I don’t know about you but I find most contemporary pop music unlistenable. More and more I’m playing songs I grew up with long, long ago. Songs like “Baby It’s You” by The Shirelles and “Only Love Can Break a Heart” by the late, great Gene Pitney still sound great and resonate with me. The Very Best of Burt Bacharach should be retitled The Very Best of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Hal David wrote all those wonderful lyrics. What’s your favorite Burt Bacharach/Hal David song?
SET LIST:
1. Baby It’s You – The Shirelles
2. Only Love Can Break A Heart – Gene Pitney
3. Anyone Who Had A Heart – Dionne Warwick
4. (There’s) Always Something There To Remind Me – Sandie Shaw
5. Walk On By – Dionne Warwick
6. What The World Needs Now Is Love – Jackie DeShannon
7. Alfie – Dionne Warwick
8. What’s New Pussycat? – Tom Jones
9. I Say A Little Prayer – Dionne Warwick
10. The Look Of Love – Dusty Springfield
11. Do You Know The Way To San Jose – Dionne Warwick
12. Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head – B.J. Thomas
13. I’ll Never Fall In Love Again – Dionne Warwick
14. One Less Bell To Answer – The 5th Dimension
15. Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do) – Christopher Cross
16. That’s What Friends Are For – Dionne & Friends
Lot of good stuff here. Could do without Arthurs Theme, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head and The Look of Love.
Steve, I could do without “That’s What Friends are For.” But I really like most of the rest.
It’s a toss-up between The Look of Love (sorry, Steve) and Walk on By, but I also like the entire Butch & Sundance soundtrack, especially (lyric less but not voiceless) music that runs behind the montage sequence–lots of very sophisticated harmonies and melodies.
Deb, I have about 10 different versions of “Walk On By.” Great song!
I think it’s a sure sign of geezerhood when we can’t accept the current songs. But then I’ve been in that situation for about 40 years now, so if you’ll excuse me, I have to go yell at some kids who are on my lawn.
Bill, the current “songs” don’t even seem like songs. Some are just chants.
I could sing anyone of them right now. That’s how familiar those songs are to me. (Although you are probably glad I am not there to sing them).
Patti, I grew up with these songs. They’re like part of the soundtrack to my Life.
Starty with the Dionne Warwick songbook and add those they did with Dusty Springfield and Gene Pitney. AMong my favorites:
Only Love Can Break a Heart
Walk on By
Anyone Who Had a Heart
The Look of Love
Always Something There to Remind Me
I’d forgotten that they wrote (I Long to Be) Close to You.
Jeff, Bacharach and David were prolific in the Sixties and Seventies. They wrote a lot of hits.
So many good songs! How can I choose just one? OK …
Alfie.
Beth, Bacharach/David wrote some great film music like “Alfie.”
I recognize them all, many are very good. As for “The Look of Love”, I prefer the version done by Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66.
Rick, I have about a dozen different version of “The Look of Love.” Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66 is right up there.
Yes, Rick, that is my preferred version too, though I like the Dusty Springfield.
As for modern singers (sic) I’m with Bill on the lawn. I may know the singers by name but with few exceptions I have never listened to their music and wouldn’t know them if I tripped over them in the street.
I Say a Little Prayer For You, but the Aretha Franklin version. What the World Needs Now is Love is a close second.
Bob, I like your taste in music. “I Say a Little Prayer for You” and “What the World Needs Now Is Love” are terrific songs. I like the Aretha Franklin version, too.
I actually enjoy a lot of contemporary music. I know I’ve heard some of Burt Bacharach’s music, but the only thing I can ever think of when I hear or see his name is Martin Short’s character in the Midsummer Night’s Dream adaptation, Get Over It, where his character is insulting a would-be song writer stating, “Burt Bacharach, he ain’t!” 🙂
Carl, at one time Bacharach and David were the hottest song-writing team around. Many of their songs have passed the Test of Time.
I don’t doubt it, though I’m not sure I could purposefully listen to music sung by Dione Warwick.
Carl, there are plenty of other choices on this CD.