The Burt Bacharach Discussion Forum

Martin, it is odd that the female singer on WATP is unknown because starting with the Futures album, Burt began listing the names of previously un-credited vocalists. While I still don`t recognize the voice of the woman in question here, it may be that she was contracted to another label and thus needed to remain anonymous to avoid legal hassles.

Martin Johnson wrote:Blair mentioning the 'Who Are These People?' track from 'At This Time' reminded me that we've never solved the mystery of just who was the uncredited female lead vocalist alongside Elvis Costello? All we really established was that it was neither Donna Taylor nor Josie James, Bacharach's long-term concert singers who along with John Pagano sang the backing vocals on the track. Listening again now confirms me in my opinion at the time that if it had been more of a song and less of an instrumental it would have been more potent and far more effective in getting its message over:

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

Yes, it definitely needed to be more of a song and with better lyrics than either Tonio K or Bacharach could provide. Still, the fact that Bacharach had found his political voice in song generated a lot of interest and publicity with punning headlines in the UK press like, "Do You Know The Way To Baghdad?" and "What's It All About, George W?".

Putting to one side questions of taste and decency, I don't think the original last line, "Or we're all fucked", was ever going to be very singable and I'm glad the record company got Bacharach to change it to, "Before it's too late". As Elvis Costello was involved in the recording and apparently shared Bacharach's concerns, maybe he should have been asked to lend a guiding hand with the lyrics?

I think that it`s damnably difficult to write a political lyric for a mainstream pop song that doesn`t alienate half the audience and overshadow its melody. Brecht made some efforts in that vein, "Solidarity" being the most successful; but even that flirted with "agit-prop." More common were those of the tamer "socially-conscious" variety that even Hal David could do. Somewhere in between was something like "Strange Fruit" and when was the last time you heard anyone sing that?
I`m old enough to still feel a connection to "We Can Be Together" - hell, the entire Volunteers album by the Airplane (that`s Jefferson Airplane for you youngsters) but that was another genre and another era.
In a neat confluence of references, here`s the Airplane doing "Solidarity" on their so-so `89 reunion album. Singer Marty Balin died a month and two days ago at age 76.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkuyMIGRZVw

Still, kind of hard to imagine Josie, Donna and Pagano doing this, isn`t it?

Grace Slick's autobiography 'Somebody To Love' was a lucky find for me in what we in the UK call a charity shop. It's as candid, honest and funny as you'd hoped it would be and I re-read it every three or four years. As you can imagine, she's especially good regarding San Francisco in the late 60s and how absurdly naive those then strongly held beliefs and convictions seem from a distance of several decades.

As you might imagine, I could write reams on this subject but I`ll limit myself to this for the present:
We were not worldly sophisticates (politically or otherwise) in those days; we were high school and college age. You know...kids.
That said, I`m pleased that, although certainly not idealistic nor naïve any more, I did not participate in the American ritual of becoming a right-winger in mid- or late-life.

Incidentally, Grace - incredibly - turned 79 a week or two ago. Only she, Jack, and Jorma are left from the Airplane.

I think the trend for people to move inexorably to the right politically as they reach middle-age, no matter how much of a liberal lefty they once were in their youth, is quite universal. Certainly in my experience I've never known any individual to move in the opposite direction from the right to the left! I suppose it's inevitable that we become less idealistic and more pragmatic as we get older but of course that doesn't necessarily mean that most of us are going to turn into mean spirited right-wing reactionaries.

Assuming the beautiful 'Look Up Again' has lyrics it seems a shame to me that EC didn't include it on the new album. To my ears it's as musically strong if not stronger than any of the three collaborations with BB that were included and, just as important, it sounds 100% Bacharach.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=91YorY0No8Y

I would certainly welcome a vocal recording by someone; but the professional popular music singer - once a prominent fixture - is now as moribund as, well, popular music that isn`t dance- or rap-rooted.
I`m not holding my breath.

I was thinking the same thing. Way too good for a vocal version not to see the light of day.

'Stripping Paper' is a personal favourite from this superb album. As has been mentioned already, Elvis Costello seems to be singing better than ever these days:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uJWckSvZC94

I just heard a podcast where Elvis is interviewed by Andrew Ford (Australian composer) about the new album. The interview was originally broadcast on Australian Radio (Radio National - The Music Show) in October. In the interview, Elvis talks about the collaboration with Bacharach. Some points he made -

Don't Look Now - Entirely Burt's music set to existing lyrics by Elvis.

Photographs Can Lie - Burt's music came first, Elvis then wrote the lyric to fit the tune.

His Given Me Things - Almost completed by Elvis (Music and lyrics), but it had a problem. He sent it to Burt and Burt fixed it. Bacharach's contribution was only about 16 bars - but a crucial 16 bars.

Stripping Paper - Written by Elvis, he sent it to Bacharach asking for a contribution - but Burt said it was complete, and didn't add to it.

He also talks about the Painted For Memory collaboration, and the problem with staging a musical in Broadway that has only melancholy songs.

The podcast can be heard with this link -

https://abcmedia.akamaized.net/rn/podca ... 8_1110.mp3

Otherwise google "ABC Radio National Music Show" and then scroll for the podcasts.

It's typical of EC to be so candid about the creative process of his songwriting because he's as much a 'muso' as the rest of us! I dislike it when songwriters are deliberately vague about the art of collaboration and they say things like, "I think I wrote the melody to the verses and he may have come up with the chorus." What utter nonsense. Paul McCartney is another who doesn't pretend not to remember the 'who done its', especially the early Lennon & McCartney songs that were genuine collaborations. Talking of EC & PM, here's a collaboration between the pair of them and I'm sure they can both remember exactly who did what.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cL0ZD0edQvg