The Burt Bacharach Discussion Forum

I've written here before about how Here I Am is Dionne's best Scepter album, and, upon listening to it again yesterday, my opinion still stands. However, I've been thinking about Burt's golden age anew. I feel like the period could really be thought of as three roughly distinct moments. There is the early period (1958 - 1962 -- think Dietrich/Shirelles), the middle period (1963 - 1966 -- think "Anyone Who Had a Heart" through "Alfie"), and the late period (1967 - 1972 -- think "Say A Little Prayer" until the split with Hal). The first period is characterized by relatively simple sounding R&B and emerging innovative arrangements, the middle period is characterized by strings, big choruses, and throbbing pianos, and the late period is when we met those "farting" horns, loping beats, and the quintessential Bacharach "lounge" treatment. The late period is also his most commercially successful.

For my money, the middle period is the pinnacle of Burt's craft. While all of his work shows a brilliance and adventurousness, those middle 60s recordings show something that was gradually whittled down afterwards: soulfulness. Those songs have a passion and a pulse that largely gave way to soft and easy sounds later, and, to me, they struck just the right balance between art and passion. To listen to Dionne's albums from Make Way for Dionne Warwick through Here Where There is Love is to marvel at how so much emotion and feeling could be packed into such sophisticated 3 minute songs, and some of Burt's personal favorite songs were written during this period: "A House Is Not a Home" and "Alfie" come to mind immediately.

So, Bacharachians, do you agree with my assessment? Can Burt's golden age be thought of this way, and do you have a favorite period within it?

I`m not sure any artist`s creativity can be sliced up quite as neatly as you suggest. Certainly there is a stylistic progression and the songs you mention are marvels of invention. They are also the reason for my less than enthusiastic response to more recent efforts (notably At This Time and the Some Lovers project). Yet, even now something like "The Only Music I Understand" harkens back to the innovations of old.
I don`t expect many more compositions like "Window Wishing" or "Be Aware" but the man is headed for 90 and as Yogi Bear once noted, "It`s not over `til it`s over."

Yes, Blair, I agree that my categories are a little rough and maybe even meaningless, but it is evident that Burt's style changed over the course of the decade in noticeable ways. Maybe it is better thought of as a "stylistic progression," as you said. Either way, I think that middle 60s period is the most satisfying of any period of Burt's career, including his work after Hal. The BB/HD/DW trio had magic in a bottle.

Here`s another form of magic (or, rather) "Lightning in a Bottle" via Jim Webb and Glen Campbell :
The differences between the collaborations are almost as obvious as the similarities. I remain perplexed that there isn`t more overlap in the fan bases.
(BTW, I have no idea what the mish-mash slide show here has to do with anything. Turn off your screen while listening to avoid unnecessary distraction).