I told you we were going to do another day of Tim Curry’s album, Read My Lips. (Can you believe it is not available on CD or even digitally?!) How could we not do his version of Bacharach & David’s “Anyone Who Had a Heart”? I’ll be honest, I could easily do every track of the album. There’s a lot to talk about. But I just don’t have the time to focus on something like that. So you are getting these quick notes about whatever the hell comes into my mind.

“Anyone Who Had a Heart” was originally performed by Dionne Warwick. In fact, it was written for her. I’ve always thought she had an amazing voice. But I find her version weak. What’s more, Bacharach and David also produced it, and it sounds like it. They were not producers. The Tim Curry version proves that Bob Ezrin really could do anything. The production is mythic without being silly.

Let me say something that might not be nice given that Phil Spector is rotting in jail, but I have always found the “wall of sound” to be awful. And it is also an awful idea. What makes for great production is variety. If you want straight maximum rock-n-roll, great! But people seemed to think that songs like “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” and “The Long and Winding Road” sound good. They don’t! They sound like the muddled messes that they are.

With a Bob Ezrin production, there can be excesses (Some of The Wall misses.) but everything has a reason. Every note has a purpose. And “Anyone Who Had a Heart” pulses with passion, pulling the listener along just like unstoppable attraction. It makes the song far better than it ever was all by itself. It’s amazing to listen to. It’s the best version that’s ever been recorded — at least that I’ve heard, and I’ve heard a lot of different versions. This is the one.