given to hitting notes so high they'd blow out windows (practically the first thing he heard from the control booth, reportedly, was something along the lines of "Hey, Russ, could you bring it down a scosh?") would one day team up with an equally obscure African-American record producer, slash arranger, slash songwriter, and a Jewish girl at Gamble & Hoff's Philadelphia International Records, and somehow create a handful of pop songs so darned soulful and musically ravishing they would all but instantly establish themselves as the absolute apotheosis of what would soon be known as "Philly Soul"? True, you can clearly tell the classically trained Thom Bell and his lyricist, the late Linda Creed (all but two of the tracks here are theirs), took more then a few pages from Burt Bacharach and Hal David's book to pull off this unlikely marriage of soaring doo-wop harmonies and Brill Building cool. But if you're going to steal from somebody it's pretty hard to go wrong stealing from them. (And I for one couldn't be more grateful. Where would the enthralling (and wrenchingly sad) "Break Up To Make Up" be without that wonderful little euphonium riff they filched from Bacharach and David's 1965 top ten single "What The World Needs Now Is Love"?) In any case, they're all here. More timeless pop masterpieces then you're likely to find on any one CD in many a year.
Toms
Thanks Nymusicalguy for info.