A Tribute to Burt Bacharach & Hal David

As songwriting teams go, Burt Bacharach (music) and Hal David (lyrics) were undoubtedly one of the premier collaborations of the 20th century, churning out a string of hits for, among others, Marty Robbins, Bobby Vinton, Herb Alpert, Jackie DeShannon, Fifth Dimension, Tom Jones, and--most notably--Dionne Warwick, during the late '50s, '60s and into the early '70s. In this tribute recorded at London's Royal Albert Hall in July 2000, some 25 hits are performed, including "Walk on By," "I Say a Little Prayer For You," "One Less Bell to Answer," "The Look of Love," "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" and "What's New Pussycat?". On the down side, the songs outshine the performers chosen to sing them for the most part, with the first half of the show almost entirely given over to a string of young unknowns. The second half picks up with appearances by Petula Clark ("Wishin' and Hopin'") and Leo Sayer ("Always Something There to Remind Me"), and Bacharach duets with Elvis Costello ("I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself") and Warwick ("Do You Know the Way to San Jose?"). Although Bacharach, David and Warwick went through an acrimonious and litigious break-up during the '70s, all seem to be on good terms here for this reasonably entertaining retrospective. Recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)