Elvis Costello has sung jazz with The Charles Mingus Orchestra and pianist Marian McParland, explored hip-hop textures with The Roots, recorded with classical artists The Brodsky Quartet and Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, penned an album with R&B titan Allen Toussaint, and written and recorded with Paul McCartney.  Yet of his many rich, felicitous collaborations, the most celebrated may well be with legendary composer Burt Bacharach.  Now, that partnership which has spanned over 25 years is being celebrated in a lavish, long-awaited new 4CD/2LP box set coming on March 3 from UMe.

The Songs of Bacharach and Costello features four distinctive albums:

• A newly remastered version of the duo's acclaimed, Grammy Award-winning 1998 album Painted from Memory;
• Taken from Life, an all-new anthology that reflects the development of Painted from Memory into a (sadly abortive) Broadway musical shepherded by television's Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men) and Tony Award winning playwright and Bacharach collaborator Steven Sater (Some Lovers, Spring Awakening);
• Because It's a Lonely World - Live, a collection of concert performances, mostly piano-and-vocal from Costello and Steve Nieve; and
• Costello Sings Bacharach and David, a through-the-years collection of Elvis paying tribute to Burt's timeless songbook.

In total, the box set premieres 19 previously unreleased tracks, of which five are previously unreleased compositions from the duo and a sixth is heard with lyrics for the very first time.

"I didn't know that Perry Como had been singing a Bacharach melody when he would croon about 'Magic Moments' on our tiny television in Olympia, and it was only when I read the fine print on the Please, Please Me album sleeve that I discovered it was Burt and not John Lennon who had written 'Baby It's You,'" Elvis wrote in his 2015 memoir Unfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink.  "Little by little, I became aware that it was just one man who had written all those melodies recorded by Billy J. Kramer, Cilla, and Zoot Money's Big Roll Band.  I didn't know anything about the unsettling effect of Burt's odd time signatures or his subtle pulses when the hit parade was filed with Bacharach-David songs, whether they were sung by British artists or Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin.  I only knew the way I felt when Dusty Springfield sang 'I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself' and that feeling only got deeper as the vertigo of love or desire became more than just some words in a song on the radio."

Costello championed Bacharach when he began performing "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" in concert, though he wrote, "It was a measure of how backwards everything was in 1977 that some people actually thought I was making a joke when The Attractions and I began performing [it]."  The young Costello's take on the anguished ballad was released on Stiff Records' various-artists Live Stiffs album in 1978 - the first time record buyers would hear Elvis perform a song he hadn't written.

His relationship with Bacharach's music continued to resonate as the years passed.  Nick Lowe and Costello would duet on Bacharach, Luther Dixon, and Mack (brother of Hal) David's "Baby It's You" for a 1984 Lowe EP; years later, on the 1995 LP Elvis Costello's Kojak Variety, he recorded Bacharach and Bob Hilliard's Drifters oldie "(Don't Go) Please Stay."  By then, Elvis was on the cusp of working with the composer.  He was approached by the music supervisor of director Allison Anders' Brill Building-set drama Grace of My Heart to co-write a big ballad for a pivotal scene.  Burt Bacharach was already on board.  Elvis recalled, "It took me all of a split second to contemplate my reply."

Working together initially via fax and telephone, Bacharach and Costello co-wrote "God Give Me Strength" based on an early draft of Costello's.  (The pre-Bacharach sketch was played at one Attractions concert.)  Burt soon realized that he was returning to a musical language he thought was long gone after a decade-plus of hitmaking in a more contemporary style with lyricist Carole Bayer Sager.  He wrote in his 2013 autobiography Anyone Who Had a Heart, "The lead character in Grace of My Heart was loosely based on Carole King and a lot of the movie took place in the Brill Building, so I started writing in the 6/8, 12/8 thing, which I hadn't done in years.  I couldn't go back and write something like 'Don't Make Me Over' once again because I just don't think that way anymore, but since this was for a movie about the Brill Building, I thought, 'Okay, great, I can do it.'  Elvis wrote the lyrics and music for the verse and I suggested a couple of new chords and changes, wrote the bridge, and did the orchestration."  Nothing Bacharach had written in more than two decades sounded as recognizably like his classic sound as "God Give Me Strength" did.  Once Bacharach introduced an instrumental motif played by flugelhorns, Elvis remembered thinking, "It was the very definition of Burt Bacharach music."

And so was Painted from Memory, the stunning, full-length collaboration that sprang forth from their teaming on Grace of My Heart.  Majestic and inspired, the album had the same visceral, heart-on-its-sleeve emotionalism of Bacharach's '60s triumphs, with equal parts beauty and pain.  As lyricist, Costello matched every twist and turn of the melodies he and Bacharach composed with incisive, sharp-edged, and provocative lyrics.  Bacharach arranged it all in grand orchestral fashion, with the great Johnny Mandel writing the ravishing string chart for the title track.

Burt and Elvis played five concerts together in support of the album (highlights of which are heard on CD 3 of the box set).  As Elvis later observed, this was music you could feel, and led to his own growth as a songwriter: "Writing those first songs with Burt Bacharach required me to listen to what the music was really saying to me.  Sometimes it was speaking so quietly that I needed to listen very intently.  I needed time for the meaning and feeling that I sensed in the music to be confirmed by my own words...this required patience and some technical skills that I had not needed to gather while attending only to my own ideas."

The yearning "I Still Have That Other Girl" netted the pair a 1999 Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, but Painted from Memory was only the beginning of the two artists' union.  Elvis famously joined Burt to sing the Bacharach/David classic "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" in 1999's big screen comedy Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and made a guest appearance on Burt's 2005 album At This Time.  They then turned their attention to the stage, with Chuck Lorre and Steven Sater's adaptation of Painted from Memory being staged in a brief workshop in December 2014 with such Broadway stars as Peter Gallagher, Jessica Molaskey, and the late Marin Mazzie in the cast.  The first tantalizing tastes of the stage score were heard on Costello's acclaimed 2018 album Look Now, rightly hailed by many as the spiritual successor to Painted from Memory.

While working on the stage adaptation of Painted from Memory, Bacharach and Costello also began work on an Austin Powers musical with the character's creator Mike Myers; some fifteen songs were reportedly sketched out or finished, and one ("I'll Make the World Pay," for Dr. Evil) was sung once in concert by Costello.  (Sadly, both stage musicals were eventually aborted - at least, for now!)  In January 2018, Bacharach and Costello memorably reunited at a one-night-only benefit concert in Solana Beach, California to benefit the local horse industry after a tragic wildfire claimed the lives of 46 horses.

The remastered Painted from Memory album, on CD 1 of the new box set, is followed on CD 2 by the new album Taken from Life.  It presents a sequence of Painted from Memory songs as they might have appeared in the stage musical, including four previously unrecorded songs ("You Can Have Her," "Taken from Life," "I Looked Away," and "Shameless") and one previously recorded by Herb Alpert in instrumental form only ("Look Up Again").

"You Can Have Her" and "Look Up Again" were recorded by Costello, Bacharach, and arranger-conductor Vince Mendoza at Capitol Studios in September 2021.  "Taken from Life" was recorded by Costello and The Imposters with producer Sebastian Krys and an orchestra.  "I Looked Away" and "Shameless" are sung, respectively, by singer-songwriters Audra Mae (the great great-niece of Judy Garland!) and Jenni Muldaur (daughter of Maria and Geoff Muldaur) in previously unreleased performances.  Muldaur also sings a new version of "Stripping Paper," originally recorded by Costello on Look Now, and Mae offers "What's Her Name Today," first sung by Elvis on the original Painted LP.  (The Muldaur and Mae tracks feature piano accompaniment by Jim Cox and Thomas Bartlett.)

The disc is rounded out by four recordings from Look Now ("Don't Look Now," "He's Given Me Things," "Photographs Can Lie," "Why Won't Heaven Help Me") and one recording from the 2019 Purse EP ("Everybody's Playing House," in its CD debut), all of which were written for the Painted musical.  Reinterpretations of "Painted from Memory" and "My Thief" from Bill Frisell's 1999 album The Sweetest Punch: The New Songs of Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach, featuring vocalist Cassandra Wilson and clarinetist Don Byron, also appear here.  Capping off the disc is a never-before-heard treat: Bacharach's piano-and-voice demo of "Lie Back and Think of England" - the first appearance on record of any of the material written for the Austin Powers musical.

Disc Three, Because It's a Lonely World - Live, offers seven songs from the Bacharach/Costello songbook as performed live by Costello and pianist Steve Nieve at various dates in 1999 plus their intimate version of Bacharach and David's "I'll Never Fall in Love Again."  (On two songs ("Painted from Memory" and "What's Her Name Today?"), the pair is joined by The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.)  Burt and Elvis' performance of "This House Is Empty Now" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien from November 1998 additionally appears on this disc.  Six of the nine tracks here are previously unreleased, with the remaining three culled from the 1999 Tour Edition of Painted from Memory.

The fourth and final CD, Costello Sings Bacharach and David, also combines released and previously unreleased material.  The compendium is bookended by live versions of "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself": the Live Stiffs original and a 1998 performance by Elvis and Burt from the television program Sessions at West 54th.  In between, the disc compiles the Lowe duet of "Baby It's You," Kojak Variety's "Please Stay," the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me favorite "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," and previously unissued live performances of "Make It Easy on Yourself," "My Little Red Book," and "Anyone Who Had a Heart" with Bacharach at London's Royal Festival Hall.

Two 140-gram vinyl LPs complete the super deluxe box set.  The remastered Painted from Memory is featured on three sides of vinyl, with the fourth dedicated to the five previously unreleased songs from the stage musical plus Audra Mae's "What's Her Name Today?"

Smaller formats will be available, too: a 2CD version with the remastered Painted from Memory and the complete Taken from Life; and a breakout of the box set's 2 LPs.  This vinyl package will also be released to Elvis' webstore in an exclusive edition with a lithograph. In the digital domain, a Dolby Atmos mix of Painted from Memory is on the way along with the standard box set contents. Audio for all formats has been mastered by Bob Ludwig from the original tapes.

The countdown is on: The Songs of Bacharach and Costello is due from UMe on March 3, just a couple of months before the elder composer's landmark 95th birthday.  The box set has been produced by Costello and Steve Berkowitz, and the 20-page book includes photos by William Claxton and Rankin, memorabilia, and a 10,000-word essay from Costello.  Three previously unreleased live tracks are now streaming: "In the Darkest Place" with Steve Nieve from Australia; "Painted from Memory" with Nieve and The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra; and Costello and Bacharach live in London with Bacharach and David's "Anyone Who Had a Heart."

Look for this celebration of an extraordinary musical friendship at the links below!

Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello, The Songs of Bacharach and Costello (UMe, 2023)

4CD/2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / ElvisCostello.com
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP with Lithograph: ElvisCostello.com

CD 1: Painted From Memory (2023 Remaster) (album originally released as Mercury 314 538 002-2, 1998)

1. In the Darkest Place
2. Toledo
3. I Still Have That Other Girl
4. This House Is Empty Now
5. Tears at the Birthday Party
6. Such Unlikely Lovers
7. My Thief
8. The Long Division
9. Painted from Memory
10. The Sweetest Punch
11. What's Her Name Today
12. God Give Me Strength

CD 2: Taken From Life

1. You Can Have Her - Elvis Costello (*)
2. Painted from Memory - Cassandra Wilson and Bill Frisell (from The Sweetest Punch, Decca 314 559 865-2, 1999)
3. Don't Look Now - Elvis Costello and The Imposters (from Look Now, Concord CRE00791, 2018)
4. Everyone's Playing House - Elvis Costello and The Imposters (from Purse, Concord CRE00906, 2019)
5. I Looked Away - Audra Mae (*)
6. Taken from Life - Elvis Costello and The Imposters (*)
7. My Thief - Don Byron and Bill Frisell (from The Sweetest Punch, Decca 314 559 865-2, 1999)
8. Shameless - Jenni Muldaur (*)
9. Photographs Can Lie - Elvis Costello and The Imposters (from Look Now, Concord CRE00791, 2018)
10. In the Darkest Place - Audra Mae (*)
11. Why Won't Heaven Help Me? - Elvis Costello and The Imposters (from Look Now, Concord CRE00791, 2018)
12. Stripping Paper - Jenni Muldaur (*)
13. He's Given Me Things - Elvis Costello and The Imposters (from Look Now, Concord CRE00791, 2018)
14. What's Her Name Today? - Audra Mae (*)
15. Look Up Again - Elvis Costello (*)
16. Lie Back and Think of England - Burt Bacharach (*)

Tracks 1, 5-6, 8 & 16 are previously unreleased songs
Track 15 is a previously unreleased lyric

CD 3: Because It's a Lonely World - Live

1. Toledo (Live in Tokyo, Japan, Nakano Sunplaza Hall - February 8, 1999) - Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve (*)
2. In The Darkest Place (Live in Melbourne, Australia, Athenaeum Theatre - February 16, 1999) - Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve (from Painted from Memory: 2CD Limited Tour Edition, Mercury 546 165-2, 1999)
3. My Thief (Live in Tokyo, Japan, Shibuya Hall - February 10, 1999) - Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve (*)
4. I Still Have That Other Girl (Live in Tokyo, Japan, Shibuya Hall - February 10, 1999) - Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve (from Painted from Memory: 2CD Limited Tour Edition, Mercury 546 165-2, 1999)
5. I'll Never Fall in Love Again (Live In Toronto, Ontario, Massey Hall - June 16, 1999) - Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve (*)
6. God Give Me Strength (Live in Toronto, Ontario, Massey Hall - June 16, 1999) - Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve (*)
7. Painted From Memory (Live in Stockholm, Sweden, Berwaldhallen - January 5, 1999) - Elvis Costello, Steve Nieve & The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra (*)
8. What's Her Name Today? (Live in Stockholm, Sweden, Berwaldhallen - January 5, 1999) - Elvis Costello, Steve Nieve & The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra (*)
9. This House Is Empty Now (Live in New York City, Late Night with Conan O'Brien - Nov. 27, 1998) - Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach (from Painted from Memory: 2CD Limited Tour Edition, Mercury 546 165-2, 1999)

CD 4: Costello Sings Bacharach and David

1. I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself (Live in Norwich, U.K., University of East Anglia - October 17, 1977) - Elvis Costello and The Attractions (from Live Stiffs, Stiff GET 1, 1978)
2. Baby It's You - Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe (from F-Beat 12-inch single XXT 36, 1984)
3. Please Stay - Elvis Costello (from Elvis Costello's Kojak Variety, Warner Bros. 9 45903-2, 1995)
4. I'll Never Fall In Love Again - Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach (from Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Maverick 9 47432-2, 1999)
5. Make It Easy On Yourself (Live in London, U.K., Royal Festival Hall - October 29, 1998) - Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach (*)
6. My Little Red Book (Live in London, U.K., Royal Festival Hall - October 29, 1998) - Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach (*)
7. Anyone Who Had a Heart (Live in London, U.K., Royal Festival Hall - October 29, 1998) - Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach (*)
8. I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself (Live In New York City, Sessions at West 54th - October 18, 1998) - Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach (*)

2LP:

Painted from Memory Side A

1. In The Darkest Place
2. Toledo
3. I Still Have That Other Girl
4. This House Is Empty Now

Painted from Memory Side B

1. Tears At The Birthday Party
2. Such Unlikely Lovers
3. My Thief
4. The Long Division

Painted from Memory Side C

1. Painted From Memory
2. The Sweetest Punch
3. What's Her Name Today?
4. God Give Me Strength

Side D - Selections from Taken From Life

1. You Can Have Her - Elvis Costello (*)
2. Don't Look Now - Audra Mae (*)
3. I Looked Away - Audra Mae (*)
4. Taken from Life - Elvis Costello and The Imposters (*)
5. What's Her Name Today? - Audra Mae (*)
6. Look Up Again - Elvis Costello (*)

(*) previously unreleased​