Search found 1123 matches

by Blair N. Cummings
Thu Apr 14, 2022 5:44 am
Forum: The Burt Bacharach Forum
Topic: Traincha Sings The Burt Bacharach Songbook Vol III
Replies: 41
Views: 45101

Re: Traincha Sings The Burt Bacharach Songbook Vol III

I had forgotten Klein existed. I only knew that forty years ago he was married to Joni Mitchell and produced her (lesser) albums for Geffen.
by Blair N. Cummings
Sun Apr 03, 2022 10:40 am
Forum: The Burt Bacharach Forum
Topic: New Bacharach & Tashian songs.
Replies: 6
Views: 4000

Re: New Bacharach & Tashian songs.

I think that Herb`s vocal on this (and "To Wait For Love") was very carefully coached by Burt and you can hear it in the inflections. The same was true for B. J.`s rendering of "Raindrops..." and "...Out of Town" (not so much on "long Ago Tomorrow" or"......
by Blair N. Cummings
Fri Apr 01, 2022 3:55 pm
Forum: The Burt Bacharach Forum
Topic: New Bacharach & Tashian songs.
Replies: 6
Views: 4000

Re: New Bacharach & Tashian songs.

Well, these are nice enough, if not especially memorable. For some reason, Tashian`s voice is starting to annoy me a little. There`s something bland and...suburban about it. To my ears, it makes a lot of what he sings sound almost alike. To be sure, it`s an improvement over that of "Elvis Coste...
by Blair N. Cummings
Sun Nov 28, 2021 5:02 pm
Forum: The Burt Bacharach Forum
Topic: R.I.P.—Stephen Sondheim
Replies: 11
Views: 7094

Re: R.I.P.—Stephen Sondheim

Without knowing his entire ouevre, I can`t cite a favorite. But this "situational" song from Follies still works for me - minus the theatrical drama that attends many of his more "cherished" favorites:
by Blair N. Cummings
Sun Nov 28, 2021 2:38 pm
Forum: The Burt Bacharach Forum
Topic: R.I.P.—Stephen Sondheim
Replies: 11
Views: 7094

Re: R.I.P.—Stephen Sondheim

Paul, like you, I lost track of Sondheim`s work after `...Night Music.` He seemed enthusiastic about the coming re-make of `West Side Story` but set off alarms with his comment to the effect that it will surprise those of us (everyone on Earth?) familiar with the story. Do Tony and Maria develop Sup...
by Blair N. Cummings
Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:31 pm
Forum: The Burt Bacharach Forum
Topic: R.I.P.—Stephen Sondheim
Replies: 11
Views: 7094

Re: R.I.P.—Stephen Sondheim

Although Sondheim was tutored by lyricist Oscar Hammerstein, the two never collaborated. `Oklahoma!` was written by the latter with composer Richard Rogers. Sondheim did, however, write with Rogers the musical `Do I Hear a Waltz?`. Nit-picky, I know. Sorry. Anyway, the NYTimes almost never gets anyt...
by Blair N. Cummings
Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:37 am
Forum: The Burt Bacharach Forum
Topic: Leslie Bricusse R.I.P.
Replies: 10
Views: 5977

Re: Leslie Bricusse R.I.P.

I don`t know; a few years later, the Beatles released an album overwhelmingly "steeped in the British Music Hall" that seemed to do pretty well.
Maybe Donegan`s label should have given it a shot.
by Blair N. Cummings
Sun Oct 24, 2021 5:49 pm
Forum: The Burt Bacharach Forum
Topic: Leslie Bricusse R.I.P.
Replies: 10
Views: 5977

Re: Leslie Bricusse R.I.P.

This is one of the best love lyrics ever written. I`m not sure that the Bossa Nova treatment was the best way to go with this but at least we got to hear Tony sing it.
Now, if only someone had demonstrated the nerve to sing the final line as written: "Isn`t it a pity you`re a seal"....
by Blair N. Cummings
Wed Oct 20, 2021 10:41 am
Forum: The Burt Bacharach Forum
Topic: Leslie Bricusse R.I.P.
Replies: 10
Views: 5977

Re: Leslie Bricusse R.I.P.

Bricusse and Tony Newley (singly and as a team) received critical "short-shrift" for some reason. Both made major and lasting contributions to popular music.
by Blair N. Cummings
Wed Oct 13, 2021 11:41 am
Forum: The Burt Bacharach Forum
Topic: Some Lovers: New album of the songs from the show
Replies: 11
Views: 8291

Re: Some Lovers: New album of the songs from the show

Thanks, Paul.
Now, if only a similar project could be arranged for `New York Animals.`I thought that that score was at least as good and in some instances better than SL.
by Blair N. Cummings
Wed Oct 13, 2021 9:27 am
Forum: The Burt Bacharach Forum
Topic: Some Lovers: New album of the songs from the show
Replies: 11
Views: 8291

Re: Some Lovers: New album of the songs from the show

Maybe I just haven`t spent enough time looking but I can`t find any information about this album.
Whose project was it? Who produced? Who arranged? Is this a collection from the singers` various albums or...what, exactly?
by Blair N. Cummings
Tue Sep 14, 2021 9:29 am
Forum: The Burt Bacharach Forum
Topic: Nagging Questions Re: the Above
Replies: 2
Views: 2786

Re: Nagging Questions Re: the Above

I`d like to know what could be considered "unfit..." if Pawelski and Gibert saw nothing amiss with listing songs that are represented by the singing of exactly one line.
In the immortal words of Desi Arnaz, the`ve "got some `splainin` to do."
by Blair N. Cummings
Mon Sep 13, 2021 7:23 am
Forum: The Burt Bacharach Forum
Topic: Nagging Questions Re: the Above
Replies: 2
Views: 2786

Nagging Questions Re: the Above

Assuming that Milt Okun and Artie Mogull gave Laura Nyro roughly an hour to audition and that the entirety of that session was recorded, I have to wonder what became of the rest of the material on that reel. And, further, why were the snippets that survived excised from it? All the principals involv...
by Blair N. Cummings
Fri Sep 10, 2021 12:48 pm
Forum: The Burt Bacharach Forum
Topic: Laura Nyro - Go Find The Moon: The Audition Tape
Replies: 1
Views: 2365

Re: Laura Nyro - Go Find The Moon: The Audition Tape

It`s almost a misnomer to call this an "album." Clocking in at just over eighteen minutes, these tracks would have been more at home appended to a reissue of her first release. But since Columbia (Sony, or whatever they are now) let her go after Nested tanked, it`s doubtful that they bid o...
by Blair N. Cummings
Sun Aug 08, 2021 11:13 am
Forum: The Burt Bacharach Forum
Topic: Be Aware
Replies: 13
Views: 30899

Re: Be Aware

Given the release date of BJS, that`s a better guess than mine. Still, the fact that "Babs" could "commission" a song from Bacharach and David and even specify the subject of the lyric, suggests that she could have told Richard Perry to damn well make room for it on the album. Wh...