1981 Soundtrack – Arthur
Arthur is a 1981 American comedy film written and directed by Steve Gordon. The film stars Dudley Moore as the eponymous Arthur Bach, a drunken New York City millionaire who is on the brink of an arranged marriage to a wealthy heiress, but ends up falling for a common working-class girl from Queens. It was the first and only film directed by Gordon, who died in 1982 of a heart attack at age 44.
Arthur earned nearly $96 million domestically, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 1981. Its title song, “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)”, won the Best Original Song. Co-written by Christopher Cross, Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager and Peter Allen, it was performed by Christopher Cross. Sir John Gielgud also won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. The film was nominated for two other Academy Awards.
Tracks
1 Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do) (Burt Bacharach, Christopher Cross, Carole Bayer Sager) 3:56
2 Fool Me Again (Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager) 4:06
3 Poor Rich Boy (Burt Bacharach) 3:22
4 It’s Only Love (Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager) 2:55
5 Touch (Burt Bacharach) 3:21
6 It’s Only Love (Burt Bacharach) 2:47
7 Money (Burt Bacharach) 2:22
8 Moving Pictures (Burt Bacharach, John Phillips) 3:25
9 Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do) (Burt Bacharach, Christopher Cross, Carole Bayer Sager) 3:31
Media
Musicians
1 Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)
| Bass | David Hungate |
| Drums | Jeffrey Porcaro |
| Guitar | Steve Lukather |
| Guitar | Marty Walsh |
| Guitar | Christopher Cross |
| Keyboards | Michael Boddicker |
| Synthesizer | Michael Boddicker |
| Sax | Ernie Watts |
| Percussion | Paulinho Da Costa |
| Vocals | Christopher Cross |
2 Fool Me Again
| Bass | Bob Glaub |
| Drums | Rick Shlosser |
| Guitar | Andrew Gold |
| Piano | Tom Salsbury |
| Piano | Andrew Gold |
| Sax | Jim Horn |
| Percussion | Andrew Gold |
| Background Vocals | Andrew Gold |
| Vocals | Nicolette Larson |
3 Poor Rich Boy
| Bass | Joe Puerta |
| Drums | Burleigh Drummond |
| Guitar | David Pack |
| Keyboards | Christopher North |
| Keyboards | David Lewis |
| Percussion | Royce Jones |
| Background Vocals | Royce Jones |
| Vocals | David Pack |
4 It’s Only Love
| Bass | David Hungate |
| Drums | Jeffrey Porcaro |
| Guitar (solo) | Andrew Gold |
| Guitar | Lee Ritenour |
| Keyboards | Burt Bacharach |
| Keyboards | Mike Lang |
Other Musicians
| Flute | Larry Williams |
| Flute | John Phillips |
| Oboe | John Phillips |
| Sax | John Phillips |
| Sax | Larry Williams |
| Trumpet | Chuck Findley |
| Trumpet | Warren Luening |
| Tuba | Tommy Johnson |
| Harmonica | Tommy Morgan |
| Background Vocals | Richard Page |
| Background Vocals | Steve George |
Liner Notes
Producer – Andrew Gold (Track 2)
Producer – Burt Bacharach (Tracks 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Producer – Carole Bayer Sager (Track 4)
Producer – Michael Omartian (Track 1)
Producer – Stephen Bishop (Track 4)
Producer – Val Garay (Track 3)
Executive Producer – Stephen Paley
Arranged By (Strings) – Michael Omartian (Track 1)
Arranged By (Strings) – Nick DeCaro (Track A2)
Arranged By (Strings) – Burt Bacharach (Track A4)
Arranged By Burt Bacharach (Tracks 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Engineer – Henry Lewy (Track 4), Pat McDonald (Track 4), Val Garay (Track 3)
Mastered By – Bobby Hata
Recorded By – Chet Himes (Track A1)
Recorded By – Jim Isaacson (Track A2)
Recorded By – Lee Herschberg (Tracks 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Recorded By (Assistant) – Stuart Gitlin (Track 1)
Recorded By (Assistant) – Stephen McManus (Track 2)
Recorded By (Assistant) – Niko Bolas (Track 3)
Recorded By (Assistant) – Ken Deane (Tracks 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Recorded at Warner Bros. Recording Studio