Bloodied But Unbowed

The Burt Bacharach Forum is a board to discuss the music and career of composer Burt Bacharach and performers associated with his songs.

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Blair N. Cummings
Posts: 1123
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2004 4:14 pm

Bloodied But Unbowed

Post by Blair N. Cummings »

I once had occasion to state the names of two singers to whom I would listen, even if I disliked the song(s) being sung.
One was Carmen MacRae; the other , Andy Williams whose Columbia out-takes have recently been issued on Real Gone/Columbia.
It`s been a long time since I`ve listened to Andy and I knew that the tracks here were barrel scrapings. Nevertheless, I bought it and I`m not sorry.
Most here are curious about the Bacharach/Hilliard song, "A Question of Love." Well, it`s a bit eccentric but not at all typical of recognizable Burt and the arrangement is overly dramatic. Wait for someone to post this on YouTube.
Many of these tracks were the result of an A&R guy eager to go to lunch and saying, "Hey, Andy, it`s a hit! Cover it!" The result, too often, was listeners holding their heads in their hands. Not Andy`s fault.
"If I Ruled the World" would have been great with a slower arrangement, but there`s a surprisingly good version of "You`ve Lost That Lovin` Feeling".
On the other hand, the less said the better of the inclusion of Spanish-language renditions of the themes from Love Story and The Godfather.
So: Strictly for fans, but maybe it will turn the curious back to the timeless Cadence and Columbia recordings.
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