The Burt Bacharach Discussion Forum

I've always felt that the piano part of the arrangement is the most fundamental and characteristic part of Burt's arrangements, and for me the piano has always been central to his work. So it occurred to me tonight to try to think of a Burt song that does not use a piano at all. I can only think of one, and I'm not completely sure even that one lacks a piano. I'm thinking of "The Young Grow Younger". Can anyone name any piano-less arrangements by Burt?

-Dennis Webb

I`m too lazy to dig out the recordings, but off the top of my head I think "I Might Frighten Her Away "(ST version) and "Papier Mache" are piano - free arrangements and I suspect there are more.

Are you serious? None of the above songs has a piano in it? I'm shocked. I never noticed that.

Dennis,

what a great question, really set me going through my collection.

I think there may be more than you think - here's one for definate: What's In Goodbye. Not a hint of a keyboard in there.

Also is there any piano in Pacific Coast Highway? And how about Riverboat (Woman)?

Regards, NM

Actually now I come to listen to it again, I think I can hear some keyboard in "What's In Goodbye". DOH!!!

Never mind, this is a very under-rated track and I love the mid-section with its drowning in sunshine. What a lyric.

There is indeed piano in Pacific COast Highway..but of course the engineer mixed the piano rhym(what there was of it) very well with the rhythm section...and so it blends well...
then are are the little solos

Steveo

Originally, I was just thinking of Dionne Warwick's recordings, of which I think there are very few without piano. But to expand a bit, how about Gene McDaniel's "Tower of Strength" from the early 1960s? The only copy of that song I have is the one in my head, and I can't find a piano there; but I could be wrong. What about the Shirelle's "Baby, It's You"? Or Gene Pitney's "Only Love Can Break a Heart" and "True Love Never Runs Smooth"? Speaking of which, I think "TLNRS" has such a great combination of instruments in the arrangement: strings, chimes, accordion (or similar instrument), a chorus, percussion, et al. It's a very rich sound. Pitney really delivers that song with great style and passion. I've always loved the way he handles those little triplets on "together we'll B-E-E strong" and "hold me in YO-O-UR heart". He always seemed to find the soul of a BB/HD song and express it so affectingly. I have to wonder whether at the recording sessions Burt worked to shape Pitney's vocals, or whether Pitney just instinctively knew how to bring out the best in those songs and Burt just let it happen.

While I'm musing, I wish Del Shannon had gone into the recording studio with Burt; the results would have been interesting. I can't think of any Burt songs he covered offhand.

-Dennis Webb

nowmedical wrote:Actually now I come to listen to it again, I think I can hear some keyboard in "What's In Goodbye". DOH!!!

Never mind, this is a very under-rated track and I love the mid-section with its drowning in sunshine. What a lyric.

I couldn't agree more. I absolutely LOVE "What's In Goodbye?" It's song composing at its finest with such a great "hook"! I think it was hit in England, too. I have no idea why it wasn't a hit here. I listen to it all the time (thank you!).

I would still bet you that there isn't even one Bacharach/David/Warwick song without a piano somewhere in there. I just can't fathom Burt leaving out a piano part. I'm not saying he didn't. I'm just saying that I can't fathom it! Burt and the piano are one! It would be like me having an ipod without one Burt Bacharach song on it. Would never happen!

I haven't listened to Paper Mache in a while so I can't remember if there is a piano in that tune...don't really recall one distinctly. Will have to give that one a listen.

In my previous posting I'd forgotten that Del Shannon recorded the Bacharach/Hilliard song "The Answer to Everything".



-Dennis Webb

Dennis Webb wrote:In my previous posting I'd forgotten that Del Shannon recorded the Bacharach/Hilliard song "The Answer to Everything".



-Dennis Webb

Yes... I just went to the hitmaker archive and looked up Del Shannon.... sure enough, he's there as having sung this song! That is SOME GREAT Burt Bacharach archive!

BachtoBacharach wrote:I haven't listened to Paper Mache in a while so I can't remember if there is a piano in that tune...don't really recall one distinctly. Will have to give that one a listen.

I just listened to it -- great song by the way! I remember someone -- YEARS AGO -- on this discusssion board telling the story about how, when they first heard the song on the radio, they simply HAD to get the song. This person went on to say that he drove 60 miles that day (I guess he lived way out in the sticks) to the nearest record store and bought the song.

Does anyone here from the old days of this board remember that story?

Anyhow, I just listened to Paper Mache and I couldn't discern a piano being played; however, there was an organ part, so I guess Burt chose to substitute the piano with the organ. It's such a great arrangement too. And I guess the "bump de dump de dump de dump" part is what?, a marimba or xylophone?

I also happen to think that Paper Mache is one of Hal's very best lyrics. Hal still amazes me, really. That man could write ANYTHING!

Do you think that Hal would have been more famous if he had had another composer as his partner? My point is that Burt would overshadow ANYONE with his genius -- even another genius like Hal David. I'm thinking of Johnny Mercer. Hal is every bit as good as Mercer, yet Hal (it seems to me) never received the attention and accolades that Mercer got. My theory is that's because Burt was Burt!, and Mercer didn't have such a dominant figure as Burt to overshadow him.
I admit that this might be a loony theory, but I figured I'd just put it out here and see if it makes the least bit of sense to anyone.

Hi,
Don't forget Johnny Mercer also wrote music......and had a talent in business... he formed Capitol Records!
Getting to what Dennis said about pianoless Burt records.I feel piano is in most of them, but blended down low into the mix....guitar rhythms were the order of the day, and as such they were prominent....later on, the piano became more important in Burt's records in that that it was pulled up in the mix more, and featured "little solos" or riffs,etc...I feel Dionne's records
helped push that part into the foreground.....like in Walk On By, featuring not one, but 2 pianos, and both played by session men!

Steveo

Hey Enormous, BachToBach, Steveo---

I don't think your theory regarding Hal being overshadowed by Burt, etc., is loony at all! Next to Burt, any lyricist, short of the looks & charisma of Johnny depp or Steve McQueen, would have been upstaged! He has genius, looks and (then, or course!) the delectible Angie Dickinson, too! Not to mantion, the fact that our Mr. David seems like such a quiet, unassuming personality. As for the Mercer comparison, I really think it's a case of apples and oranges: Mercer had a Southern lilt & poetry in all his stuff that often read like portions of some short story; Hal's off-the-cuff, everyman/woman sentiments sound so easy & everyday...until, of course, you try and write them yourself!

And everybody should give a listen to PAPER MACHIE (sic); I think it's one of their most underrated combinations of music, lyrics and a Time & Place & Vibe that is long vanished from our landscape. It's almost, as if, this is the world that the Vietnam vet in THE WINDOWS OF THE WORLD found waiting when they arrived home.

Best To All,

Jerry