The Very Best of Burt Bacharach [Rhino]

The Very Best of Burt Bacharach [Rhino]

by Burt BacharachBurt Bacharach

Overview

Like Rhino's exquisite three-disc The Look of Love, this set does not concentrate on proper Burt Bacharach recordings. Instead, it contains versions of Bacharach's greatest songs, usually the greatest versions -- or cuts that are damn close to the greatest versions. And, really, that's what makes it magical, since Bacharach wasn't the best interpreter of his material -- vocalists like Dionne Warwick, Sandie Shaw, Gene Pitney, Dusty Springfield, and the Shirelles were. This doesn't contain every one of his great songs or recordings, and it does run out of steam toward the end, when "That's What Friends Are For" rears its ugly head, but there are no other single-disc collections that offer such a succinct, accurate overview of Bacharach at his best, as a melodicist and songwriter. The Very Best Of starts to flow with "Baby It's You," and then runs through such indelible classics as "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" by Sandie Shaw, "Walk on By" by Dionne Warwick, "What the World Needs Now Is Love" by Jackie DeShannon, and "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" by B.J. Thomas, among many, many others. Yes, it's possible to point out songs that should have been here, but what's here is nearly impeccable (though the last three songs, with the possible exception of Christopher Cross' "Arthur's Theme," should have been replaced by better songs from the '60s). There is no better, succinct introduction to the glories of Burt Bacharach than this.

Product Details

Release Date: 03/06/2001
Label: Rhino
UPC: 0081227672126
catalogNumber: 76721
Rank: 6249

Tracks

  1. Baby It's You
  2. Only Love Can Break a Heart
  3. Anyone Who Had a Heart
  4. (There's) Always Something There to Remind Me
  5. Walk on By
  6. What the World Needs Now Is Love
  7. Alfie
  8. What's New Pussycat?
  9. I Say a Little Prayer
  10. The Look of Love
  11. Do You Know the Way to San Jose?
  12. Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head
  13. I'll Never Fall in Love Again
  14. One Less Bell to Answer
  15. Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
  16. That's What Friends Are For

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Burt Bacharach   Primary Artist,Conductor
Dionne Warwick   Track Performer
Christopher Cross   Track Performer
Elton John   Track Performer
Gladys Knight   Track Performer
Gene Pitney   Track Performer
Shirelles   Track Performer
Dusty Springfield   Track Performer
Sandie Shaw   Track Performer
Jackie DeShannon   Track Performer
Reg Guest   Accompaniment
B.J. Thomas   Track Performer
Stevie Wonder   Track Performer

Technical Credits

Bill Holman   Arranger
Larry Wilcox   Arranger
Burt Bacharach   Arranger,Producer
Carole Bayer Sager   Arranger,Producer
Bob Alcivar   Arranger
Hugh Brown   Art Direction
Hal David   Producer
Wally Gold   Producer
Bones Howe   Arranger,Producer
Bill Inglot   Producer
Michael Omartian   Producer,String Arrangements
Aaron Schroeder   Producer
Peter Sullivan   Producer
John Franz   Producer
Luther Dixon   Producer
Rachel Gutek   Art Direction
Chris Cuffaro   Cover Photo
Mack David   Composer
Shawn Amos   Editorial Coordinator
Daniel Goldmark   Editorial Research
Chris Andrews   Producer
Stephen Paley   Producer
Barney Williams   Composer

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