Another great song that sounds like Bacharach

[pljms]

Re 'This is Where I Came In'. There was an excellent thread set-up on this site a little while back concerning songs written by others that sounded like they could have been written by Bacharach - 'Where are you now my Love?' by Jackie Trent and Tony Hatch, 'Girl don't Come', written by Chris Andrews for Sandie Shaw and Jimmy Webb's 'The Girls' Song', as sung by the 5th Dimension, being three of the best examples. Another Jimmy Webb song, 'This is Where I came In' is another great example of the influence Bacharach had on other writers during the 60s. This is a single from 1965, written when Webb was only 19, and the record by the Contessas which is featured on the Youtube clip (see link below) is the earliest known recording of a Webb song. The 7 minute video from an American pop show features the Contessas performing the rather mediocre B-side 'Keep on Keeping On' first before 'This is Where I came In'. Either search Youtube for 'The Contessas on Shivaree' or go straight there through this link:

[Dennis Webb]

"This Is Where I Came In" was also recorded by Richard Harris later on. It appeared on the last LP that Harris did that contained any Jimmy Webb songs. I think that LP had only four Webb songs on it, of which this was one. The first two albums, "A Tramp Shining" and "The Yard Went on Forever" were all Jimmy Webb. I can't remember the name of the album now, though. Maybe someone else will.

While on this topic of songs that sound like Bacharach, there's one that keeps coming to mind: Dusty Springfield's "I Wish I'd Never Loved You". It reminds me of Bacharach, and in any case is a terrific song. I have it on an LP and I wish I knew how to get it into digital form on my computer and uploaded to YouTube, but unfortunately I don't. Maybe someone else has a copy of it...

[grooverider]

Hi Dennis, "I Wish I'd Never Loved You" is on the 2 disc "Classics & Collectibles" released in 2004 on Universal, a UK import. A magnificent retrospective, it also includes other Bacharach/David favorites like, "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself"(two different versions!), "the Look Of Love" and for the many Dusty fans, a previously unissued remix of "They Long To Be Close To You", with a different intro and a version that's a little bit longer than the original. That remix by itself makes this CD one to treasure!

The liner notes, written by Paul Howes, states.."the majestically Bacharachesque I Wish I'd Never Loved You" finds her emoting "as if her life depended on it." Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.
Art

[Dennis Webb]

Thanks for the info.

I have a three-disk Dusty Springfield CD set, but unfortunately "I Wish I'd Never Loved You" isn't on it. I'll look at the two-disk UK set you mention, but most of it will probably duplicate what I already have. I've watched for this one song as a download on iTunes, but it hasn't shown up yet. I'm glad to hear it described in your liner notes as Bacharachesque, since that confirms what my own ears have always told me. The songwriters on this piece (I forget the names at the moment) are the same ones who wrote most of her other early hits, which are not particularly Bacharachesque, so I wonder whether they were consciously making an attempt to imitate his writing on this particular piece.

By the way, YouTube has a lot of Dusty Springfield videos, including a audio with still photos accompanying her recording of the really fine Carole King song, "Goin' Back". Any Dusty fan who hasn't seen this should take a look (and listen). In fact, I think there are two of these, one with extra verses included.

[pljms]

Dennis, the Richard Harris album title was 'My Boy'. Another artist to record 'This is Where I Came In' was Thelma Houston in 1969 on her 'Sunshower' album, which was written, arranged and produced by Jimmy Webb. A long-time favorite of Webb fans, the album also included 'Everybody Gets to go to the Moon' and 'Didn't We'.

[nymusicalsguy]

Richard Harris' sublime "If You Must Leave My Life" is another fine homage to Bacharach courtesy the magnificent Mr. Webb. Anyone here not familiar with this track should duly check it out.

[pljms]

Yes, Jimmy Webb has often admitted to being under Bacharach's spell in the 60s. Sadly for us, this came to an abrupt end at the start of Webb's ill-starred career as a singer-songwriter in the early 70s, by which time Joni Mitchell was his main inspiration.

[blueonblue]

The track that Joe mentioned earlier...........very "Bacharachian" !!!


Thank you Joe !
"blue"

[nymusicalsguy]

For a more recent Webb take on Bacharach, check out his "Why Do I Have To..." from Jimmy's 2005 album TWILIGHT OF THE RENEGADES. This great track shows that Jimmy hasn't totally abandoned his Bacharach influence!

[Rio]

Swing Out Sisters
First song is theirs and seems to reflect Bacharach's influence.
The second I regard as an excellent take on Michel Legrand's Windmills of Your Mind.




(Was it Dennis Webb who called our attention to SOS's Forever Blue? To me, at first it seemed a rather obvious song, too familiar from the start. Sure, it remided me of good songwiters, but nothing like them quality wise. But it grew on me. I like it a lot now.)

[Sara D]

Shirley Bassey's version of the Leslie Bricusse song You and I owes a lot to Bacharach in the arrangement, I think you'll all agree!

[Hank]

I'd strongly recommend Burt fans to check out the Thelma Houston album "Sunshower" that pljms mentions above. On the "soul" side of the Bacharach influence but the combination of those Major 7th chords and Thelma's voice is magical.
Another similar on is "The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb" - Amazingly this doesn't seem to be available on CD (someone should be in prison for that crime against humanity)....but tears were literally streaming down my face as I drove home last night listening to "I keep it Hid"....Jimmy knows how to pull the heartstrings !!

[nymusicalsguy]

THE SUPREMES PRODUCED & ARRANGED BY JIMMY WEBB actually *is* available on CD, but only as part of a box set. It's on Disc Three of THE SUPREMES: THIS IS THE STORY - THE 70S ALBUMS, VOLUME 1 (Hip-O Select) featuring the Supremes' albums with Jean Terrell. (Volume 2 is still forthcoming.) I agree that this terrific album deserves a standalone reissue treatment, but in the meantime, I recommend the box set without reservation. It boasts no fewer than 12 unreleased tracks, and the six albums are all pretty wonderful.

Joe

[grooverider]

newyorkmusicalsguy, I totally agree that the 3cd set, "The Supremes This is the Story" is quite an amazing piece of art, as it does contain the full Jimmy Webb-produced album along with the unreleased tracks. The label, Hip-O Select, is so very deserving of all the praise they get for going into Motown's vaults and finding so much unreleased material. If you check out any of the other Diana Ross & The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, etc. reisssues, they too, are a treasure trove of unreleased material.
But, yeah, it's a shame that the only current way of getting that Suremes/Webb collaboration is to buy that 3cd set.

[Hank]

Thanks NYMusicalsGuy and Grooverider.
I followed NYMusicalsGuy's advice from a previous post and purchased a couple BJ Thomas 2fer CD's that featured some of the songs under discussion.
As he predicted, I was not disappointed. "If You Must Leave My Life" is a Bacaharachian classic. The staccato La - La - La - La ending is pure Shangri La !! There are quite a few other gems there.
I did notice that the songs from the Jimmy Webb / Supremes album were available on that 3 disc set...but being a mean Scotsman, I baulked at the $35 + price....
Funnily enough, I did spend $10 on a vinyl copy (signed - by who knows who)...though I don't own a record player.
One of our relations has one of these vinyl to CD converters so we'll see how it goes...
Still - your recommendations carry a lot of weight. Plus I've been blown away by Jean Terrell's and Mary Wilson's vocals...
You've given me a real dilemma here !!