New Burt Bacharach CD Due on Nov 1st

[Mike Blakesley]

List price on the LP is $16.49 so I'm guessing it's one record.

 

[Jay Maynes/Juan Oskar]

I'll place judgement after I've heard the album of course. But when Sony or any other company says to "take risks", what do they mean by risks? If BB came out with a new album with songs like "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" or "Promises Promises"...that would be a true risk in this musical climate.

When I talk to musicians and ask what kind of music they play, they almost always say, "Alternative", "They're taking risks? I don't think so. Because what used to be "Alternative" is now "Mainstream. Watch Leno and Letterman, it's almost the same bands every night wearing different hair doos and different dirty jeans.

I think that BB's risk in doing an album with a Hip Hop artist is that people might think something's weird.

If some Hollywood music star wants to take a risk...Write a song praising President Bush, the United States of America, and our branches of the military. Now that's a RISK!

 

[Mr Bill]

...Write a song praising President Bush, the United States of America, and our branches of the military. Now that's a RISK!

At the risk of crossing that line, I'll say "Amen" to brother Jay. Of course, in country music you get a LOT of flag-waving, pro-military, patriotic stuff. That's great if you like country music. But I can only take so much "yee-haw'n'twang" in a given (short) period of time....

--Mr Bill
pop music, 1920-1987, R.I.P.

 

[Chapter]

It was released over here in Scotland yesterday on Monday and its amazing! Some of his best work since the A&M days.
Burt has done some live TV over here also and it seems to be selling very well in all the record stores!
Gary.

 

[seashorepiano]

pop music, 1920-1987, R.I.P.

I'll say a prayer for it, and for the success of this semi-political Bacharach venture.

 

[Jay Maynes/Juan Oskar]

Burt Bacharach is and has always been one of the great song writers in American Pop Music. Second to none. What I don't understand is why great artists need to add touchy political issues in songs when it could alienate 50% percent of their audience. I could afford to loose 50% of my fan base because that would only be 4 or 5 people.

I do like to hear that my favorite artists are doing acts of charity, (donating to hurricane, earth quake, relief funds etc.) or are generous with their time and craft. Then they become role models.

I know several teens that won't go see Green Day anymore because they start preaching values that the kids do not agree with. It just muddy's the water. Another Juan Oskar Rant ............Later.........Jay

 

[Mike Blakesley]

What I don't understand is why great artists need to add touchy political issues in songs when it could alienate 50% percent of their audience.

I've wondered the same thing. I've been listening to some Stevie Wonder lately (his new album plus some classics) and he's always singing about peace, but do songs ever really make an actual difference in anything? There are plenty of songs about peace but it's always an elusive goal somewhere in the world, no matter who's singing about it.

I also don't understand why anyone would like or dislike an artist because of their political leanings. You miss out on a lot of good music (or movies, or TV shows) that way. I don't care which side of the political fence Bacharach is on, I'm buyin' the album and hope to love it.

 

[Mr Bill]

I also don't understand why anyone would like or dislike an artist because of their political leanings.

I agree with you 50% Let me site Phil Ochs as an example for myself. Even though I disagree almost completely with his socio-political views, I love Ochs's music and how he expresses his views. The difference for me in this case is I expect it from Ochs and listen to him for it... With Bacharach I expect songs about raindrops, broken hearts and cities in the western US. But I certainly won't boycott Bacharach and will likely get this one as well -- it surely won't be as unlistenable as Woman or Futures ...

--Mr Bill

 

[Mike Blakesley]

it surely won't be as unlistenable as Woman or Futures

I'll have to agree with you 50% on this one. Those albums have some great tunes. If you skip over the vocals on FUTURES, the instrumentals on there are very good. And, it's hard to top "New York Lady" and "THere is Time" from WOMAN.

I do agree 100% about what we expect from Bacharach. I guess it's good that he's pushing the envelope. We'll know next week!

 

[Rudy]

I've wondered the same thing. I've been listening to some Stevie Wonder lately (his new album plus some classics) and he's always singing about peace, but do songs ever really make an actual difference in anything?

The difference is that some artists can sing about it or hint at it without clubbing you over the head with it. That's why I dislike some of Stevie's more recent "social issue" tracks, but like his earlier (70s) songs, like "Living For The City".

 

[jimac51]

Mike,Do songs ever actually make a difference in anything? Of course. Enveloping a thought in music is possibly the most direct way to make a statement in the world. In Bacharach's case,if he(or Hal David) came up to you and said,"You know,this world really needs love.",you might ignore that sentence the moment it hits the air. But try to get the melody of "What the World Needs Now Is Love" out of your head,decades after you have heard it,possibly 1000s of times ,performed by dozens of artists-it's in you to stay. What someone does with that thought is up to the individual-its free will. But think of the potential if the thought was heeded. It is the power of music. As for the political power of music(and I know I am skating on thin ice here),I can tell you from personal experience that Neil Young's "Ohio" brought the discussion of government force in political protesting and the morality of the Vietnam War to the general public. Yes,factors such as increasing body counts in Vietnam and Walter Cronkite criticizing the war had much to do with the nation turning against our involvement in Vietnam,but Neil's song. (wisely wrapped in the harmonies of C,S,N&Y instead of Neil as a solo performer)hammered that message into the American psyche in between commercials for soda pop,new cars and pimple creams throughout the summer of 1970. There is no doubt that "Ohio" and others were effective in shaping public opinion. Having said that, today,our local Clear Channel sham of Rock Radio,WZZO,has played that song in constant rotation while they would never touch any other regular CSN their track for being to wussy. Why?Without a doubt, the vast majority of their listeners(males 16-35) have no reference point for what the song means(the killing of four innocent students by the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University,May 4th,1970)-the station never consciously plays it on May 4th.Similarly,the station and its listeners have no clue about the lyrical content of U2's "Sunday,Bloody Sunday"(the 1972 killings of Irish protesters by British paratroopers). It feels good,has a nice beat and scores high in listener surveys. But the message remains if you listen for it. Mac

 

[Dave]

A "tongue-in-cheek" way in song is good... One song, an entire album, or even an entire body of work, OK... When NOT in a recording studio or on the stage performing, that is, actively "politic-ing" in front of the public and on a National TV-interview, then this sort of thing is different--again, when going way beyond, "just merely citing the meaning of a song...", then...


Dave