Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello go back a long way. Back in the late 1970s, “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself” was a staple of Costello’s live shows with the Attractions. In 1996, the two collaborated on “God Give Me Strength” for the movie Grace Of My Heart. That led to the pair writing and recording a collaborative album, 1998’s Painted From Memory, special concerts with orchestra backing, and even a cameo playing “I’ll Never fall In Love Again” in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Likewise, in 2018, Costello released the album Look Now with his band the Imposters, and it featured three songs co-written with Bacharach. In March UMe will release a box set called The Songs Of Bacharach & Costello, personally compiled by Costello and containing all of the published songs that he has written with Bacharach to date.

The collection — 4xCDs and 2xLPs — includes the newly remastered Painted From Memory, along with a new collection, Taken From Life, which features unreleased songs from the proposed (but never actually produced) Painted From Memory musical score, plus live performance recordings, and more. There are also two newly recorded songs from the pair (arranged by Vince Mendoza), with a title track recorded with the Imposters in 2022 and produced by Sebastian Krys. (Costello, Bacharach, and TV titan Chuck Lorre have been trying to take Painted From Memory to Broadway since about 2013.)

The box set also contains unseen photographs, early lyrical drafts and session notes, and three rare/unreleased live songs that are streaming today.

Of the new songs on Taken From Life, “You Can Have Her” and “Look Up Again,” Costello says, “These reflect the stories and impulses of a group of people who are, obsessive and vain, who are betrayed and become disappointed in life but long tenderly for a happier time, who are unfaithful, dishonest, destructive and turn out to be the inventors of a dangerous past, who are guilty, haunted and romantically deluded, desperate, vengeful and even cruel.”

He adds: “In their musical form they are different kinds of dark love songs that anyone might sing if they happened to be an artist, his model, a wife, a fantasist, a lover, a philanderer or disillusioned daughter. You know, fun for all the family.”

Three of those live tracks — “In The Darkest Place” (Live In Melbourne, Australia, Athenaeum Theatre / February 16, 1999), “Painted From Memory” (Live In Stockholm, Sweden, Berwaldhallen / January, 5, 1999), and “Anyone Who Had A Heart” (Live in London, UK, Royal Festival Hall – October 29, 1998) — are out now; you can hear them below.

TRACKLIST
CD1 – Painted From Memory
01 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “In The Darkest Place” (2023 Remaster)
O2 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “Toledo” (2023 Remaster)
03 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “I Still Have That Other Girl” (2023 Remaster)
04 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “This House Is Empty Now” (2023 Remaster)
05 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “Tears At The Birthday Party” (2023 Remaster)
06 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “Such Unlikely Lovers” (2023 Remaster)
07 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “My Thief” (2023 Remaster)
08 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “The Long Division” (2023 Remaster)
09 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “Painted From Memory” (2023 Remaster)
10 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “The Sweetest Punch” (2023 Remaster)
11 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “What’s Her Name Today?” (2023 Remaster)
12 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “God Give Me Strength” (2023 Remaster)

CD2 – Taken From Life
01 Elvis Costello – “You Can Have Her” *
02 Cassandra Wilson & Bill Frisell – “Painted From Memory”
03 Elvis Costello & The Imposters – “Don’t Look Now”
04 Elvis Costello & The Imposters – “Everyone’s Playing House”
05 Audra Mae – “I Looked Away” *
06 Elvis Costello & The Imposters – “Taken From Life” *
07 Don Byron & Bill Frisell – “My Thief”
08 Jenni Muldaur – “Shameless” *
09 Elvis Costello & The Imposters – “Photographs Can Lie”
10 Audra Mae – “In The Darkest Place” *
11 Elvis Costello & The Imposters – “Why Won’t Heaven Help Me?”
12 Jenni Muldaur – “Stripping Paper” *
13 Elvis Costello & The Imposters – “He’s Given Me Things”
14 Audra Mae – “What’s Her Name Today?” *
15 Elvis Costello – “Look Up Again” *
16 Burt Bacharach – “Lie Back & Think Of England” *

CD3 – Because It’s A Lonely World – Live
01 Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve – “Toledo” (Live In Tokyo, Japan, Nakano Sunplaza Hall – February 8, 1999) *
02 Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve – “In The Darkest Place” (Live In Melbourne, Australia, Athenaeum Theatre – February 16, 1999)
03 Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve – “My Thief” (Live In Tokyo, Japan, Shibuya Hall – February 10, 1999) *
04 Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve – “I Still Have The Other Girl” (Live In Tokyo, Japan, Shibuya Hall – February 10, 1999)
05 Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve – “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” (Live In Toronto, Ontario, Massey Hall – June 16, 1999) *
06 Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve – “God Give Me Strength” (Live In Toronto, Ontario, Massey Hall – June 16, 1999) *
07 Elvis Costello, Steve Nieve & The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra – “Painted From Memory” (Live In Stockholm, Sweden, Berwaldhallen – January 5, 1999) *
08 Elvis Costello, Steve Nieve & The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra – “What’s Her Name Today?” (Live In Stockholm, Sweden, Berwaldhallen – January 5, 1999) *
09 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “This House Is Empty Now” (Live In New York City, Late Night with Conan O’Brien – Nov. 27, 1998) *

CD4 – Costello Sings Bacharach & David
01 Elvis Costello & The Attractions – “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself” (Live in Norwich, UK, University of East Anglia – October 17, 1977)
02 Elvis Costello & Nick Lowe – “Baby It’s You”
03 Elvis Costello – “Please Stay”
04 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again”
05 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “Make It Easy On Yourself” (Live in London, UK, Royal Festival Hall – October 29, 1998) *
06 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “My Little Red Book” (Live in London, UK, Royal Festival Hall – October 29, 1998) *
07 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “Anyone Who Had A Heart” (Live in London, UK, Royal Festival Hall – October 29, 1998) *
08 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself” (Live In New York City, Sessions at West 54th – October 18, 1998) *

2LP – Painted From Memory
Side A
01 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “In The Darkest Place” (2023 Remaster)
02 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “Toledo” (2023 Remaster)
03 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “I Still Have That Other Girl” (2023 Remaster)
04 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “This House Is Empty Now” (2023 Remaster)

Side B
01 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “Tears At The Birthday Party” (2023 Remaster)
02 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “Such Unlikely Lovers” (2023 Remaster)
03 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “My Thief” (2023 Remaster)
04 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “The Long Division” (2023 Remaster)

Side C
01 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “Painted From Memory” (2023 Remaster)
02 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “The Sweetest Punch” (2023 Remaster)
03 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “What’s Her Name Today?” (2023 Remaster)
04 Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach – “God Give Me Strength” (2023 Remaster)

Side D – Selections From Taken From Life
01 Elvis Costello – “You Can Have Her” *
02 Audra Mae – “Don’t Look Now” *
03 Audra Mae – “I Looked Away” *
04 Elvis Costello & The Imposters – “Taken From Life” *
05 Audra Mae – “What’s Her Name Today?” *
06 Elvis Costello – “Look Up Again” *
* Previously unreleased

The Songs of Bacharach & Costello is out 3/3 via UMe.