Adding Alfie to Alfie

[Teasing the Korean]

I always loved the Sonny Rollins/Oliver Nelson album, but it always bugged me that the Bacharach/David standard was not included.  

It also bothered me that the album begins with the long version of "Alfie's Theme" rather than the short one.

So, I decided to sequence my own album.

I do not like the Cilla Black version of "Alfie," which was used in the film, so I took the liberty of beginning the album with Dionne Warwick's version.

I also added Rahsaan Roland Kirk's version of Bacharach "Alfie," which briefly uses the Sonny Rollins theme for its coda.

I ended up with a 39-minute album that I programmed into two relatively even sides, like this:

Side 1:

1. Alfie - Dionne
2. Alfie's Theme (short version)
3. He's Younger Than You Are
4. Street Runner with Child
5. On Impulse

20 minutes

Side 2: 

1. Transition Theme for Minor Blues
2. Alfie - Rahsaan
3. Alfie's Theme (long version)

18.5 minutes

I really like the flow of this album, and it feels more complete now.

 

 

 

[JSngry]

It's always bugged me that there seems to be no trace of the original soundtrack recordings except what's in the film.

It's also bugged me that Sonny Rollins' sitcom theme has not yet gained currency as a bootleg.

[Teasing the Korean]

4 minutes ago, JSngry said:

It's always bugged me that there seems to be no trace of the original soundtrack recordings except what's in the film.

Typical for soundtrack albums of that era to be re-recordings.  Since it was a UK film, the film score sessions were probably trashed.

4 minutes ago, JSngry said:

It's also bugged me that Sonny Rollins' sitcom theme has not yet gained currency as a bootleg.

Which is that?

[JSngry]

Billy Connolly had a one-season sitcom on ABC called Billy!, for which the theme song was Sonny playing "I've Told Every Little Star" in a then-current (late 80s-ish) rendition.

[medjuck]

Wasn't the hit version of Alfie by Cher?  BTW Somewhere there should be a separate track of the film music. Music,  dialogue and effects tracks are usually preserved separately in order to do foreign language versions of the film.  (Though, IIRC sometimes the music and effects are married on one tape. )    

[Teasing the Korean]

5 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Billy Connolly had a one-season sitcom on ABC called Billy!, for which the theme song was Sonny playing "I've Told Every Little Star" in a then-current (late 80s-ish) rendition.

Never heard of it!

 

[medjuck]

So that's not the version on Contemporary I guess.  I wanted to use Sonny's version of There's No Business Like Show Business at the end of an HBO film we did called The Late Shift.  Someone--  (the record company? Sonny? his management? ) wanted more money that we could afford.  Turned out to be cheaper to do a new recording  with Pete Christlieb.  

[JSngry]

27 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Never heard of it!

 

It was not a hit.

[Teasing the Korean]

How did Sonny Rollins end up doing the theme?

41 minutes ago, medjuck said:

Wasn't the hit version of Alfie by Cher?  

Yes, but the Cilla Black version was intended for the film, and I think she had the UK hit.  I used Dionne because I like her singing more than Cher's, and because Dionne was the definitive Burt Bacharach interpreter.

 

41 minutes ago, medjuck said:

BTW Somewhere there should be a separate track of the film music. Music,  dialogue and effects tracks are usually preserved separately in order to do foreign language versions of the film.  (Though, IIRC sometimes the music and effects are married on one tape. )    

Yes, there may be a music and effects track.  But those are usually not-so-hi-fi mono, with up-and-down fader movement to fit under the dialog.  Additionally, music abruptly begin or end, depending on editing.  You don't get the full session.  So it is far from ideal.  You may as well watch the film. 

Edited February 26, 2022 by Teasing the Korean

[JSngry]

I have no idea. Long wondered that myself. Nobody talks about it, it seems. Sonny might, these days?

There's an edit there, so I wonder how many takes they did, and for how many choruses. Probably not many either way, but still, Sonny Rollins sitcom theme. What are the odds?

It's a curiosity all around!

[felser]

1 hour ago, medjuck said:

Wasn't the hit version of Alfie by Cher?

She had the first US charting version (#32 in 1966), but Dionne charted higher (#15 in 1967).  I like both versions quite a bit.  Cilla Black's version went to #9 in the U.K. in 1966.

Edited February 26, 2022 by felser

[Teasing the Korean]

Here is the Rahsaan Roland Kirk version, by the way:

 

[Brad]

It’s hard to separate which of the two versions I prefer but I lean towards the Cilia Black one.