R.I.P Burt Bacharach

The celebrated composer and bandleader whose elegant melodies dominated pop radio for several decades, has died at the age of 94.

Bacharach gave Bobbie one of her biggest hits when she topped the UK singles chart in August 1969 with her recording of ‘I’ll Never Fall In Love Again’. Bobbie’s recording was the most popular release of the song outside America, and also hit the top spot in Australia, and Ireland, reaching number 3 in South Africa and number 5 in Norway. In the U.S. her version was eclipsed by Dionne Warwick’s recording which came out 5 months later. The track appeared on two of Bobbie’s albums – Touch ’em With Love in 1969 and Fancy in 1970. Infact the Fancy album was renamed in Europe to tie in with the hit single, and also contained her version of ‘Raindrop’s Keep Fallin’ On My Head’.

Bobbie recorded two further songs by Bacharach which weren’t released until after her retirement, these appear on her previously unreleased easy listening jazz album The Windows Of The World which contains the title track and ‘This Girl’s In Love With You’ – many fans feel these unreleased acoustic recordings eclipsed her released versions of Bacharach’s songs.

Vinyl repress of U.K. ‘Fancy’ album ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’ out now

It’s been a long wait, but Bobbie’s 1970 U.K. album ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’ gets it’s first vinyl repress for HMV as part of their centenary celebrations.

Released in the U.S. as ‘Fancy’, EMI, (who owned Capitol and distributed them in the UK) renamed the album ‘I’ll Never Fall In Love Again’, to tie in with Bobbie’s British number one hit with the song the previous year. The LP was issued with alternative artwork and running order, including two additional songs to the U.S. release; the self-penned ‘Billy the Kid’, (which would also appear on the following year’s ‘Patchwork’) and ‘In the Ghetto’, an outtake from 1969’s Touch ’Em With Love sessions. The album was mostly produced with the legendary Rick Hall at Muscle Shoals, but on several tracks Bobbie receives her first official credit as producer. The repress contains new sleevenotes and rare photos and is available to purchase now from HMV. For more info on the release visit our album page.