Bertie Fridays #4: What The World Needs Now...

Time for Bertie the dog to pick another of his favourite music Berts... or Burts in the case of this week's star.

I'm sure I can't tell you anything about Burt Bacharach that you don't already know, although I can confirm that he's NOT related to one of my favourite actors of recent years, Ebon Moss-Bacharach of The Bear (soon to play The Thing in the new Fantastic Four movie).

I think we'll just let the music speak for itself today...

Jackie DeShannon - What the World Needs Now (Is Love)

Herb Alpert - This Guy's In Love With You

Perry Como - Magic Moments 

Shirelles - Baby It's You

Walker Brothers - Make It Easy On Yourself

Dusty Springfield - I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself

Gene Pitney - Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa

Isaac Hayes - Walk On By

Dionne Warwick - Do You Know the Way to San Jose?

The Carpenters - (They Long To Be) Close To You

Love - My Little Red Book

Tom Jones - What's New, Pussycat?

Aretha Franklin - I Say A Little Prayer

Neil Diamond - Heartlight

BJ Thomas - Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

Christopher Cross - Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)

Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald - On My Own

Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach - Toledo

The majority of those were written with lyricist Hal David, of course. But he's not a Bertie. Or even a Burty.

If I was forced at gunpoint to choose a favourite recording of a Bacharach composition, it would be this one, which I bought as a 7" single in 1990. I was convinced it made Number One, but clearly I needed to buy a couple more copies, because it was held off the top spot by Timmy Mallet. Oh, the inDignity*!

*I'm particularly proud of that pun. Little things please little minds.

Next week... "For the money, for the glory, and for the fun. Mostly for the money."

Listening Post #22: Billy, You're My Friend

Sometimes I hear a song and wonder how I've never heard it before. 

For example - how have I lived this long without hearing this epic Gene Pitney tune? 

Second question - how was this not a colossal hit? It got to #92 in the US and #38 in Australia, but didn't even chart in the UK.  

Billy, You're My Friend was written by Edward Louis Goldman... who doesn't appear to have written much else of note. Yet this song could well be the missing link between Jimmy Webb and Jim Steinman. 

Cover Me Monday #1

Here's a new feature which I hope will act as a bit of a palate cleanser after a full weekend of Saturday Snapshotting. Especially needed after this weekend's accidental double bubble.

Simply put, a classic tune...



...followed by an interesting cover version.



At risk of stealing one of Charity Chic's old ideas, feel free to tell me which you prefer... though I doubt anyone will deny the original is best in the case. I hope you enjoy the cover though. I found it rather refreshing.