20th Century Masters: The Best Of Burt Bacharach (Millennium Collection) [Original recording remastered]

Amazon.com
It took the martini-fueled lounge music scene of the '90s and some campy placements in a couple of hit movies--Austin Powers and My Best Friend's Wedding--to re-establish Burt Bacharach's genius in the public's mind. Once that was done, his work could be heard with new ears: It was no longer merely elevator music, but rather pop composition at its finest, marked by peerless melodies and arrangements that were complex in subtle ways. To get the full effect of the hits he wrote for artists such as Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, the Fifth Dimension, and many, many others, you should hear them in versions that also feature Hal David's brilliant lyrics (the multidisc set The Look of Love: The Burt Bacharach Collection is worth every penny). But this brief overview containing instrumental takes (augmented occasionally by a female chorus and, once, Burt's own warbling vocals) of songs such as "The Look of Love," "Alfie," and "What the World Needs Now Is Love" offers some intrigue, too. If you still feel like having a martini, here's the appropriate soundtrack. --Daniel Durchholz

20th Century Masters: The Best Of Burt Bacharach (Millennium Collection),Burt Bacharach,Interscope Records,Baroque Pop,Brill Building Pop,Easy Listening,Pop,Pop Vocals,Pop/Rock,Popular Music

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Average customer rating:

20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Arthur Fiedler Manufacturer: Hip-O Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Porter | Porter, Cole | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Rota, Nino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Sousa | Sousa, John Philip | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music All Bargain Titles | Easy Listening | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Soundtracks | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Best of the Boston Pops: 20th Century Masters the Millennium Collection Sixties Classics: The Encore Collection Pops Roundup Fiedler Greatest Hits Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops Play the Beatles ASIN: B0009AJKAW Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

1. Alfie
2. Look of Love
3. Sound of Silence
4. This Guy's in Love With You
5. I'll Never Fall in Love Again
6. Scarborough Fair
7. Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet
8. Love Theme from the Godfather
9. We've Only Just Begun
10. Love Story Theme
11. Stardust
12. Night and Day
13. Entertainer
14. Stars and Stripes Forever

Average customer rating: Surprising chord changes, timing and rhythms...but this particular CD is just average A Millennium Collection of Burt Bacharach's Best You will be disappointed A Bit Surprising Everything is better than the orignal

20th Century Masters: The Best Of Burt Bacharach (Millennium Collection) Burt Bacharach Manufacturer: Interscope Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Contemporary | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Baroque Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Oldies & Retro | Rock | Styles | Music General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Very Best of Burt Bacharach Best of Artist of the Century Reach Out 60 Greatest Hit Songs Burt Bacharach's Greatest Hits ASIN: B00000JMKC Release Date: 1999-07-20

Tracks:

1. The Look Of Love
2. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
3. This Guy's In Love
4. I'll Never Fall In Love Again
5. Do You Know The Way To San Jose?
6. What The World Needs Now Is Love
7. Alfie
8. (They Long To Be) Close To You
9. I Say A Little Prayer
10. One Less Bell To Answer
11. Reach Out For Me
12. Don't Make Me Over

Amazon.com

It took the martini-fueled lounge music scene of the '90s and some campy placements in a couple of hit movies--Austin Powers and My Best Friend's Wedding--to re-establish Burt Bacharach's genius in the public's mind. Once that was done, his work could be heard with new ears: It was no longer merely elevator music, but rather pop composition at its finest, marked by peerless melodies and arrangements that were complex in subtle ways. To get the full effect of the hits he wrote for artists such as Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, the Fifth Dimension, and many, many others, you should hear them in versions that also feature Hal David's brilliant lyrics (the multidisc set The Look of Love: The Burt Bacharach Collection is worth every penny). But this brief overview containing instrumental takes (augmented occasionally by a female chorus and, once, Burt's own warbling vocals) of songs such as "The Look of Love," "Alfie," and "What the World Needs Now Is Love" offers some intrigue, too. If you still feel like having a martini, here's the appropriate soundtrack. --Daniel Durchholz

Customer Reviews:

Surprising chord changes, timing and rhythms...but this particular CD is just average.......2006-12-21

Burt Bacharach remains a titan of musical genius from the 20th century; and this CD features twelve of his works mostly from the 1960s that he composed with Hal David. The sound quality is very good; and the song selections are great. However, these aren't the versions of the songs that we have come to know and love; and that is a big disappointment. Moreover, the selection of songs represents only the work Bacharach produced with Hal David; there is no work here by Bacharach alone or by Bacharach with another composer or lyricist.

The CD boasts twelve songs written by Bacharach with the help of Hal David; and there are many fine choices for easy listening on this CD. My favorites are the classic ballads "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head;" "I'll Never Fall In Love Again;" "Do You Know The Way To San Jose?;" "What The World Needs Now Is Love;" and "(They Long To Be) Close To You."

The aggravating down side to all this great work is that these tracks are instrumentals with a sporadic women's choir helping out minimally on vocals. I would much prefer to hear the songs as we know and love them. For example, in 1963 Dionne Warwick did a flawless interpretation of "Don't Make Me Over." That version of the song is simply not here. Arrgh!

Moreover, the twelve songs on this CD clock in at 37 minutes; there was time for more music on this disc. Another disappointment; but if the producers of this album want to give us this strictly average level of quality then perhaps it's just as well if they do end at 37 minutes.

The line notes contain an excellent essay about Burt Bacharach's career by Joseph F. Laredo; and the photos of Burt in his younger days are terrific.

I give this CD three stars for the quality of the sound, the unfamiliar yet somewhat relaxing versions of each song and the great liner notes. The women's choir also helps somewhat but it cannot fill the shoes of great vocalists like Dionne Warwick. This CD is for the casual fan who just wants a very basic and cursory introduction to the work of Burt Bacharach. If you want to have a much better understanding of Burt's great work as an artist, I recommend what another reviewer recommends: the three CD box set entitled The Look Of Love: The Burt Bacharach Collection.

A Millennium Collection of Burt Bacharach's Best.......2006-01-16

"In the 1960s, Burt Bacharach catapulted to the forefront of popular music as the most celebrated contemporary composer on the planet. He is a living legend of popular music. This collection is a welcome opportunity to enjoy a master at work."
~ Joseph F. Laredo, Liner Notes ~

Burt Bacharach is truly a living legend of popular music. His name is synonymous with some of the grooviest hits of the sixties and the seventies such as "This Guy's In Love With You," "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" and "The Look of Love."

This CD is a looking-glass of twelve of the best works he collaborated with a fine lyricist, Hal David, starting off with "The Look of Love" and wraps up with "Don't Make Me Over." This collection is a combination of purely instrumentals and a few tracks with vocals. It's so hard to pinpoint any favorite tracks since they all are my absolute favorites. But the most noteworthy tracks are "This Guy's In Love With You," "What The World Needs Now Is Love," "They Long To Be Close To You," "I Say A Little Prayer" and "One Less Bell To Answer."

Burt Bacharach is one of the respected names in composing, conducting and arranging. He's also a recording artist in his own right and has recorded vocal versions of "A House Is Not A Home," "Close To You" and "This Guy's In Love With You" on separate covers.

This is one of the best Burt Bacharach collections. Give it a listen and enjoy!

Very highly recommended.

You will be disappointed.......2004-12-30

I purchased this CD with high hopes, because all of the songs on this CD are good songs. However, the arrangements presented here will leave you cold.

The first two songs on the album ("The Look of Love" and "Raindrops Keep Falling...") are the instrumental versions of the song and not the versions that you might expect. As you get deeper into the album you realize none of the songs are the hit versions that you remembered and enjoyed.

This is essentially the greatest hits of Bacharach the way you won't remember them. I listened for 1/2 an hour trying to find something that would make the purchase worthwhile. I found none.

If you like Burt Bacharach and want to listen to the songs as you remember the, it looks like you'll have to try "The Look Of Love: The Burt Bacharach Collection ", which unfortunately is 4 times the price.

A Bit Surprising.......2003-03-14

I am a Burt Bacharach fan and I love "lounge" music and the easy-listening music of the '50s and '60s... so I was a bit surprised that this CD was just so-so in my book. Mr. Bacharach takes a great deal of artistic license with his tunes here (since he wrote them I suppose he's entitled) but not once are they played "straight" or in the familiar fashion we've all come to know. Rather, he presents them using strange arrangements and instruments to give the songs a different sound. A couple of times I even wondered whether the tracks were mixed properly. To me they are classics and don't need any jazzing-up. Sidenote: I could also have done without the "Burt Bacharach Girl Singers"; if he needed vocals he should have tried to get the women from Sergio Mendez to sit in on the recording session; it would have improved things a great deal.

Everything is better than the orignal.......2002-08-16

As a Bacharach fan, I was dissapointed in this largely instrumental album -- would have preferred covers instead. The CD just takes up space on my rack.

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