Burt Bacharach

Burt Freeman Bacharach (/ˈbækəræk/ BAK-ə-rak; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. He composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s onwards, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. Bacharach's music is characterized by unusual chord progressions, influenced by his background in jazz harmony, and uncommon selections of instruments for small orchestras. He arranged, conducted, and produced much of his recorded output.
From 1961 to 1972, most of Bacharach and David's hits were written specifically for and performed by Dionne Warwick, but earlier associations (from 1957 to 1963) saw the composing duo work with Marty Robbins, Perry Como, Gene McDaniels, and Jerry Butler. Following the initial success of these collaborations, Bacharach wrote hits for Gene Pitney, Cilla Black, Dusty Springfield, Jackie DeShannon, Bobbie Gentry, Tom Jones, Herb Alpert, B. J. Thomas, and the Carpenters, among numerous other artists. (Read more at Wikipedia)
==Links to Peel==
Peel was generally not a fan of most of Burt Bacharach's songs, as many of them were thought of as middle of the road pop tunes from the 1950's onwards - even if some more recent critics see this view of him as misguided. Bacharach wrote in many different styles, and some of his early 1960s hits were R&B-style songs recorded by black artists. However, many artists who appeared in Peel's playlists, from the Beatles to the White Stripes, covered, and sometimes had hits with, Bacharach songs, mainly from the period when the composer was collaborating with lyricist Hal David. An example was Love, whose first album opened with a version of "My Little Red Book", a tune that had previously been recorded by Manfred Mann for the soundtrack of the film What's New Pussycat? (the film's title song was one of the first major hits for Tom Jones), Peel may well have played Love's version when he was working at KMEN, as it was a hit when released as a single in the US (especially in southern California). In the UK, it received airplay on Radio London and was said to have inspired Pink Floyd's instrumental "Interstellar Overdrive". 
Love's most famous album, Forever Changes, also showed a Bacharach influence in its orchestral arrangements and use of Latin-flavoured rhythms, at times resembling the records the composer was making with Dionne Warwick rather than the typical rock sound of the era. One of them, "A House Is Not A Home", is said to have inspired the title of Arthur Lee's "A House Is Not A Motel", included on the LP, although the song's style and mood are very different from Bacharach's work.
Burt Bacharach may also have influenced Neil Young, whose "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" seems to owe something to the composer's melodic style. Bacharach and Hal David had previously composed a song called "Only Love Can Break A Heart", recorded by Gene Pitney. But for a time Bacharach was regarded as part of the "Swinging Sixties" culture against which the hippy generation reacted and in the 1970s he went out of fashion. After that his work was re-evaluated and his songs were recorded by the likes of the Pretenders , Elvis Costello and the Stranglers, who had a hit with their version of "Walk On By". In 1982, Burt Bacharach was namechecked in the track 'Night People' in John Cooper Clarke's second Peel session.
In spite of the acclaim he was given by later generations of musicians and critics, Burt Bacharach never became a Peel favourite, Nevertheless, there were a few Bacharach songs that Peel played on his shows. (He also introduced one later song by the composer, probably not a record he particularly liked, on Top Of The Pops in 1982). These included both original versions, like the Northern Soul favourites by Chuck Jackson and Jimmy Radcliffe shown below, and a variety of cover versions of his 1950s and '60s songs done by other musicians in later decades.
==Artist Performances==
thumb|220x220px|Chuck Jackson - I Wake Up Crying
(The list below comprises of songs played by Peel written by Burt Bacharach and the artists who sang them)
Performing Artist | Song | First Known Play
*Anfield Kop 1964: Anyone Who Had A Heart 08 January 1993
*Elvis Costello and The Attractions: I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself (session) 30 October 1978
*Christopher Cross: Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do) 04 February 1982 (TOTP)
*Aretha Franklin: I Say A Little Prayer For You Jerry Wexler: Soul Man
*Chuck Jackson: I Wake Up Crying 08 August 1988
*Hi-Fi Bros: Magic Moments 26 April 1982
*Billy J Kramer: Trains Boats And Planes (session) 24 April 1973
*Leroy & The Drivers: I Wake Up Crying 21 June 1988
*Love: My Little Red Book 03 July 1980
*Manic Street Preachers: Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head 17 June 1997
*Jimmy Radcliffe: Long After Tonight Is All Over 28 October 1999 (Radio Eins)
*Stranglers: Walk On By 09 May 1978
*Sharon Tandy & The Fleur De Lys: There's Always Something There To Remind Me (session) 11 October 1967
*Johnny Thunders & Patti Palladin: Baby, It's You 13 July 1991
*Vinyl Junkie: Anyone ('Anyone Who Had A Heart') 29 April 1998
*White Stripes: I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself 30 January 2003
;KMEN British Pop Top Ten
*Cilla Black: Alfie 22 Apr 1966
*Cryin' Shames: Please Stay 20 May 1966
*Walker Brothers: Another Tear Falls 21 Oct 1966 
== External Links ==
* Wikipedia
* Discogs
Category:Artists