DIONNE WARWICK: "Windows Of The World"

Original released on LP Scepter SRM 563

(US, August 1967)

Dionne Warwick followed up the lukewarm reception for "On Stage and in the Movies" (1967) with her ninth long player for Scepter Records in less than four years. Conversely, "Windows of the World" would garner a favorable impression thanks in part to "Say a Little Prayer" and the hauntingly poignant and politically-tinged title song, "Windows of the World." Both are timeless illustrations of the pop perfection found in Warwick's interpretations of Burt Bacharach and Hal David classics. The same is true of "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me," "The Beginning of Loneliness" and the irresistibly groovy "Another Night," all of which were minor hits. The team also provided the secondary (read: filler) "Walk Little Dolly," sporting a gliding waltz arrangement that is custom-fit to Warwick's lilting and expressive vocal. As on earlier collections, she expands beyond the Bacharach/David songbook on a few show tunes, forecasting her impending success on André Previn's "(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls." Another Previn composition, "You're Gonna Hear from Me" - from "Inside Daisy Clover" - is included here in an impressive Peter Matz score. Warwick's deep gospel roots are drawn upon as she unleashes one of the most striking performances of her career. Matz gives West Side Story's "Somewhere" a jazzy and fully orchestrated reading that takes advantage of Warwick's innate timing and commanding pipes - especially when holding that final "...someway..." that lasts over ten seconds. On the lighter side, O.B. Massingill and Warwick collaborated on the camped up rendition of Nat King Cole and Bert Kaempfert's "Love." (Lindsay Planer in AllMusic)

DIONNE WARWICK In Valley Of The Dolls

Original released on LP Scepter SRM 568

(US, January 1968)

Dionne Warwick followed "The Magic of Believing", a collection of spirituals and religious material, with her first Top Ten LP "In Valley of the Dolls" (1968). Interestingly, the familiar rendering of the title track wasn't the one that was in the motion picture. This is all but academic, as the version featured here reached all the way to number two on the Top Singles chart in February of 1968. The André Previn penned movie theme was certainly not the only reason for the album's success as Burt Bacharach and Hal David provide several impressive compositions, most notably the Top Ten "Do You Know the Way to San Jose." Among their further contributions are the quaint opener "As Long as There's an Apple Tree," plus the soulful ballads "Where Would I Go," and "Let Me Be Lonely." The former has a slightly dark Baroque-flavored melody, while the latter became a lower-tier hit (number 71) and would serve as a staple in Warwick's timeless interpretations of Bacharach/David classics. A few of the other recognizable selections are her take on Jimmy Webb's "Up, Up and Away" that is highlighted by some inspired, albeit uncredited organ licks. In the same recording session that yielded the "(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls," Warwick cut a powerful reading of "You're My World," which had been a sizable side for Cilla Black. The rousing "For the Rest of My Life" is additionally distinguished as the Italian-sung "Dedicato All Amore," her entry in the 1967 San Remo Song Festival. (Lindsay Planer in AllMusic)

DIONNE WARWICK Debut Album

Original released on LP Scepter S-508

(US, February 1963)

The aptly titled "Presenting Dionne Warwick" was the vocalist's first long-player and quickly established the artist as a suitable vehicle for interpreting the quirky pop melodies of Burt Bacharach (music) and Hal David (lyrics). She met the pair during the summer of 1961 as a background singer during the recording session for the Drifters' minor hit "Mexican Divorce," which had been penned by the lucrative pair. Their initial outing, "Don't Make Me Over," became the first of the alliances between Warwick and the songwriting team to hit the pop chart. The prolific nature of this collaboration resulted in Bacharach and David providing three-quarters of the tunes on this dozen-track album. Interestingly, despite having hits almost instantaneously, Scepter Records co-founder Florence Greenberg initially rejected "Don't Make Me Over" until it began to outperform "I Smiled Yesterday," which had been chosen as the A-side. It was not only her first hit, but in time it likewise distinguished itself as a signature catalog entry when it crossed over onto both the pop and R&B charts, respectively. Warwick's inviting voice was at the core of their successful working relationship, coupled with the undeniably unique and expertly crafted material, yielding a host of classics such as "Wishin' and Hopin'." The version here predates Dusty Springfield's rendering and was likewise much of the reason Springfield chose to cover it to begin with. Other seminal entries featured on "Presenting Dionne Warwick" are "Make It Easy on Yourself" and the lovelorn melancholy ballad "I Cry Alone," as well as the unique arrangement of "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" (Lindsay Planer in AllMusic)

Dionne Is Where Love Is

Original released on LP Scepter SPS555

(US, December 1966)

"Here Where There Is Love" was a big album for Dionne Warwick, a very respectable adult contemporary creation featuring three Top 30 hits: "Trains and Boats and Planes," "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself," and the classic theme from the film of the same name, "Alfie." The problem here is a double-edged sword, part of which is the packaging that Scepter Records wrapped this beautiful music in. The photo of two lovers on a beach under off-pink skies at sunset looks like something Ray Conniff might have been happy with. If Warwick were on a Columbia Records-sized label, she might not have had the string of hits she enjoyed with this smaller record company, but her albums, like those of Johnny Mathis, might have had significantly more catalog value just from the promotion and packaging side of things. Side one is completely composed by her ace producers, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, with Bacharach listed as the arranger and conductor on both sides. However, Bob Leeman and Obie Massingill get arranging credits on side two under certain titles, and the feel is distinctly different. The Bacharach/David material has elegance and that superb resonance that made this trio so powerful, and some of that is absent from the material not written by the core team. The work of Warwick/Bacharach and David was to adult contemporary pop what Phil Spector was to the Wall of Sound; listen to the absolute tension in "Alfie" - it's a soft rock version of Shirley Bassey's "Goldfinger," the minor chords exploding in a calmer setting. Massingill's arrangement of Lionel Bart's "As Long As He Needs Me" plays like an early-'60s Johnny Mathis record. It really doesn't sound like Burt Bacharach is involved in this track, and the same goes for Bob Leeman's arrangement of his own co-write "(I Never Knew) What You Were Up To." Obie Massingill also arranges "I Wish You Love" and the cover of Dylan's "Blowing in the Wind," and as pretty and nice as the titles are, there's no denying the album has gone in a different direction. What began as powerful adult contemporary album with stunning sounds evolves into a cabaret-style recording that was the basis for many other middle-of-the-road artists from before, artists who eventually found themselves singing songs Warwick made famous. In other words, "Here Where There Is Love" feels like it was pieced together to get some product out there to benefit from the singles chart action. But it all somehow works, a credit to Dionne Warwick, who is absolutely on no matter who the composer, no matter what song she's given. (Joe Viglione in AllMusic)