Dionne in the sixties

In the sixties, Dionne Warwick was much more successful in her native America than she was in Britain, but this was mainly because so many of her American hits were covered by British artists and became hits for them instead. As time progressed, this practice died out and Dionne gained the recognition she deserved in Britain too. This compilation focuses on her sixties music, specifically the songs that Bacharach and David wrote.



Bacharach and David were prolific songwriters in the sixties and Dionne relied heavily on their songs at that time. Do you know the way to San Jose and Walk on by were the only songs here to provide Dionne with significant British hits. Many of the other songs provided Dionne with American hits, but even in America, some songs were given to others to have hits with.



Among the songs here that were hits for other singers in Britain, America or both are Anyone who had a heart (Cilla Black), Raindrops keep falling on my head (B J Thomas). I just don't know what to do with myself (Dusty Springfield), Always something there to remind me (Sandie Shaw), I'll never fall in love again (Bobbie Gentry), I say a little prayer (Aretha Franklin), Make it easy on yourself (Walker brothers), What the world needs now is love (Jackie De Shannon), Alfie (Cilla Black), You'll never get to heaven (Stylistics), The look of love (Dusty Springfield) and Only love can break a heart (Gene Pitney). Indeed, there are very few songs on this CD that will be unfamiliar to fans of sixties music.



Notable omissions are Close to you (later made famous by the Carpenters), Don't make me over, and This girl's in love with you, all of which qualified for inclusion here. Still, the quality of the songs here is excellent and, for the price, this is wonderful value.



If you are looking for a collection of Dionne's sixties music, you'll find it difficult to improve on this one.

Disappointing

I have recently become very interested in these songs (songs from my youth.) I had about 1/3 of this album on mp3 files and wanted the other songs available here.

Much to my disappointment, this album does not sound very good. While completely listenable, it sounds muddy and veiled. When comparing the same track back-to-back with my mp3 files, my older files always sounded clearer with better defined bass. This was true even though the mp3 files had a lower bit rate!

I am crushed, because I had hoped to obtain a "definitive" recording of these great songs. I guess I'll keep looking.

This album does not sound awful, and I will listen to it in my car where the differences may not be as noticeable. If you're looking for a "great" recording of these songs, I advise that you keep looking.

Poor audio quality ruins great music

I LOVE Dionne Warwick. Imagine my disappointment when I played this CD and from the opening track heard hiss and noise. Then on track two, "What the World Needs Now," there's so much distortion it makes the gorgeous song essentially unlistenable. And so on through the album. I'm going to recycle the disc through a used CD store, and get a different collection with better sound. Sorry, I don't yet know which one might be the best -- but it isn't this one.