What was the first recorded version of “My Little Red Book”?
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 17 May 2019 13:15 (five years ago) link
The Manfred Mann version.
― WmC, Friday, 17 May 2019 13:18 (five years ago) link
I gave my points to Manfred Mann's. It's BB's preference too, apparently. Love simplified some chords too much for his liking, or something!?
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Friday, 17 May 2019 13:23 (five years ago) link
Paul Jones, the vocalist on the track:
Manfred Mann could read music and he was a jazz piano player and a jazz fan and wrote a fortnightly column in Jazz News, but he couldn't play Burt's stuff. The story about Burt having to move Manfred off the piano bench is absolutely true. In fact, it was slightly more subtle than that. Burt said to Manfred, "Look, I tell you what. You play the left hand and I'll do the right hand." Then they switched and Manfred did the right hand and Burt did the left hand and eventually Burt was sitting at the piano alone. Manfred didn't hold it against Burt for a moment, and has actually said that he admired the tactful way he had been edged out.
― WmC, Friday, 17 May 2019 13:24 (five years ago) link
I voted for the Manfred Mann version too. It was Love 8, Mann 2.
― WmC, Friday, 17 May 2019 13:27 (five years ago) link
"Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa" has this weird, mesmerizing beat that I also associate with "Down in the Boondocks,"
really sharp observation
― budo jeru, Friday, 17 May 2019 13:29 (five years ago) link
https://i.imgur.com/GMfOvlH.jpg
11. Do You Know the Way to San Jose — 576 Points, 12 VotesLyric: Hal DavidDionne Warwick, 1968 single, 538 points — https://youtu.be/CnzTgUc5yccFrankie Goes to Hollywood, from Welcome to the Pleasuredome (1984), 38 points — https://youtu.be/wgy3p-L8RRg
― WmC, Friday, 17 May 2019 13:33 (five years ago) link
upthread there was a suggestion of a side poll for songwriters that write like burt. i think arthur lee and bacharach definitely have an affinity. i think "a house is not a motel" is almost certainly a BB reference, i think it's significant that the first love single was a burt tune, and i think it helps to explain the really quite sophisticated and sometimes baffling chord changes on "forever changes" if you imagine arthur lee sitting around the house and plunking out the melody lines to various BB songs on the piano
xp
― budo jeru, Friday, 17 May 2019 13:34 (five years ago) link
impossible for me to untangle "san jose" from childhood, but dionne's version is something i cherish
― budo jeru, Friday, 17 May 2019 13:35 (five years ago) link
love the little organ flourishes around "and all the stars that never were ... "
love the tone of the kick drum
― budo jeru, Friday, 17 May 2019 13:36 (five years ago) link
Ah, I had no idea that Burt had something to do with the Manfred Mann version, with which I was barely familiar with, voted for the other one. Always figured there was some kind of Scepter artist or someone else in the US that he had done it with first, now I see that it was recorded for What’s New Pussy at? One tiny extra thing in favor of the Love version for me is that it morphed through a game of Red Telephone into “Interstellar Overdrive.” i think "a house is not a motel" is almost certainly a BB referenceWas thinking the same thing yesterday
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 17 May 2019 13:41 (five years ago) link
Agree with both your posts about “San Jose”
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 17 May 2019 13:44 (five years ago) link
San Jose is one of my karaoke faves. LA is a great big freeway has always been powerfully evocative to my small town arse. Put it at 5
― Doctor Nu (Noodle Vague), Friday, 17 May 2019 13:50 (five years ago) link
From the Mann himself: https://www.manfredmann.co.uk/?story=the-1960s-my-little-red-book
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 17 May 2019 13:54 (five years ago) link
If "The Last One To Be Loved" doesn't place, I'll be very sorry I didn't vote.
― zama roma ding dong (Eric H.), Friday, 17 May 2019 13:55 (five years ago) link
you should be sorry either way !
― budo jeru, Friday, 17 May 2019 13:57 (five years ago) link
Waiting For Eric (To Come Vote)
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:00 (five years ago) link
xps Nice. Interesting that a jazz background would make unaccented chords hard.
― WmC, Friday, 17 May 2019 14:01 (five years ago) link
https://i.imgur.com/9aYh17X.jpg
10. What the World Needs Now Is Love — 584 Points, 13 Votes, 1 first-place votelyric: Hal DavidJackie DeShannon, 1965 single, 524 points — https://youtu.be/IQ2SAtkEsqUBurt Bacharach and The Posies, from the Austin Powers - International Man of Mystery soundtrack, 1997, 60 points — https://youtu.be/u7uh15s23nQ
― WmC, Friday, 17 May 2019 14:02 (five years ago) link
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:03 (five years ago) link
xp to nv
agree about the freeway lyric. also love the imagery of "parking cars and pumping gas"
i have no problem saying that i just love the mythology of the song, the mystique of going west to make it big, the fatigue, the disillusionment, the small town that welcomes you back with open arms. i love its wistfulness
― budo jeru, Friday, 17 May 2019 14:04 (five years ago) link
Maybe in the Spinal Tap sense of U.K. Jazz Blues/Blues Jazz etc.
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:04 (five years ago) link
Well maybe that’s not quite fair. It’s considered corny in jazz to play every beat of the same voicing of the same chord over and over again so he probably wasn’t used to it, as he says.
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:12 (five years ago) link
i mean he was gigging in jazz clubs in johannesburg in the late '50s, though his stage name was initially a tip of the hat to shelly manne, which sort of gives you a clue as to the type of jazz he was playing
― budo jeru, Friday, 17 May 2019 14:16 (five years ago) link
Did not know all that and just read more about it, thanks.
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:31 (five years ago) link
https://i.imgur.com/ymV4Mco.jpg
9. I'll Never Fall in Love Again — 601 Points, 14 Votes, 1 first-place votelyric: Hal DavidDionne Warwick, 1970 single, 445 points — https://youtu.be/FzQBOBoPg04Bobbie Gentry, 1969 single, 60 points — https://youtu.be/S-g2RCdk8nIBurt Bacharach & Elvis Costello, from The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack (1999), 60 points — https://youtu.be/yNJLrLS6VG0Ella Fitzgerald, 1969 single, 24 points — https://youtu.be/dxfMIAZw1RYJill O'Hara & Jerry Orbach, from the Promises, Promises Broadway cast recording (1968), 12 points — https://youtu.be/1xp_-mHR8gY
― WmC, Friday, 17 May 2019 14:32 (five years ago) link
Voted for Dionne but the Elvis Costello version has grown on me.
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:37 (five years ago) link
dionne's vocal is lovely but this song just doesn't have hook imo, it's just continually unresolved in a way that i find mildly unpleasant
― budo jeru, Friday, 17 May 2019 14:40 (five years ago) link
probably the germs to catch pneumonia
it's great
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:41 (five years ago) link
Even though I voted for it, this song has always seemed lyrically a little undercooked, a little rushed -- which makes sense since they had one whole day to write it. "Out of those chains, those chains that bind you" -- repeating the phrase feels like placeholder text, "I'll come up with something better later" but he never did.
But anyway, I love the spareness of the Jill & Jerry version, just acoustic guitar and a little bass.
― WmC, Friday, 17 May 2019 14:41 (five years ago) link
i always though the Warwick version was released as a single in '69, to ensure that the show had a hit before it opened?
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:42 (five years ago) link
the b-side of that ella fitzgerald 45 is "savoy truffle" ??
― budo jeru, Friday, 17 May 2019 14:44 (five years ago) link
Both "Close to You" and to a lesser extent "W & H" have too much treacle for me to embrace
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:45 (five years ago) link
Nope, Dionne rode the coattails for once. xp
budo jeru, yes! I keep meaning to listen to it...
― WmC, Friday, 17 May 2019 14:45 (five years ago) link
Ella version of “Savoy Truffle” not bad, yet another side benefit of this thread.
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:48 (five years ago) link
Yeah, I think that was the one.
― WmC, Friday, 17 May 2019 14:49 (five years ago) link
https://i.imgur.com/O8oNEQa.jpg
8. Make It Easy On Yourself — 611 Points, 10 Votes, 1 first-place voteLyric: Hal DavidThe Walker Brothers, 1965 single, 306 points — https://youtu.be/bZTS9H-l5qQJackie Trent, from Once More With Feeling (1967), 155 points — https://youtu.be/y_FN9-mthXAJerry Butler, 1962 single, 150 points — https://youtu.be/eKERP-GocsI
In early 1962 after the "Mexican Divorce" recording session, Burt and Hal started using Dionne Warwick as vocalist on their demos. Here's the demo of "Make It Easy On Yourself" - https://youtu.be/PCtVWYsnzNA
― WmC, Friday, 17 May 2019 15:03 (five years ago) link
Had Jerry Butler version at #8. Believe that was Burt’s first (uncredited) session as producer and not just as arranger.
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 17 May 2019 15:13 (five years ago) link
That was my #1. Opted for the Jackie Trent version, largely for the big orchestral arrangement tbh.
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Friday, 17 May 2019 15:15 (five years ago) link
Dionne thought she was actually cutting "MIEOY" not as a demo, but as her debut single, and when Jerry Butler's version was released, she confronted Burt & Hal and told them, "Don't Make Me Over"...and the rest is history.
― a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 17 May 2019 15:17 (five years ago) link
Also: I was the #1 for "I'll Never..." Such a cheerful mix of the melancholy and optimism, Bacharach & David at a fine-tuned peak.
― a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 17 May 2019 15:22 (five years ago) link
I thought that demo sounded awfully close to a release-ready track.
― WmC, Friday, 17 May 2019 15:26 (five years ago) link
Make It Easy was my number 3, it's my favourote Walker Bros track bit i couldn't make it my favourite BB track but that version is carved in granite, it's immense
― Doctor Nu (Noodle Vague), Friday, 17 May 2019 15:26 (five years ago) link
The first song on their first album, huge right out of the gate.
― WmC, Friday, 17 May 2019 15:28 (five years ago) link
Has anything ever suited Scott's delivery more? I don't think so
― Doctor Nu (Noodle Vague), Friday, 17 May 2019 15:29 (five years ago) link
https://i.imgur.com/3hE8Le6.jpg
7. Baby It's You — 642 Points, 14 VotesLyric: Mack David, "Barney Williams" (Luther Dixon)The Shirelles, 1961 single, 439 points — https://youtu.be/CRrxjk3qgRcThe Beatles, from Please Please Me (1963), 179 points — https://youtu.be/WEvrCiQ0doQSmith, 1969 single, 24 points — https://youtu.be/IuWsRkF5SIo
Fun fact: the Smith version (#5) outperformed the Shirelles (#8) and the Beatles (1995 reissue, #67) on the Billboard Hot 100.
― WmC, Friday, 17 May 2019 15:36 (five years ago) link
too low
― budo jeru, Friday, 17 May 2019 15:37 (five years ago) link
Burt:
Luther Dixon loved the song but he wanted Mack to rewrite the lyrics to make it darker. Luther came up with the "cheat, cheat" part and took a co-songwriting credit for himself under the name Barney Williams. I think he was the one who changed the title to "Baby, It's You."
When we recorded the song, Luther had Shirley Owens, the lead singer of the Shirelles, come into the studio by herself to put a new lead vocal on the track. In every other way, the finished record is exactly the same as my demo, with everything I put on it still there. If you listen carefully right before she starts her lead vocal on the intro and the "sha-la-la-las" come up in the background, you can hear me shouting them out and sounding so bad and really loud.
― WmC, Friday, 17 May 2019 15:39 (five years ago) link
― Careless Love Battery (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 17 May 2019 15:41 (five years ago) link
hal david's nickname was mack ? lol
― budo jeru, Friday, 17 May 2019 15:43 (five years ago) link