FREEP:
Detroit Free Press
September 29, 2002
While
superstar producer Phil Spector was building his wall of
sound, hustler Bert Berns, who left a job as a staff producer
at Atlantic to start the Bang label, had less grandiose
ambitions: hooking up the perfect artist with the perfect
tune. The brilliance in Berns' ears can be heard in tune
after tune in this tribute: the yearning "Are You Lonely
for Me Baby" by the great Freddie Scott; Solomon Burke's
deep soul sermons "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love"
and "Cry To Me," both of which would be covered
by the Rolling Stones; "Twist and Shout," heard
here in the original Isley Brothers version; the passionate
Garnet Mimms hit "Cry Baby," one of the best soul
singles of the '60s; and the original "Piece of My
Heart," recorded by Detroit's Erma Franklin.
Missing
is Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl," probably
because Morrison detested Berns for forcing him to record
pop songs. To fulfill a contract, Morrison delivered an
album of unreleasable junk, which eventually got released
anyway. If grumpy Van heard this, he might see fit to
forgive Berns.
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FREEP
Sepetember 29, 2002
By Terry Lawson, Free Press staff writer
