Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls

Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls
Studio album by Dionne Warwick
Released	March 23, 1968
Recorded	1967
Genre	Pop, R&B
Label	Scepter
Producer	Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Dionne Warwick chronology
The Magic of Believing (1968) Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls (1968) Promises, Promises (1968)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls -- Dionne Warwick's twelfth album for the Scepter label -- was recorded during the summer and fall of 1967 and was released early the next year. It was recorded at A&R Sound Studios in New York and was produced by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The LP was issued as number 568 in the Scepter Catalog. The cover art for this LP features Warwick on a black background, in an evening gown next to a studio chair.

The album's lead single was the title track, "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls", from the film of the same name. The song was written by André Previn and Dory Previn, and had initially been intended for Judy Garland before she was fired from the film. At the urging of one of the film's stars, Barbara Parkins, the song was given to Warwick. Warwick's Scepter version of the song, however, differed from the John Williams version included in the film. This was because Warwick was signed to Scepter, and the soundtrack was released on 20th Century Records. Warwick was only permitted to appear on the film's actual soundtrack and not the recording. The single peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in February 1968 and peaked at #2 on the Cash Box and #1 on the Record World charts as well.

The LP would then yield Warwick's next big hit and first Grammy Award winner, "Do You Know the Way to San Jose". The song, (which Warwick didn't initially like, according to Robin Platts in the book, Burt Bacharach & Hal David^[2]) would peak at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and become one of Warwick's signature songs. Other notable songs on the LP were "Silent Voices" (which under its original Italian title, "La Voce Del Silenzio", had been Warwick's entry into the 1968 San Remo Song Festival), "Walking Backwards Down the Road", "Up, Up, and Away", and "You're My World" — another Italian song (written by Umberto Bindi, famous Genoa's songwriter) the latter having been a British hit for Cilla Black. The album became an RIAA-certified gold record and peaked at #6 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart; it would remain on the charts for over a year. Rhino Records reissued the album on compact disc in 2004, combined with Windows of the World.

Track listing

1. "As Long as There's an Apple Tree" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) – 2:05
2. "Up, Up and Away" (Jimmy Webb) – 2:38
3. "You're My World" (Umberto Bindi, Carl Sigman) – 3:05
4. "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls" (André Previn, Dory Previn) – 3:35
5. "Silent Voices" (Elio Isola, Paolo Limiti, Mogol, Monath) – 3:07
6. "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" (Bacharach, David) – 2:50
7. "For the Rest of My Life" (Flavio Carraresi, Mann Curtis) – 3:07
8. "Let Me Be Lonely" (Bacharach, David) – 3:35
9. "Where Would I Go" (Bacharach, David) – 2:40
10. "Walking Backwards Down the Road" (Bacharach, David) – 2:54

Personnel

• Manny Albam – arranger, conductor
• Burt Bacharach – arranger, conductor, producer
• Hal David – arranger, producer
• Peter Matz – arranger
• Phil Ramone – engineer
• Garry Sherman – arranger, conductor
• Ed Smith – engineer
• Dionne Warwick – vocals
• Pat Williams – arranger

References

1. ^ Planer, Lindsay. "Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls > Review" at Allmusic. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
2. ^ Robin Platts, Burt Bacharach & Hal David: What the World Needs Now ISBN 1896522777