The Songs Of Bacharach & Costello

For anyone coming to this album for the first time, you are in for a treat. It's a 5 star album all the way. However I suspect most people considering purchasing this 2 disc set will primarily be Costello fans, already familiar with the original 'painted from memory' album released a couple of decades ago. If this is you, you may be considering whether its worth shelling out again for an album you already have in order to get the second disc in this set. As most people know how good the original album is I will concentrate on the second CD of 'new' stuff. Only 8 of the 16 tracks on this disc are sung by Costello, of these 4 have been previously released. Three tracks appeared on Costello's album 'Look Now' another was released digitally on an EP called 'Purse'. Two further tracks appeared on a Bill Frisell album which was essentially a reimagined jazzy version of 'Painted from memory'. That leaves a further 10 tracks previously unreleased, 4 sung by Costello, 3 from Audra May, 2 from Jenni Muldaur all of which are excellent and in keeping with the quality and sound of the original album. The final track, 'Lie back and think of England' is 'sung' by Burt Bacharach, a decent enough song but if you ever wondered why a songwriter of Bacharach's calibre gave his songs to other artists rather than sing them himself, here is your answer. As a long time Costello fan I highly recommend this release. Even if you have all of his previous output I would still recommend going for this one, as it's nice to have all this material in one place.There is also a 'deluxe' 4CD/2LP version of this album currently retailing on Amazon at £179.99. To buy that version I would either have to remortgage my house or sell a kidney, neither of which I am prepared to do just to get hold of a vinyl version of the first CD and a few tracks of the second CD of the two disc set plus a small number of live offerings and a few previously released studio tracks. Like his recent vinyl only box set of 'Armed Forces' this box set is underwhelming given the exhorbitant prices being asked. The 2 disc version however, currently at £12.99 is excellent.

CD2 would be better with all the Elvis vocals running sequentially. I find myself skipping the unremarkable other versions.The Bacharach/ Costello songs really added to the brilliant Look Now and Boy Named If albums.Elvis really learnt from this collaboration.

If - like me - you have the songs of the first CD, this is worth buying for the excellent second CD. Very happy with the tracks sung by Jenni Muldaur, Audra Mae and Cassandra Wilson. Love the grim ' You Can Have Her' too. Wish this disc included Elvis doing My Little Red Book or that the Deluxe Version offered a bit more.

She loves this Burt Bacharach cd, brings back happy memories for her.

God give me strength is the penultimate track

What's to write. If you like Elvis Costello singing and Burt Bacharach writing, buy it.

I was very disappointed in these cds

I realise for some people any questioning of the mutual admiration society on offer here is akin to heresy so let me begin by saying I am a great admirer of both EC and BB - the former in his magnificent pomp with the Attractions - one of the greatest bands in the history of pop/rock, (the pallid Imposters remain just that) and BB via the wonderful versions of his classics by the great singers who recorded them. The problem here is that EC's voice is too idiosyncratic an instrument to bring out the melodic shadings and nuances which lie within Bacharach's melodies. Costello's voice works best on his own songs but here every song sounds pretty much like every other song. Costello's use of wobbly vibrato makes a particularly reductive contribution to this flattening effect. I've listened to these tunes two or three times through and none of them have registered - the first requirement of a great song is that it sticks in the mind - an "earworm" as the germans put it. All of Burt's greatest songs and many of Mr McManus's songs have this characteristic, but here, not so much. You pays your money etc etc....

It always amazing to find to masters at the top of their game. Silky smooth jazz with killer crooning, a must listen to album.

Arguably one of the best vocal performances of Elvis Costello's career. This remastered and expanded version of Painted From Memory, a 1998 collaboration with Burt Bacharach is a "must have" for any fan of either artist. There is also a Super Deluxe 4 cd+2 lp version of The Songs Of Bacharach And Costello but it's very expensive.

Ascoltavo la musica di Bacharach e non quella di Costello che insieme hanno prodotto dei brani indimenticabili

Zunächst war ich ja von den Bonustracks begeistert, da ich das Original-Album schon lange besaß. Aber als ich Disk 1 einlegte war hin und weg. Durch die neue Abmischung klingen die alten Klassiker so frisch, neu und erstklassig.Große Empfehlung für Liebhaberinnen und Liebhaber brillanter Pop-Musik.

Un album que je viens de découvrir, où chaque chanson est sublime. Un véritable bijou.