slightly off topic-5 different music arrangers interviews

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steveo_1965
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slightly off topic-5 different music arrangers interviews

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An Enormous BB Fan
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Post by An Enormous BB Fan »

That makes for great reading, thanks!

I can more easily understand being a great songwriter than being a great arranger. Burt is the greatest at BOTH, as far as I'm concerned, and that, to me, makes him even more unbelievable. I listen to all the pop songs of today and even the great songs of today are not arranged with Burt's genius... with the countermelodies, the harmonies, the instruments, the voices and voicings, and all the great add-ons that Burt created for his own songs.

I thought Thom Bell was really great as an arranger and songwriter... whatever happened to Thom Bell, does anyone know? Is he still composing and producing?
steveo_1965
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An Enormous BB Fan
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Post by An Enormous BB Fan »

Oh, yes, Steveo, I am very well of all the hits Thom Bell wrote. I also remember when his great lyricist, Linda Creed, died... and so young.

I also thought that Thom Bell was an "heir", so to speak, of Burt, in that I could see Burt's influence in not only his composing but also in his orchestration. I have no doubt that Burt was one of Thom Bell's idols, too. How could he not have been? Also, I think the bridge to "Break Up To Make Up" is as close to a Burt sound as I've ever heard.

I wonder why people like Thom Bell or Holland-Dozier-Holland or Michael Masser don't keep writing hits. Do they dry up? Whereas Burt, on the contrary, has kept writing all these years.

And you're so right about Lost Horizon. But I'm so sorry that Burt was ever offered that movie. It broke up his partnership with Burt and Dionne and it the whole experience hurt him very much. I think Burt would have written a lot more film scores, too.
hereiam
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Post by hereiam »

An Enormous BB Fan wrote:Oh, yes, Steveo, I am very well of all the hits Thom Bell wrote. I also remember when his great lyricist, Linda Creed, died... and so young.

I also thought that Thom Bell was an "heir", so to speak, of Burt, in that I could see Burt's influence in not only his composing but also in his orchestration. I have no doubt that Burt was one of Thom Bell's idols, too. How could he not have been? Also, I think the bridge to "Break Up To Make Up" is as close to a Burt sound as I've ever heard.

I wonder why people like Thom Bell or Holland-Dozier-Holland or Michael Masser don't keep writing hits.
I've always wanted to talk about the beautiful melodies of the 70s
were all contributed by Thom Bell and Michael Masser
How the songs "Betcha By Golly Wow" and "The greatest love of all"
knocked me off at first hearing in the 70s (though i have never liked
soul music at all).
The album that Thom Bell wrote and produced for Johnny Mathis
"I'm Coming Home" has so many great songs with THom's trademark
arrangement that this LP is divine to me
It's a pity they disappeared from the music scene after the end of the
70s (But the music scene since then was deterioriating that it's the
right time to withdrawl)
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