Dionne Warwick [2023] - Sure Thing: The Warner Bros Recordings 1972-77 [SoulMusic Records #QSMCR-5207BX]

Exactly a month ago today David Nathan's Soul Music Records released a 6 CD set "Sure Thing: The Warner Bros Recordings 1972-77" consisting of 85 tracks in total. It has been released digitally today (or at least it is now available on Spotify as of today).

Possibly, Dionne Warwick's most soulful period which consists of all five Warner Bros. albums along with many bonus tracks and a compilation of 16 previously unreleased tracks "You Are A Song: The 1973-1974 Sessions".

Whilst it IS available digitally, for the very small difference between £29.99 digital and £35.49  (or £33.49 direct from Cherry Red Records) it would be preferable to have it on physical media with the 40 page booklet.

The compilation includes the following albums:

1972 - Dionne

1973 - Just Being Myself

1975 - Then Came You

1975 - Track Of The Cat

1976 - Love At First Sight

2023 - You Are A Song: The 1973-1974 Sessions

Full details and track listing available from Cherry Red Records.

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Details

Rating:	8.7
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul / 70s Soul
Format:	Album / Compilation
Media:	Digital / CD
Label:	SoulMusic Records
Cat No:	QSMCR-5207BX
Date:	7/03/2023 / 17/02/2023
Price:	£29.99 / £35.39

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Dionne Warwick [2023] - Sure Thing: The Warner Bros Recordings 1972-77 [SoulMusic Records #QSMCR-5207BX]

Out today on David Nathan's Soul Music Records is a 6 CD set "Sure Thing: The Warner Bros Recordings 1972-77" consisting of 85 tracks in total. Possibly, Dionne Warwick's most soulful period which consists of all five Warner Bros. albums along with many bonus tracks and a compilation of 16 previously unreleased tracks "You Are A Song: The 1973-1974 Sessions".

Whilst it IS available digitally, for the very small difference between £29.99 digital and £35.49  (or £33.49 direct from Cherry Red Records) it would be preferable to have it on physical media with the 40 page booklet.

It's not yet landed on Spotify but four of the five albums are there and more than likely many of the others tracks. It would be unwieldy to post them all.

1972 - Dionne

1973 - Just Being Myself

1975 - Then Came You

1975 - Track Of The Cat

1976 - Love At First Sight

2023 - You Are A Song: The 1973-1974 Sessions

Full details and track listing available from Cherry Red Records.

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Details

Rating:	8.7
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul / 70s Soul
Format:	Album / Compilation
Media:	Digital
Label:	SoulMusic Records
Cat No:	QSMCR-5207BX
Date:	17/02/2023
Price:	£29.99 / £35.39

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Dionne Warwick - A Profile

Marie Dionne Warwick was born in East Orange, NJ, on 12 Dec 1940 and is celebrating her 82nd birthday today. She is one of the top selling recording artists of all time and the second most charted female vocalist and has numerous awards including six Grammys.

She sang in her mother's (Lee Drinkard) gospel group The Drinkard singers which included her aunt Cissy Houston (mother of Whitney) and at one time also Judy Clay.  Dionne was also a member of The Gospelaires who would eventually become The Sweet Inspirations who, as well as releasing their own recordings, were much sought after backing singers featuring on recordings by Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley amongst many others.

Warwick was discovered singing backing vocals for The Drifters in 1962 by Burt Bacharach and he hired her to record demos of his songs to pitch to labels.

Her big break came when she recorded a demo for a Bacharach song "It's Love That Really Counts" which Bacharach pitched to Scepter Records for The Shirelles. Scepter president Florence Greenburg suggested Warwick record it herself and she was signed to the label and the song was included on her debut album "Presenting Dionne Warwick" in 1963.

Another demo song she recorded, "Make It Easy On Yourself", which she wanted to be her debut single, was recorded by Jerry Butler, so her debut was "Don't Make Me Over" in Nov 1962 which became Bacharach & David's first top 40 pop hit. The following year she and Bacharach & David had their first top 10 hit with "Anyone Who Had A Heart" followed by "Walk On By".

Warwick has released in the region of 40 plus solo albums and dozens of charting singles, yet has achieved only two #1 Hot 100 singles, "Then Came You" in 1975 with The Spinners and "That's What Friends Are For" in 1985.

The R&B chart is a different story with three #1s, "Walk On By", "Reach Out For Me" and "That's What Friends Are For", and ten other Top 10 R&B records with a total of 20 reaching the Top 20.

Her career declined at the end of the 80s with none of her subsequent twelve albums released since then charting, however, one of, arguably, her best songs was included as the title track of her 1993 album "Friends Can Be Lovers" but even a duet with her cousin Whitney Houston couldn't elevate the album into the charts. Prior to that she had three RIAA certified Gold and two Platinum selling albums. 

Many of her later albums were novelty releases, two were rehashes of her 60s hits, another a  rehash of hits but this time with featured guest singers, one was sung in Brazilian, two Christmas albums and yet another a gospel album. Her latest album "She's Back" in 2019 includes several contemporary guests such as Musiq Soulchild, Kenny Lattimore, Kevon Edmonds and Brian McKnight with Krayzie Bone featuring on Deja Vu. 

In 2013, fifty years after her first hit, she was declared bankrupt owing an estimated $10 in unpaid taxes. She claimed that it was due to 'negligent and gross financial mismanagement' in the late 80s through mid-90s. The debt was accredited to mainly interest and penalties as the actual back taxes had been paid.

Last year a documentary/biography film "Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Me Over" was made about her career that premiered in Sep 2021 at Toronto International Film Festival. CNN has acquired the rights and it is set for airing on TV on 1 Jan 2023. A  trailer below.

The playlist below avoids most of the obvious recordings and tries to highlight some lesser known songs (that are available on Spotify), many of which are album tracks only.

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Dionne Warwick [2022] - Meant To Be / I Found Someone Else [Soul4Real #S4R21]

Soul4Real has announced the release of another pair of 7" singles. The first comes from a 2013 compilation of unreleased tracks by Dionne Warwick "We Need To Go Back: The Unissued Warner Bros. Masters".

The compilation consists of discarded songs from her 70s period after leaving Scepter to join Warner Brothers in 1972.

The A side "Meant To Be" was written and produced by Jerry Ragovoy and the flip side "I Found Someone Else" by Thom Bell, Sherman Marshall and Gabriel Hardeman with Bell producing it. It's the first time on vinyl for both sides.

Orders: soul4realrecordlabel@gmail.com

Details

Rating:	8.5
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	7" Vinyl
Label:	Soul4Real
Cat No:	S4R21
Date:	30/06/2022
Key/BPM:	8A/118 / 9A/115
Price:	€14

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

Freddie North [1968] - Oh Lord, What Are You Doing To Me [Abet #9436]

Freddy North's finest hour?  Beat ballad heaven from 1968, a cover of Big Maybelle's 1964 release on Scepter. Penned by Luther Dixon and Burt Keyes.

I know of 5 other versions, one previously unreleased until this year (2020) by Jerry Williams (believed to have been recorded in 1967), Big Maybelle (the original? from 1964), Dionne Warwick (also 1964 album only), Brenda & The Tabulations (1967 album only) an Leslie Uggams (1972 album only)

Jerry Williams [2020] - Oh Lord, What Are You Doing To Me [Soul 4 Real #S4R12]

A previously unreleased  version (on vinyl - I believe it did come out on Telling It Like It Is compilation CD) by Jerry (Swamp Dogg) Williams Jr was issued by Soul 4 Real in Sep 2020.  According to Soul 4 Real notes by Tony Rounce it was originally recorded in 1967 as a follow up to Baby You're My Everything but never released.  However, 'Baby' was released in 1965 - so I wonder if it was actually recorded in 1965?

Big Maybelle [1964] - Oh Lord, What Are You Doing To Me [Scepter #1779]

Dionne Warwick [1964] - Oh Lord, What Are You Doing To Me [Scepter #SRM-517]

So, who did it first Big Maybelle or Dionne Warwick?  Both released on Scepter in 1964.  Given that Dionne's is album only (Anyone Who Had A Heart), I'd plump for Big Maybelle being first.

Brenda & The Tabulations [1967] - Oh Lord, What Are You Doing To Me [Dionn #LPM 2000]

Released on Dry Your Eyes album (only) in 1967.

Leslie Uggams [1972] - Oh Lord, What Are You Doing To Me [Sonday #SL 8000]

A slightly MOR version by Leslie Uggams (who was essentially a show type singer) from her  1972 album 'Try To See It My Way' on Sonday - the same label that she had her Northern Soul biggie Love Is A Good Foundation which is also on the album (side 1 track 1). 

NOTE: The link to 'Love Is' has some great rare live footage of her singing this track on a US TV show (Is has 'Reeling' In The Years' emblazoned across the screen, so I guess that must be the name of the show?) ... and an added bonus I found a clip of Dionne Warwick singing it live which i never knew existed!

Will Downing Feat. Avery Sunshine [2019] - Deja Vu [Sophisticated Soul]

Will Downing & Avery Sunsine with a 2019 cover version of Dionne Warwick's Deja Vu originally released on Arista in 1979.

Soul Strutter's Rating: 8.6

Dionne Warwick's [1979] - Deja Vu [Arista AS 0459]

Soul Strutter's Rating: 8.2

The original two-stepper from 1979 written by Isaac Hayes & Adrienne Anderson and produced by none other than Barry Manilow!

Note the sound clip is a longer version 5:06 only available on certain reissued versions of 'Dionne' album (originally released in 1979) post 2011 e.g. this one.