A review of the show 'The Sounds of Burt Bacharach'
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 8:36 am
This tribute to Bacharach has been touring around southern England for a few weeks now and I managed to catch it in Harlow last week and in Edmonton, north London, last night. It’s performed by four vocalists (3 young women and a not so young man, Chris Dean from the Syd Lawrence Orchestra, who devised the show) who all know how to put a song over and who take it in turn to sing solo and alternatively sing background, and a 7-piece band (Trumpet, trombone, piano, digital keyboard, guitar, bass and drums) made up of musicians who apparently regularly play with big bands and in West End pit orchestras. This is purely a song-based show with no set and without a scenario linking the songs. Announcements between the numbers are kept short and to the point ("That was a hit in 1963 for Jack Jones and this was a hit in 1964 for Dusty Springfield") and apart from the fact that the vocalists are dressed in mainly 60s fashions and a few umbrellas were twirled during 'Raindrops' the only stage 'business' that took place was for 'Three Wheels on my Wagon', in which the four singers went into Wild West mode, donning cowboy hats and affecting outrageous Southern accents while the band donned head-bands and feathers. This got a big response from the audience last night, so much so that Chris Dean was moved to remark that, "It's always the rubbish that goes down the best!". That was one of several surprise song choices that were on the whole very welcome, although I personally could have done without the weak ‘Forever my Love’. So that the band can flex its muscles and the vocalists have plenty of time for costume changes, the show makes good use of instrumentals with ‘South American Getaway’ sounding terrific in a purely small group arrangement without voices.
Of course, the most important aspect in a show like this for all Bacharach fanatics like myself is that the arrangements are faithful at least in spirit to Bacharach’s originals and that the all important chord sequences and time signatures are strictly adhered to, and this was definitely the case for about 95% of the time. However, in a long show lasting a shade over two hours and containing over 30 songs there were bound to be a few negatives and I suppose it was just about pardonable that there were a few stumbles in the lyric remembering department, but less forgivable were the instances of misinformation given by the singers about several of the numbers. For example, ‘Pacific Coast Highway’ we were told was from ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’; ‘One less Bell’ was a hit for Cheryl Crowe; ‘Don’t Make me Over’ was a hit for both Petula Clark and Neil Diamond and that the New Christy Minstrels’ recording of ‘Three Wheels on my Wagon’ was a No.1 in the UK for several weeks, when in actual fact it failed to chart at all. The running order was a bit quirky here and there too (see below), never more so when a very affecting rendition of ‘The Windows of the World’ was followed immediately and jarringly by ‘Raindrops’ keep fallin’ on my Head’. Those quibbles aside, this is a highly enjoyable show, not only for Bacharach fans but music lovers generally, put on and performed by people who obviously love and care about the man’s music and, most importantly, manage to do it justice.
Based purely on my less than reliable memory, the running order went something like this:
Magic Moments
I say a little Prayer
Are you there (with another girl)
Making Love
Wives and Lovers (instrumental)
I just don’t know what to do with myself
Theme from ‘The Blob’
Do you know the way to San Jose
The Windows of the World
Raindrops keep fallin’ on my Head
Casino Royale
You’ll never get to heaven/ Don’t go Breaking my Heart
A House is not a Home
South American Getaway
Arthur’s Theme
One less Bell to Answer
What’s new Pussycat
Interval
Promises, Promises (instrumental)
Make it Easy on Yourself
I’ll Never Fall in Love Again
Walk on By
Don’t Make Me Over
Three Wheels on my Wagon
What the World Needs Now is Love
(There’s) Always something there to remind me
Anyone who had a Heart
Twenty-four hours from Tulsa
Reach out for me
The Story of my Life
Close to You
Pacific Coast Highway
Forever my Love
The Look of Love
This Guy’s in Love with You
Alfie
That’s what Friends are for
(Curtain) The World is a Circle (instrumental)
Here's the link to the show's website:
http://www.jazzmouse.co.uk/news51.html
Of course, the most important aspect in a show like this for all Bacharach fanatics like myself is that the arrangements are faithful at least in spirit to Bacharach’s originals and that the all important chord sequences and time signatures are strictly adhered to, and this was definitely the case for about 95% of the time. However, in a long show lasting a shade over two hours and containing over 30 songs there were bound to be a few negatives and I suppose it was just about pardonable that there were a few stumbles in the lyric remembering department, but less forgivable were the instances of misinformation given by the singers about several of the numbers. For example, ‘Pacific Coast Highway’ we were told was from ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’; ‘One less Bell’ was a hit for Cheryl Crowe; ‘Don’t Make me Over’ was a hit for both Petula Clark and Neil Diamond and that the New Christy Minstrels’ recording of ‘Three Wheels on my Wagon’ was a No.1 in the UK for several weeks, when in actual fact it failed to chart at all. The running order was a bit quirky here and there too (see below), never more so when a very affecting rendition of ‘The Windows of the World’ was followed immediately and jarringly by ‘Raindrops’ keep fallin’ on my Head’. Those quibbles aside, this is a highly enjoyable show, not only for Bacharach fans but music lovers generally, put on and performed by people who obviously love and care about the man’s music and, most importantly, manage to do it justice.
Based purely on my less than reliable memory, the running order went something like this:
Magic Moments
I say a little Prayer
Are you there (with another girl)
Making Love
Wives and Lovers (instrumental)
I just don’t know what to do with myself
Theme from ‘The Blob’
Do you know the way to San Jose
The Windows of the World
Raindrops keep fallin’ on my Head
Casino Royale
You’ll never get to heaven/ Don’t go Breaking my Heart
A House is not a Home
South American Getaway
Arthur’s Theme
One less Bell to Answer
What’s new Pussycat
Interval
Promises, Promises (instrumental)
Make it Easy on Yourself
I’ll Never Fall in Love Again
Walk on By
Don’t Make Me Over
Three Wheels on my Wagon
What the World Needs Now is Love
(There’s) Always something there to remind me
Anyone who had a Heart
Twenty-four hours from Tulsa
Reach out for me
The Story of my Life
Close to You
Pacific Coast Highway
Forever my Love
The Look of Love
This Guy’s in Love with You
Alfie
That’s what Friends are for
(Curtain) The World is a Circle (instrumental)
Here's the link to the show's website:
http://www.jazzmouse.co.uk/news51.html