Burt Bacharach – A Unique Musical Voice

With his passing last week at the age of 94, Burt Bacharach has been on my mind almost constantly. I’ve been obsessed with his music almost as long as I was aware of what was coming out of our family’s AM radio in the early 1960’s. I’ve always maintained that the music we hear in our early formative years – say ages 10 to 14 – gets indelibly stamped in our psyches. It becomes the bed that everything we like and discover throughout our long listening lives, rests on. We may branch out, and discover new, exciting sounds, songs and artists along the way, but those early favorites always maintain a hold on us, a deep source of comfort, and a place to return to over and over again as we grow and age.

I remember seeing a Leonard Bernstein special on TV in the late-60’s where he talked about a composer’s “musical voice,” a concept that was new to me. He wasn’t talking about a singing voice, or even the way someone played an instrument; he was talking about composition. He explained that the great composers all had a unique musical voice. The way they constructed a melody, the rhythm and – especially – the chord changes they used underneath those melodies and rhythm, was a very specific product of their individual musical DNA. I’m sure he played some examples to display the evidence of his theory, but to be honest, I don’t recall them. But the concept of a “musical voice” embedded deeply in my soul.

As a songwriter myself, AND a voracious, lifelong record collector, I was always someone who looked at the songwriting credits on the record label to see who created the magical sounds I was listening to. With bands like the Beatles and the Beach Boys, it was usually members of the band that were listed, but in numerous other singles of the era, there were songwriting teams – usually two names, sometimes more – that were then foreign to me. It seemed amazing to me that so many of the records I loved had names on them like, Goffin & King, Barry & Greenwich, Mann & Weill, Holland, Dozier & Holland, and Bacharach & David. 

Brill Building songwriters (l-r): Cynthia Weill, Carole King, Barry Mann & Gerry Goffin

I tried to learn everything I could about who these people were. But more importantly, I began to understand Bernstein’s concept of a musical voice. Whether it was a girl group record, or something by Bobby Vee or the Drifters, I could “hear” Carole King’s musical voice; a melodic interval, a surprising chord change, and maybe an unexpected key change near the end, that were all hallmarks of her style. 

Take Good Care Of My Baby (written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King)

I made similar inroads with the other writing teams I previously mentioned; all wonderful. And then there was Burt Bacharach.

When I was on this songwriters-as-artists quest in the 60’s and 70’s, there was no internet, no Wikipedia that collected all of the world’s information in one place, making it so easy to access. I had to dig. I started going through every 45 I owned, checking for songwriting credits, making lists, and listening to hear the composer, and not just the singer.

My older brother Bob had a great collection of 45s, accrued through swapping lunch items on his school bus, with a girl whose Dad owned a diner with a jukebox. Our Mom’s homemade cookies became a yellow Sun single by Jerry Lewis, or a Cadence Records copy of “Bye Bye Love” by the Everly Brothers. With little disposable income, he compiled an impressive collection of singles that I, six years younger, devoured like a starving child.

It seemed like the names Bacharach & David were on so many of my favorite records by artist like Gene Pitney, The Shirelles, Gene McDaniels, Sandie Shaw, Jackie DeShannon and, of course, Dionne Warwick. I even saw his name on my Introducing The Beatles album, for their version of “Baby It’s You.” After seeing the Bernstein TV special, I finally understood what tied all of those disparate artists together for me; it was Bacharach’s melodies and chords. No matter who was singing it, or playing it, there was something recognizable about a Bacharach composition that I began to key in on. I became obsessed.

I started combing through every record I owned, and through friends collections, looking for the names Bacharach & David. And it seemed like he was everywhere! On hit singles, b-sides and album cuts. In my quest, I uncovered dozens of songs I had always loved, but now knew they were written by this magical man, Burt Bacharach.

 I started compiling my finds on Burt mix tapes. Songs by the 5th Dimension, Manfred Mann, Tom Jones, The Searchers, The Walker Brothers, Marty Robbins, Perry Como (?!), Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas; was there any artist who hadn’t covered a Bacharach/David song?! I listened to them over and over, marveling at the melodic intervals he invented, the unusual chord changes he used, and the broken rhythms that he somehow made seem smooth in the way he put it all together. 

The music of Burt Bacharach has been a constant throughout my life. From “Walk On By” in 1962 (when I was 9 years old) to the most recent songs he wrote with Nashville songwriter/producer Daniel Tashian, released just last year, and nominated for a Grammy in the Best Traditional Pop Album category. Think about that; nominated for a Grammy for new music, written in his 90’s? That’s an achievement that is unprecedented.

What’s also unprecedented, is the sheer range of his career. He studied under the famous French modernist composer Darius Milhaud at McGill University in the 40’s (some of Milhaud’s other notable students included Dave Brubeck, Philip Glass and Karl Stockhausen), and he toured Europe in his late-20’s as the bandleader and conductor for the international screen legend, Marlene Dietrich. 

But composition was always his main love, and that led him to New York City and the Brill Building, a songwriting factory of sorts where he eventually became paired with the great lyricist, Hal David. Teaming up with singer Dionne Warwick, the trio produced an amazing run of singles and albums from 1962 to 1971, and a catalog of remarkable songs that have been covered by over 1,000 different artists over the last six decades. Unbelievable!

After his association with Hal David ended in 1973, Bacharach found new partners and fresh challenges in every decade of his long, creative, life: Broadway shows, film scores, instrumental albums, appearances in films and concert tours all over the world. I was lucky enough to see him in concert twice; once in 2002 at the Showroom at Turning Stone Casino, and again at Embarcadero Park in San Diego (with a full orchestra) in 2013. To see him live, conducting the band or orchestra, playing piano, and singing (in his broken, but always-charming hoarse-sounding voice) is something I’ll never forget. 

In his last three decades, Burt found new challenges, writing with Elvis Costello, Broadway lyricist Steven Slater (a wonderful new show, Some Lovers, that unfortunately never made it to Broadway) and Daniel Tashian, of the Silver Seas. And with every new partner there was one constant, that “musical voice” that Leonard Bernstein talked about. It never left him. No matter who he wrote with, you could instantly recognize his melodies and his adventurous chord changes.

Everybody knows the song “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again,” from his Broadway show, Promises, Promises, that was made into a hit record by – of course – Dionne Warwick, and reached the Top Ten in early-1970. Think of that melody in your mind, it’s just sublime. The shape, the intervalic leaps, the way it suggests the constantly-changing chords underneath; all the work of a musical savant. 

He was the master of what I like to think of as the “intentional” melody; a melody that is constructed; as opposed to the more common “intuitive” melody, where the writer just sings along with the chords he’s playing and the melody takes form in a more organic way. Both can be great, but Bacharach kept alive that sense of an exquisitely-constructed melody that was a hallmark of the great American songwriters of the 20th century. Names like George Gershwin, Cole Porter,  Richard Rogers, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern and numerous others who contributed to what has come to be known as the Great American Songbook.

But when Burt began his remarkable career run of over 70 Top Forty hits, the music industry had radically changed into a more teen-based market. The fact that he was able to ply his throwback sense of melody and harmony into such phenomenal success in the world of 1960s AM radio is, again, unparalleled. Think about the icons and the sounds of sixties music; the Beatles, the Stones, the Beach Boys, Motown, Dylan, Hendrix, etc. Amid all those titans of the era, there was Burt, with multiple hit singles in every year of the decade. Amazing! 

The music of Burt Bacharach is indelibly stamped in my psyche. My love of chord changes that I got from his songs led me to other musical mavericks like Brian Wilson, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Webb, Harry Nilsson, Carole King, Randy Newman, Thom Bell, Joni Mitchell, David Crosby, Todd Rundgren, Stevie Wonder, Rupert Holmes, Paddy McAloon, Eric Carmen, Van Dyke Parks; the list goes on and on, but it starts with Bacharach!

In 2015, I released an album called File Under Pop Vocal, that was my attempt to honor the songwriters I just mentioned, with the more harmonically-adventurous songs of my own catalog. One song, “You’re Only Hurting Yourself,” was my own attempt at writing a Bacharach song. 

Another “It’s Your Heart,” written with the great Syracuse musician, Mark Doyle (his music, my lyrics) travelled the same road. 

But whether I can come anywhere near a Bacharach song with my own writing isn’t really the point. No one can. It is more the fact that his music is so deeply-embedded in me that those kinds of chord changes and melodies just rise to the surface at times. And it’s something I truly cherish as my own personal tribute to greatest songwriter of my lifetime, and that unique musical voice.

Postscript: I’ve managed to pass on my love of Bacharach to my son Nick – also a musician – and in a rare 2018 duo gig at Sheraton University Inn in Syracuse, we attempted one of Burt’s most difficult songs, “God Give Me Strength,” from the movie Grace Of My Heart, written with, and sung in the film by, Elvis Costello. Not easy with acoustic guitar and bass (and a little flugelhorn), as the recording featured a full orchestra. But what it lacks in execution, it hopefully makes up for with true devotion.

GF’s Top Ten list for 2020

Here’s the annual list of my top ten albums for 2020. I have no real idea if they are, in fact, the best albums of the year, as my listening habits have narrowed considerably with age. I listen to what I listen to. And as previously stated, it is a list that has no recognition of sales and/or chart position, and instead represents new work still being done by legacy artists that, for the most part, I’ve been listening to all of my life. So, if you wanna know what music, at 67, still lights me up, read on!

Gary Frenay’s Top Ten list for 2020

1 A Girl Called Eddy – Been Around (age 50)

This is a stunning record! A Girl Called Eddy (Erin Moran) is an illusive artist, releasing  just one album and one EP since her debut over 20 years ago. She seems to release these incredible records and then disappear for years. Luckily for us, she has resurfaced with one on the finest classic pop album, front to back, I’ve ever heard. Produced by Nashville musician Daniel Tashian (Silver Seas), every song is a unique sonic adventure. If I can only convince you to seek out just one album from this list, make it be this one!

2 Burt Bacharach & Daniel Tashian – Blue Umbrella (age 92 & 45)

I’ve been listening to Burt Bacharach’s music since 1962 when I first heard, and fell in love with, Dionne Warwick’s recording of “Don’t Make Me Over.” With over 70 top 40 hits to his credit, Bacharach is one of the most important composers of 20th century popular music. The fact that, at 92, he is still writing new music of this quality, is the story of the year. His new collaborator is Daniel Tashian (see above), who is a perfect fit with Burt’s eclectic, passionate style of pop writing. Together, they have crafted a nearly-perfect album that equally shines a spotlight on Burt’s unique sense of melody and chords, Daniel’s thoughtful lyrics and his warm, clear lead vocals; just beautiful! This is mature, beautiful pop music, that only Bacharach could write!

3 Bruce Springsteen – Letter To You (age 71)

Hot on the heels of 2019’s Western Stars, where Springsteen exploited his SoCal singer/songwriter fascination (a lovely record!), Bruce’s goes back to what he does best; rock! Recorded at his NJ ranch with the E Street Band, Letter To You is truly Bruce at his best! The writing is timely and heartfelt, with songs about aging, mortality and finding purpose later in life. Many highlights here, but for me, the song “Ghosts,” is maybe the strongest, where he sings to a lost bandmate about how he still carries him by his side. It is so inspiring to hear music this good from Bruce, this far down the road. 

4 Graham Gouldman – Modesty Forbids (age 74)

Other than Bacharach, and Paul McCartney, Gouldman has the longest career of anyone else on this list. He wrote his first hits in the mid-60’s for The Hollies, Herman’s Hermits and The Yardbirds, while still in his teens. He then became a founding member of 10cc, one of England’s greatest bands, ever! While he still fronts what remains of 10cc, and tours regularly in the UK, he records under his own name. The opening track, “Standing Next To Me,” is his story of being asked to tour with the Ringo Starr All Starr Band; really beautiful.  Gouldman is a classic pop writer, and that’s the territory he mines here. He never strays from that, and I love him for it. 

5 Fleet Foxes – Shore (age: mid-30’s)

There is something magical about Fleet Foxes. From their first EP releases in 2006 and 2008, Robin Pecknold & company have charted their own path in music. While they do evoke the best of early-70’s David Crosby and Danny Kirwan-period Fleetwood Mac, they are truly their own thing. They make haunting, harmony-based music, bathed in a distinctive reverb. This release, their 6th, doesn’t really break new ground, but when you have a sound this unique, I wouldn’t want them to. This is an album I can put on repeat, and just listen to all day. Like I said, magical!

6 James Taylor – American Standard (age 72)

While many older artists have gone the “great American songbook,” route, first mined by Harry Nilsson and Linda Ronstadt in the early-70’s, I would argue that none have done it better than Taylor does here. What sets this record apart from so many others, is JT’s sense of arrangement. Rather than being bathed in strings, like many others have chosen to do, James arranges every song as if it was his own, with his singular guitar style front and center on every track. Then, of course, there is his voice, which I could listen to all day, and sometimes do! Just a beautiful record!

7 Elvis Costello – Hey Clockface (age 66)

I picked his 2018 release, Look Now, as my album of the year in 2018. This record comes in a little shy of that one, but still has plenty to love about it. Whereas Look Now was his most classically-pop record since his 1998 collaboration with Burt Bacharach (Painted From Memory), this one stretches out a bit more, with EC exploring some more experimental song stylings, even including two tracks of spoken word. There are a few grittier rock songs that recall his early days with The Attractions, but he balances that with the utter beauty of “I Do (Zula’s Song),” which could’ve been on a 60’s Blue Note jazz album by Lee Morgan or Grant Green. The fact that Elvis can still dabble in such different styles, and own them all, sets him apart from any other artist his age. He really is amazing!

8 Paul McCartney – McCartney III (age 78)

While the rest of us were struggling to get through the pandemic of 2020, Sir Paul was immersed in his home studio, writing, dabbling and recording what would become this, his third self-produced and self-recorded long player. As the single most successful songwriter in recorded history (not my opinion, it’s well-documented), one wonders what Paul thinks he still has to prove? This far down his long and winding road, he is only competing with himself. But in reading interviews he did to support this release, it seems to come down to the simple fact that he just loves to do what he does; making music is his reason for being. At 78, there are certainly cracks in his armor, the main one being his voice, which has developed a very different character late in life. But once you get past that, there are some wonderful songs here, well worthy of our attention. And his sheer enthusiasm for record-making shines through on every track. 

9 Paul Weller – At Sunset (age 62)

With the release of his 15th solo LP last summer, The Modfather, as he is known in England, joined John Lennon and Paul McCartney as the only artists to top the UK album chart in five consecutive decades. Wow! Largely unknown in America, Weller has had an amazing career in England, first in the bands, The Jam & Style Council, and then as a solo artist. And at 62, much like his countryman Elvis Costello, he continues to push himself, never repeating what he has done in the past. This newest album, is a sonic feast for the ears, that blends Weller’s love of all things soul (“Baptiste” resurrects the sound of Booker T & The MG’s), with spacier things that stretch out in creatively-adventurous ways. This LP reached #1 in England. Pretty incredible for an artist who released his first records in 1977!

10 Joey Molland – Be True To Yourself (age 73)

This is the feel-good album of the year. As the lone survivor of the legendary British power pop band Badfinger, Molland has never stopped working. He still tours every year, keeping the memory of Badfinger alive, and establishing his own legacy as a solo artist, with five solo recordings spread over the past four decades. Linking up here with producer Mark Hudson, is a master stroke. Hudson’s career includes collaborations with Ringo Starr, Aerosmith, Harry Nilsson, and his own brothers, The Hudson Brothers (in the 70’s), and he is a gifted arranger and producer. With Hudson in the producer’s chair, Molland’s songs truly come to life. And while the sound they create definitely evokes both Badfinger and The Beatles (he was an original Apple Records artist, after all), these songs sound fresh AND classic, at the same time, if that makes sense. Buy it!

GF’s Top Ten list for 2018

Here’s my annual geezer (mostly) list of my top ten albums for 2018. As previously stated, it is a list that has no recognition of sales and/or chart position, and instead relies on my own narrow musical tastes and steadfast affection for the music and artists of I grew up with. I am my own niche!

1 Elvis Costello – Look Now

After stating numerous times that he was done issuing new music, Elvis released this stunning new record, easily his best, front to back, since Imperial Bedrooms (1982). Using that landmark LP as a model, along with his 1998 collaboration with Burt Bacharach (Painted From Memory), he crafts a song cycle that touches on all of his many strengths as a songwriter and stylist. Three co-writes here with Bacharach are all standouts (as is the co-write with Carole King), but every song is a highlight. This is as near to a perfect record as Costello has ever made, and, for me, the year’s best record, by a long shot!

 

2 Paul Weller – True Meanings

I’ve always had a soft spot for Paul Weller, since my band the Flashcubes, opened for his, The Jam, in 1978.Throughout six albums with The Jam, five with The Style Council, and fifteen solo albums, Weller has been one of Englands most prolific, and consistently-original artists. On True Meanings, he gathers all of his recent acoustic-based songs in one place, and presents them as one intimate program, with light percussion and subtle orchestration as support. The result is, maybe, his most consistently-listenable solo release ever!

 

3 David Crosby – Here If You Listen

David Crosby’s late-career renaissance has been unprecedented. After releasing only three solo studio albums under his own name from 1971 to 2013, he has produced an impressive run of four new albums in the past five years; Croz (2014), Lighthouse (2016), Sky Trails (2017), and now this new album. Working again with Snarky Puppy’s Michael League, who produced Lighthouse, Crosby actually shares the billing on this album with League, Becca Stevens and Michelle Willis. But despite that intended democracy, it is clearly Crosby who steals the show. His voice is still amazingly intact, given his age (77), and his original style of writing, use of alternate chords and his sense of vocal harmony are all in top form!

 

4 Paul McCartney – Egypt Station

Any new release from the former-Beatle is cause for a celebration. And at 76, he is the lone surviving creator of all those great Beatles songs. He is also the most successful songwriter in the history of recorded music. So if anyone is entitled to rest on such lofty laurels, it would be McCartney. But as anyone who has followed his career knows, that’s just not the case. He tours constantly, collaborates with numerous younger artists (Killing Joke, Kanye West, Rhianna, Nirvana, etc) and is still motivated to write, record and release new music. Egypt Station is a remarkable set of songs, that range from the usual tuneful Macca pop (I Don’t Know, Happy With You & Hand In Hand), to raucous rock & roll (Come On To Me & Caesar Rock), and social commentary (Despite Repeated Warnings). His voice is a bit weathered on some tracks, but his sense of arrangement, and hook-making ability is completely intact. A strong effort from beginning to end!

 

5 Silver Seas – Moonlight Road

On their fifth long player, Nashville’s greatest pop band succeeds again with classic songwriting, inventive arrangements and unique production. Their sound this time around is a bit more synthetic than on their past records, but once you get used to it, the songs really win you over. Daniel Tashian has one of those voices I could listen to all day. That, combined with warm guitar sounds, ethereal keyboards, and  top-notch songs make for an album – and band – I keep going back to!

 

6 Chris Price – Dalmatian

Price first appeared on my radar when he produced the stunning 2016 comeback album for pop legend, Emmit Rhodes, Rainbow Ends. Shortly after that, he released his second solo album, Stop Talking, which, if I’d done my top ten list last year, might’ve topped that list. His latest album, Dalmatian, is the work of a master pop craftsman, all written, engineered and produced by Price. While his gift for melody might be his strongest suit, his command of storytelling through his lyrics, isn’t far behind. He’s a truly original artist, but if you pictured an inspired blend of Harry Nilsson, David Gates, Hall & Oates, and other mid-70’s AM radio stars, you might begin to sense his range. Highly recommended!

 

7 David Byrne – American Utopia

I’ll admit that I’ve lost track of David Byrne’s solo career. Other than his 2012 collaboration with St. Vincent, I haven’t heard his albums. But after buying tickets for a local show of the tour of his new album, American Utopia, I figured I’d better do some pre-show research. The album is classic Byrne; melodic, poly-rhythmic, and politically aware. The show was one of the top five concerts I’ve ever seen. I could go on and on about how original the staging was, but if you weren’t lucky enough to see if, start poking around YouTube for videos of the tour, as there are many! If you were ever a fan of Talking Heads, you will love this album!

 

8 Richard Thompson – 13 Rivers

I’ve been a Richard Thompson fan for over 30 years, but have never seen him live until this past November, when he played the Egg in Albany, in support of this new album. The tour, and the album, are stripped-down affairs, featuring Thompson in an electric trio setting. And while some artists might suffer in that spare environment, Richard Thompson shines! He is often labelled as the ultimate musical triple threat; great singer, great player, and great writer, and those three skills are equally on display on this, his 25th studio album. The songs are rich in imagery and the production puts his distinctive voice and unparalleled guitar wizardry guitar front and center, much like his live show. At 69, Thompson still sounds contemporary and on top of his game!

 

9 Squeeze – The Knowledge

Given that I rank Squeeze’s Glen Tilbrook and Chris Difford number three, behind Lennon & McCartney, and John & Taupin, as England’s greatest songwriting teams, it will come as no surprise that I rate this, their 15th studio album, as one of the year’s best. After a layoff of nearly 20 years, they came back strong with 2016’s Cradle To The Grave, and follow that now with The Knowledge. Gone is the spunkiness of their late-70s records (Cool For Cats, Slap & Tickle, Up The Junction, etc), replaced here with a more mature, but still very original and artsy, form of Art Pop. This is songwriting at its best; with melodies that leap and surprise, chord changes that jar the ear (in a good way), and the most sophisticated lyrics this side of Elvis Costello!

 

10 TC & I – Great Aspirations

Being just a four-song EP, this one is cheating a bit. But my love for all things XTC runs so deep, that ANY music from them – in ANY form – after a nearly 20 year drought, is ample cause for celebration. TC & I, is drummer Terry Chambers, and bassist, singer/songwriter Colin Moulding, half of the original quartet that made up XTC. They joined forces just for the fun of making some new music again, and the results are sweetly triumphant! The opening track, Scatter Me, has all the charm and melody of classic mid-period XTC (Mummer, Skylarking). Both Moulding and Chambers sound in top form, and every track here brings smiles, and wishes for, as Oliver Twist would say, “More, please!”