Like
Rhino
's exquisite three-disc
The Look of Love
, this set does not concentrate on proper
Burt Bacharach
recordings. Instead, it contains versions of
Bacharach
's greatest songs, usually the greatest versions -- or cuts that are damn close to the greatest versions. And, really, that's what makes it magical, since
wasn't the best interpreter of his material -- vocalists like
Dionne Warwick
,
Sandie Shaw
Gene Pitney
Dusty Springfield
, and
the Shirelles
were. This doesn't contain every one of his great songs or recordings, and it does run out of steam toward the end, when
"That's What Friends Are For"
rears its ugly head, but there are no other single-disc collections that offer such a succinct, accurate overview of
at his best, as a melodicist and songwriter.
The Very Best Of
starts to flow with
"Baby It's You,"
and then runs through such indelible classics as
"(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me"
by
"Walk on By"
"What the World Needs Now Is Love"
Jackie DeShannon
"Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"
B.J. Thomas
, among many, many others. Yes, it's possible to point out songs that should have been here, but what's here is nearly impeccable (though the last three songs, with the possible exception of
Christopher Cross
'
"Arthur's Theme,"
should have been replaced by better songs from the '60s). There is no better, succinct introduction to the glories of
than this. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine