Thursday This And That

This was supposed to be a special Burt Bacharach Edition today (as promised yesterday) but honestly it has been SO hard to prepare pieces in advance these last few years when it seems like we are losing celebrity icons on a near-daily basis.

And let me tell you, we truly lost an icon yesterday, when Raquel Welch passed away.

Without question, one of the most beautiful women to ever grace the screen or pose in front of a photo lens, Ms. Welch passed away after a brief illness at the age of 82.

But this truly beautiful woman had brains and a heart of gold, too.

Sadly, she will be most-remembered for her role in her break-out film "One Million Years B.C." when, in fact, she was so much more - and maintained her dignity and demeanor to the very end.

She was born right here in Chicago in 1940 and was first noticed for her role in "Fantastic Voyage," a movie I happened to see upon its release because I had just finished reading the book for a class assignment.  (I remember liking the book CONSIDERABLY better than the movie ... but isn't that usually the case???)

Welch (born Jo Raquel Tejada) moved with her family to California at the age of 2 and, in 1964, found herself in the cast for the Elvis Presley motion picture "Roustabout."  She was also one of the "billboard girls" on the television series "The Hollywood Palace.  

And DIDJAKNOW she auditioned for the role of Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island?!?!?  (Now GINGER I could understand ... but Mary Ann??? ... I mean, how can you have the Kansas Farm Girl looking hotter than the Hollywood Starlet???)

Apparently, she was also a featured character on "Mork And Mindy," but I don't remember that.  (I had probably already stopped watching by then!)

In 1969, she co-starred with Ringo Starr in "The Magic Christian" (If you want it, come and get it, indeed!!!) and a year later had the lead, starring role as Myra Breckinridge, an effort (in her words) to be "taken seriously as an actor."  The character was a transsexual, which was considered QUITE controversial in 1970!

In addition to hosting and appearing on several television variety shows, she also maintained a success Las Vegas stage act.  In 1974, she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Film for her role in "The Three Musketeers."  She was also a leader in the home fitness arena, had her own line of beauty products and ran a very success wig company. 

Raquel, you will always be in our hearts.  So sad to see you go.  (kk) 

HEY, BURT ...

Nah, we didn't forget about him!!!

We can still squeeze him in here ... 

Kent,

As for tributes pouring in for Burt Bacharach, the only record by him (single) I have is his 1967 instrumental BOND STREET on A & M, which made our weekly survey.

Larry

For all the music he gave us over the decades, Burt never really made much of a mark on the charts under his own name … 1963’s “Saturday Sunshine” and his own 1969 version of “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” are the only two to crack The Hot 100 (both peaked at #93 actually!)  “Bond Street” charted in Record World only … for two weeks in 1967, peaking at #134.  But boy, he SURE made his mark with other artists interpreting his material!  (kk)

kk …

You Notice That When Somebody Dies, People All Of A Sudden Figure Out How Great They Were.

Back In 1957, When I Bought Marty Robbins’ 45 "THE STORY OF MY LIFE” (David - Bacharach), I Figured Out How Great Burt Bacharach Was.

FB

I don’t think you’ll find ANY dispute about how great Burt Bacharach was!  We’ve all known for quite some time. 

I always seem to forget about “The Story Of My Life” … that song was never really on my radar.  For me, the first real breakthrough moment was when he scored the theme to that great Steve McQueen classic, “The Blob!!!” (#33, 1958)

Not exactly what you’d expect from a Burt Bacharach melody … but still catchy as hell! 

(And let’s face it … you don’t hear lyrics like THIS every day!!!)  kk

Further proof from Tom Cuddy that we’ve all been well aware of Burt’s genius for some time now …

The Carpenters "Burt Bacharach & Hal David Medley" on The Ed Sullivan Show

Again, just peruse the list of Hal David / Burt Bacharach tunes recorded by Dionne Warwick … it is absolutely staggering!

Don’t Make Me Over – This Empty Place – Make The Music Play – Anyone Who Had  Heart – Walk On By – You’ll Never Get To Heaven – A House is Not A Home – Reach Out To Me – Wishin’ And Hopin’  Close To You – Here I Am – Looking With My Eyes – Are You There With Another Girl – Message To Michael – Trains And Boats And Planes – I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself – Another Night – Alfie – The Beginning of Loneliness – The Windows Of The World – I Say A Little Prayer – Do You Know The Way To San Jose – Let Me Be Lonely – Who Is Gonna Love – There’s Always Something There To Remind Me – Promises, Promises – This Girl’s In Love With You – The April Fools – Odds And Ends – I’ll Never Fall In Love Again – Let Me Go To Him – Paper Mache – Make It Easy On Yourself – The Green Grass Starts To Grow – Only Love Can Break A Heart – That’s What Friends Are For – Love Power – Reservation For Two – What The World Needs Now Is Love … and those are just the singles!!!  (kk)

And now you can get the COMPLETE Dionne Warwick Singles Collection on this new box-set CD!  (Nearly all of the titles shown above are included … she recorded some of the others for other labels.)

I have been looking for the CD for YEARS now …

It was offered as part of a donation bonus incentive a PBS Pledge Drive after they showed a then-new Dionne Warwick documentary.  (I wasn’t about to pay $500 for it … but figured after the show had run its course, copies might be available for purchase for a more reasonable donation … but I couldn’t find a copy ANYWHERE, not even on eBay, so this one’s going right into my collection as soon as it comes out!) 

Dionne Warwick:  The Complete Scepter Singles 1962-1973 

Most comprehensive and definitive new collection of every A and B side single Dionne cut for the Scepter label featuring the legendary songwriting/production team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David 

Includes 74 tracks featuring dozens of iconic tracks, all original (mostly mono) single mixes and a bonus single remastered from tape sources 

Limited edition 3-CD set out April 7 on Real Gone Music  Label Note: We had scheduled this title for release prior to Burt Bacharach’s passing. We were unsure when to promote it, but in the end we decided the sooner we let people know about this collection that contains the brilliant core of his repertoire, the better

 

Dionne Warwick Ranks Second Only to Aretha Franklin as the Biggest Hitmaker of the Rock Era, and Is a Five-Time Grammy Winner Dionne and the Songwriting/Production Team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David Attained Heights Reached by Very Few with Their Historic String of Hit Singles for the Scepter Label In Little Over Ten Years, Dionne Notched 40 Charting Pop Hits and 29 Charting R&B Hits for Scepter These Recordings Changed Pop Music Forever, Bringing a New Level of Sophistication to the Medium But There Has Never Been a Comprehensive and Definitive Compilation of This Monumental Body of Work...Until Now The Complete Scepter Singles 1962-1973 Presents the A and B-Side of Every Single Dionne Cut for Scepter 3-CD Set 74 Tracks in All Features Such Iconic Tracks as “Don’t Make Me Over,” “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” “Walk On By,” “Message to Michael,” “(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Alfie,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “Trains and Boats and Planes,” “This Girl’s in Love with You,” and “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” Also Includes as a Bonus the Single She Cut for Musicor Featuring the Hit “Only Love Can Break a Heart” All Original (Mostly Mono) Single Mixes Just Like They Played on the Radio Back in the Day Remastered from Tape Sources by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision Annotated by Long-Time Music Journalist and Billboard Contributor Paul Grein Includes Rare Photos A Timely Release Coinciding with the Premiere of the Dionne Documentary Don’t Make Me Over A Cornerstone of Any Pop Music Collection, and the Essential Dionne Warwick Release Limited to 3000 Copies Very, very few artists have reached the heights attained by Dionne Warwick and the songwriting/production team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David on their historic string of hit singles for the Scepter label. Over the course of a little over ten years, Dionne scored no less than 40 charting Pop hits and 29 charting R&B hits for Scepter, propelling Dionne to a ranking second only to Aretha Franklin among female singers with the most chart hits in the rock era, not to mention five Grammy nods. More importantly, Warwick, Bacharach, and David brought a new level of sophistication to popular music ... and by doing so, created some of the most indelible recordings of all time. However, despite its brilliance and lasting influence, there has never been a collection at music retail that truly captured this incredible body of work ... until now. The Complete Scepter Singles 1962-1973 offers the A and B-side of every single Dionne cut for the Scepter label (with the bonus inclusion of her single for Musicor featuring the hit “Only Love Can Break a Heart”), all original, (mostly) mono single versions remastered by Mike Milchner of Sonic Vision from original tape sources and annotated by veteran music journalist and Billboard contributor Paul Grein. Among the 74 (!) tracks on this 3-CD set are some of the most hallowed sides in ‘60s pop, including “Don’t Make Me Over,” “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” “Walk On By,” “Message to Michael,” “(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Alfie,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “Trains and Boats and Planes,” “This Girl’s in Love with You,” and “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again.” But really, pretty much every track in this collection is a masterpiece ... and remember, the single mixes you’re hearing on this collection is exactly what folks thrilled to when they turned on their radio back in the day. A cornerstone of any pop music collection ... and a timely tribute coinciding with the release of the new Dionne documentary Don’t Make Me Over. We are limiting this release to 3000 copies ... don’t “Walk On By!" When Dionne Warwick heard that we were doing a tribute to The Ed Sullivan Show a few years ago, she absolutely INSISTED on commenting for us as well.  (And you just don’t say “no” to Ms. Dionne!!!  Lol) Seriously, the email came out of nowhere … I had no idea she had ANY clue what Forgotten Hits even was … But after asking us to please include her comments and memories, she sent us this: My first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show was without a doubt one of the most exciting times in my career, as being asked to do his show meant you had either already made it or you were about to become a major star.  He was a wonderful man and he treated me with an abundance of kindness ... and each time I appeared on his show, he would bring me over to him and give information about me to the audience.  The one thing I remember vividly was he never said my name correctly until one of the cue card writers made it easy for him by spelling my name phonetically ... DE-ON ... and from that moment on, he said my name right. His show was by far the father of variety shows and these are sorely missed. Thank you for including my memory of Ed Sullivan and his show. Dionne Warwick You can read all kinds of Ed Sullivan memories here … http://forgottenhits.com/forgotten_hits_remembers_the_ed_sullivan_show__from_both_sides_of_the_screen And our interview with Andrew Solt, whose SOFA Entertainment Company purchased the rights to the COMPLETE Ed Sullivan Collection for licensing … http://forgottenhits.com/forgotten_hits_interviews_andrew_solt Me-TV-FM will be saluting the music of Burt Bacharach all weekend long … This from Program Director Rick O’Dell:

We lost a giant of an artist last week. Composer Burt Bacharach passed away Wednesday at the age of 94. We’ll be paying tribute to Mr. Bacharach with a weekend of his timeless and memorable songs beginning this Friday evening in the 7:00 hour.

From Harvey Kubernik …

Burt Bacharach's Final Recording Session With Elvis Costello, ‘You Can Have Her,’ Gets a Quiet Release After Songwriter's Death

https://variety.com/2023/music/news/burt-bacharach-elvis-costello-final-recording-session-you-can-have-her-released-death-1235520475/#recipient_hashed=cb1fa0032addcfdb730f717f527f301d7f591bddae516591375953126c7fa463&recipient_salt=fdcde0102878ab3c1e53ecbcfbb0eaba79c60c270580241efc15cc4c9850dd7f

Harvey also sent us this …

I conducted an interview with Burt Bacharach in 1998 during his collaboration with Elvis Costello on "Painted From Memory" inside EastWest Recording Studios, the former United Western Studio, and thought that your readers might enjoy this excerpt.

 

I met Burt on several occasions over the last half century ... various record release parties, awards ceremonies, his solo recitals, sat next to him at a Carole King and James Taylor Hollywood Bowl concert earlier this century. I have a memory from many decades ago of seeing Burt with horse racing track jockey legend, Willie Shoemaker in West Hollywood on Sunset Blvd having dinner at The Cock'n Bull restaurant.   

 

BURT BACHARACH:  I started making my own records out of self-defense.  To protect.  Because I think (years ago) I ruined some good songs, because I trusted some of the A&R people.  I thought they really had to be good, or they wouldn’t have that job.  If I had a three bar phrase, then that really worked as a three bar phrase.  It’s like, let’s take a song like “Wives and Lovers.”  Thank God nobody suggested it in the A&R department, but if somebody had said, “We’ll get so-and-so to record it, it will be a single, it’ll go in the movie ... but you’ve got to put it in 4/4 ... ”

 

Quincy (Jones) said, “Sorry, we did it in four because they said they couldn’t play it in three!” (smiles) :

 

I’m very conscious of too much strings on records.  It’s an invasion of some territory that I’m very allergic to now.  First of all, you’ve got to have a lead going in.   So, when you know you have a situation that plays, then you can take the strings - “ ... hey, let them play five bars and let’s bail.  Let’s bring ‘em out for that sweep down, and then, right on the modulation ... ”  And, you know ...  it’s like you have a great smile but you can’t use it all the time.  Drop it in.

 

I’ve gone 30, 40 takes.  On Dionne’s first record, I had her on take four.  Maybe the difference now from what it used to be is that I know I’m going to be OK at 95 percent.  You can make yourself crazy going for 100 percent.  It’s not about what you get, but what you’re gonna get as a result.  Something is gonna be at fault in the record.  The guitar player played great, but you don’t do it all at the same time.  Played great on the one take, but the drummer made a mistake, or didn’t play as good, or didn’t go to the ride cymbal when you hoped he would.  Then the balance shifts and you didn’t get the performance on the next take.  It’s about compromising.  Get as close to ... 

 

I learned something from Don Was.  Just talking to Don, maybe six or seven years ago.  I was doing a lot of stuff on synthesizers and drum machines.  Don said, “It’s not so important that somebody makes a mistake, if the track is there and the song feels good.  If the song is there and the vocal performance is there, that’s it.”

I love the “I had her on take four” line.

We were watching “If These Walls Could Sing” over the weekend and George Martin was talking about the time Burt Bacharach came over to England to record Cilla Black recording “Alfie” for British release.  (Dionne Warwick had already scored the American hit … but they wanted to come up with something for the British audience.)

And Martin said Bacharach worked her to the bone, doing take after take after take after take … all the way up to Take 17.  It was exhausting!

Finally, Sir George asked Burt exactly what he was looking for and Burt replied “Magic” … to which George Martin replied, “Well, I think you had THAT on Take Four.”

Still, Bacharach kept putting Cilla thru the paces, trying to get a more “perfect” take.  They finally called it a day and then, a few weeks later when the record came out, the released it with Take Four … exactly as George Martin said it should be!  (lol)  kk