Friday, March 14, 2008

A free ‘Walk On By’ download

Bacharach & David’s “Walk On By” is on my short list of Best Pop Songs of the Last 50 Years. It has been covered by everybody from the Beach Boys and the Carpenters to Seal and AWB.

Jazz vocalist Emily Saxe took a go at it on her 2007 album “Keeping You In Mind.”

I like the soft-funk arrangement. But Ms. Saxe for some reason alters the melody, avoiding the high note on “foolish pride.” That diminishes the impact, I think.

I’m streaming Saxe’s version on my Vox blog; click here to listen.

This track is available as a FREE MP3. Follow this link to Download.com if you want it.

Let me share two other versions of “Walk On By” that I like:

The Brooklyn retro-groove band El Michels Affair did an update of the famous Isaac Hayes arrangement. Click here to hear it. (Downloadable from eMusic and iTunes.)

Saxophonist Stanley Turrentine released a killer version on Blue Note Records in 1966. Click here to listen.

Dionne Warwick, of course, recorded the flawless original. What I didn’t know, prior to today, is that she also recorded a German-language version (“Geh Vorbei”).

You can hear that – along with her German version of “You’ll Never Get To Heaven (If You Break My Heart)” – thanks to Dionne’s biggest fan on YouTube, DibOtis.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Stanley Turrentine, may he rest in peace, was an awesome player.

Invisible Woman said...

Dionne was a great dresser...

What was that "Slaves" movie they kept showing with her and Ossie Davis?

Undercover Black Man said...

^ I never heard of the flick either, IW.

Anonymous said...

I've been re-listening lately to Garnet Mimms "Cry Baby" album. The studio back-up was sung not by "The Enchanters" (his normal back-up singers), but by the "Sweet Inspirations" - Dionne Warwick, DeeDee Warwick and Cissy Houston (mother of Whitney).
Oh me, Oh my!
Garnet's voice is as powerful as you can get, but the ladies would not be outdone.

Dr. F. said...

I love Dionne's original but for my money, give me the Isaac Hayes version off his "Hot-Buttered Soul" LP.

Anonymous said...

One must give credit to anybody who would cover Walk on By after Dionne did the original. Her act is very hard to follow. I will have to find that "Cry Baby" album. Why don't you stream some of that one, UBM?

Undercover Black Man said...

^ I'm trying to find it, RC... believe that!

Anonymous said...

Did you happen to see the youtube clip of Dionne just having a good time with Walk On By?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEYwu3NtzdY&feature

Too fun and I would love some of those clothes.

Anonymous said...

When I started reading this post I thought immediately of Stanley Turrentine's soulful reading. One of my favorite tenor players.

Invisible Woman said...

My favorite version in your sidebar today, by Isaac Hayes.

Love that video; the glasses, the "you socked it to me, mamaaaaa".