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Serene Dominic

Burt Bacharach: Song by Song Paperback – July 1, 2003

by Serene Dominic (Author)

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A song-by-song journey through Bacharach’s vast recorded oeuvre, from Nat “King” Cole’s little-known 1952 version of ‘Once in a Blue Moon” to Burt’s recent collaborations with Elvis Costello, Lyle Lovett and Chicago.

Print length

352 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Schirmer Trade Books
Publication date

July 1, 2003
Dimensions

8.54 x 0.89 x 11.04 inches
ISBN-10

0825672805
ISBN-13

978-0825672804
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Serene Dominic is a music writer based in Phoenix, Arizona. He writes for the New Times Chain and has published articles in Rouze, Popsmear, New York Press, and Guitar.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Schirmer Trade Books; Illustrated edition (July 1, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0825672805
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0825672804
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.15 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.54 x 0.89 x 11.04 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #84,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #411 in Composer & Musician Biographies
- #765 in Songbooks
- #6,574 in Humor & Entertainment (Books)

Customer Reviews:
26 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

26 global ratings

5 star		79%
4 star		9%
3 star		5%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		8%

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Top reviews from the United States

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A. K. Moore

Half of the Job - Still Worth 5 Stars

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 31, 2016

Verified Purchase

This is a perfectly constructed, lovingly constructed, incredibly thorough, wonderfully illustrated, and surprisingly readable chronology of Bacharach's career. It lacks musical analysis, but I suppose that's better than shallow or inaccurate musical analysis. There is SO much to say about Bacharch's harmony, melody, form, his influence on others and the influence of others on him. For example, compare the title hooks of The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" and "What The World Needs Now is Love"; compare Bacharach's exploration of the vii minor chord on (among many others) Don't Make Me Over to Martha My Dear and Julia. Compare The Sweetest Punch to Joni Mitchell from her Court & Spark period. Compare I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself to Jimmy Webb's subsequent string of hits (Galveston et al). Listen to the direct pre-echoes of Steely Dan in Reach Out For Me. Compare the modulatory downward move at the end of each verse of Anyone Who Had a Heart (1962) to Brian Wilson's (and McCartney's) later work. Bacharach is like the missing link between the Broadway "show tune/jazz standard" era and the post-Beatles world of rock songwriting. His influence on it was profound as was its influence on him. Someone should do a companion book that follows the exact format of this one but adds the musical analysis. And of course, this book provides the definitive outline and starting point if you want to do your own exploration of Bacharach's music, or build a completist collection. And of course, if you're not interested in musical analysis, this book is beyond perfect. In summary, for what the book is trying to be, it's a major triumph and fills a much needed gap in pop music history.

13 people found this helpful

Helpful

Frank M. Young III

Great Idea For A Book; Almost Got It Right

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 4, 2005

Verified Purchase

I found this book fascinating but flawed. Author Dominic has done a great service to those interested in the music of Burt Bacharach. Via this tome, I discovered several Bacharach tunes previously unknown to me. I also found that the original versions of certain songs were not the hit versions.

There is more trivia than a person could ask for scattered throughout this book. If it were written more seriously, with less attempts at puns, cutdowns, shaggy dog stories and quips, I think it would be a far stronger work. Dominic just cannot resist any opportunity to make a funny. At times, his quips are amusing, but more often, they invalidate his critical voice.

Another problem I had with the book was its organization. Dominic groups the Bacharach songs into periods of two to three years. Within those periods, the songs are presented in chronological order, as they were first recorded and released. This is fine, and I salute Dominic's scholarship.

But [and you knew there would be a 'but'!] there is no other way to cross-index the songs. Thus, eyestrain and brainstrain set in as the reader scans pages and paragraphs in search of a certain song. Many readers are not going to have this chronology in their heads. Had Dominic included an alphabetical song index in the back of the book, he would have made his work easier to access and more usable.

The post-1970s chapters are rough going, as Bacharach sinks into MOR mire, and Dominic struggles to find something of value to say about this work. He perks up considerably when Elvis Costello's collaboration occurs in the 1990s.

This book is loaded with interesting memorabilia--record sleeves, labels, etc.--and is well worth owning and reading. I just wish the tone had been less jocular and more refined. Sometimes I could hear the voice of Groucho Marx narrating the book as I read it. Comedy is a fine thing, but it is a strange bedfellow of scholarship.

This book is a valuable resource for anyone else attempting to write a 'song by song' volume for other composers. I appreciate the groundwork Dominic has achieved with this book.

34 people found this helpful

Helpful

Gary Goss

Everything and anything to know about Bacharach songs.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 15, 2021

Verified Purchase

Well written and detailed account of all Bacharach songs.

Helpful

L K

Seems To Be Written By A Five Year Old

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 24, 2020

Verified Purchase

I was shocked in the writing style used in this book. The author tries to be funny with pithy or clever little jokes almost every other sentence - that are usually corny, immature or just stupid. Really takes away from the great subject matter.

The other problem is there is no index to the songs - instead the material is arranged by decades. So if you want to look up the story behind a particular song you cannot go to an index or alphabetical list with page numbers. Instead you have to guess what year it came out and then go fishing. Big negative.

There are lot of chestnuts in here and the songs are an amazing body of work - but this author was not equal to the task. Love Burt, hate this book.

6 people found this helpful

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Richard Tuttle

Phenomenal detail on each song as well as the context/time ...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 22, 2016

Verified Purchase

Phenomenal detail on each song as well as the context/time period in which it was written. Captivating reading for anyone with an
interest in Burt's music as well as the performers he worked with. Full of anecdotes and behind the scenes stories.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Mark Winkler

This book is like opening your favorite present on Christmas Day

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 8, 2014

Verified Purchase

This book is like opening your favorite present on Christmas Day. The book is just terrific for Bacharach fans! It is so complete-- I consider myself a Bacharach fanatic and this book has let me know about songs I never knew about before. Plus it's easy to read and very smart.

2 people found this helpful

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Friendly Porpoise

Burtography!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 14, 2003

Verified Purchase

In an amazing feat of research and Bacharach fandom, Dominic Salerno traces the maestro's every songwriting move, from 1952 to the present. Going in, I considered myself a knowledgable Bacharach fan, but there I was, surprised and delighted by some new fact or tidbit on nearly every page. As Burt admits in a back-of-the-book interview, Dominic knows more about the back catalog than he does himself. Highly recommended!

9 people found this helpful

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Ing Direct

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 14, 2018

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the best composer of all time

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Richard Newbold

Perfect for the Bacharachaholic

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 5, 2015

Verified Purchase

As Burt continues his amazing career renaissance, not least the triumph of his Glastonbury appearance in 2015 and his retrospectives at the Royal Festival Hall, what better than this detailed, year by year, song by song encyclopaedia of his songbook, principally his 40 year collaboration with lyricist Hal David. Here are the stories behind the songs, long lists of the cover versions, explanation of the twists and turns in Burt's forays into musical theatre and film music, and the artists such as Dionne Warwick, Cilla Black, Gene Pitney, Elvis Costello and many more whose interpretations have lit up the world of music over so many years. Just a note of caution - there is no sheet music included in this book. Recommended wholeheartedly.

2 people found this helpful

old dude

My best Bacharach book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 7, 2008

Verified Purchase

I've left one star off because of the lack of index...maybe it should have cost two stars as it's a serious omission and the injury is added to by contents pages that might, charitably, be called 'quirky' BUT this is otherwise a wonderfully thorough musical biography. Unlike some other reviewers, I very much like Serene Dominic's style...I value the humour and musical knowledge that runs throughout. It's a critical biography, as someone who's been playing and singing Bacharach-David and Bacharach-Hilliard songs for 50+ years I don't want to read pointless panegyrics... and it's fact-packed, I've learned a lot in the years I've had it, frequently using it as a reference....which is why the lack of index is still annoying.

One person found this helpful

Anonymous

Amazing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 24, 2019

Verified Purchase

Despite certain shortcomings noted by other reviewers, this is an amazing book.

It presents a mass of information to show just how great Burt and Hal are in popular musical history.

ian hazell

Research

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 7, 2018

Verified Purchase

Research

Tom Boyle

Answers Questions

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on December 4, 2020

Verified Purchase

Has every crazy fact I ever wanted to know about Burt's songs. Invaluable