Even among the dozens of
Burt Bacharach compilations out there, this one stands out. While he did score some early hits in the 1950s, and wrote songs recorded by some of the biggest stars of the day -- as well as some of the more obscure ones -- but it wasn’t until
Dionne Warwick’s slew of hits with his and
Hal David’s tunes that he became a ubiquitous name in pop music. One look at the array of artists on this set makes it a curiosity before hearing a single tune. Where else would you find names like
Connie Stevens,
Merv Griffin,
Jack Jones, the Wanderers, the Exotics, George Hamilton,
Paul Anka,
Vic Dana, and the Rangoons on the same recording? Simply put, these are songs that didn’t make it; none of them charted at all. The vast majority of these 33 tracks were written by the
Bacharach/David team, but there are some exceptions: “Dreamin All the Time,” recorded by
Jones, was written by
Bacharach and
Bob “How Do You Speak to An Angel?” Hilliard. It’s also interesting to hear the original version of “Forever My Love” by
Jane Morgan who also places “Waiting for Charlie to Come Home” here. These are lushly orchestrated, dreamy pop songs with traces of the
Bacharach melodic trademark as well as his sweeping harmonies. Another interesting cut is the
Shepherd Sisters' “Deeply,” written with Norman “Canadian Sunset” Gimble, an early girl group rock tune that featured the marimba sound from “Do You Know the Way to San Jose." You get the idea, this set is a real pleasure to listen to for many reasons, and not the least of them is how many of these songs missed the charts while others scored. “Moon Guitar,” by the Rangoons is a prime example, as is Janie Marden’s reading of “This Empty Place” (with more than a hint of the melody from “Walk on By” in its verses) There are a few real duds here -- proving that
Bacharach is human after all -- but most are gems. Rare Bacharach is well-worth seeking out. ~ Thom Jurek