The Look of Love: The Burt Bacharach Collection [BOX SET]

Burt Bacharach

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 3, 1998)
• Original Release Date: November 3, 1998
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B00000DGR0
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #59,260 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Story of My Life - Ray Conniff, Ray Conniff, Ray Conniff, , Marty Robbins

2. Magic Moments - Mitchell Ayres & His Fashions in Music, , Ray Charles Singers, Perry Como, ,

3. Blob - The Five Blobs

4. Please Stay - The Drifters

5. I Wake Up Crying - Chuck Jackson

6. Tower of Strength - Johnny Mann Singers, Gene McDaniels

See all 26 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Walk on By - Dionne Warwick

2. (There's) Always Something There to Remind Me - Lou Johnson

3. Me Japanese Boy I Love You - Bobby Goldsboro

4. To Wait for Love - Tony Orlando

5. Kentucky Bluebird (Send a Message to Martha) - Lou Johnson

6. Land of Make Believe - Dionne Warwick

See all 27 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. One Less Bell To Answer - The 5th Dimension

2. Look of Love - Dusty Springfield

3. Do You Know the Way to San José - Dionne Warwick

4. This Guy's in Love With You - Herb Alpert

5. Knowing When to Leave - Jill O'Hara

6. Promises, Promises - Dionne Warwick

See all 23 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

The greatest expression of Burt Bacharach's composing and arranging talents is the marvelous string of productions he made with Dionne Warwick and lyricist Hal David for a decade or so starting in 1962. Many of their triumphs are included in this three-CD box (also see the single disc The Dionne Warwick Collection), along with dozens of other tracks made between 1957 (Marty Robbins's "Story of My Life") and 1996 (Bacharach's collaboration with Elvis Costello on "God Give Me Strength"). The master's blend of froth, deep emotion, and challenging musicality provides many masterpieces and a few unfortunate moments: he doesn't have much to show for the '80s aside from "That's What Friends Are For" and "Arthur's Theme." Its handful of missteps aside, though, The Look of Love is an essential trove of great pop things. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's not Forget Hal, April 12, 2004

By	David G. Smith (Fairfax, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

First off, this is a box set, so you are gonna get some cuts like Richard Chamberlain singing "Blue Guitar" and Burt himself singing "Hasbrook Heights". I mean,really! This is a collection of one of our most accesibly complex composers, and there is going to be stuff that is not the look of love, that's not even the book of love...but let's get real. This is an evocative representation of eras of music, and Burt walked in five of them....and I think there are some minor(and I guess we are calling the pieces that are not Walk On By and Do You Know the Way To San Jose minor), but actually I am in love with a lot of the lesser known Dionne Burt Stuff...Paper Mache, Are You There With Another Girl, Windows of The World, and The Balance of Nature(which is my favorite kind of song, a symbolic poetic premise that is then put into the narrators viewpoint to wrap it up in first person)....Sentimental, sweet, yes but this is the time of great sentiment...and then what about the swinger stuff Trini Lopez Made in Paris and promise her anything by that hepcat Tom Jones.....

this is an amazing set, jewels of songwriting that are their own trip in a time machine....

and again, to set the record straight...Burt didn't write lyrics. Most of these lyics were written by Hal David. and they are gems. I will admit that some songwriting teams have a sense of imbalance(have you actually listened to lyrics in an Elton John song...Bernie coasted on that collaboration) but in this case these songs are such a collaboration. Yes, the music makes them stand out(time signatures, key changes, weird phrasing) but these words connotate an era(L>A> is a great big freeway.....One less egg to fry...where is the sunshine we once knew). And these are songs about joy and heartache, longing and pain...Listen to Windows of The World, be forty five(my age) and not see the ravages of the era it was written.

so for all the naysayers, remember this....they can't all be perfect pop gems, and who are you to say what is perfect. For me these pieces, no matter how flawed at times are pieces of a writing team that managed to stay contemporary for at least twenty years...and Bacharach beyond that. These are pieces that will joyfully bring up the essence of the time they were written in, and entertain you throughout.

I think they are miracles

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Box Set is a Gift from Heaven, February 4, 1999

By A Customer

I am a songwriter/guitarist and have studied the work of many artists including; the Beatles, Jimmy Webb, Paul Simon, and many others. However, I still can not comprehend how many wonderful songs Burt Bacharach and major contributing lyricist, Hal David, have written and produced over the years. I never thought that I was much of a fanof Burt before I really listened to these recordings. Now I must say that this set is the greatest example of good popular songwritting that I have ever heard in my life. Not only is the songwritting sometimes hauntingly beautiful, the artists appearing on this set are a list of the greatest popular artists of our time. Many of these songs launched the careers of many of these artists. It could not have been easy for an artist to interpret this music upon first introduction. Many of these songs posses unusual melodic intervals, chord changes, and shifting meters. However, Burt never seems to simply choose a chord or meter to be clever...he was simply interpreting moods and feelings from a higher force.This 75 song masterpiece includes artists'; Perry Como, Gene Pitney, Dusty Springfield, BJ Thomas, The Fifth Demension..and many other incredibly talented artists.The songs on this box set appear to be gifts from heaven and Burt appears to bethe translator. A wonderful, hard working translator who has made these gifts possible.I would like to thank Burt and all the artists who have opened up their souls to enable us these treasures.This box set is a masterpiece of contemporary music.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sounds of the 60's, March 31, 2000

By	Steve Rawlings (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

Burt Bacharach combined traditional pop with soft jazz and blues to create sophisticated, emotional melodies that help define the musical era that was the 60's. Through the sheer quality and quantity of his works, he became one of the most important composers of the 20th century, rivaling the likes of Irving Berlin and George Gershwin.

This impeccable collection captures five decades of his music, while concentrating on his popular hits in the 60's, featuring gifted performers like Dionne Warwick, Jackie DeShannon, and Dusty Springfield. Many of these hits were co-written by the equally talented Hal David. Together, Bacharach and David created a synergy of tunes and lyrics that have transcended time and generations. The music evokes a rainbow of emotions from froth, to reflection, to romance, and even rapture. I have enjoyed this music for 40 years and have never found a more treasured collection of these hauntingly beautiful and memorable songs.