And he did it with work that never felt opportunistic or brazen, an accomplishment in and of itself.
But Perrys pivotal moment was his work with Barbra Streisand on 1971sStoney End.
Singers rooted in standards often had a rough tine transitioning to counterculture composers (Sinatras Mrs. Robinson, anyone?
Richard Perry (right) celebrates the 2002 ‘Great American Songbook’ release with Rod Stewart, Diane Warren, and Clive Davis.Kevin Winter/Getty Images
(What a shame she never cut an entire LP of Nyro covers with Perry.)
But Perry didnt justworkwith Carly Simon and Harry Nilsson.
Perry knew that wordsmith songwriters needed hooks as well.
He remade the ever-chaste sounding Art Garfunkel into a bedroom balladeer onBreakaway.
Perry continued to read the pop tea leaves.
That made sense: Perry was alsomorewedded to melody than rhythm.
But in a way, Perrys last great stand on the pop charts with those records was an aberration.
The hallmark of his career was never nostalgia.
