Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello Paint From Memory
Reprinted from ICE Sept. 1, 1998After two arduous sessions, Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello - songwriting icons from two vastly different musical generations - will deliver their much-anticipated collaborations, Painted From Memory, on September 29.
The Mercury release, produced by the pair, features the vocals and lyrics of Costello juxtaposed against Bacharach's musical arrangements and orchestrations. Guest musicians abound, including longtime Costello pianist Steve Nieve, veteran session musicians Jim Keltner, Greg Cohen, Dean Parks, Greg Phillinganes, Paulinho Da Costa, and Jerry Hey, and a 36-piece string section. The track list is as follows: "In the Darkest Place," "Toledo," "I Still Have That Other Girl," "This House is Empty Now," "Tears at the Birthday Party," "Such Unlikely Lovers," "My Thief," "The Long Division" "The Sweetest Punch," "What's Her Name Today?," the title cut and "God Give Me Strength," which the twosome wrote for the 1996 film Grace of My Heart.
Despite the historically disparate styles of the two artistic giants involved, Mercury Group Chairman Danny Goldberg told Ice the album "is definitely a child of both of them. You can feel very vividly the distinctive signatures of both Elvis and Burt, without one dominating the other. There was a tangible artistic love affair that they had with each other, and as a result, [the record] is really a brilliant breakthrough for both of them."
When it's mentioned to Goldberg that mainstream music fans may be much more familiar with Burt Bacharach's compositions for other artists ("Close to You" for the Carpenters. "What's New Pussycat?" for Tom Jones, among scores of others) than they are with Bacharach himself, he says emphatically, "First and foremost, this is an Elvis Costello record. It's the first record in his deal for us. He's the singer, and that tends to give the signature to a record, ultimately. But the combination is very intriguing, so in that regard it may generate more interest than a solo record by either of them
"There've been a number of records that have touched a nerve with adults that have subsequently developed mass appeal - like Tony Bennett's Unplugged, of Bonnie Raitt's Nick of Time - and I think this [record] is in that general category musically; very conceptual and intelligent. There are a lot of different tempos - some songs are faster than others - but it's certainly a record for adults. There's no punk rock on it."
Goldberg says there are no plans for a commercially released single, but that the label will focus on certain tracks that have not been determined yet. One thing that has been determined is that, as far as Goldberg is concerned, this is the most important release on Mercury Records under his leadership.
"I'm pretty jaded, having been in the business all these years," he laughs, "but these are two guys I'd put on a pedestal. This is the kind of [record] that could win awards, that will be remembered 20 years from now."
ELVIS COSTELLO AND BURT BACHARACH IN STUDIO
NEW ALBUM DUE SEPTEMBER 29
New York, NY, July 27, 1998 -- Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach
announce the culmination of nearly two years of
collaboration as they begin recording a new album for Mercury
Records, due in stores on September 29. The two have
been composing original material for the record since early 1997,
and previously worked together on the
Grammy-nominated single, "God Give Me Strength" (from
the film "Grace Of My Heart"), which will be included
on the
new album. Painted From Memory is being produced by Costello and
Bacharach (recorded and mixed by Kevin
Killen), with Bacharach performing on piano as well as conducting
a 24 piece pop orchestra for the project's 12
beautiful compositions.
All 11 new songs are being recorded at Hollywood's Ocean Way
studios. The orchestrations were written and
conducted by Bacharach, with the exception of the string chart
for the title track, which was written by Johnny Mandel.
Featured musicians include Jim Keltner (drums), Greg Cohen (bass),
Dean Parks (guitar) and Steve Nieve (second
piano and other keyboards). At this time, the tracks are titled
"In The Darkest Place," "Toledo," "I
Still Have That
Other Girl," "This House Is Empty Now," "Tears
At The Birthday Party," "Such Unlikely Lovers,"
"My Thief," "The
Long Division," "Painted From Memory," "The
Sweetest Punch" and "What's Her Name Today?"
Elvis Costello signed jointly with PolyGram Classics &
Jazz and Mercury Records in early 1998, entering into an
unusual and highly creative arrangement which allows him to release
albums both through the Mercury label as well as
the various labels of the PolyGram Classics & Jazz division
(Verve, Deutsche Grammophon, London, Decca, Phillips).
He has recorded over 17 albums in his 25 year career, and has
been nominated for a Grammy Award. Aside from
recording with his band, The Attractions, Costello has worked
with Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett, The Brodsky
Quartet, The Chieftains, and Bill Frisell. He has also produced
recordings by The Pogues, Squeeze and The Specials.
Costello is the recipient of several prestigious international
awards including a Q Magazine Award, two Ivor Novello
Awards, the BAFTA award, and the coveted Nordoff-Robbins Silver
Clef Award.
A legend in the field of popular music, Burt Bacharach revolutionized
the sound of the 1960s and continues to be one of
the world's most popular composers. His work encompasses rock
and soul, movie scores and Broadway
orchestrations, some of which have been recorded by artists Barbra
Streisand, Aretha Franklin, and Michael Stipe
(REM). In addition to dozens of Top 10 hits, Bacharach has won
several Grammy and Academy Awards for classics
"Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" "Arthur's Theme,"
and "That's What Friends Are For," among others. PBS
spotlighted Bacharach in 1997 with a "Great Performances"
special, BBC aired a documentary about him in 1996, and
TNT recently launched its new "TNT Masters Series" with
BACHARACH: ONE AMAZING NIGHT, a unique
tribute featuring stars Elvis Costello, Ben Folds Five, Sheryl
Crow and Mike Myers performing his songs.
Mercury Records is a division
of PolyGram. Its current roster includes such artists as Hanson,
Ringo Starr, Bon Jovi,
Joan Osborne, The Cardigans, KISS, Lucinda Williams, Lionel Richie
and Vanessa Williams. Mercury also markets
and promotes artists on Def Jam Recordings (LL Cool J, DMX, Foxy
Brown) and has entered into joint ventures with
Capricorn Records (Cake, 311), Mouth Almighty and Triloka Records.
Additionally, The Mercury Records Group
includes Mercury Nashville (Shania Twain, Kathy Mattea, Kim Richey).