Painted From Memory

Painted from Memory

Studio album by Burt Bacharach and ElvisCostello

Released 29 September 1998Recorded 19951998Genre Pop, rockLength 52:07Label MercuryProducer Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello

Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello chronology

Extreme Honey(1997)

Painted fromMemory(1998)

The SweetestPunch(1999)

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source RatingAllmusic [1]

Pitchfork Media (7.0/10)[2]

Painted from MemoryFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Painted from Memory is a collaboration between Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach. Itwas released 29 September 1998 on Mercury Records, a division of Universal MusicGroup.

The collaboration commenced with "God Give Me Strength", a commission for the 1996film Grace of My Heart, directed by Allison Anders, starring Illeana Douglas, with leadvocals by Kristen Vigard. Apparently pleased with the result, the pair expanded theproject to this full album, the first for Costello after an absence of two years, and forBacharach after an absence of 21 years. Lyrics and music are co-credited to bothBacharach and Costello.

A companion album, The Sweetest Punch, was made concurrently by jazz guitarist BillFrisell, released in 1999 on another Universal label, Decca Records. It consists of jazzarrangements of the Painted From Memory songs done by Frisell and his studio group.It features vocals by Costello on two songs, and by jazz singer Cassandra Wilson on twosongs, one of which is a duet employing both.

Costello had long been a Bacharach fan, and had recorded several Bacharach songs,beginning with "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself," released on a 1978 StiffRecords compilation Live Stiffs Live. Costello would also cover "I'll Never Fall in LoveAgain" for the soundtrack to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

"I Still Have That Other Girl" won a Grammy Award in 1998 for "Best PopCollaboration with Vocals" for Bacharach and Costello.

Contents1 Track listing

1.1 1999 limited edition bonus disc2 Charts3 Documentation4 Live5 References6 External links

Track listingAll songs written by Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach.

"In the Darkest Place" 4:191. "Toledo" 4:352. "I Still Have That Other Girl" 2:463. "This House Is Empty Now" 5:104. "Tears at the Birthday Party" 4:385. "Such Unlikely Lovers" 3:246. "My Thief" 4:207. "The Long Division" 4:158. "Painted from Memory" 4:129. "The Sweetest Punch" 4:0910. "What's Her Name Today?" 4:0811. "God Give Me Strength" 6:1112.

1999 limited edition bonus disc"This House Is Empty Now" (live on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, 27 November 1998)1. "I Still Have That Other Girl" (live at Shibuya Hall, Tokyo, 10 February 1999)2.

Painted from Memory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Painted_from_Memory

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"In the Darkest Place" (live at the Athenaeum, Melbourne, 16 February 1999)3. "Painted from Memory" (live at the Athenaeum, Melbourne, 16 February 1999)4. "What's Her Name Today?" (live at Shibuya Hall, Tokyo, 10 February 1999)5.

ChartsAlbum

Year Chart Position1998 The Billboard 200 78

DocumentationPrior to the recording of the album, Irish film producer Phillip King proposed to Costello that a film should be made to document theprocess.[3] The resulting film, Because It's a Lonely World, was produced by King's company, Hummingbird Productions;[4] the title, takenfrom the lyrics of "What's Her Name Today?", was also originally a working title for the album itself and part of a promotional tagline forthe album.[5] The hour-long documentary originally aired in the UK on Channel 4 on 26 December 1998,[6] and in the U.S., Bravo, whichwas then expanding its original programming lineup during the midst of a major advertising campaign,[7] aired it on 20 October 1999.[8]

LiveFollowing the album's release, Costello and Bacharach performed songs from the album together at only a limited number of venues. Oneof these comprised a second-season episode of the American public television program Sessions at West 54th, later released on VHS. Alsoat this time, however, Costello began playing a different style of live concerts, accompanied by only longtime keyboardist Steve Nieve onpiano. In 1999, Costello subsequently embarked on the Lonely World Tour, performed in this style with Nieve receiving equal billing;songs from Painted from Memory were a prominent part of the setlists on this tour.

Songs from the album remain in both Costello and Bacharach's live repertoires. A rendition of "God Give Me Strength" closes Costello's2004 orchestrated live album My Flame Burns Blue, while some of Bacharach's current concerts with regular singer John Pagano alsoincorporate "God Give Me Strength".

On September 24, 2014 the album was performed by Australian musical theatre stars Michael Falzon and Bobby Fox at Sydneys CityRecital Hall[9] Falzon approached Fox in 2014 with a view to recreate the iconic 1998 album because, in his words "it's very much writtenfrom the heart and experience and it resonates so deeply with people. Because of the lyrics and because you can hear that hurt, you get allthe emotions. And with Bacharach and Costello it's not just the lyrics; there are the clever arrangements that take you there anyway."(Michael Falzon to Bernard Zuel in the Sydney Morning Herald 20 September 2014)[10] The concert version featured popular hits byBacharach and Costello during the first act, with a retelling of the album by Fox and Falzon in the second featuring Laura Bunting. It wasproduced by City Recital Hall and directed by Jonathan Biggins with Musical Director Isaac Haywood.

ReferencesAllmusic review (http://www.allmusic.com/album/r373574)1. Pitchfork Media review (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/16327/Elvis_Costello_Painted_From_Memory_with_Burt_Bacharach)

2.

Kelly, John (19 December 1998), "Calling the tune", The Irish Times: 633. "Hummingbird Productions" (http://www.screenproducersireland.com/index.php/spi/production_companies/companies/hummingbird_productions). Screen Producers Ireland. Retrieved 19 November 2007.

4.

Dominic, Serene (2003), Burt Bacharach, Song by Song, Schirmer Trade Books, ISBN 0-8256-7280-55. "When Elvis met Burt", The Irish Times, 24 December 1998: 566. Fruitkin, Alan James (4 October 1999), "Bravo beefs up for fall", Mediaweek 9 (37): 14, ISSN 1055-176X (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1055-176X)

7.

Schoemer, Karen (28 October 1999), "Because It's a Lonely World", Rolling Stone (824): 111, ISSN 0035-791X (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0035-791X)

8.

Chris Hook (16 August 2014). "Michael Falzon and Bobby Fox Will Bring The Burt Bacharach-Elvis Costello Album Painted From Memory ToLife On Stage". Best Weekend: Show and Tell. The Daily Telegraph. p. 9.

9.

Bernard Zuel. "Deep emotions of Painted From Memory a challenge to performers" (http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/deep-emotions-of-painted-from-memory-a-challenge-to-performers-20140915-10h8yq.html) (20 September 2014). Fairfax Media. Sydney MorningHerald. Retrieved 20 September 2014.

10.


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External linksKaren Schoemer The Odd Couple (http://www.bacharachonline.com/bacharach_articles/newsweek.html), originally fromNewsweek 10 May 1998, online on bacharachonline.com

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Painted_from_Memory&oldid=667498008"

Categories: Elvis Costello albums 1998 albums Albums produced by Elvis Costello Albums produced by Burt BacharachMercury Records albums Collaborative albums Burt Bacharach albums

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Documents

Painted From Memory