BURT BACHARACH (R.I.P.)
Burt Bacharach - Anyone Who Had a Heart, The Art of The Songwriter [2013] (6 x CDs)
Burt Freeman Bacharach (May 12, 1928 - February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Starting in the 1950s, he composed hundreds of pop songs, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. Bacharach's music is characterized by unusual chord progressions, influenced by his background in jazz harmony, and uncommon selections of instruments for small orchestras. He arranged, conducted, and produced much of his recorded output. Over 1,000 different artists have recorded Bacharach's songs from 1961 to 1972. (Wikipedia)
Dating from his first pop hit on the charts and especially his work with longtime writing partner and lyricist Hal David, who helped the duo create an amazing streak of classics, to those songs of recent years when Bacharach ventured out on his own to write with Carole Bayer Sager and Elvis Costello among others, the collection celebrates the work of Bacharach and how the combined efforts of talented songwriters, majestic melodies, unforgettable lyrics and great vocalists can yield timeless pop classics and be interpreted in unique ways.
Burt Bacharach has been speaking through his music for the past 60+ years, since his very first recorded composition, "Once in a Blue Moon, “appeared on Nat “King“Cole’s Penthouse Serenade in 1952. To coincide with the British publication of the autobiography. Anyone Who Had a Heart: The Best of Burt Bacharach – The Art of the Songwriter is a 6-CD box set (twice the number of discs as Rhino’s definitive The Look of Love – The Burt Bacharach Collection from 1998). The first four CDs trace Bacharach’s career in a roughly chronological fashion, from 1955’s “These Desperate Hours, “performed by Mel Torme, to 2010’s “Some Lovers, “sung by Rumer from the 2011 musical of the same name. The fifth CD compiles highlights from Bacharach’s solo recording career (already addressed in full on Hip-o Select’s Something Big box set) and the sixth offers an eclectic array of Bacharach songs as performed mainly by jazz artists.
This set is full of heavenly music, stunning vocals...you might not be surprised just how prolific Burt Bacharach was as a composer, but with Hal David who wrote the words, together that touched our hearts for decades. Great fun to hear various interpretations of the songs. [Corrected] (Amazon)
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Track lists
CD1
01 Mel Tormé - These Desperate Hours 2:15
02 Patti Page - Keep Me In Mind [single Version][version] 2:20
03 Sherry Parsons - Peggy's In The Pantry 2:03
04 Alan Dale - I Cry More 2:56
05 Marty Robbins - The Story Of My Life 2:34
06 Jerry Lewis - Sad Sack 2:13
07 Gale Storm - Winter Warm 1:56
08 Five Blobs - The Blob 2:39
09 Perry Como - Magic Moments 2:40
10 Sonny James - Dream Big 2:10
11 Jane Morgan - With Open Arms 2:19
12 Four Aces Featuring Al Alberts - Paradise Island 2:28
13 Gene Vincent - Crazy Times 2:13
14 Charlie Gracie - I Looked For You 2:12
15 Everit Herter - Boys Were Made For Girls 2:03
16 Shirelles - Baby It's You 2:41
17 Frankie Avalon - Gotta Get A Girl 2:07
18 Drifters - Please Stay 2:17
19 Gloria Lynne - (you Don't Have To Be A) Tower Of Strength 2:16
20 Tommy Sands - Love In A Goldfish Bowl 2:15
21 Gene Pitney - The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 2:58
22 Cliff Richard & The Shadows - (it's) Wonderful To Be Young 2:30
23 Dean Barlow - Third Window From The Right 2:32
24 Gene Pitney - Only Love Can Break A Heart 2:49
25 Jane Morgan - Waiting For Charley To Come Home 2:26
26 Drifters - Mexican Divorce 2:35
CD2
01 Jack Jones - Dreamin' All The Time 2:13
02 Babs Tino - Forgive Me (for Giving You Such A Bad Time) 2:14
03 Marlene Dietrich - Kleine Treue Nachtigall 2:47
04 Jack Jones - Wives And Lovers 2:31
05 Jimmy Radcliffe - There Goes The Forgotten Man 2:48
06 Dionne Warwick - Anyone Who Had A Heart 3:12
07 Dusty Springfield - Wishin' And Hopin' [stereo Version][version] 2:55
08 Bobby Vinton - Blue On Blue 2:25
09 Bobby Vee - Be True To Yourself 2:04
10 Richard Chamberlain - (they Long To Be) Close To You 2:16
11 Adam Wade - Rain From The Skies 2:56
12 Dionne Warwick - Walk On By 2:56
13 Dusty Springfield - I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself 3:01
14 Sandie Shaw - (there's) Always Something There To Remind Me 2:44
15 Dusty Springfield - Twenty-four Hours From Tulsa 3:05
16 Merseybeats - It's Love That Really Counts 2:02
17 Gene Pitney - True Love Never Runs Smooth 2:27
18 Brook Benton - A House Is Not A Home 3:00
19 Bobby Goldsboro - Me Japanese Boy I Love You 2:27
20 Doris Day - Send Me No Flowers 2:13
21 Searchers - This Empty Place 2:08
22 Manfred Mann - My Little Red Book 2:26
23 Freddie & The Dreamers - I Fell In Love With Your Picture 2:08
24 Tom Jones - What's New Pussycat? 2:05
25 Jackie Deshannon - What The World Needs Now Is Love [2005 Remaster] 3:15
26 Marianne Faithfull - If I Never Get To Love You 2:16
CD3
01 Barbra Streisand - Alfie 3:20
02 Dionne Warwick - Are You There (with Another Girl) 2:50
03 Walker Brothers - Another Tear Falls 2:26
04 Rick Nelson - They Don't Give Medals (to Yesterday's Heroes) 2:04
05 Peter Sellers; The Hollies - After The Fox 2:20
06 Anita Kerr Singers - In Between The Heartaches 2:51
07 Aretha Franklin - I Say A Little Prayer 3:31
08 Dusty Springfield - The Look Of Love 4:09
09 Burt Bacharach; Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Casino Royale 2:37
10 Roland Shaw & His Orchestra - Let The Love Come Through 3:03
11 Diana Ross & The Supremes - Let The Music Play 2:40
12 Dionne Warwick - Do You Know The Way To San José 2:55
13 Jerry Orbach - Promises, Promises 1:49
14 Petula Clark - This Girl's In Love With You 3:30
15 Peter Knight; Scott Walker - Windows Of The World 4:23
16 B.j. Thomas - Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head 2:59
17 Engelbert Humperdinck - I'm A Better Man (for Having Loved You) 2:50
18 Johnny Mathis - Odds And Ends (a Beautiful Love Affair) 3:04
19 Elvis Presley - Any Day Now (my Beautiful Bird) 3:01
20 Jill O'hara - Whoever You Are 4:08
21 5th Dimension - One Less Bell To Answer 3:30
22 Aretha Franklin - The April Fools 3:29
23 Stylistics - You'll Never Get To Heaven (if You Break My Heart) 3:39
24 5th Dimension - Living Together, Growing Together 3:53
25 Diana Ross; Marvin Gaye - The Things I Will Not Miss 3:03
CD4
01 Julie Rogers - Long After Tonight Is All Over 3:05
02 Tom Jones - Us 5:15
03 Stephanie Mills - I See You For The First Time 3:10
04 Jackie Deshannon - I Don't Need You Anymore 2:57
05 Chris Cross - Arthur's Theme (best You Can Do) 3:54
06 Michael Jackson; Carole Bayer Sager - Just Friends 3:44
07 Neil Diamond - Heartlight 4:25
08 Christopher Cross - A Chance For Heaven 3:44
09 Natalie Cole - In My Reality 5:23
10 Gladys Knight & The Pips - Overnight Success 4:56
11 Patti Labelle - Need A Little Faith 4:04
12 James Ingram - Sing For The Children 5:06
13 Dionne Warwick - Sunny Weather Lover 4:11
14 Burt Bacharach Feat: Elvis Costello - Toledo 4:35
15 Will Young - What's In Goodbye 3:06
16 Burt Bacharach Feat: Rufus Wainwright - Go Ask Shakespeare 5:46
17 Burt Bacharach Feat: Jamie Cullum - Make It Easy On Yourself [live Bbc Electric Proms] 3:56
18 Burt Bacharach Feat: Ronan Keating - I'll Never Fall In Love Again 3:34
19 Rumer - Some Lovers 2:32
CD5
01 Burt Bacharach - Bond Street 2:06
02 Burt Bacharach - Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2:29
03 Burt Bacharach - Walk On By 3:02
04 Burt Bacharach - Alfie 3:07
05 Burt Bacharach - Something Big 3:08
06 Burt Bacharach - Saturday Sunshine 2:00
07 Burt Bacharach - I Say A Little Prayer 2:28
08 Burt Bacharach - Nikki 2:27
09 Burt Bacharach - South American Getaway 5:15
10 Burt Bacharach - The Windows Of The World 2:31
11 Burt Bacharach - Hasbrook Heights 3:11
12 Burt Bacharach - Reach Out For Me 2:52
13 Burt Bacharach - The Sundance Kid 2:11
14 Burt Bacharach - Promises, Promises 2:50
15 Burt Bacharach Feat: Houston Symphony Orchestra - Summer Of '77 3:52
16 Burt Bacharach - And So Goodbye My Love 2:24
17 Burt Bacharach - I Come To You 3:05
18 Burt Bacharach - Walk The Way You Talk 3:10
19 Burt Bacharach - Trains And Boats And Planes 2:45
20 Burt Bacharach - The Young Grow Younger Every Day 2:46
21 Burt Bacharach - Another Spring Will Rise 5:41
22 Burt Bacharach - Don't Make Me Over 2:59
23 Burt Bacharach - Futures 4:14
24 Burt Bacharach - Whoever You Are I Love You 3:32
CD6
01 Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - The Look Of Love 2:45
02 Wes Montgomery - What The World Needs Now Is Love 4:59
03 George Benson - Walk On By 3:24
04 Diane Schuur - Never Take That Chance Again 3:57
05 Roy Ayers - Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head 4:51
06 Ramsey Lewis - Do You Know The Way To San Jose 3:37
07 Ella Fitzgerald - Wives And Lovers 2:23
08 Jimmy Smith - This Guy's In Love With You 5:54
09 Lena Horne - Out Of My Continental Mind 2:33
10 Lou Rawls - They Don't Give Medals (to Yesterday's Heroes) 2:11
11 Charlie Byrd - I'll Never Fall In Love Again 3:16
12 Stan Getz - Any Old Time Of The Day 3:35
13 Astrud Gilberto - Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2:13
14 Nancy Wilson - Alfie 3:04
15 Laima - Baby It's You 4:06
16 Bill Evans Trio - A House Is Not A Home 4:38
17 Mccoy Tyner - One Less Bell To Answer 5:40
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Great tribute for a great artist, thank you Butterboy
ReplyDeleteThanks, Little Bill.
DeleteThere are many such albums but this set covers all bases.
Cheers.
"This set is full of heavenly music, stunning vocals...you might be surprised just how prolific Burt was as a lyricist. Hal David wrote the music, but Bacharach wrote the words that touched our hearts for decades"
ReplyDeleteUm, I believe David was the lyricist, and Bacharach the composer
Hi D'artagnan,
DeleteYou are proof that people read the opening blurb.
Now fixed.
Cheers.
So much fabulous music for the ages from this gentleman,
ReplyDeleteand so many perfect interpretations of it by talented artists.
Fortunate to have Dionne as the great purveyor of so many.
I remember when his "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head"
was first presented as a short interlude in the movie "Butch
Cassidy And The Sundance Kid". Song and scene seemed
so out of place, but at the same time strangely felt perfect.
Also super good memories of Petula Clark's "The Look Of
Love". The tune and her various treatments of it have long
been some of my favorite music ever. Especially like that
version in 1967 James Bond spoof movie "Casino Royale".
The Sergio Mendes version (also here) is a great one, too.
This is a great set! ...and Perry Como gets respect as well!
Hi mrRadio.
DeleteYou have a deep appreciation for music and the artists who bring it to life. The songs you mentioned are indeed timeless classics that have been interpreted beautifully by various artists over the years. The power of music and its ability to evoke emotions and enhance storytelling is a true joy.
And yes, Perry Como deserves respect as well! His contributions to music have left a lasting impact.
It’s always wonderful to hear about the personal connections and memories people have with music and you are clearly closely connected with music.
This is a great box set which is deserved of Mr. Bacharach's talent.
Cheers.