Norma Tanega

Dusty Springfield - 1970's (1/2)

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• published: 14 Jul 2011
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At the start of the 1970s Springfield was a major star, though her record sales were declining. Her intimate companion Norma Tanega had returned to America after their relationship had become stressful, and she was spending more and more time in America herself. In 1971 her second and final album on Atlantic Records, A Brand New Me (From Dusty... With Love in the UK), with songs written and produced by Gamble and Huff, was released.[62] The album and related singles only sold moderately, and Springfield was unhappy with both her management and record company. She recorded some songs with producer Jeff Barry in early 1971, which were intended for an album to be released by Atlantic Records; however, her new manager Alan Bernard managed to get her out of the Atlantic contract, and some of the songs were used on the UK-only album See All Her Faces, and the 1999 release Dusty In Memphis-Deluxe Edition. In 1972, Springfield signed a contract with ABC Dunhill Records and Cameo was released in 1973 to respectable reviews, though poor sales. In 1974, Springfield recorded the theme song for the TV series The Six Million Dollar Man. Her second ABC Dunhill album was given the working title Elements and scheduled for release as Longing. The sessions were soon abandoned. Part of the material, including tentative and incomplete vocals, was released on the 2001 compilation Beautiful Soul. She put her career on hold in 1974 and lived reclusively in the United States to avoid scrutiny by British tabloids. During this time she sang background vocals for Anne Murray's album Together and Elton John's album Caribou, and was heard on the single "The Bitch Is Back". Springfield released two albums on United Artists Records in the late 1970s. The first was 1978's It Begins Again, produced by Roy Thomas Baker. The album charted only briefly in the U.K., though it was well received by critics. The 1979 album, Living Without Your Love, did even worse, not charting at all. In autumn 1979, Springfield played club dates in New York City. In London, she recorded two singles with David Mackay for her British label, Mercury Records (formerly Philips Records). The first was the disco-influenced "Baby Blue", which reached #61 in Britain. The second, "Your Love Still Brings Me to My Knees" (released in January 1980), was Springfield's final single for Mercury Records; she had been with them for nearly 20 years. On 3 December 1979, she performed a charity concert for a full house at the Royal Albert Hall, in the presence of Princess Margaret. In 1980 Springfield sang "Bits and Pieces", the theme song from the movie The Stunt Man. She signed an American deal with 20th Century Records that year, which resulted in the single "It Goes Like It Goes", a cover of the Oscar-winning song from the film Norma Rae. Springfield was uncharacteristically proud of her 1982 album White Heat, which was influenced by New Wave music. She tried to revive her career in 1985 by returning to the United Kingdom and signing to Peter Stringfellow's Hippodrome Records label. This resulted in the single "Sometimes Like Butterflies" and an appearance on Terry Wogan's live television show. None of Springfield's recordings from 1971 to 1986 charted on the British or American Top 40s. (extract from Wikipedia 2011)