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Tag Archives: Bob Ludwig

The Songs of Bacharach & Costello: Four CDs Plus Two Vinyl LPs Super Deluxe Edition Boxed Set Shines Light On One Of The Great Modern Day Songwriting Collaborations In Music History


The Songs of Bacharach & Costello is a brand new multi-disc tour-de-force tremendous deluxe version portfolio-styled boxed set that waspersonally compiled by Elvis Costello, being launched early in March. Assembling the entire revealed songs he wrote with one of many best composers of standard music of our twentieth and twenty first century occasions, Burt Bacharach, the gathering explores and honors their outstanding and fruitful musical partnership.

Celebrating this collaboration which started in 1995 and continued up till Mr. Bacharach’s premature passing this month (RIP), The Songs of Bacharach & Costello offers a a lot wanted deep dive into the music these high quality artists created collectively. Revolving round their critically acclaimed 1998 launch Painted From Memory — newly remastered from the unique analog tapes by legendary audio engineer/producer Bob Ludwig — this expansive musical journey takes us by way of a wealth of beforehand unreleased materials from the studios and live performance levels together with items of an unfinished musical that was being explored.

For vinyl followers, I’ve reviewed the 2 LP set included in The Songs of Bacharach & Costello over on Analog Planet (click on right here for that evaluation). This evaluation will nonetheless traverse the 4 digital compact discs in additional depth.

The 4 discs included in The Songs of Bacharach & Costello are damaged up into compelling classes, successfully particular person album listening experiences. 

First, after all, there may be Bob Ludwig’s newly remastered model of the unique album, Painted From Memory. This is adopted by a sequel of types titled Taken From Life,compiling many beforehand unreleased recordings crafted over time past the preliminary album launch, together with materials pegged for a proposed musical primarily based on the unique album. This disc consists of visitor performances from Cassandra Wilson, Bill Frisell, Audra Mae and others.   

The archival flavored CD Because It’s A Lonely World – Live options Mr. Costello performing largely beforehand unreleased materials on the live performance stage along with his very long time keyboard accompanist, Steve Nieve.  

And lastly, there’s a beautiful assortment that includes Elvis overlaying different songs written by Burt Bacharach and his authentic songwriting accomplice Hal David, titled appropriately: Costello Sings Bacharach/David. This assortment is especially particular because it consists of numerous recordings from the very quick unique tour Elvis made with Burt Bacharach (which, alas, I sadly was not in geographical proximity to see on the time).

All that mentioned, lets dive in to every of the discs in The Songs of Bacharach & Costello:

Painted From Memory 

The remastered CD of the unique Painted From Memory album as included on this new boxed set sounds glorious as CDs go. I in contrast this to an authentic promotional launch model of the album — which had the early HDCD encoding (my Oppo common participant can decode this). In basic, every thing sounds richer and hotter on this new version with far more detailing obvious. In some methods, it’s fairly near Mobile Fidelity’s SACD model which I personal as nicely and in someways maybe higher given entry to the newest remastering know-how and the magic contact of an artist like engineer Bob Ludwig.

Taken From Life 

This unbelievable CD assembles musics from a proposed theatrical staging revolving across the Painted From Memory album. While the present by no means got here to fruition (at the least as of but!) a lot new music was written and recorded alongside the methods (a few of which was sprinkled out on different releases over time).  While I after all love the 5 tracks with backing from Elvis’ band The Imposters, Audra Mae’s recordings of “I Looked Away,” “In The Darkest Place” and most dramatically “What’s Her Name Today?” are highly effective and at occasions coronary heart wrenching. If you aren’t positive who Audra Mae is (as I wasn’t previous to this launch) please do verify the Wiki web page (click on right here) for her fascinating background which incorporates genetic ties to a minimum of Judy Garland! 

Cassandra Wilson & Bill Frisell’s model of the tune “Painted From Memory” works a lot better on this context than on Frisell’s largely instrumental album, The Sweetest Punch (the place it initially appeared). While I perceive the necessity to eradicate duplication of songs, it could have been good for the sake of completeness to incorporate each tracks she sang on that album (one was a duet with Elvis on  “I Still Have That Other Girl”) however I suppose on the flip aspect not together with it offers us purpose to carry on to our authentic CDs — or if you happen to don’t personal the album, search it out — to benefit from the music in its authentic context!  Poignantly, Taken From Life ends with Mr. Bacharach himself singing an early run by way of of one of many new songs, “Lie Back & Think Of England.”  It is kind of haunting.

Because It’s A Lonely World – Live

This discs largely options Elvis along with his career-long accompanist — and member of his authentic bands — Steve Nieve. While the duo had launched numerous recordings from the 1996 tour, these didn’t function any of the music from the Painted From Memory collaboration (there’s a multi-disc boxed set out there that includes EPs culled from cities the place they carried out). 

The so known as “Lonely World” tour in 1999 did, nonetheless, discover them performing a lot of these Bacharach-Costello items, so this new CD offers us six tour recordings from Japan, Australia and Canada. Two tracks recorded with the The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra are additionally included and as icing on the cake we get to listen to a high quality model of “This House Is Empty Now” from Late Night with Conan O’Brien in New York City that includes Burt Bacharach himself on piano! All the recordings sound glorious regardless of coming from completely different sources and reveals. 

Costello Sings Bacharach/David

The closing disc delivers precisely what the title guarantees stretching throughout completely different durations of his profession. Opening with a Burt Bacharach-Hal David tune which was a 1964 UK #3 hit for Dusty Springfield, “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself,” Costello’s model right here first appeared on the 1977 Stiff Records tour-document album known as Live Stiffs, underscoring Costello’s deep connection to Mr. Bacharach’s music proper from the start of his profession. This tune additionally closes the album sequence, taken from a efficiency with Mr. Bacharach recorded reside at Sony Music Studios In New York City for the 1998 Sessions at West 54th tv present.  It is concurrently thrilling to listen to simply how a lot Elvis has grown as a performer between these two variations nevertheless it additionally underscores simply how a lot he arrived on the scene able to flower, delivering ardour a-plenty in that uncooked early take. 

Sandwiched between, Costello typically pulls out all of the stops delivering highly effective variations of Bacharach-David classics like “Make It Easy On Yourself” and “Anyone Who Had A Heart” with Mr. Bacharach supporting him on piano. 

An apart: I can solely think about the sense of pleasure and stress Costello confronted every evening on this tour, delivering excellent performances on stage with — and for — the Maestro, particularly as these songs are literally fairly difficult.

Overall The Songs of Bacharach & Costello assortment is known as a marvel and an amazing providing from Elvis in tribute to his 25-plus yr partnership with one of many best songwriters of our occasions. 

Perhaps my solely needs is that each one this materials was introduced in a excessive decision archival audio format equivalent to Blu-ray Disc (I assume it will likely be streaming on main providers, hopefully in high-res). I’d have favored to have heard this remixed into Dolby Atmos and included on a Blu-ray. I do perceive that the set will likely be streaming in Atmos on Apple Music, which I plan to take a look at sooner or later — if it seems to be compelling I’ll attempt to write about it from that vantage level.

In abstract, I do know it wasn’t essentially supposed, however The Songs of Bacharach & Costello ended up as a loving farewell to Maestro Bacharach.

But maybe it additionally marks a brand new starting. In some methods, this set illustrates a digital passing the baton (if you’ll) on to Mr. Costello who along with his personal exemplary profession is arguably the rightful heir-apparent to assist preserve Bacharach’s music alive for at the least a number of generations to return. With the unique album and this new set, Elvis arguably set the fashionable customary for others to aspire when performing Burt Bacharach’s music. That is kind of an honor (and duty) if you cease to consider it.

If you’re keen on Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach’s music, you want The Songs of Bacharach & Costello.

Rest in peace, Mr. Bacharach, and thanks for the music. And thanks Elvis for taking us all together with you on this wondrous journey. 

dCS Expands Legends Award

dCS’s Bespoke Bartok DAC
dCS’s Bespoke Bartok DAC

Cambridge, UK (May 5, 2020)—Launched last year at AES, the dCS (Data Conversion Systems, Ltd.) Legends Award campaign has acknowledged the efforts of recording, mixing, and mastering engineers who have strived throughout their careers to deliver a quality music listening experience possible. Since then, the Legends Award has been bestowed upon Bob Ludwig, Al Schmitt, Tony Faulkner and Chuck Ainlay. Now dCS has announced the next round of honorees.

Bob Ludwig Receives dCS Legends Award

In the coming months, the dCS Legends Award campaign will highlight Frank Filipetti, James Guthrie, Leslie Ann Jones, George Massenburg, John Newton, Elliot Scheiner, Mark Wilder and the late Ed Cherney, who dCS also honored with a contribution to the COVID-19 Relief Fund established by the Recording Academy and MusiCares.

While honoring noted engineers, the program is also intended to underscore the growing industry trend toward ‘studio quality’ high-resolution streaming services. “We are overwhelmed by the positive response that our Legends Award campaign has received from both music professionals and enthusiasts alike,” said David J. Steven, managing director. “We have been working closely with the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing to identify and tell the incredible stories behind a diverse group of legendary engineers, and we plan to continue this effort through the remainder of this year.”

dCS Legends Award • www.dcsltd.co.uk

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