The Bacharach Sound: 1965 TV Special

[pljms]

Although it was made by Granada Television whose studios were situated in Manchester, judging by Bacharach's remarks at the start of the special it appears that it was actually produced in London. By 1965 Bacharach was already a household name in the UK and journalists and disc-jockeys alike kept on referring to what they identified as "The Bacharach Sound", hence the title of this special. The guest artists were Dionne Warwick, Chuck Jackson, Dusty Springfield, The Searchers and The Merseybeats, but in common with most pop music shows made for television at the time everyone is lip-syncing.

With apologies to Blue who posted this on another thread just a few days ago, here's Bacharach from the special and his UK hit version of Trains and Boats and Planes, featuring the three ladies known as The Breakaways who sang on this and other tracks on his Hit Maker album recorded in London that same year. This was originally broadcast in b&w but here it is in colour:

[pljms]

From the special here's Dionne Warwick and Wives And Lovers and with comments from Bacharach at the end:

[pljms]

Bacharach introduces Chuck Jackson and Any Day Now.

[pljms]

Dusty Springfield and I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself:

[Sara D]

By 1965 Dionne Warwick would have already been well aware of Bacharach's fame in the UK after her visits to promote her single releases, and through her Hal David would have known of all the hype surrounding his songwriting partner, but I should imagine that they both must have been more than a little surprised that he'd get his own TV special.

[Martin Johnson]

By 1965 Dionne Warwick would have already been well aware of Bacharach's fame in the UK after her visits to promote her single releases, and through her Hal David would have known of all the hype surrounding his songwriting partner, but I should imagine that they both must have been more than a little surprised that he'd get his own TV special.

As soon as Bacharach became established as a performing artist as well as a composer with the success in the UK of Trains And Boats And Planes and the Hitmaker album a TV special must have been on the cards, especially given his very telegenic appearance. I recall Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa and There's Always Something There To Remind Me from the Hitmaker album being performed on the show, plus a brief exchange between Burt and Hal David about the merits of the song Trains And Boats And Planes which preceded Bacharach's performance of it.

[orangebrownrice]

Dusty Springfield - I Just Don't Know What To Do - my favorite

[pljms]

As The Breakaways were already on hand to perform Trains And Boats And Planes it's a shame that Don't Go Breaking My Heart wasn't also featured on the special. Here they are with the song on another TV show the following year but with a slightly different arrangement from the one they sang to on Bacharach's Hit Maker album.

[pljms]

Although it was made by Granada Television whose studios were situated in Manchester, judging by Bacharach's remarks at the start of the special it appears that it was actually produced in London. By 1965 Bacharach was already a household name in the UK and journalists and disc-jockeys alike kept on referring to what they identified as "The Bacharach Sound", hence the title of this special. The guest artists were Dionne Warwick, Chuck Jackson, Dusty Springfield, The Searchers and The Merseybeats, but in common with most pop music shows made for television at the time everyone is lip-syncing.

With apologies to Blue who posted this on another thread just a few days ago, here's Bacharach from the special and his UK hit version of Trains and Boats and Planes, featuring the three ladies known as The Breakaways who sang on this and other tracks on his Hit Maker album recorded in London that same year. This was originally broadcast in b&w but here it is in colour:

An eagle-eyed jazz loving friend of mine has pointed out that on the performance of Trains And Boats And Planes from Bacharach's mid-60s TV special filmed in London the virtuoso jazz fusion guitarist John McLaughlin is featured among the musicians in the orchestra. He's seen at the beginning of the video sat on the left of the three guitarists playing the song's introduction, or at least miming to the record. As this is 1965 he would have been aged just twenty-three and still four years away from joining Miles Davis's band before going on to form the Mahuvishnu Orchestra.

[blueonblue]

Fascinating stuff Paul, Burt only picked the finest musicians to work with.....great TV special too, the one that introduced me to the music of Burt Bacharach in 1965.

(yes I'm that old)

'blue'

[pljms]

blue, with one or two possible exceptions I think that we're all 'that old', although when this special was originally broadcast in the summer of 1965 I missed it and in fact I can't recall being aware of the transmission at the time. Thank goodness that this special was made by Granada TV and therefore was preserved because if it had been produced by the BBC it would probably have been wiped.

[blueonblue]

Paul, yes we're very lucky... priceless footage !

'blue'

[pljms]

I believe that guitarist John McLaughlin played on virtually all of the Hit Maker album and I should imagine that it was a lot less stressful recording with Bacharach than his first session with Miles Davis four years later turned out to be. John McLaughlin is very amusing when talking about this recording date and he also does a mean Miles Davis impression.

[Sara D]

Thank goodness that this special was made by Granada TV and therefore was preserved because if it had been produced by the BBC it would probably have been wiped.

The BBC was notorious in the 60s and 70s for wiping TV shows so that the video tapes could be used again. Given how precious little TV footage exists of Laura Nyro, for instance, it's especially sad that they wiped her 'In Concert' show from 1971. Knowing that they've preserved most if not all of the other shows from this series featuring solo performances by renowned singer-songwriters, Jimmy Webb included, it's particularly galling.

[Blair N. Cummings]

Laura didn`t even get the audio bootlegging that she deserved in those days. When vinyl "unauthorised" albums were everywhere, including abysmal sounding cassette-recorded transfers of "live" performances of everyone from Hendrix to James Taylor, Laura Nyro recordings were conspicuously not to be found.
As I`ve noted before, her untimely death triggered a spate of "live" releases of her later "Earth Mother" persona. But, by then, there was nothing left of the Tin Pan Alley cat nor the carnal mystic sending musical postcards from bodegas and bedrooms at stops all along the 6 Line - from East Harlem to the East Village.