Dionne Warwick lawsuit

[luke]

Didnt she sue Bacharach and David years ago for lack of good material? I don't know outcome or understand it. Isn't it just the roll of the dice so to speak? Wouldn't it be like if Vandellas sued Motown writers and producers for not getting a big hits after Honey Chile? Luck of the draw.im sure Bacharach and David would have liked more hits too !!

[soulster]

She did indeed sue Bacharach and David in the early 70s for something like that. And, to my knowledge, the three never worked together again.

Personally, I think it was just the changing times, and music generally taking a different direction that was at fault. It is a wonder, though how the Carpenters, and later, Barry Manilow, Diana Ross, Eric Carmen, and The Captain & Tennille, were all able to get major hits during the 70s in the very same style.

The last single she did with the duo that I liked was "Loneliness Remembers What Happiness Forgets" from 1972. I even remember watching a televised documentary on the recording of that song in early 1973.

It's funny, but a lot of people say that her adding an "e" on the end of her name, as recommended by a numerologist, caused her problems. And, as soon as she removed it, her success came back! The material she did in the 70s was still good. She made it big with her duet with Spinners, but it wasn't really her record. It was theirs. She subsequently signed with Warner Brothers and had a bunch of no-hits. They were good, but no dice. Again, she removed that evil "e" from her name, and things looked up fast! LOL! Clive Davis signed her to his Arista records and he put her with Barry Manilow, who, by this point, pretty much stopped having hits. Right off the bat, she had a top 10 hit with "I'll Never Love This Way Again" in late 1979, but my favorite is the second single "Deja Vu". For most of the public, though, she wasn't really "back" until she hooked up with Barry Gibb and released "Heartbreaker". Not my favorite song, though.

[jack020]

They reunited for Sunny Weather Lover -- Track 1 on Friends Can Be Lovers [[Arista) 1993

[jack020]

And before that they recorded 3 songs in 1974:
And Then You Know What He Did, Plastic City and And Then He Walked Right Trough The Door, all the be found on We Need To Go Back - The Unissued Warner Bros. Masters by Dionne released in 2013.

[reese]

From what I have read, when Dionne signed with Warner Bros. in 1972, part of the deal was that Bacharach and David were to produce and write for her. Warners paid a great deal of money, supposedly the most given to a female artist at the time.

After the failure of the film THE LOST HORIZON, which they scored, the relationship between Bacharach and David became strained. They stopped working, leaving Dionne in a pinch as she was unaware of problems. When she spoke to the president of Warners, Mo Ostin, about it, he told her that if she couldn't get Bacharach and David to write, she would be in breach of contract and Warners would sue her. Dionne attempted to get the team back together, to no avail. To avoid being sued by Warners, she ended up suing Bacharach and David. I might have some of the particulars wrong, but this is what I remember from Dionne's book.

In the end, how the suit was settled remained a secret. But at least one result was that Dionne, Burt, and Hal ended up owning all of her Scepter masters.

[carlo]

Yes, you are correct, Reese. That's how I remember reading it too. I believe they settled out of court in the end. The suit was not due to a lack of good/quality material but rather their inability to meet the terms of Dionne's contract.

[soulster]

In the end, how the suit was settled remained a secret. But at least one result was that Dionne, Burt, and Hal ended up owning all of her Scepter masters.

Thanks for setting the record straight, Reese. But, now it all makes sense why her reissues are in such a shambles.

[reese]

Thanks for setting the record straight, Reese. But, now it all makes sense why her reissues are in such a shambles.

A while back, they sold the masters to Rhino, I believe. At one point, Dionne even revealed that she went to them and asked for them to hold off on the reissues as there were so many.

Her 1998 album DIONNE SINGS DIONNE has been reissued countless times as well, under various titles. Ditto for her album recorded at the Syracuse Jazz Festival. Every time I used to go to J&R's Music World, there seemed to be a new version of these.

[luke]

Thanks Reese. That explains a lot. She sure wanted material, hopefully good material from Burt and Hal per Warner Bros threatening to sue her!

[soulster]

A while back, they sold the masters to Rhino, I believe. At one point, Dionne even revealed that she went to them and asked for them to hold off on the reissues as there were so many.

Her 1998 album DIONNE SINGS DIONNE has been reissued countless times as well, under various titles. Ditto for her album recorded at the Syracuse Jazz Festival. Every time I used to go to J&R's Music World, there seemed to be a new version of these.

I think maybe Rhino didn't get all of the first generation tapes, or the ones they got are in horrible shape. I know they are missing some artwork, too.

[reese]

I think maybe Rhino didn't get all of the first generation tapes, or the ones they got are in horrible shape. I know they are missing some artwork, too.

Yes. Some of the tapes used for the recent Collector's Choice reissues don't sound all that great. I think the earlier Sequel reissues sound better on those particular albums.

[jack020]

Surely there is nothing wrong with the sound of the 2013 Japanese Scepter/Warner re-issues?

[lakedistrictlad1]

Surely there is nothing wrong with the sound of the 2013 Japanese Scepter/Warner re-issues?

I bought the whole set of these cds. A lot contain both mono and stereo editions. The sound is superb. I knew I had to snap up these cds as they don't stay in print long. Glad I did.