Bacharach To The Future videos

[iana5252]

Broadway Cares and POZ magazine teamed up on World AIDS Day to do a benefit honoring the music legend Burt Bacharach. Promises, Promises, Mr. Bacharach’s award winning musical, opened on Broadway forty years ago December 1, 1968 and original cast member Jill O'Hara was on hand with renditions from the musical joined by Tony Roberts of the 1969 London cast.

Other special guests included host and associate producer, Kevin Spirtas (The Boy From OZ) for whom this became a labor of love, Emmy winner Liz Callaway (Miss Saigon), Billy Porter (Angels in America, Jesus Christ Superstar), Linda Purl (Tom Sawyer), Julie Reiber (Wicked, Rent), Katie Adams (Wicked), Matt Walton (Hair, Burn After Reading), Ilene Kristen (Grease), who has participated in every POZ fundraiser since 2006 and John Pagano, who tours extensively with Mr. Bacharach. Bruce Kimmel’s excellent direction was fully complemented by musical director Alex Rybeck, choreographer Adam Cates and John Shivers’ sound advice.

Most of the performances are now online at POZ.com. Follow this link...
http://www.poz.com/articles/2267_1470.shtml

Happy viewing!

[An Enormous BB Fan]

I was not familiar with "Promise Her Anything". What a great song! Who originally recorded that song and was the song from a movie? The guy who sings it here is just fair, but I think the pianist is very good. I'd love to hear Tom Jones sing it. Thanks for this link!

[vincent.cole]

Bonjour An Enormous BB Fan;

I think Tom Jones recorded this song. I could be wrong though. I will have to check my facts and get back to you later!

Take care mon ami.

Vincent

[An Enormous BB Fan]

Okay, Vincent, and thank you. Did you know the song before it was posted here in that link?

[An Enormous BB Fan]

I can't believe that I didn't think of this sooner: I simply checked this out on google. (I love google and think that google is the greatest thing in the world. Google and youtube.

http://www.answers.com/topic/promise-her-anything

Tom Jones sang "Promise Her Anything" from the 1964 movie of the same name. Burt didn't score the movie. But Burt and Hal did write the title song. I love it and think it's just so catchy! I'd love to here Tom Jones singing it though, instead of Ted Detwiler. I wish I could get the sheet music for it, too.

[BachtoBacharach]

Here is a You Tube link to Tom Jones singing Promise Her Anything. The tune is also available in the Bacharach box set, "The Look of Love."

[An Enormous BB Fan]

Here is a You Tube link to Tom Jones singing Promise Her Anything. The tune is also available in the Bacharach box set, "The Look of Love."

WOW!!!! Thank you so much!! Is that not fantastic??!?! Now compare Tom Jones singing that versus Ted Detwiler. What a difference. Shows you how a great pop singer can really make a difference to a song. I will be listening to this one for a long, long time, believe me. This is why there is no one for me but Burt when it comes to songwriting. Thanks again, BachtoBacharach!

[vincent.cole]

Bonjour An Enormous BB Fan;

The answer is YES!

Hey, you need to make an investment in the 3 CD Box set that BacktoBarcharach mention!

Take care mon ami.

Vincent

[Sara D]

Promise Her Anything always reminds me of my late mother. Although as big a Bacharach fan as I am, she loathed this song. "Where's the melody?", she used to cry out whenever she heard it.

[An Enormous BB Fan]

Promise Her Anything always reminds me of my late mother. Although as big a Bacharach fan as I am, she loathed this song. "Where's the melody?", she used to cry out whenever she heard it.

Your mother made a good point. I think she hit on something key in Burt's music. Oftentimes, the whole song is the melody. I think this an important difference between Burt and all the other songwriters. For example, where is the melody in "The Look of Love" and in "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head"? The melody is the song itself.

[Sara D]

Well, I can whistle The Look of Love & Raindrops, not sure about Promise Her Anything, though! I think the song Alfie is a good case in point. The first couple of times I heard it I was probably asking the same question as my mother, but it wasn't long before the beautiful flowing melody had lodged itself into my sub-conciousness.

[pljms]

I've now watched all the videos and the one I'd like to single out is Lauren Kennedy and her combination of Trains and Boats and Planes and Come and Get Me. The latter song has never been a particualr favorite of mine because i've always thought the chorus was a bit weak, but somehow, maybe because of an extended chord or two, it sounds great here. Talking of chords, the musical director of the show deserves praise for not monkeying around with Bacharach's chord sequences to any of the songs featured in the show, something the likes of Vince Mendoza (Trijntje Oosterhuis) and Steve Tyrell have been guilty of on recent albums.

[Rio]

Promise Her Anything: anemic version. The guy doesn't understand Bacharach one bit. I think also Liz Callaway disappointed in that regard.

Agree with Trains and Come and Get Me as highlight. Like it a lot with DeShannon as well. 2:55-2:58 best Bacharach moment, though the entire song is very Bacharach to me. He pretends to do somewhere then stops, then later on, when he actually intends to go all the way, he precedes that stand out (the "all the way") part by a softer vocal. Just one layman's opinion, of course.