A holiday of extremes

Sparklers on a pizza at Palm 5 for The Madam's birthday!

Sigh.

We're back, in full recovery mode after a fabulous week in Benalmadena Costa for M. Arcati's birthday. Definitely a week of contrasts - we went from three days of this...

...to this, overnight!

Of course, despite the apocalyptic weather that could have otherwise put a damper on proceedings, we were undeterred. Our fave beach bar Palm 5 (and just about everything else along the paseo) may have been closed for two days, but we sniffed out the plucky couple of places that did decide to open and ate (very well), drank and made merry, as is our wont.

Special mention must go to a new discovery [to us, anyhow; it was always there, and always looked a bit forbidding, but has had a makeover and evolved into a very decent restaurant, indeed], Beny's:

Yes, that's us (around 10 seconds in), centre stage as ever!

Not content with that, of course (after the obligatory siesta) we ventured out to sample the nightlife in the gay bars in La Nogalera in Torremolinos every night as well:

Causing mayhem wherever we go!

All in all, it was a faboo and much deserved break, indeed!

...But what did we miss while we were away?

The biggest (and most horrific) news was of course the 30,000 deaths and devastation left behind by the earthquake on the Turkey-Syria border; other items occupying the headlines included (one year on) the continuing Ukrainian war, the scandal over that suspicious loan to Boris Johnson and the role played by the current BBC chairman, continued paranoia about China, more nasty violence in Israel, and - shock! horror! - Amsterdam is clamping down on marijuana usage in public places.

We missed celebrating the centenary of the utterly faboo Dora Bryan:

...(and Franco Zeffirelli's today) and the 75th birthday of Alice Cooper (as well as the birthdays of Hylda Baker, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Lana Turner, Mamie Van Doren, Carmen Miranda, Ida Lupino, Leontyne Price, Dame Mary Quant, Holly Johnson and heartthrob Cristiano Ronaldo).

We also missed marking the very sad departure of the peerless Mr Burt Bacharach for Fabulon [see my previous tributes here, here and (by association) here], and so, by way of a tribute, here is one of my personal faves written by the maestro:

Cilla Black - Anyone Who Had a Heart

But did we bring anything back with us for your delectation? I hear you ask, dear reader.

Of course we did! The remarkable and [ahem!] sylph-like Soraya and her anthem to that "Little-Holland-by-the-Mediterranean", Carihuela!

Soraya - La Carihuela

Are we glad to be back?

NO!!

You're so thrilling, and I'm so willing

Oh lordy. Monday again.

After a rollicking weekend, it is time to grit one's teeth, paint on that false plastic smile, and spend another week in that soulless place called "the office".

At least it is only five more days - then we're off to Spain again. Yay!

While we were otherwise distracted by all things Eurovision, passing unnoticed was the fact that it also happened to be the 90th birthday on Saturday of the prestigious talent that is Mr Burt Bacharach! So, by way of a belated celebration, on this Tacky Music Monday let's hand it over to the faboo Tom Jones (and his ever-ready performing trousers) to give us a rendition of one of Mr B's catchiest numbers...

Tom Jones - What's New Pussycat?

Have a good week, dear reader!

Burt Freeman Bacharach (born 12th May 1928)

Walk on by... foolish pride

As more and more tributes pour out to the genius that was Hal David, who died today, I am reminded of possibly my favourite "alternative" cover of one of the great man's classics.

Here for your delectation is the fabulous Miss Deborah Evans-Stickland (of Flying Lizards fame), in collaboration with another musical genius Richard X, and her immaculate version of Walk On By:

Richard X feat. Deborah Evans-Stickland - Walk On By

Sublime.

Deborah Evans-Stickland

Anyone who ever dreamed

The "quieter half" of one of the all-time great musical songwriting partnerships, Hal David of Bacharach and David, has died, aged 91.

Mr David began his long and admirable songwriting career in the 40s providing the lyrics for songs by the likes of Sammy Kaye and Guy Lombardo, before cementing the long partnership with Burt Bacharach in 1957. From their first hit in that year (The Story of My Life by Marty Robbins) to their final collaboration in 1999 (On My Way for the soundtrack to the Jaqueline Suzann biopic Isn't She Great?), the duo were renowned as a predominant force in music - rarely was there a year when at least one Bacharach and David-penned song did not hit the charts in the 60s and 70s!

Artists fell over themselves to get to record their songs - including Bobby Vinton, Gene Pitney, the Shirelles, Keely Smith, Jack Jones, the Walker Brothers, Dusty Springfield, Cilla Black, Bobbie Gentry, Aretha Franklin, Tom Jones, Petula Clark, Jackie De Shannon, Sandie Shaw, Herb Alpert, Sergio Mendes, BJ Thomas, the Carpenters, the Fifth Dimension, and of course Dionne Warwick.

It was in fact Miss Warwick, and an argument between her and Hal, that was the catalyst for the great partnership to break down in the late 70s. Subsequently the great duo had numerous hits, solo and in collaboration with others - Hal David wrote the lyrics for To All the Girls I've Loved Before (with Albert Hammond) and my eternal fave tearjerker We Have All The Time In The World (with John Barry).

From the BBC:

In 1974 he joined the board of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and served as president from 1980 to 1986. He was head of the Songwriters Hall of Fame from 2001 to 2011, and was Chairman Emeritus at his death.

The society's current president, Paul Williams, said in a statement: "As a lyric writer, Hal was simple, concise and poetic - conveying volumes of meaning in fewest possible words and always in service to the music.

"It is no wonder that so many of his lyrics have become part of our everyday vocabulary and his songs... the backdrop of our lives."

In 2011, David and Burt Bacharach were awarded the Gershwin Prize for popular song by the US Library of Congress, the first time a songwriting team has been given the honour.

And here are just a few of those classics:

Cilla Black - Anyone Who Had a Heart

Dusty Springfield - I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself

Louis Armstrong - We Have All the Time In The World

Sandie Shaw - Do You Know The Way To San Jose?

RIP, an outstanding man.

Hal David (25th May 1921 – 1st September 2012)

Talent

Happy 83rd birthday today to one of the world's most brilliant songwriters Mr Burt Bacharach! I have featured him before, I know - read my blog on the occasion of his birthday last year.

However we also wished many happy returns last week to world-beating UK artiste Adele...



So here they are together - sublime!

Burt Bacharach and Adele - Baby It's You

Enjoy!

What the World needs now...

Happy 82nd birthday today to a true maestro - Mr Burt Bacharach!

It is impossible to truly capture the magnitude of the work this man (mainly with long-time collaborator Hald David) has brought to the world of Light Entertainment, but suffice to say that everyone (and I mean everyone!) has at least one of their songs among their cherished collection somewhere.

Walk On By, The Look of Love, Anyone Who Had A Heart, What the World Needs Now is Love, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, Alfie, Magic Moments, (They Long To Be) Close To You, Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa, Make It Easy On Yourself, I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself, Always Something There To Remind Me, Trains and Boats and Planes, I Say A Little Prayer, Do You Know the Way to San Jose? - and so the list goes on, and on!

Bacharach (and David) worked with some of the greatest singers of all time - including Dusty Springfield, Gene Pitney, Dionne Warwick, Sandie Shaw, Bobbie Gentry, Tom Jones and even Rufus Wainwright, and the great man is still working to this day - most notably at the BBC Electric Proms in 2008.

Mr Bacharach was once married to Angie Dickinson and also to Carole Bayer Sager, and in his day represented everything that was cool and smooth among the cocktail party set of glamorous 60s and 70s Hollywood. Many happy returns to a true great!

Burt Bacharach with Barbra Streisand - Close to You

Burt Bacharach with Vikki Carr - The Look of Love

Burt Bacharach with Dusty Springfield - A House is Not a Home

Burt Bacharach