Through the looking glass with Burt Bacharach... part 3

The Dionne Warwick albums 1963-1972

Scepter records wanted to get enough product in the shops. In the decade they worked together (Hal, Burt & Dionne), there were 16 Dionne albums. Most of those carry the legend 'A Burt Bacharach – Hal David production', though it doesn't seem they actually supervised the records as a whole. Just that when they had enough Bacharach-David productions in the can, the label would add some filler tracks by other writers/arrangers and rush another record out. Sometimes they didn't wait that long and just doubled some performances from a previous record. So it's hard to get a handle on these records as separate statements. Nevertheless there is a ton of great Bacharach material spread out over all these records, a lot of it unique to Dionne. I know most of these records, but I'm not very familiar with them. It's nice to have a corner of the Bacharach universe waiting for when the mood hits.

'Presenting Dionne Warwick' ('63): The debut has 9 Bacharach-David songs. Writers and artist testing out the formula. Contains, of course, the debut single 'I smiled yesterday / Don't make me over' but other great songs too: 'This empty place', 'Make the music play' and a tender recording of 'It's love that really counts (in the long run)'.

'Anyone who had a heart' ('64): a rush job to capitalize on the title track's success. 7 Bacharach-David songs, but 3 are doubles from the debut album. Of course it helps that among the 4 new songs is a single as amazing as the title song, and also this less well known song; 'Any old time of the day'.

'Make way for Dionne Warwick' ('64): often referred to as her classic album. 9 Bacharach-David, though 2 are doubles from the debut album (again). Contains 2 singles which surely rank as classics: 'Walk on by' and 'Land of make believe', and a series of classic Bacharach-David songs ('A house is not a home', 'Reach out for me', 'You'll never get to heaven', 'The last one to be loved', a proto- 'Close to you' – later retooled by the Carpenters). But few of these performances feel definitive, compared to the Lou Johnson 'originals' for instance.

By 1965's two albums 'The sensitive sound of...' and 'Here I am' the Bacharach-David songs (7 on the first, 9 on the second) became more subtly refined. The drama of the early singles is turned inwards. You wonder how these impossibly fragile songs could compete in the action packed world of the charts. But much of it is stunning. 'Here I am' has more singles (the title track and 'Are you there (with another girl)') but 'The sensitive sound' has the edge for me, with exquisite songs like 'How many days of sadness' and 'Don't say I didn't tell you so', besides a terrific non-Bacharach 'Unchained melody'.

A 1966 live album is followed by 3 1967 studio albums:

'Here where there is love' has the original 'Alfie' and 'Trains and boats and planes' and holds to a beautiful standard on its first 6 tracks (all Bacharach-David). Check out 'Go with love' or the title track. Loses the plot completely on the remainder, a terrible 'Blowin' in the wind' amongst others.

I've not heard 'On stage and in the movies' – a Bacharach arranged program of stage/movie-classics, supposedly not very inspired.

'The windows of the world': the same strategy as 'Here where there is love': 6 newish Bacharach-David songs followed by 4 fillers. Three great singles in the title track, 'I say a little prayer' and '(There's) Always something there to remind me'. Three less succesful songs sounding like cast-offs from the musical Bacharach & David were working on.

Three more albums in 1968:

'The magic of believing': a gospel album with no Bacharach involvement. Not heard.

'Valley of the dolls': when the title track is a movie single unrelated to Bacharach or David, you know there's a distance growing. As Burt and Hal got deeper into musicals, Dionne was exploring different settings. There are 5 Bacharach-David contributions, but apart from 'Do you know the way to San José', no prime material. The time the Bacharach-David tracks are pushed to the end of the record!

I like 'As long as there's an apple tree' though.

'Promises, promises': includes several songs from the musical of the same name, but I haven't found the record yet to hear.

For 1969's 'Soulful' Dionne cut ties with Hal and Burt completely and recorded a covers set with Chips Moman. Excellent record.

In the following years artist and writers got closer again. 1970's 'Very Dionne' contains 5 Bacharach songs, but apparently Burt had no involvement in the recording. The same year's 'I'll never fall in love again' has 7 songs, arranged by Burt. I've not heard either record yet, though I'd like to.

I have heard 1972's final stand 'Dionne': 4 new Bacharach-Davd songs arranged by Burt, 3 older Bacharach-David songs with outside arrangements and 3 filler tracks. Some of my favorites of their collaborations are here. I love this record very well.

'The balance of nature' – possibly my favorite Bacharach record of all.

Not very far behind: 'I just have to breathe'

'Be aware'.

After that they all started sueing each other.