Was Burt Bacharach the last great songwriter to work entirely outside the influence of rock & roll? It's possible. His winsome melodies tied knots in your heart. He danced deftly around the obvious and achieved a body of work comparable to George Gershwin or Irving Berlin. Working primarily with lyricist Hal David and vocalist Dionne Warwick, his major achievements came during the 60's. "Do You Know The Way To San Jose," "I'll Never Fall In Love Again," "Walk On By," "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" and dozens more have become standards. Thanks to Rhino Records, though, you can have all of his classics in one place. Their box set, The Look Of Love: The Burt Bacharach Collection, compiles the definitive (well, almost) versions of 75 Bacharach tunes, including a few by the bard himself (even though he was no great shakes as a vocalist). This is a monumentally important and enjoyable set, and your collection is incomplete without it.

On the other hand, it's quite the investment. For those tight of cash, Rhino later issued an economic alternative: The Very Best Of Burt Bacharach. Essentially a sampler from the box, this career-spanning single-disc picks up in 1962 with the Shirelles' haunting "Baby It's You" and concludes with the 1985 benefit for AIDS research, "That's What Friends Are For" featuring Stevie Wonder, Elton John, and Dionne Warwick.

As mentioned, Warwick was Burt Bacharach's primary mouthpiece, and her precise, cool delivery was perfectly matched to Bacharach's intricate melodies and Hal David's clever wordplay. Either Dionne Warwick Sings The Bacharach & David Songbook (Music Club) or The Very Best Of Dionne Warwick (Rhino) would be excellect compliments to The Look Of Love.

Also recommended are Bacharach's recent collaboration with Elvis Costello, Painted From Memory; The Reel Burt Bacharach (a sampling from his extensive soundtrack compositions); and Blue Bacharach: A Cooler Shaker, which compiles vintage Blue Note jazz renditions of Bacharach songs. And, for those of you who like your easy listening a little harder, look for the out-of-print What The World Needs Now..., a power pop tribute album on Big Deal Records.

Inarguably, Bacharach's greatest contribution has been as a songwriter, not a musician. But, he did a lot of recording on his own - all of it unapologetically easy-going - and many fans (not me) swear by it. A&M's recent What The World Needs Now: Burt Bacharach Classics is as good a compilation as has ever been released. If you have the patience for it - or need a quick cure for insomnia - be my guest.