Dionne Warwick, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane from the O'Keefe Center 1967

[blueonblue]

Here's a lovely dreamy track from the Thom Bell produced Masterpiece 'Track of the Cat'
Dionne's album from 1975, if only they had worked together more......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQp-YcoHqb0

'blue'

[BachtoBacharach]

Dionne's work with Thom Bell strangely left me unmoved except for the excellent "Then Came You" which a pairing with the Spinners allowed her to be more soulful and cut loose. Track of the Cat was not one of my favorite albums and the only tune I liked was Once You Hit the Road. Somehow, Dionne sounded more attenuated and confined on that album than she did on the Dionne album from 1972. It seems to me that the that lushness of sound and those "dreamy" arrangements on that album somehow overshadowed Dionne. On Track of the Cat her vocals seemed passionless and rote to me, almost without affect, somehow very unsatisfying after hearing Then Came You and feeling that Dionne had finally been able to soar to some degree. I was excited when I learned of the project with Thom but I was disappointed that Track of the Cat had a sort of blandness to it that I can't explain. Dionne put her stamp on everything she did prior but it is almost like she was nowhere to be found on this album...seems that Thom could have just as easily substituted any female singer and achieved the same feeling. IMHO the Then Came You album was vocally much more exciting and many of the tunes there allowed Dionne's vocals simmer and soar beautifully. Who Knows was a wonderful tune reminiscent of her work with Bacharach in an album that sorely underrated and that tune was the trademark Dionne sound yet different. Jerry Ragavoy deserves kudos for understanding Dionne on that album and letting her shine...of all her Warner Brothers work, that remains the most satisfying to me. And, let's not forget that Bacharach is on record as being mighty petty when Dionne hit number 1 with Then Came You, and that same snarkiness and pettiness surfaced again in 1979 when Dionne hit big, big, big with I'll Never Love This Way Again...quite an asshat, he. Too bad the album Then Came You was released in the late spring of 1975, well over six months after any momentum the album may have had due to the hit single Then Came You was long gone...another example of Warner's mishandling of Dionne. Also, hard to understand when Warner's had enough material in the can (sessions with all those on the We Need to Go Back compilation plus several other tracks) so that an album could have been cobbled together to be released concurrently...the Then Came You single was used as the lead track for the album Then Came You and the excellent Jerry Ragavoy produced track Meant to Be (heard first on the We Need to Go Back compilation released about three years ago) was cut from the album. Then Came You didn't fit in the Ragavoy album and Warner's was sure off the mark by substituting Then Came You...go figure.

[Blair N. Cummings]

I agree that the Bell-produced album was kind of a bland-out. I really haven`t enjoyed an entire Dionne album since the unexpectedly lively Just Being Myself. I`m aware that the tracks were pre-fabbed and it was an act of near panic on Dionne`s part to get Warners off her back. Nevertheless I found myself listening to it more than I thought that I would.
As I`ve remarked before, the early `70s were the end of an era in so many ways. I still can`t account for it.

[face]

It's so interesting how we all can have such different reactions to the same music. The reason I think Bell was her best producer of the 1970s is because he and so many of the Philly Soul singers were so inspired by Dionne/Burt/Hal that she seems like the rightful singer of a lot of his music. I could easily imagine her singing almost any of those Stylistics songs, for example, because they were subconsciously channeling her anyway (their lead singer worships her). Yes, the "Track of the Cat" album has a certain mellow blandness to it at times, but I disagree about Dionne not putting her stamp on the songs. "Jealousy" sounds tailor made for her in the tradition of Bacharach/David, "His House and Me" is hauntingly lovely, and "One Last Memory" (even though it was canned) brings out that bell-like quality in her voice that she employed so often in the early years before she started favoring a drier tone. Bell did his homework, and it shows. "Then Came You" is my personal favorite Warner's album because it is the most musically diverse, but the Bell album is the most quintessentially "Dionne" album of that period.

[BachtoBacharach]

Just Being Myself was an album that should have done better! Dionne was playing with a funky vibe on those tracks and she nailed it! I remember Dionne's 1973 appearance on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson to promote the tune and the album. Dionne was pregnant with Damon Elliott (b. March 21, 1973) at the time the album was released and she told Johnny that she decided that she was not "going to work the album" because she wanted to stay home with her newborn and not hit the concert or promotion circuit for a while. When I Think You Need Love failed to chart, Dionne decided to work the next single "Just Being Myself" and she told Johnny and Ed McMahon "it looks like it's going to do something." Ed stated that the tune would be a big hit...if only he had been right...the tune peaked at #62 on the R & B chart in the summer of 1973 but did receive substantial airplay so it did "do something." The single Just Being Myself was full of hooks (including a killer intro) and should have been a much bigger hit. It's my favorite tune on an album filled with great tracks. Usher sampled You're Gonna Need Me from the album for his 2004 hit Throwback.

[Blair N. Cummings]

Just a couple of recollections regarding "Then Came You."
The Spinners said that recording with Dionne was a horrible experience that they would never repeat (and didn`t) so apparently she was entering her prima donna phase already.
In addition, I believe that the billing for the song was The Spinners featuring Dionne Warwick and that it was initially released on their label which was - I think - Atlantic. So, if Dionne was "on loan" for that track, it might be that Atlantic had exclusive distribution rights for x amount of time before Warner`s could issue it under Dionne`s name.

[face]

Blair, where did you hear that information about the Spinners finding the experience recording with Dionne to be horrible? I've never come across it. Dionne's frequent collaborations with everyone under the sun (even now) would suggest that she has a reputation for being a good sport.

[Blair N. Cummings]

Honestly, face, I can`t recall the source now. It was over forty years ago. It may have been an interview in Rolling Stone or a squib in the New York Times, but I recall it clearly.

[face]

Blair, that's surprising, but I'll take your word for it. In any event, the Spinners did record with Dionne again in 1990 ("I Don't Need Another Love), so perhaps time heals all wounds.

[BachtoBacharach]

Blair, the single was released on the Atlantic label in May of 1974 and went nowhere...it was originally released as Dionne Warwicke and Spinners. The re-release was issued in August1974, again on the Atlantic label not on Dionne's label, and the record hit...Warwick received top billing on both releases. I've never heard that Dionne and Spinners didn't get along during the recording. Bobby Smith and Phillippe Wynne remained close to Dionne for many years and all spoke highly of the work they did together.

[face]

I just read an excerpt from a book called "A House On Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul," by John A. Jackson, about the "Then Came You" collaboration. According to the author, Bell recorded Dionne's vocals in LA and then recorded the Spinners in Philadelphia, so there was never a joint session in the first place. He also repeated the story I've read before about how Dionne didn't think the song would be a hit, and how she and Bell bet each other by tearing a dollar bill in half -- if the song hit, then Dionne would have to send Bell her half with "I'm sorry" on it, and if the song flopped, then Bell would have to do the same for Dionne. Needless to say, Dionne sent Bell her half that summer when the song hit! Blair, perhaps the account that you read all those years ago was speculation or just intentionally false. Who knows.

In reading so much about Dionne over the years, one theme runs through everything: when it comes to her music, she is a consummate professional. In the studio, she records quickly and takes direction from her producers well. On the road, she is a perfectionist with her band and backup singers, but she is also a fair and generous boss. Any reports of bad behavior on her part (and there really aren't very many) have always had nothing to do with her music, from what I gather. I think this long record of high standards and professionalism is why she is so well respected within the music industry.

[Blair N. Cummings]

This surely wouldn`t be the first time my memory has failed me. I just seem to have recalled one of the Spinners saying something like "No way!' when asked if the group would record with Dionne again.
Nevertheless, I`m bowing to face and BtoB on this one.
Sorry, guys. Time to move on.

[ron hertel]

... My only recollection of the media attention surrounding the Warwicke/Spinners collaboration was the following: ..... During an interview at that time Dionne was asked if she would be doing more recording or perhaps a complete album with the Spinners. ... Her response was something to the effect that she didn't need the Spinners - and - the Spinners CERTAINLY did not need Dionne Warwick! ... The CERTAINLY was quite emphatic which I thought took any competitive or "diva like" interpretations of her response off the table. ........ In recent years when the subject of #1 songs surfaces in interviews - she - in a straight forward manner acknowledges that her only "2" #1 Charted Recordings were collaborations! .... She remains proud of her "5" Grammy Awards although a number of her contemporaries have received far more recognition for their work. .... I always have - and still do - attribute this to the sophisticated and complex quality of her work. ... With few exceptions - she has always remained true to herself!

[Blair N. Cummings]

I`m genuinely sorry I even brought this up.

[ron hertel]

..... WHY???? ..... This what a discussion forum is all about!