The Burt Bacharach Discussion Forum

I remember back in the late 90s Swing Out Sister supported Bacharach at the Royal Albert Hall, something that singer Corinne Drewery described in a radio interview from a few years back as "inspirational". She also said something to the effect that being introduced to him was that rare occurrence when meeting a musical hero wasn't a letdown.

I think Burt would appreciate the chord progression to their 'Incomplete Without You':

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WBj4d08nyrs

Hi Martin,

Yes I remember seeing a youtube video interview where Corrine recalls the joy of meeting Burt on that UK tour.

I like what SOS did with Herbie Mann's cover of the Bacharach/David song "Don't Say I Didn't Tell You So". A cover of a cover, if you like. They called it 'Certain Shades of Limelight'.

Certain Shades of Limelight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEBQa5X3tqo

Then there are these. Not covers but sympathetic to Burt's sixties style:

Caipirinha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXqag9H ... MbRpoQrawE

Kaleidoscope Affair
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKwyAzTvQ1I

Martyn

Martyn and Martin, thanks for the videos of which only 'Kaleidoscope Affair' wasn't new to me. The sad irony is that by the time Swing Out Sister's 'Kaleidoscope World' was released in '89 it had already been many years since either Bacharach or Jimmy Webb had written anything that remotely resembled what was contained within the grooves of the album they more than anyone else inspired.

I was at BB's Albert Hall show in '97 and I remember Corinne Drewery saying to the audience at the start that they'd keep their set short because she and the rest of Swing Out Sister were just as impatient to see Bacharach perform as the audience were. I also recall that they included 'Wives And Lovers' in their set. As for meeting our musical heroes, I can safely say that Corinne and her musical and life partner Andy Connell are two of the most charming and engaging musician/performers I've encountered.

Most of the tracks of theirs that I'm familiar with betray some Bacharach influence to a greater or lesser degree, 'Now You're Not Here' more than most.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=67L4GARwuvA

Burt Bacharach Is The Secret To Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFU4PjZbCOk

pljms wrote:Martyn and Martin, thanks for the videos of which only 'Kaleidoscope Affair' wasn't new to me. The sad irony is that by the time Swing Out Sister's 'Kaleidoscope World' was released in '89 it had already been many years since either Bacharach or Jimmy Webb had written anything that remotely resembled what was contained within the grooves of the album they more than anyone else inspired.

I was at BB's Albert Hall show in '97 and I remember Corinne Drewery saying to the audience at the start that they'd keep their set short because she and the rest of Swing Out Sister were just as impatient to see Bacharach perform as the audience were. I also recall that they included 'Wives And Lovers' in their set. As for meeting our musical heroes, I can safely say that Corinne and her musical and life partner Andy Connell are two of the most charming and engaging musician/performers I've encountered.

Most of the tracks of theirs that I'm familiar with betray some Bacharach influence to a greater or lesser degree, 'Now You're Not Here' more than most.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=67L4GARwuvA

Thanks Paul for reminding me about Swing Out Sister's 'Now You're Not Here'. I was living and working in Tokyo when that record was all over the airwaves there and it's when I saw the TV performance of the song linked below. I remember thinking at the time that the song's chorus was a real Bacharach-David-Warwick inspired beauty and it doesn't sound any less beguiling today. Owing to the time constraints of Japanese TV, this version excludes the bridge:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FYpfJ09C2sI

One more from Swing Out Sister with a fair bit of Bacharach influence -

Between Strangers

https://youtu.be/FIuuD_w5DXU

And one more from David Scott (The Pearlfishers) -

Is It Any Wonder

https://youtu.be/P9Ah1vmfz3k

We all know that Swing Out Sister have been inspired by most of the best writers but they very rarely cover them. 'Wives and Lovers' at the Royal Albert Hall when they supported Bacharach is one exception and another is Laura Nyro's 'Stoned Soul Picnic', which I believe has been part of their live set for many years. In case you're wondering what it is, the musical reference towards the end of this performance in Tokyo is from 'Walk in the Night' by Jr Walker and the Allstars.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aMIFPR3f7Q0

pljms wrote:We all know that Swing Out Sister have been inspired by most of the best writers but they very rarely cover them. 'Wives and Lovers' at the Royal Albert Hall when they supported Bacharach is one exception and another is Laura Nyro's 'Stoned Soul Picnic', which I believe has been part of their live set for many years. In case you're wondering what it is, the musical reference towards the end of this performance in Tokyo is from 'Walk in the Night' by Jr Walker and the Allstars.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aMIFPR3f7Q0

That's a very spirited and typically polished performance of the 5th Dimension hit but I wouldn't expect anything else from them. However, with original material as strong as theirs they have no need to rely on covers. The last Swing Out Sister album I bought was 'Beautiful Mess' from around 2009/10 and it's full of immediately attractive and adhesive originals like 'Something Every Day':

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=quaPqf1m860

It's easy to forget now just how big Swing Out Sister were in the late 80s after their worldwide hit 'Breakout' and their million selling debut album, so for them to suddenly start name-checking both Bacharach and Webb in press interviews for their next long-player 'Kaleidoscope World' was massive and I'm sure helped pave the way for the resurgence of interest in Burt in particular several years later. By that time SOS had released their 'Shapes and Patterns' album, almost a 'Kaleidoscope World part 2' of which 'Somewhere In The World (Someone's Thinking of You)' was the blissful opening track.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N7Y8Sf9nkFw

Sara, I believe the 'Shapes and Patterns' album was released about the time they did some concerts in the UK with Bacharach in '97. Having made that connection I hope that he's got to hear some of the beautiful stuff they've released since that he more than anyone did so much to inspire, like the instantly memorable 'Who's Been Sleeping'. I was actually at this gig at London's Bush Hall in 2010 from where the performance of the song comes from and it struck me that while their fan base may have dwindled in the UK their musical integrity remained rock solid:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3SdgE4Cmh3s

Dionne Warwick's granddaughter:

https://youtu.be/rymx2-rEM94

Sublime latter day Bacharach, co-composed with Nikki Jean.
Blair, no I don't know who she is either ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwxE3ieILLo

'blue'

Despite my best efforts to hype this album, it tanked without a trace. It featured songs that she co-wrote with everyone from Carole King to Jimmy Webb to...name someone. And she has a superb voice. CBS/Columbia was going to release it, then backed off. It eventually came out on an indie.
After an EP or two, `though, nothing has been heard from her since. A mystery and a shame.

"She's Gone Away".....with lyrics by Hal David performed by Malcolm Roberts.
I maybe wrong but I think Ed Ames was the first to sing it ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aVeMnzBXVA

The original 'Instrumental' version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZlcnwsOVpY

'blue'