Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls

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The stunning "Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls" was Dionne Warwick's twelfth album for the Scepter label. It was recorded during the summer and fall of 1967 and was released early the next year. The LP was issued as number 568 in the Scepter Catalog. The cover art for this LP features Warwick on a black background, in an evening gown next to a studio chair.

The album's lead single was the title track, "Theme From 'Valley of the Dolls'", the phenomenal song from the film of the same name. The song was written by Andre Previn and Dory Previn, and had initially been intended for Judy Garland before she was fired from the film. At the urging of star Barbara Parkins, the song was given to Warwick. Warwick's version, however, differed from the John Williams version included in the film. This was because Warwick was signed to Scepter, and the soundtrack was released on 20th Century Records. Warwick was only permitted to appear on the film's actual soundtrack and not the recording.

The LP would then yield Warwick's next big hit and first Grammy winner, "Do You Know The Way to San Jose?". The song, (which Warwick didn't initially like, according to Robin Platts in her book, Burt Bacharach & Hal David^[1]) would peak at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and become one of Warwick's signature songs. Other notable songs on the LP were "Silent Voices", "Walking Backwards Down The Road", "Up, Up, and Away", and "You're My World".

The album, as was normally the case, was produced by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and recorded at A&R Sound Studios in New York.