BURT BACHARACH
Burt Bacharach's official press biography is effusive, impressive, overwhelming - and almost beside the point. The 14-page document dutifully lists the tangible signs of recognition given to the 80-year-old composer. There are chart-toppers and megahits, Grammys, Oscars and other awards, tributes from fellow legends - and even a placing on People Magazine's Sexiest Men Alive list as recently as 2000. But Bacharach's importance can't possibly be measured in statues, statistics and statements. What matters, in the end, is the groundbreaking level of sophistication he brought to pop music.---Bernard Perusse, Montreal Gazette
Published: Thursday, September 25
