Audiofile Burt?

[peterhaslund]

Hello, I am a new member because I am trying to hunt down the Reader's Digest Burt Bacharach Timeless favourites The Look of Love 3-CD collection. It has proven a real challenge, as it's for sale exactly nowhere.
Do you happen to own this set? Would you say that the quality of this is worth hunting down even if it takes a long time? I own other Reader's Digest CD-collections and they are pretty great.
I own BB vinyls but the best digital version I found is the 2001 Look of Love from Rhino/EMI and I'm not really that impressed by it. Is there an audiofile Burt out there?

Sincerely, Peter Haslund

[Jim Dixon]

I've done a lot of A/B comparisons through headphones of various Bacharach compilations (CD sources), and I've run them through a dynamic range analyzer.

In terms of both clarity (meaning tape sources that have minimal postproduction like reverb, sources that sound clear and have both solid bass and clear but not screechy treble), and in terms of dynamic range, my Rhino U.S. 3-CD "Look of Love" set from 1998 almost always has the most natural sounding tracks with the highest dynamic range. This is comparing the tracks to the multi-disc sets "Magic Moments" (Universal Music, 2008) and "The Story of My Life" (Disky Records), and the single disc "Always Something There" compilation from Ace Records. Of the 75 tracks on the Rhino set, I'd guess that at least 72 are tracks that I can't find better digital masters for (though I'm not going to buy CDs by all the individual artists to compare--there could be better masters if you are willing to go all-out and move beyond compilations). I have been buying a few individual tracks recently from Qobuz, but mostly rarities, not tracks that I'm finding better mastering for.

I found a track listing for the Reader's Digest discs, and there are lots of great performances there, but I think the Rhino set has a higher percentage of definitive versions, for what it's worth. I'd rather hear a mediocre mastering of Herb Alpert's "This Guy's in Love with You" than the best mastering of a version by The Les Reed Orchestra. (Luckily "This Guy" sounds just fine on the Rhino set). I know people in the U.K. often are attached to U.K. artists' versions, so I get why the Reader's Digest set might be more appealing to a U.K. resident than to me.

Lots of Bacharach sessions from the 1960s leave a little something to be desired in the engineering department when compared with the very best sounding records from this era, but I love them despite their minor flaws.

[mark]

Jim, are you familiar with "The Music of Burt Bacharach," the four (and later five) disc set put out by the Burt Bacharach Music Group?

It turns up on eBay from time to time.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/385534480486

It was a promotional set issued by Burt's music publishing group to promote his music for use in movies, TV and cover recordings. Prior to the release of the Rhino set in '98, it was the single best collection of his music available (although you generally had to know somebody to get it).

I recall the sound quality being pretty good at the time, but it's been years since I've given it a close listen.

[Jim Dixon]

Jim, are you familiar with "The Music of Burt Bacharach," the four (and later five) disc set put out by the Burt Bacharach Music Group?

Hi Mark,
No, I had no idea that set existed. I see on Discogs that a 4-disc version of it came out in 1993, and a 5-disc version was put out in 2000:
https://www.discogs.com/release/1019786 ... -Bacharach

I find it somewhat fascinating that the Ethyl Meatplow version of "Close to You" is on both versions, but most of the other selections seem to be the usual suspects in terms of songs and performers. I'd love to hear how the sound compares to the "Look of Love" box.

Generally speaking, most CDs mastered in 1993 were not victims of "the loudness wars", and have pretty good dynamic range. With 1960s music, the other big issue is whether good quality source tapes / good mixes were available, and that's a big unknown for any Bacharach compilation.

I can't say I'm not tempted by the copy on Discogs right now of the 5-disc version for $109, but I'm pretty happy with the 1998 Rhino masters on Look of Love, so I probably won't pull the trigger (most of the post 1975 stuff on the promo set I have to admit I just don't care that much about--maybe I'll lock in with that era someday).

Where I really want access to some better sounding masters is with some of the rarities, which aren't going to ever make any reputable label like Rhino a lot of money.

Thanks for your reply--that's good to know about!

[blueonblue]

Jim,
You might also like to check out this 5 disc set....it contains all of Burt's A&M albums and more, the remastered sound quality is a "revelation" !
The only problem is the ludicrously high asking price.

https://www.discogs.com/sell/release/8702927?ev=rb

Pricey but precious.

'blue'

[Jim Dixon]

You might also like to check out this 5 disc set....it contains all of Burt's A&M albums and more, the remastered sound quality is a "revelation" !
Pricey but precious.

Agree! I do have that music and was just thinking yesterday about going through the solo albums song by song to figure out which arrangements I like the most.

Considering the very dramatic (even melodramatic) nature of so many Bacharach songs, some of Burt's instrumental / choral versions of his songs are strangely neutered, as if he was recording them for an older audience who couldn't quite handle the intensity of Dionne Warwick. On the other hand, sometimes he reimagines a song ("Alfie" come to mind, which some interesting rhythmic things that are unexpected), and I really enjoy what he comes up with.