The Burt Bacharach Discussion Forum

Sheridan Smith's version of "Anyone Who Had A Heart" and "You're My World" have just been released on iTunes.
Should be interesting.

"blue"

Yes Blue, and apparently due to public demand. Let's hope that 'demand' is reflected in a high chart position.

Like all bio-dramas dealing with iconic figures from recent history, it struggled to be convincing at times and the scenes involving the ‘Beatles’ were very clunky. While they made a pretty good job of recreating the Cavern, they didn’t do justice to the big space that is Abbey Road Studio 1 for the recording scenes. However, like everyone else I was very impressed by Sheridan Smith’s performance of 'Anyone Who had a Heart' and the re-enactment of the famous Alfie recording session was surprisingly well done. ‘Burt’ continually asking for “one more” had me laughing out loud, as did ‘Ed Sullivan’ when he introduced Cilla Black on his show as coming from “Wales in England”!

A question for our north-west of England correspondent, Blue. In the scene from episode three when 'Cilla' meets 'Burt' in the studio, can you tell me what it is that she says to him that elicits the response, "Touche'""!? I've played this scene over several times and the only words I can make out are "Dionne Warwick"!

Hi pljms,
From what I can decipher, Cilla says to Burt:
"But then you did want Dionne Warwick instead of me"

I hope the recently released DVD has subtitles. lol

"blue"

Thanks Blue, that seems right. If we Englishmen have problems deciphering what 'Cilla' said, how the heck was 'Burt' meant to have understood?!

He must have used an interpreter.

The last time I was in Liverpool I asked a taxi driver to take me to "The Lord Nelson Hotel."
To which he replied "Oh yer mean der Nelly"

"blue"

It must have been a real horror for burt that he was forced to work with such an utterly talent-free musical idiot as ms white.

Okay, Cilla's not the greatest singer in the world, but she tried her damnedest on "Alfie"
So full credit to the lady !
And besides, I rather like it.

"blue"

Safely ensconced in the north-eastern US, I can have no opinion on the Cilla Black "bio-pic" or whatever it was.
I did, however, get a chuckle out of her mention in this piece by Terry Eagleton in the Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... y-clarkson

Lord Nelson Hotel? Just behind Lime Street Station?
I played some of my best ever pool in that basement. I'm an Evertonian.

Yeah, that's the one !

"blue"

Thanks Enormous for that photo of "The Nelly" in Liverpool.

"blue"

blueonblue wrote:Okay, Cilla's not the greatest singer in the world, but she tried her damnedest on "Alfie"
So full credit to the lady !
And besides, I rather like it.

"blue"

Bacharach states in his book, Blue, that he had great respect for both Cilla Black and George Martin and that's why he flew the 5000+ miles from LA to London to be at the session. After their remarkable recording of 'Anyone Who Had a Heart', to this day the most successful hit record in terms of sales in the UK of a Bacharach song, he would have, wouldn't he? No, Cilla was never technically a great singer but great singers often make for poor interpreters of Bacharach and David's material, something that is all too evident on recordings by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. Cilla sang from the heart and that's what many people found so touching in her renditions of both 'Anyone Who had a Heart' and 'Alfie'.

Martin,
I couldn't agree more.

"blue"