Burt Bacharach - Burt Bacharach (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

BURT'S BEST.

Stephen Haddan | AUSTRALIA | 02/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a little known studio album self titled "Burt Bacharach" that was released in 1971 by A&M. It remains one of Burt's genuine masterpieces. For some reason it's always been extremely difficult to acquire - it has never been available on CD until Amazon sourced it as a Japanese import in about 2004.

I first fell in love with Burt's studio recordings of his songs when my Mum and Dad bought a "Burt Bacharach's Greatest Hits" album for me back in 1969. I was 12 and had just seen "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", which I loved. A year later I bought a copy of "Burt Bacarach" because my go-to lady at the town record store told me it was the coolest record she had. "Cool" it is, trust me. I spend way too much time trawling for quintessential sixties and seventies stuff trying to revive a time of life I have a great affection for and this beautiful album has all that in bucketloads. Think the soundtrack to "Mad Men" if it were set in the early seveties, think the soundtracks of "Bullit" and "The Thomas Crown Affair". Throw this on your car CD, rip up the volume and you'll feel like Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw snaking their way along the California Coast in the E-Type.

There are many available compilations of Burt's classics as performed by the great artists who covered he and Hal David's tunes - I think "The Look of Love" 3 CD set remains the best. However my love affair with Burt's own set of studio recordings continues after over 40 years. I believe his music is best enjoyed this way - with Burt out front of his orchestra, white towel round the neck, pencilling changes on the grand piano as his colleagues await further instruction and rise to the occasion. "And the People were with Her" and "Wives and Lovers" are magnificent pieces of music, while Burt's invitation to join us for the weekend at "Hasbrook Heights" is at once quirky and infectious. "Burt Bacharach" is lush, and it's cool.

Get this now, add maybe "Reach Out" and "Make it Easy on Yourself" and the three CD set of course, and your Burt Bacharach experience is complete."

Accidental Treasure

S. Kleeberg | Livermore, Ca | 09/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I found this cassette at my Dad's house after he passed away. I listened to it on my way home from work one day and now I play it every chance I get. There are some obscure songs in this collection, but in my opinion this is a sample of his best material. I was amazed to see that this CD is only available as an import. It is expensive, but if you are a true Bacharach fan, (meaning you even like to hear HIM sing) you will enjoy this collection."

Beautiful Music

J. Marshall | Chicago | 09/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I started out a Dionne Warwick fan back in the 60's. Besides her singing voice the arrangements were so beautiful that I wanted to hear more and more of them. I don't know when I learned about Burt & Hal but after I did I also found out that Burt had some albums out featuring himself. I got ahold of those and was glad that they too were great. This cd and the others he's done are in a class by themselves. During all those years I never came across one person that was into Burt's music so I never had the opportunity to discuss how much I liked it with anyone.

One day back in 97' a new lady was hired at my place of work and we began to date. Through talking about music I learned that she too liked Burt's music. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. She went on to tell me that when she was younger, she would sneek out the house and ride the bus to a nearby Sears store just to purchase Burt's albums. A few months later we got married and that was 11 years ago. I saw Burt in concert, I think it was in 1989 at the Chicago Theater when he and Dionne were reunited after years of Burt, Hal and Dionne not speaking because of a fall out. My wife and I saw him there a few years later when he and Elvis Costello were touring. I hope Burt puts Chicago back on his itinerary very soon. This album is one of my favorites by him and I like all the songs, especially Free Fall. Thom Bell who was a major part of The Sound of Philaddlphia that was popular in the 70's, reminds me of Burt's work on arrangements he has done, especially with the Stylistics. I once read an interview where he mentioned Burt as an influence. I'm glad Burt, Hal and Dionne are still around and highly recommend this cd."

There simply aren't enough superlatives to praise Bacharach'

martrobber | Birmingham, AL | 05/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There were three albums that provided the soundtrack of my childhood, due mainly to (and thankfully so) my older sisters: 'Tapestry,' by Carol King (of course);the 'Best of America"; and this wonderful gem. FOR YEARS, whenever I passed by a used album store, I would search for copies of it, because the one my family owned had literally outworn its grooves. To date, I have four copies -- and to find out it's on cd is a godsend, regardless if it originated from Japan!

I simply can't give this album enough praise. Even though there's no Warwick or Springfield nor the legions of others who have recorded Bacharach/David's work over the years, it is Bacharach in the purest, most melodic form. In particular, "Wives and Lovers" is so hauntingly beautiful that it deserves the same revered status as works like Gershwin's Rapsody in Blue or Copeland's "Fanfare for the Common Man." When it comes to the American Popular Song, this album stands as a triumph.

As for Bacharach's voice -- no, it's not the finest set of pipes ever to be recorded, BUT it is quintessentially Bacharach, and therefore perfectly appropriate for the occasion. In fact, I wish he had sung more of his own songs than the couple of tunes heard here and on other albums ('House Is Not a Home' comes to mind as another one).

"Free Fall" exhibits Bacharach's masterful way of taking 5 or 6 notes, structuring and then restructuring them in an almost question-and-answer type format, and in the process creating a clever musical conversation. When the strings break in with their hurried, soaring melody, you get the feeling of taking flight, only to return to earth with the same, delicate, back-and-forth guitar-picked 'discussion' that started the piece. I would bet that "Free Fall" is one of THE least known of Bacharach's work, yet its clever, quizzical, and exquisite nature could only have been penned by him.

"Nikki" and "Hasbrook Heights" capture the same feel to me, which is this: Driving in a sleek convertible with the top down, allowing the warm, California sun to brown your skin as you head out to Malibu Beach or Carmel for afternoon cocktails or a game of tennis. Even as a kid, while listening to this album, I would think to myself, "God, I want to live like this music sounds!"

I'm not quite there yet, but this marvelous music still spurs me on."

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