#51
Posted: 12/15/09 at 8:04pm
I agree with much of what you say about WIW, Eric.
If ANY project was suitable for Don Black, Chris Hampton or Charles Hart it was WIW, whereas SUNSET BLVD was ideally suited to Zippel. It seems ALW is 10 years out of step with those choices. Zippel proved with the bad-to-abhorrent GOODBYE GIRL UK, PRINCESSES and WIW that CITY OF ANGELS was a fluke as far as his mastery of lyric-writing is concerned, I think. A shame. He showed such promise.
I still think David Yazbeck, a collaborator with ALW on the new material for STARLIGHT EXPRESS and some of BOMBAY DREAMS, should have been involved with THE BOYS IN THE PHOTOGRAPH. BEAUTIFUL GAME proved that Ben Elton was no great shakes as a lyricist, though since he directed BOYS I can understand why another lyric writer was not brought in to polish and make amendments to his previously existing work. Another great, missed opportunity.
P
If ANY project was suitable for Don Black, Chris Hampton or Charles Hart it was WIW, whereas SUNSET BLVD was ideally suited to Zippel. It seems ALW is 10 years out of step with those choices. Zippel proved with the bad-to-abhorrent GOODBYE GIRL UK, PRINCESSES and WIW that CITY OF ANGELS was a fluke as far as his mastery of lyric-writing is concerned, I think. A shame. He showed such promise.
I still think David Yazbeck, a collaborator with ALW on the new material for STARLIGHT EXPRESS and some of BOMBAY DREAMS, should have been involved with THE BOYS IN THE PHOTOGRAPH. BEAUTIFUL GAME proved that Ben Elton was no great shakes as a lyricist, though since he directed BOYS I can understand why another lyric writer was not brought in to polish and make amendments to his previously existing work. Another great, missed opportunity.
P
