The Burt Bacharach Discussion Forum

Checking the credits on Dionne Warwick's Valley of the Dolls album I see that the arrangement for Up, Up and Away was by the interestingly named Manny Albam. On the last few DW albums produced by Bacharach and David, on songs composed by others Bacharach tends not to be the arranger and it's one of the reasons why these tracks tend to stand-out like proverbial sore thumbs.

pljms wrote:Checking the credits on Dionne Warwick's Valley of the Dolls album I see that the arrangement for Up, Up and Away was by the interestingly named Manny Albam. On the last few DW albums produced by Bacharach and David, on songs composed by others Bacharach tends not to be the arranger and it's one of the reasons why these tracks tend to stand-out like proverbial sore thumbs.

You have to admit it had a bacharach vibe. That could be becuz the original composer doesnt veer to far from bacharachs sound in the first place.

Bacharach sounding like hollqnd.dozier with a song fit.for.supremes or vandellas.

A young dionne sings,I,could make.you mine. I hear similarities with this.and the teddy randazzo produced get out of my life,by timi yuro.

Burt bacharach arranges and produces but not compose this tearjerking soul writhing blues record called aint no use by lou johnson.

It was really good to hear this on BBC Radio 2's Sounds of the 60s this morning. I believe you had to stay very late at the Wigan Casino to hear this played as the 'last dance' record back in Northern Soul's heyday, around about the time that most people would have been at home in bed and starting to think about breakfast. A UK Top 40 hit:



Here's Dusty Springfield's terrific cover of the song:

Irma Thomas also recorded Long After Tonight is all Over, although perhaps not as rewardingly as both Jimmy Radcliffe and Dusty Springfield. As far as I know she is still the only one to have recorded this 21st century Bacharach gem.

Sorry, Martin but I found "What Can I Do" all-too-typically sub-par for twenty-first century Bacharach.
Exactly how old is this song? Maybe I don`t want a new album, after all.

Blair, What Can I Do is from Irma Thomas's 2008 album Simply Grand. No, I wasn't keen on it on first hearing but after a few more listens I began to really like it. It helps, of course, that I'm a big Irma Thomas fan and had bought the album before I was aware that there was a Bacharach composed track on there.

Start at 12:35.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEZ058X0j_8

I find this segment to be very weird and no offense intended but Dionne appears to be out of it. What do you think?

What's this all about? Thought I was having a nightmare! Is he the one behind the Me and My Friends projects? Lord have mercy - we are even exposed to Ms. Warwick's bandaged injured ankle so it is fairly recent.

I just watched this. I don`t think Dionne was "out of it", just out of her element. This is the brain-dead state of American culture 2015. This is what the school system hath wrought and it is no accident. Sources available upon request.

This was toe curling embarrassment, how could poor Dionne let herself be exposed to such drivel ?

"blue"

One of Burt's earliest I guess:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WptcwaH4-d8

Blair N. Cummings wrote:Sorry, Martin but I found "What Can I Do" all-too-typically sub-par for twenty-first century Bacharach.
Exactly how old is this song? Maybe I don`t want a new album, after all.

What Bacharach needs is a good lyricist. Alot of ppl underestimate what Hal brought to the table.