Put Your Youtube.com Links Here! (if you want)

[Toms1234]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz7oM1_EXnM

[An Enormous BB Fan]

I happen to love this song by Burt and Tim Rice. And listen to what Lyle Lovett says about Burt. (And Mark Isham does such a great job at the piano.)

[An Enormous BB Fan]

Starting at 2:51 of this youtube video, you can hear The Supremes singing "Anyone Who Had A Heart". It's from a live 1963 performance.

The thought the Supremes and Diana Ross were great, but as I listen to this version, I can't help but think "Thank God that this wasn't the version that the world knew about." Listening to this arrangement, I can't help but compare it to the original -- sung by Dionne and arranged and conducted by Burt. As great as the song is, the difference is like night and day. This version is just so weak and "blah!" as compared to what Burt achieved with Dionne. Even a great song can be ruined or be made pedestrian when it's maximum potential isn't achieved by the arranger and singer. This is why Burt has no equal.

[blueonblue]

One of the greatest songs Bacharach & David ever wrote !!!
Why it wasn't a "smash" is totally beyond me ???
Let's just hope, that one day this "lost masterpiece" is finally "re-discovered" !!!


"blue"

[BachtoBacharach]

One of the comments on YouTube about the tune is that Dionne Warwick recorded it previously. I assume if that is true it remains unreleased. Although I like Mills voice, it is so totally different from the voice of Warwick and Springfield, and comes a little short of doing the tune justice. I had always heard the rumor from several sources that Burt and Hal had already written the original tunes in the Mills album for Warwick about two years previously (l1973) but due to the blow-up between Burt and Hal, they were never recorded by Warwick, apparently with the exception of the tune here. Burt stated publically in 1973 that he would not work with Hal and Burt and Hal were both contractually obligated to Warwick at that time. She scrambled to get "Just Being Myself" recorded and realeased in 1973 to fulfull her contractual obligation to Warner Brothers. I would also assume that Hal was not involved in the Mills production, except perhaps for contractual purposes, in name only. Another rumor circulating at the time, again fairly well known in the business, was that Burt was somewhat astonished that Dionne had her first number one hit in 1974 with the one off "Then Came You" and true to his competitive nature, initiated the Mills project to remind folks that Bacharach was still a commercial force and also since Warwick/Bacharach were still so tied to each other in the public's perception. The luck did not continue for Dionne, as Warner was slow to release a follow-up single to "Then Came You" until "Take It From Me' in February of 1975 and whatever momentum "Then Came You" could have generated for either an album or a follow-up single was squandered. By the time the Mills album was released, any momentum was long gone.

[BachtoBacharach]

Just learned that Warwick also recorded "Living on Plastic" in 1973 and the recording is one of several from that era that have not seen the light of day.

[An Enormous BB Fan]

My thanks to blueonblue for re-posting a link to that phenomenal song again. I'm so thankful that youtube hasn't removed it -- or, rather, been forced to remove it.

And, thanks, BachtoBacharach, for all that "inside" information. I think the Stephanie Mills version of "If You Can Learn How To Cry" is a classic just the way it is. Of course, who wouldn't have wanted Dionne to sing it?

I blame "Lost Horizon" for the whole mess. If it hadn't been for that movie -- or, rather, Burt's involvement with it -- Burt, Hal and Dionne would have had many more years of hits songs together. It really is a pity what that movie did to Burt.

[BachtoBacharach]

I believe that the movie was a bane to all three; Burt literally quit writing and hid at his beach house in California for a year or so after the scathing reviews for the movie. The movie was a complete and utter flop on all levels with one exception: Burt's music. But, his songs and score got painted with the same critical brush the movie did. It is just my hunch that had the movie not tanked, there would have been a another Dionne Warwick album after "Dionne" in 1972 and it would probably have included tunes from the movie plus the tunes on the Mills album. The two or more tunes Dionne cut that were on the Mills album lead me to be believe that Burt, Hal and Dionne did go back into the studio together after the album "Dionne" and probably right before Lost Horizon was released. Speculation on my part, but all the stories I've heard through the years lead me to believe that the followup album to Dionne was in the works when the team imploded. Mo Osten sent Dionne to talk to Burt after the blow up and told her she had to convince Burt and Hal to get together and get that album out or WB would sue her. Warwick's contract was with WB and she had a separate contract with Burt and Hal to produce 5 albums, one per year for 5 years. It has been reported that Burt outright refused and at first told Dionne that she could not work outside of the contract she had with him. He relented and allowed Dionne to find other producers/songwriters and Just Being Myself was the result. The backing tracks had already been recorded for Just Being Myself and Dionne called in favors from Holland-Dozier-Holland and they used the tracks for her album. The fallout over Lost Horizon practically stopped Burt's career cold and Dionne, although she could fill concert halls and did during this downturn in her career, found herself absent from the charts and record sales lagging from her heyday as the top female vocalist in America for several years. Hal was able to work with other songwriters and did. Barcharach was so bitter about the subsequent breach of contract lawsuit Dionne filed, he actually called her out from a Las Vegas stage when she attended a show in 1976 and banned her from visiting backstage. After that, they only spoke through lawyers until 1984. Bacharach and David settled out of court in 1979 for 5 million plus shared recording rights with Warwick. A sad end to a great team. Although they worked together after 1984, the magic could not be recaptured totally.

[An Enormous BB Fan]

Great post! and thanks BachtoBacharach. And you're right -- Lost Horizon was a bane to the three of them. I have a feeling -- and it's just a guess on my part -- that Burt actually had a [kind of] nervous breakdown after Lost Horizon came out and was trashed by the critics. Otherwise, how can you explain his turning on Dionne [and Hal]? Okay, regarding Hal... maybe Burt wanted a change in writing partners... which even that I don't understand. But to treat Dionne like that just wasn't right -- I mean, come on -- to ban her from his dressing room?!

And I'm very confused about Burt and his contracts. Contracts are very legally binding and you just can't say "that's it, I'm not living up to the contract I signed." As a matter of fact, this very thing has been discussed with regard to the bonus money given to the AIG executives. Even many senators felt that it would be very hard, if not impossible, to deny the bonuses simply because there had been contracts signed. Contracts, as I heard discussed on TV, is one of the bedrocks of American law. So I'm puzzled how Burt thought that he could simply not honor his contract... and this is probably why Dionne won her lawsuit against Burt, because the Court would not allow Burt to simply ignore his contract with Dionne. But what I do not understand is how Burt could even think that he could demand that Dionne not work outside the same contract that he, himself, wouldn't honor!! Makes no sense. And I don't understand why Mo Osten would sue Dionne at all, when it was Burt he should have sued. It wasn't Dionne's fault that Burt wouldn't honor his contract. And I happen to remember reading about all of this at the time and being very upset about it. I was upset for them personally because I knew how great that relationship had been. And, even more, I was upset that there wouldn't be any more Burt/Hal/Dionne records.

I vividly remember buying "Just Being Myself". Holland-Dozier-Holland are also songwriting geniuses and I was very pleased with them writing songs for Dionne. Yes, I certainly would have preferred Burt and Hal, but failing that, H-D-H was a great second choice.

Well, the bottom line for me is that Burt and Hal and Dionne were made for each other, and we have Lost Horizon to thank for breaking that genius team apart.

Let's not forget, however, that Dionne went on to have many hits on Arista. "After You", "No Night, So Long", "I'll Never Love This Way Again", "Then Came You", etc. etc. But the shame is that, instead of those wonderful songs, she could have still be singing Burt and Hal songs.

[blueonblue]

Bacharach and David...............go "Disco" !!!


"blue"

[BachtoBacharach]

Why would Warner Brothers sue Burt when their contract was not with him? Their contract was with Dionne and it was she who had to present them with content. WB would have no legal basis to sue Bacharach. Now, Dionne would have a legal basis to sue to enforce the contract she had with Bacharach/David and she prevailed. Burt and Hal have both discussed the various contracts between the parties and they seem to be so convoluted and hard to sort out. From all accounts, Burt was devastated over Lost Horizon and apparently felt that Hal had not carried his weight during the production. Burt has acknowledged that in retrospect, Hal's contribution as lyricist was appropriate and that, Burt, as composer responsible for the entire score, was naturally going to work until completion of the film whereas Hal was finished when the lyrics were done. Burt, by that time was a big star and although he always acknowledged Dionne's contribution to his success, at times during interviews and appearances, he failed to mention Hal. This obviously hurt Hal so there were egos involved. Burt obviously took the failure of Lost Horizon personally and seemed to lash out at Hal and DIonne, mostly Hal. Dionne seemed to get caught in the crossfire. I agree that Burt was probably not thinking clearly at the time and perhaps didn't care about all the legal wrangling or his legal responsibilities. Burt has at times said Hal wanted to settle with Dionne and he wanted to fight it out and let Hal talk him into settling-good thing he listened to Hal or the verdict might have been more than the 5 million they had to pay Dionne. At other times, Burt has acknowledged that he was entirely responsible for the episode and hurt a lot of people, most notably Dionne and Hal. His marriage to Angie Dickinson began to suffer during this time as her star ascended due to the hit TV series "Police Woman." Angie has acknowledged that both she and Burt had a very difficult time dealing with her sudden ascent to superstardom. A dark period for all concerned.

[Rio]

So this is what a chord change sounds like...


Comment by BurtBacharachTime:
This song has a certain comic appeal to it and you can be excused by not recognising who the composer is...that is until ...01:26 to 01:33 and 01:45 to 1:52 !!!
Classic Bacharach chords there!!!!!!!

[Hank]

If this one's been posted before I apologize.
I thought this was interesting because this looks like a Futures era Burt but this song is much more "1972".
Interesting too that Jackie's phrasing is very Dionne. If you close your eyes, it could almost be Dionne.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzS-1JMLR9U

[BachtoBacharach]

Lovely! I have always wondered by Jackie got much less attention than Dusty as a Bacharach interpreter. Jackie worked directly with Burt on several occasions whereas Dusty worked directly with Burt for "The Look of Love" but they never got together in a recording studio after that for any original work. Aside from Dionne and Gene Pitney, Jackie recorded more original Bacharach than Dusty's one collaboration with Burt's direct input and interesting to note that the hit version of "The Look of Love" was Dusty's rerecording and not as recorded originally with Bacharach for the movie "Casino Royale." I love Dusty and love her cover versions of Bacharach's tunes but Jackie is so underrated. In my opinion, other than Dionne, Jackie was the female vocalist who offered the most compelling interpretations of Bacharach and David and yet she remains underappreciated. It may be an unfair comparison, but then again folks are always comparing Dusty and Dionne. Jackie has that something in her voice and her phrasing that brings out something extra deep and powerful in Bacharach and David, much like Dionne. Jackie was, in her own right, a very talented songwriter and I just love what they did together in 1965 and 1966.

[hereiam]

Wow, this one by Jackie is a real gem. It must be the best Bacharach's songs she has ever done.
(What the world need now is much inferior to Dionne's version, i think)
She looked beautiful too in this video.

Ah, perhaps this song by Francis Lai should have been written by Burt too.
It is so beautiful.