Such a very sad song, with simply wonderful melody and harmony. This arrangement, originally issued on an album of the same name, makes the very most of its poignancy and drama. Bacharach himself sings beautifully,while carrying all the intelligence and emotion of his song. I don't think I've conveyed what it is that's so superb about this record, so will return to this review at a later date.
from Make it Easy on Yourself available on CD - Best of Burt Bacharach (A&M)
01 Oct 05 ·Flippet: Cilla Black does a brilliant cover of this song on her 1966 album "Sing A Rainbow". Rich lush orchestration and Cilla at full ballad belt. It was her early interpretations of songs like this that brought her to the attention of Bacharach himself!!
Wonderfully lush, yet dark electronica. Alison Goldfrapp's excellent voice shines on a landscape dominated by synthesizers of various vintages. When she stops singing, the synths fizz even more.
A very enjoyable spaghetti western theme sung by American actor Stephen Boyd who also wrote the lyrics and starred in the film.
Fidenco's music recalls some of best spaghetti western themes but still has it's own personality. The lyrics are overblown and more than a little ridiculous, but Boyd delivers them in a fitting way. He's a pretty good singer too.
According to most educated musical minds, the Corrs are purveyors of irritating, unambitious, tasteless pop tinged with Irish folk. I'd tend to agree strongly, and this track starts off so as to suggest nothing better - twelve seconds of unimaginitive and poorly-recorded drum solo, which moreover reappears with just over 3 minutes on the clock, followed by a truly dreadfully contrived-sounding modulation to the supertonic � la Eurovision. And a horrible brassy backing at one point towards the end.
However, there is definitely something I really like about, even esteem in what occours between those two points. For one thing, there is the way the depressive lyrics are sung to an assertively forward-moving minor key backing. There is something about the rhythm of word-setting that grabs me. I like the chord sequences. The melody's quite good. I like the violin solo in the middle, and the use of the violin for the riff heard during the introduction. Even if it's just a cheap piece of pop, it sounds as though some intelligence and emotion went into its creation. And as i say, for some reason, something about it seems to click with me somehow.
Recorded live in London with Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette, this has to be one of the very best versions of this superb song, full of nuance and expression, yet not dripping with sentimentality.