Denver
Post
December 29, 2002
Between
1960 and 1967, Bert Berns wrote and/or produced an unfathomable
body of work few would equal.
Born
Bert Russell and sometimes known by the pseudonym Russell
Byrd, the charismatic New Yorker was the principal architect
of timeless pop and soul classics, from "Twist and
Shout" and Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl"
to Them's "Here Comes the Night" and the Drifters'
"Under the Boardwalk," all with the faint tinge
of R&B and Latin rhythms.
But
Berns is one of the early rock era's forgotten treasures,
a figure who has been inexplicably overlooked. With the
35th anniversary of his passing - of a heart attack at age
38 on Dec. 30, 1967 - that is changing. His brilliance can
be heard in "The Heart and Soul of Bert Berns,"
a disc that brings his accomplishments to light.
Doug
Morris, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, the world's
largest record company, personally selected the tracks.
Berns was an inspiration when Morris was an aspiring songwriter
in New York four decades ago (Morris even produced the track
"White Gardenia" back in 1962 when he worked with
Berns).
"I
absolutely loved the music that he created," Morris,
63, said recently. "There I was, a young kid listening
to him play the guitar and sing these songs. It inspired
and thrilled me to hear the demos and they came to life
as these incredible records. He just never got his due."
The
Heart and Soul of Bert Berns does not pretend to address
all of his feats.
Rather,
as Morris explains in the liner notes, "This record
is not just a collection of Bert's biggest hits. These 10
songs are what I feel are the essence of Bert Berns ...
(most) deal with the tough emotions of life, somebody searching
for something that isn't easy to find."
Berns
was a master at getting great vocals out of artists, and
the songs represent a phenomenal outpouring of feeling -
Freddie Scott's yearning "Are You Lonely for Me Baby,"
Solomon Burke's deep soul sermon "Everybody Needs Somebody
to Love," Erma Franklin's pleading "Piece of My
Heart" (the same song Janis Joplin covered), the passionate
Garnet Mimms hit "Cry Baby." The shining moment
is Burke's "Cry to Me," a Top Five R&B single
in 1962 on Atlantic Records.
"They're
all very moody, sad songs. That's what I always associated
him with," Morris said. "He did lighter things
- 'Hang On Sloopy,' 'Tell Him' by the Exciters - but they
sounded out of place among that group of songs, with one
exception."
That
would be "Twist and Shout," heard in the original
Isley Brothers version. Berns' most famous composition,
it's an irresistable piece of rock 'n' roll.
"I
was over at a friend's wedding in London, and I was sitting
with Lulu - she did "To Sir With Love' years ago -
and the pickup band announced, "Here's a Beatles song,'
and started playing "Twist and Shout.' And Lulu said,
"Boy, does that p--- me off. That record was written
by Bert Berns.' I said, "Wow, I haven't heard anyone
mention his name in three decades.' She told me he'd come
over to London and worked with her on her version of 'Here
Comes the Night'."
The
prolific Berns was also a fine talent scout. A hustler,
he left a job as a staff producer at Atlantic to start the
Bang label, where he produced the first hits of Neil Diamond
and signed Van Morrison.
"Unfortunately,
I was a kid when I signed with Bang Records," Diamond
said recently. "So they owned me lock, stock and barrel,
and they had other up-and-coming artists that they could
use to threaten me and leverage what I did.
"But
as a creative person, Bert was brilliant, a terrific, amazing
guy, and he deserves whatever credit he gets."
Hopefully,
some record company will recognize the potentials of the
visionary songwriter, arranger, producer and record label
chief's extraordinary catalog, and release a box set to
tell the complete story. But "The Heart and Soul of
Bert Berns" is a wonderful start, a virtual nomination
speech to spark his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame.
-
Denver
Post December 29, 2002
Popular Music Writer G. Brown's Rock Talk
column
appears Sundays in Arts
& Entertainment.
