As with 1973's Living Together album, Burt Bacharach was given a lot of latitude by A&M, and deservedly so. This album is even more deep and complex than Living Together; though commercially it has more to grab onto, it still lacks the immediate punch of his Reach Out album, Burt Bacharach Plays His Hits or even A Tribute to Burt Bacharach: Composer, Arranger, Conductor. This is a very musical episode with Burt Bacharach: Reach Out engineer Phil Ramone co-producing. When you've got Jamie Anders singing on "When You Bring Your Sweet Love to Me," Joshie Armstead contributing to four titles, and even Peter Yarrow helping out on "The Young Grow Younger Every Day," the result can be called "underground adult contemporary." It goes down smooth, and where there are no singers, like on "Time and Tenderness," sophisticated Muzak emerges. As negative as the term Muzak has become, that is a compliment. The audience that enjoys a "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" are more apt to listen to this perfectly balanced array of performances and arrangements. Futures is a great title; it's a very futuristic middle of the road album, Bacharach looking like he stepped out of the gym riding in what looks like a ski lift on the cover. An Engelbert Humperdinck type relaxing, if you will. But the music inside is complex, and the project itself is as tremendous as Jethro Tull's A Passion Play. Unfortunately, it is also as difficult. With the legendary songwriter's many achievements it makes sense that A&M would allow him to go so far out on a limb. As Carole Bayer Sager's masterpiece Sometimes Late at Night mesmerizes -- and keep in mind Burt Bacharach was a major contributor to that epic, Futures is not as easy to absorb. It is immediately accessible, but not as easy to contain or recall. On the back of the album the artist writes, "My music came alive because of these people...," and that pretty much says it all: a major composer and arranger bringing more of his individual music to life. It's a classy project that may find appreciation years after it was recorded, one that might have been overlooked because the composer's other work is so popular. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
Vivian Cherry (Vocals (Background)), Herb Bushler (Bass), Ray Simpson (Vocals (Background)), Ernie Grundman (Mastering), Rebekah Johnson (Strings), Joseph d'Onofrio (?), Hitai Lee (?), Marti McCall (Vocals), Joseph d'Onofrio (Contractor), Clyde Duell (Drums), Lani Groves (Vocals (Background)), Melissa MacKay (Vocals), Burt Bacharach (Arranger), Jim Boyer (Assistant), Thomas Sarla (?), Jay Berliner (Guitar), David Spinozza (Guitar), Paul Schaeffer (Keyboards), David Sanborn (Saxophone), Lani Groves (?), Raymond Simpson (?), Lance Elbeck (?), Sarah Johnson (?), Warren Luening (Trumpet), Zachary Sanders (Vocals (Background)), Grady Tate (Drums), Patti Austin (?), Kathleen Carroll (?), Hiram Bullock (Guitar), Joe Beck (Guitar), Emma Kummron (?), Peter Yarrow (Vocals), Thomas Sarla (Strings), Sally Stevens (Vocals), Don Bagley (Guitar (Bass)), Leon Pendarvis (Keyboards), George Young (Saxophone), Stuart Scharf (Guitar), Pamela Porta (Strings), Peter Nocella (?), Joseph d'Onofrio (Concert Master), Helen Janov (Strings), Richard Amaroso (Strings), Phil Ramone (Engineer), Lois MacDonnell (Strings), Bill Lee (Guitar (Bass)), Rebekah Johnson (?), Joshie Armstead (Vocals), Marvin Stamm (Trumpet), Vivian Cherry (?), Tony Levin (Guitar (Bass)), Helen Janov (?), Don Bagley (Bass), Lois MacDonnell (?), Patti Austin (Vocals (Background)), Raymond Simpson (Vocals (Background)), Zachary Sanders (?), James Anders (Vocals), Hitai Lee (Strings), Charles Chiarenza (Guitar), Margaret Ross (Strings), Lance Elbeck (Strings), Eric Weissberg (Guitar), Richard Amaroso (?), Jamie Anders (Vocals), Burt Bacharach (Producer), Sarah Johnson (Strings), William Pitman (Guitar), Charles Parker (Strings), Tony Levin (Bass), Richard Tee (Keyboards), Frank Floyd (Vocals (Background)), Roland Young (Art Direction), Pamela Porta (?), Phil Ramone (Producer), Craig Weaver (Strings), Bill Lee (Bass), Ralph MacDonald (Percussion), Herb Bushler (Guitar (Bass)), Peter Nocella (Strings), Margaret Ross (?), Burt Bacharach (Keyboards), Paul Schaffer (Keyboards), Kathleen Carroll (Strings)
Futures is the fifth studio album by alternative rock band Jimmy Eat World, released on October 19, 2004. Futures was led by the successful single "Pain" followed by the world-wide hit "Work" and the less successful "Futures" which did not receive as much airplay.
The album has sold 620,000 units in the United States making it Gold Status. The album's cover features actor, Ryan Alosio on the cover looking into a mysterious phone booth.[citation needed]
The CD was issued as a deluxe edition simultaneously to the conventional release, containing a bonus CD with the exact same track listing, but carrying demo versions of all songs from the album, recorded in Jimmy Eat World's home recordingstudio. In addition, there were several bonus tracks scattered among import and vinyl versions of the album:
Limited edition acetate pressing
"Jen" – 3:00 (All subsequent track numbers are increased)
US Vinyl Pressing
"Shame" – 5:40 (All subsequent track numbers are increased)
UK import
"Shame" – 5:40
"When I Want" – 2:59
The demo versions of these songs are also on the UK deluxe edition.
Japanese import
"Shame" – 5:40
"When I Want" – 2:50
"You" – 3:20
In addition to the 13 demos on the UK deluxe edition, disc 2 of the Japanese deluxe edition contains:
