Billie & Lester [Import]

Product Description
Japanese Exclusive 16 Track Collection Hilighting Vintage Archives from the Columbia Years.

Billie & Lester,Billie Holiday,Lester Young,Sony/Columbia,Jazz

Jazz

Music

jazz

music

Average customer rating: Absolutely the best of Billie Holiday Lady Day: The Best of Billie Holiday The tragedy of a lonely woman! Billie's Best - Accept No Substitutes A serious and great artist's best work, you need these sides

Lady Day: The Best of Billie Holiday Billie Holiday Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Classic Female Vocal Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Traditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Vocalists | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Cabaret | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Pure Ella: The Very Best of Ella Fitzgerald The Hot Fives & Sevens Complete Jazz at Massey Hall Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band The Ultimate Collection ASIN: B00005Q45Y Release Date: 2001-10-02

Tracks:

1. What A Little Moonlight Can Do - Billie Holiday
2. These Foolish Things - Billie Holiday
3. I Cried For You - Billie Holiday
4. Summertime - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
5. Billie's Blues - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
6. If You Were Mine - Billie Holiday
7. A Fine Romance - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
8. Easy To Love - Billie Holiday
9. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
10. I Must Have That Man - Billie Holiday
11. Me, Myself And I - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
12. They Can't Take Away From Me - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
13. Easy Living - Billie Holiday
14. A Sailboat In The Moonlight - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
15. Travelin' All Alone - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
16. When A Woman Loves A Man - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
17. You Go To My Head - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
18. My Man - Billie Holiday

Tracks:

1. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me - Billie Holiday
2. The Very Thought Of You - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
3. I Can't Get Started - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
4. Long Gone Blues - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
5. Sugar - Billie Holiday
6. Some Other Spring - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
7. Them There Eyes - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
8. The Man I Love - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
9. Body And Soul - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
10. Swing, Brothers, Swing - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
11. Night And Day - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
12. Let's Do It - Billie Holiday
13. God Bless The Child - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
14. Solitude - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
15. I Cover The Waterfront - Billie Holiday
16. Gloomy Sunday - Billie Holiday
17. Until The Real Thing Comes Along - Billie Holiday
18. All Of Me - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra

Album Description

Lady Day: The Best Of Billie Holiday is an ideal introduction to the Voice of Jazz in all its enduring glory. This incomparable collection draws on the 10-CD boxed set Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia (1933-1944) (CXK 85470), representing not only her finest work, but American jazz and pop singing at its zenith. Accompanied sublimely by a Who's Who of the Swing Era (including her soulmate Lester Young, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Buck Clayton, Roy Eldridge, Ben Webster, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Jo Jones, and pianist-arranger Teddy Wilson, who was often at the helm when Holiday entered the studio), Billie Holiday masterfully renders a host of mostly-classic pop tunes. Fans are drawn to her musical triumphs and personal tragedies. She is a mysterious icon in the same vein as Miles Davis. Columbia possesses the first and finest recordings of her entire career! This material has never sounded clearer and more intimate!

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely the best of Billie Holiday.......2007-02-24

Anybody who likes Billie Holiday even part time needs this CD. Even great for those people who only know a few songs just by chance. Love the CD. Even got another as a gift for a friend.

Lady Day: The Best of Billie Holiday.......2007-01-10

Bought this for my granddaughter. She's a Billie Holiday fan. She loved the CD.

The tragedy of a lonely woman!.......2006-11-21

The stature of this emblematic singer of the jazz is absolutely undeniable. Her powerful, sensitive and expressive voice made of her, one of the most tragic icons in the jazz. She sung as she lived. In this sense she reminds too much to the legendary Edith Piaff in the other side of the Atlantic.

What else might I add for cataloguing this cult artist that it has not been said just before? She is part of the history jazz and her memory will transcend and surmount the next years to come.

Billie's Best - Accept No Substitutes.......2006-06-12

Billie Holiday is the quintessential jazz singer; despite a limited vocal range she set the standard by which all others are measured. It's all about the quality of her voice, the lush tone, and her marvelously idiosyncratic phrasing. Though her career was short and troubled, she recorded a lot, which means novice collectors must avoid innumerable bear traps. In general, her later work should be ignored, by then she was wearing her emotional problems like an ugly hat, despair manifested itself in performances so lackluster they're depressing at best, frequently downright tragic.

For the best of Billie you need to go back to the glory days, 1933-1944, precisely the time period covered by this reasonably priced and beautifully produced 2-CD set. (If you're a player with money to burn go for the 10-CD comprehensive retrospective, The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia, 1933-1944.) All the songs providing the foundation of her reputation are here, as well as many pleasant surprises. The booklet, though not lavish, provides photos, background, and a complete list of personnel for each track. This detail is significant because the players on these selections, in addition to being the finest who ever backed Ms. Holiday, were also the absolute elite of their generation, each worthy of individual exploration. (Names like Lester Young, Roy Eldridge, Ben Webster, Johnny Hodges, and Teddy Wilson enjoy legendary status.)

Perhaps most amazing is the sound quality, considering the recordings are WWII vintage they're clear and smooth. About Ms. Holiday's personal life, the less said the better. What is remarkable is that, despite her personal troubles, she managed to create a canon of work that is truly timeless, just as sweet and powerful today as it was then. Not only is this the best Billie Holiday anthology available, it makes a formidable addition any jazz collection. (Dig that cover photo, wow!)

A serious and great artist's best work, you need these sides.......2005-03-11

If there were some way to award music 200 stars, I am sure all of us would have done so for this set!

Like others here, I have it all, but I think her work from the 30s and early 1940s from Columbia and its ancestors is not just her greatest works, but among the great works of world musical culture. Everyone with a set of ears should be more or less required to have this music and enjoy it.

Strange Fruit was not recorded for Columbia but for the Indy label Commodore. Thus, you will not find it on this or any of the Columbia collections like this that capture her work in the period BEFORE Strange Fruit. It was recorded in the 1940s, whereas this collection contains work from Billie in the 1930s and perhaps 1940 and 1941. No doubt Sony wishes it had the rights to that side and everything else Commodore recorded, but they don't.

The truth is, Strange Fruit is not one of Billie's Greatest works. There are about 15 tunes on this CD that have better singing, better musicians backing her, and were more important pieces of Billie's work. Strange Fruit is well known to the people who know about Billie as a person, but don't know much about Billie as a Jazz musician. Her recording, while powerful, was not very nuanced, not very jazzy, and not as good as much of the work here. Indeed, the weakness of her mid-1940s Commodore work as opposed to these recordings is that Billie was persuaded to move away from Jazz and swing to attempt to become a cabarat chanteuse of "serious" songs, a move that some also relate to the inception of heroin and the decline of her voice, a move that brought about a decline in her art.

If you want to hear a better version of "Strange Fruit," listen to Josh White's recording which is so much more powerful, if not as well known. I am not downing the song or its politics, far from it, but Billie's Strange Fruit is more important as a political statement than as a work of Jazz art.

One of the greatest things about these records are the many master musicians of swing and jazz that join her on these recordings. Very shortly after she started recording, the greatest names in Jazz would flock to her sessions and play on her recordings for litte because of the innovation and creativity Billie showed as a jazz creator in her own right. These recordings were a chance for them to jam together in loose arrangements and be more innovative and creative than they were with the orchestras they played with.


These masters of Jazz viewed Billie as a serious artist of Jazz. They delighted in her knowledge of the musical aspects of swing jazz which was unique for such a young singer (she was in her twenties when these records were made) and delighted in her ability to sense what they were doing in their accompaniments and solos and to respond to them in her vocals.

Despite the exaggerated picture of her life as a prostitute that was part of the marketing of the 1950's work of ghost-written fiction called "Lady Sings the Blues," that a drug addled Billie claimed was her autobiography, Billie Holiday grew up around Jazz with her father being a big band guitar player who complained Billie hired every NY guitarist but him for these sessions. Billie's mother specialized in boarding Jazz musicians and catering parties for musicians and singers, parties where the young Billie would often help serve the food. So when she met Lester young in 1937 for these sessions, she had already known the man she named 'Prez in 1934 when he boarded with her mother while he was in the Fletcher Henderson band.

These sides contain most of the great collaboration between Lester Young and Billie. They were great musical friends and personal friends until Billie became a heroin addict, at which point Lester didn't much want to be around her.

However, as much as I am a Lester Young man to the death (his framed picture hangs in my home), too little is said of the other musicians who grace these recordings. Billie's collaboration with pianist Teddy Wilson who plays on and directed most of these recordings (many were recorded as Teddy Wilson Orchestra sides)needs to be explored. Likewise, her work with the great bassists and rhythm players on these records needs to be appreciated. My favorite sides are the ones in which she has the benefit of Basieites like her dear friend Freddy Green on guitar and the great Walter Page on bass. Likewise, Billie's musical closeness with the great Buck Clayton and his role on these sides is also underestimated.

Yet, it doesn't matter if Billie had recorded these sides with some high school band members from Winslow, Arizona. This is good music to listen to, good music to smile to, music to fall in love to, and music to dance too. Contrary to the tendency to get maudlin and milk her image as a tragedy that Holiday developed in the 1950s as her life and her musical skill declined , even the songs on these recordings with the sadest lyrics possess a great joy, swing, and spirit of the wonders of Jazz.

Average customer rating: Morning Light. Classic! WOW!! Great Collection of Billie Holiday Songs Oh, Billie! HOW DIVINE !!!

Love Songs Billie Holiday Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Classic Female Vocal Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Traditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Vocalists | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Billie Holiday - Greatest Hits (Sony) Love Songs At Last! Best Of Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong Pure Ella: The Very Best of Ella Fitzgerald ASIN: B000002ACT Release Date: 1996-03-12

Tracks:

1. All Of Me
2. You Go To My Head
3. Until The Real Thing Comes Along
4. My Man
5. The Very Thought Of You
6. Easy Living
7. They Can't Take That Away From Me
8. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
9. Them There Eyes
10. Night And Day
11. The Man I Love
12. Me, Myself And I
13. The Way You Look Together
14. If You Were Mine
15. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
16. Let's Do It

Amazon.com essential recording

Culled from the Columbia Records reissue packages, variously released under the multivolume Quintessential Billie Holiday umbrella, this package goes straight for the love songs, the heart of Holiday. Ranging from such playful lyrics as "Let's Do It" and "Them There Eyes" to such essential Holiday as "You Go to My Head," "The Very Thought of You," and "Easy Living," this set is guaranteed to keep the home fires burning brightly. Lay this one on your lover next Valentine's Day. As was so frequently the case with Holiday, the ensemble support is impeccable, including many of the swingers from Columbia's Greatest Hits package. The bonus here is Count Basie on piano, leading his swinging big band on "They Can't Take That Away from Me." --Willard Jenkins

Customer Reviews:

Morning Light........2007-06-29

I live in this loft type space, I put this CD on first thing in the morning while I make some espresso and the music quietly fills the room and makes it all seem just right. Billie, thank you.

Classic!.......2007-01-11

Anybody who loves jazz and the blues cannot be without this Billie Holiday CD. I love it. I can listen to it all day. It's a pleasure to hear great jazz and such an incredible voice.

WOW!!.......2006-11-09

This cd was the first Billie Holiday I ever purchased. WOW! She is the greatest, bar none! EVERY serious lover of music needs this work to add to their collection. I had no idea how special she was and how timeless her work. I am a fan for life.

Great Collection of Billie Holiday Songs.......2006-10-06

There are so many fabulous reviews for this CD and I have to agree with them. I've been a Billie Holiday fan for years and own many discs of her music, but I find myself reaching for this one a lot. It's a great collection of songs and her voice is so sweet and true here. She's in top form and the arrangements on the songs are all excellent. Whoever put this CD together knew what they were doing. This is definitely Billie during the earlier part of her career and there's a real lightness to this music. (Her later music is great too, but very different.) Most of the songs on this CD are classics and even if you're unfamiliar with her, you'll probably still recognize many of them. There is some crackling background noise on some of the songs, since they were recorded back in the late thirties/early forties, though it's not that bad and most of the time you barely notice it. Some of the stand outs are "You Go To My Head", "The Very Thought of You", "Let's Do It", "The Way You Look Tonight", just to name a few. I think this would be a great introductory CD for someone who is curious about her and would like to hear some of her music.

Oh, Billie! HOW DIVINE !!!.......2006-08-25

This CD is an excellent collection of great songs performed by the incomparable and legendary Billie Holiday. Billie could conquer any song--from the most vulgar to the most sublime with an electric performance that rivals the best singers of the 20th century.

The CD begins so beautifully with Billie singing "All Of Me" and continues on into "You Go To My Head" by Gillespie and Coots. As with the rest of the songs on this CD, there is some background surface noise as these recordings by Billie were made in the 1930s and the very early 1940s. Nevertheless, there is a certain romantic style to each recording that leaves the listener wanting more after every track.

There songs on this CD are truly timeless; Billie sings such standards as "You Go To My Head," "The Man I Love," "Let's Do It," "The Way You Look Tonight" and "The Very Thought Of You." Don't play this CD for the first time without having time to relax and enjoy it with a glass of your favorite wine--you'll want to listen to it again after you've played it through because it's that beautiful and special.

The liner notes include an essay by Delfeayo Marsalis, the song credits and the dates Billie recorded them, a beautiful black and white photograph of Billie singing at the microphone on stage and the lyrics to "You Go To My Head" and "Easy Living."

I highly recommend this CD for fans of Billie Holiday, classic vocals and the standards of the entire 20th century. Although it is only one CD, it still is a very good representation of Billie's talent. It makes a great starter CD for people who want to find out more about Billie before they purchase box sets, too. A terrific experience to be enjoyed! SMILE

Average customer rating: Electrifying best band ever This one converted me Energizing performance, great rock/punk music Truth

Bullet In A Bible (CD/DVD, Jewel Case) Green Day Manufacturer: Reprise / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Punk Revival | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Punk-Pop | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music American Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Alternative | Live Albums | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Hardcore & Punk | Live Albums | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Alternative Rock | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: International Superhits! Nimrod Warning American Idiot Dookie ASIN: B000B8QF14 Release Date: 2005-11-15

Tracks:

1. American Idiot
2. Jesus of Suburbia
3. Holiday
4. Are We The Waiting
5. St. Jimmy
6. Longview
7. Hitchin' A Ride
8. Brain Stew
9. Basket Case
10. King for a Day/Shout
11. Wake Me Up When September Ends
12. Minority
13. Boulevard of Broken Dreams
14. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

From Amazon.co.uk

If you're wondering how Green Day managed to become the biggest punk band in the world, take a look at Bullet in a Bible. Recorded at their June 2005 two-night run at Milton Keynes National Bowl in England, this combined CD/DVD sees these former bong-hitting Californian dropouts embracing political activism, pantomime hilarity, and all the fripperies of a rock opera--and excelling at all three.

The first half is essentially a run-through of the group's 2004 album American Idiot, complete with anti-American rabble-rousing and a set of barbed insults tossed back at the "rednecks" across the pond. That out of the way, the band careen into a sort of greatest-hits set, with the likes of "Longview" and "Hitchin' a Ride" sharing space with a brass-laden "King for a Day" that sees Billie Joe Armstrong prancing around the stage in crown and ermine cape, singing snatches of Lulu's "Shout" and Eric Idle's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." Tremendously silly, but Green Day have managed to figure out how to play it like showmen without resorting to juvenile puerility or morphing into corporate yes-men, and that's a way harder trick than it looks. --Louis Pattison

Album Description

Featuring Green Day's first live DVD, the CD + DVD Bullet in a Bible captures the explosive band on the biggest tour in its career, in support of the Grammy-winning, quadruple-platinum, #1 charting American Idiot punk-rock epic. From two performances filmed in June 2005 before 65,000 fans, both in Milton Keynes in England, to the DVD's documentary segments following the band members around that city as they visit a war museum and various pubs, and share in-depth insights on the making and meaning of American Idiot, Green Day is #1 with a Bullet in a Bible. DVD: Video of the performance with documentary behind-the-scenes footage

Customer Reviews:

Electrifying.......2007-07-02

On the 'Bullet in a Bible' DVD, Billie Joe Armstrong says that some bands worry about how they would create intimacy in front of a crowd of 65,000, but said that for Green Day it was irrelevant as they weren't trying to create intimacy, they were trying to create an event. Ultimately that's what 'Bullet in a Bible' is, an event, a fantastic spectacle.

The band open with a spine tingling version of their newer hits with 'American Idiot' and 'Holiday' leading the line. They also show how well 'Jesus of Suburbia' works when performed live. After these songs, Green Day bring their newer, more uninitiated fans through some of the earlier Green Day catalogue, with quality performances of, among other songs, 'Longview', 'Basket Case' and 'Minority'. These performances should give an electrified jolt to all Green Day fans, new and old.

During the encore, Billy Joe brings the only moment of the before eschewed intimacy to the concert, with his closing rendition of 'Good Riddance'. This brings a beautiful close to another fantastic show by the boys from California.

best band ever.......2007-05-07

very good cd. st. jimmy is my far the best song on it and it has a good video.

This one converted me.......2007-04-13

I love lots of different rock music, but I had never been sold on Green Day. Something about their music, and especially the production of their sound on their studio albums, did not appeal to me. This DVD/Cd combo changed my mind and got me listening to some songs over and over again. It has a frenetic energy that I didn't find in their studio work. I don't much like the unnecessary cussing, but I can overlook it when the songs are this good. I find it amusing to see a punk band use so many pretty vocal harmonies. Songs I couldn't bear to listen to on the albums suddenly were quite good here in concert, such as 'Basket Case' and 'Brain Stew'. Most of the stuff from 'American Idiot' is great here also.

Energizing performance, great rock/punk music.......2007-03-14

For someone who grew up with rock music, was a child in the 60s, a teen and young adult in the 70s, and witnessed the early stages of punk, also in the 70s, this album/DVD came as something of a revelation. Although I've been more or less out of the loop in terms of both rock and punk for some years, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this disc--a "greatest hits" compilation leaning heavily on the "American Idiot" album--and watching the concert DVD. The songs belong to my daughter's generation, but geriatric as I am, I think the music is excellent, and the lyrics pretty intelligent, sometimes even searing. The DVD is fun to watch, too; the frenetic editing and choppy visuals don't really bother me.

I gather that some of the concert was cut from both disc and and film, but what is presented is very fine. The band, with two back up musicians, launch themselves into the American Idiot rock opera with a vengeance (complete with political commentary), and some older, vintage Green Day songs, like "Basket Case," and the mega-hit "Good Riddance," to the immense enthusiasm of the huge Brit crowd at the Milton Keynes National Bowl. Selections highlight the versatility of the group, which can belt out punk lyrics of anger and alienation, hard-hitting rock numbers, or melancholy ballads like "Wake Me Up When September Ends," without missing a beat. All three musicians seem powered up and at the top of their game, and Billie Joe Armstrong, an energizer bunny if there ever was one, keeps the energy level high from start to finish with his remarkable voice (a flexible tenor with an occasional, pleasing quaver) and onstage antics.

To add to all of this, the members of Green Day--baby faced, green eyed Billie Joe, the lean, intense Mike Dirnt, affable Tre Cool with his inimitable clowning--have an undeniable visual appeal than comes across well in the concert DVD, as it has in their videos (viewable on the Green Day website).

Truth.......2007-02-12

Green Day is the largest band in the world right now,
the only bad to make the punk rock opera that stormed
the world over. people critisize them because they are jealous.
They are better and more talented them "Mee-tall-ica" and
rap "hustlers" "iz u with ma" (makes no sense) and they're angry
cuz they're going strong 18 years now and they are capable of real music.
hats to those who had good feedback for this incredible album

Bad critics are jealous too.
But of course they'll deny it like
all cowards in this world.

Average customer rating: Biilie's phrasing was a heart-to-heart with the whole world--and no one ever wanted to go home Beautiful Fave Jazz Album! Early greats from Lady Day A great place to start, an album with a special treat!

Billie Holiday - Greatest Hits (Sony) Billie Holiday Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Classic Female Vocal Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Traditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Vocalists | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Love Songs Pure Ella: The Very Best of Ella Fitzgerald Best Of Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong Billie, Ella, Lena, Sarah At Last! ASIN: B00000FC7M Release Date: 1998-11-17

Tracks:

1. Miss Brown To You - Billie Holiday
2. What A Little Moonlight Can Do - Billie Holiday
3. I Cried For You - Billie Holiday
4. Billie's Blues (I Love My Man) - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
5. A Sailboat In The Moonlight - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
6. I Can't Get Started - Billie Holiday
7. When A Woman Loves A Man - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
8. Some Other Spring - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
9. Solitude - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
10. God Bless The Child - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
11. Gloomy Sunday - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
12. The Very Thought Of You - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra
13. Body And Soul - Billie Holiday

Amazon.com essential recording

Curiously, yet not surprisingly given the enormity of his sway, Billie Holiday's greatest vocal influence was "Pops"--Louis Armstrong, whose trumpet was his first signature (though he's often credited with being the first great jazz singer as well). One hears Armstrong in Holiday's sense of phrasing, timing, and the warmth she invests in a lyric. This package, containing such touchstone Holiday renderings as "I Cried for You," "Body and Soul," and "When a Woman Loves a Man" (poetic, given the fact that Billie was notoriously unlucky at love), also boasts her signature song, "God Bless the Child." Her accompanists are a hall-of-fame lot, including trumpeters Roy Eldridge and Buck Clayton; saxmen Lester Young (with whom she had a close relationship), Ben Webster, Johnny Hodges, and Harry Carney; drummers Cozy Cole and Jo Jones; bassists John Kirby and Walter Page; and her frequent pianist, Teddy Wilson. --Willard Jenkins

Customer Reviews:

Biilie's phrasing was a heart-to-heart with the whole world--and no one ever wanted to go home.......2007-07-08

Billie Holiday could sing jazz and the blues unlike any other singer. Ever. Her voice was the ultimate instrument which could convey all the sorrows of her personal life as she sang about life, love and the pain of being discriminated against because she was African-American. We will never see another quite like Billie; this CD of thirteen of Billie's greatest hits from Sony doesn't even begin to scrape the surface of what this remarkably talented lady could do.

The CD track set begins with a number that's actually sassy as well as jazzy; Billie sings of how Emily Brown's "comin' to town;" but it's "Miss Brown to you." Listen for Benny Goodman on clarinet and Roy Eldridge on trumpet. Teddy Wilson does a great job on piano, too. Even though Billie was only 20 when this was recorded, she was already working with the best!

"What A Little Moonlight Can Do" gets a breakneck pace and a jazzy interpretation that would make any jazz artist green with envy. Billie's voice is light and clear as a bell; yet she imparts all the right emotions to her audience. Once again, Billie recorded this with The Teddy Wilson Orchestra. Teddy plays piano; Benny Goodman plays clarinet and Roy Eldridge plays trumpet. And ooh, how they jam!

"I Cried For You" gives Billie the chance to sing of how she cried for a man who left her--but she no longer cares for him and she won't waste one minute more worrying about that loser. The musicians work wonders before Billie even comes in; but when Billie comes in the number soars and Billie takes flight! Billie imparts the sense of all the pain in her past and how she's happy to have found a new man who loves her more. Teddy Wilson again plays piano; and listen for Harry Carney on both the clarinet and the baritone saxophone. Excellent!

"Billie's Blues" stuns you with its sublime treatment of the blues; Billie wrote this number and Artie Shaw himself plays clarinet! Billie sings about how her man treats her so poorly; and you believe every word she sings--she's THAT good at sharing her feelings from the depths of her soul.

"I Can't Get Started" is a number recorded live when Billie performed at The Meadowbrook Ballroom in Cedar Grove, New Jersey with Count Basie & His Orchestra. Despite the passage of time and the surface noise on this track, I distinctly feel everything Billie put into this song. Billie was unlucky in love and the pain of this problem helps her to deliver "I Can't Get Started" as if the lyrics were a intimate, personal and very private confession to you from the bottom of her heart. Wow.

"God Bless The Child" was one of Billie's most famous signature songs; and she delivers this with all her might. Billie sings so well because she truly means every word of the lyrics. This is not just another chanteuse singing a ballad; this is Billie Holiday once again sharing her most intimate feelings with her audience. Roy Eldridge plays trumpet and I predict you will enjoy this number very, very much.

"Gloomy Sunday" became associated with many a suicide; anyone deep in despair and hopelessness can identify with "Gloomy Sunday." Billie sings this so well because of the countless times she experienced these very emotions in her private life. "The Very Thought Of You" swings ever so slightly to infuse this ballad with just the right amount of energy and romantic effect. Billie's excellent diction, coupled with her light and clear voice, lets her perform "The Very Thought Of You" with twice the panache that any other singer could ever have infused into it.

The CD track set ends with the classic "Body And Soul." Billie sings of how she wants a man who doesn't love her in return. Billie sings from the bottom of her heart as she draws upon her personal pain from unrequited love. As always, Billie's delivery is flawless.

The liner notes include an informative essay by Timme Rosenkrantz; and the black and white pictures of Holiday are very tastefully arranged. The song credits and recording dates are there for you, too.

We will never again see another Billie Holiday. During her all too brief life she gave us more than most entertainers and "celebrities" do in a full lifetime. We are so much richer for Billie sharing her endless talents with us; and fortunately we can continue to experience her talents on CD for ages to come.

Beautiful.......2007-01-22

Billie Holiday is an amazing artist and I am proud to have her CD.

Fave Jazz Album!.......2005-05-27

Every tune is fab! Thankfully, the remastering has not diminished the old scratchy sound typically found in recordings from this era.

This is why I hate most modern jazz. This has genuine feeling, a raw sound, natural flow, and catchy licks--things lacking these days, IMO.

Pick this up if you are not a huge jazz collector, but just wish to add something worthwile to your otherwise ecclectic collection of music.

Early greats from Lady Day.......2005-04-30

I heard this CD while I was walking around Borders and just had to have it. These are early recordings - the music is fresh and joyous - the vocals are superb. I especially love the recordings of "Miss Brown To You," "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" (a treat), "Some Other Spring" and my very favorite, "I Can't Get Started." I have other Holiday recordings. However, this is the one I play again and again. I only wish that it had "Good Morning Heartache" on it. Oh, well.

A great place to start, an album with a special treat!.......2005-03-11

Almost everything Billie Holiday recorded, and maybe everything Billie recorded before 1941, like these sides, was great. Certainly, this collection doesn't have any of the very important work Billie Did during WWII for Commodore, nor does it have some of th exciting Jazzy recordings Billie did for Verve in the late 1940s and 1950s. Nor are any of the outstanding live performances by Billie for Jazz at the Philharmonic or in her Carneige Hall concerts on this CD.

With Billie who recorded for about 30 years on a lot of labels, the tendency was, particularly back in the days of LPs, for every owner of some Billie material to put out whatever they could crip together as Billie's greatest hits.

I have to say that I was introduced to Billie's greatest work, that in the 1930s, by owning this collection on Vinyl. This is nice fun and engaging music. On some of the great standards, she really makes it. Like all of her recordings for Columba and its ancestors back then, John Hammond Sr, gathers together some of the masters of Black and white swing Jazz to join her. Very shortly after she started recording, the greatest names in Jazz would flock to her sessions and play on her recordings for litte because of the innovation and creativity Billie showed as a jazz creator in her own right.
One special treat here is "I can't get started" with the Count Basie Orchestra. Billie was the first female singer with Count Basie's band, but because she was booked to Columbia and the Count had been shanghied by Decca, there were no studio recordings of Billie singing with the Basie Orchestra. This is an enormous loss to human culture. "I can't get started" is one of the two air checks (recordings made off of radio broadcasts) we have of Billie with the Baseities. The other "Swing it Brother Swing" is available on an album with air checks from a Basie broadcast from the Savoy Ballroom.

I really love the way her singing interplays with the backing particularly from the reed section, and love the sinuous solo Lester takes which is more mellow and romantic than the one he takes in the small group Billie Holiday recording of "I can't get started."

All of this is nice music. If you are not ready to take the plunge and get everything from the 1930s and early 1940s (to be followed by everything from the 1940s and then most of the stuff from the 1950s) this is as good as any place else to start. Nice fun, wonderful music, great jazz in both her voice and in the way that the sidemen swing in her honor.

Average customer rating:

Remixed & Reimagined Billie Holiday Manufacturer: Sony Legacy ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Remixed & Reimagined Planet Earth We Are the Night Soundboy Rock The Mix-Up ASIN: B000NA283Y Release Date: 2007-08-07

Tracks:

1. I Hear Music (Swingsett & Takuya's Mighty Fine Remix)
2. More Than You Know (Jazzeem's Throwback Remix)
3. Spreadin' Rhythm Around (Lady Bug vs. Lady Day RR Remix)
4. Long Gone Blues (GXR Remix)
5. Trav'lin' All Alone (Nickodemus & Zeb Remix)
6. He Ain't Got Rhythm (Poppyseed Remix)
7. Summertime (Organica Remix)
8. I'm Gonna Lock My Heart (And Throw Away The Key) (Madison Park Remix)
9. Glad To Be Unhappy (DJ Logic Remix)
10. Billie's Blues (Daniel Y Remix)
11. You're So Desirable (Sunday People Remix)
12. Pennies From Heaven (Count De Money Remix)
13. But Beautiful (Tony Humphries THP Remix)
14. All Of Me (Charles Feelgood Remix)

Average customer rating: A few good songs A Collector's Must Have You want Billie and you get Billie excellent box Great Overview of Her Recording Career

The Ultimate Collection Billie Holiday Manufacturer: Hip-O Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Classic Female Vocal Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Traditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Vocalists | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Cabaret | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Lady Day: The Best of Billie Holiday The Hot Fives & Sevens Lady in Satin Charlie Parker: A Studio Chronicle 1940-1948 Love Songs ASIN: B0007X9U2Y Release Date: 2005-04-05

Tracks:

1. Miss Brown to You - Billie Holiday, , Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra
2. What a Little Moonlight Can Do
3. I Cried for You
4. Mean to Me
5. Strange Fruit
6. Fine and Mellow
7. God Bless the Child
8. Trav'lin' Light - Billie Holiday, , Paul Whiteman Orchestra
9. My Old Flame
10. I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)
11. Billie's Blues
12. He's Funny That Way
13. Lover Man
14. Don't Explain
15. Good Morning Heartache
16. No Good Man
17. Blues Are Brewin'
18. Solitude
19. Easy Living
20. I Loves You Porgy
21. My Man (Mon Homme)
22. 'Tain't Nobody's Bizness if I Do

Tracks:

1. Them There Eyes
2. You Can't Lose a Broken Heart - Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday
3. You're My Thrill
4. Crazy He Calls Me
5. Detour Ahead
6. These Foolish Things
7. You Go to My Head
8. Love Me or Leave Me
9. Willow Weep for Me
10. I Thought About You
11. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
12. Come Rain or Come Shine
13. It Had to Be You
14. What's New?
15. Lady Sings the Blues
16. I Cover the Waterfront [Live]
17. Body and Soul
18. But Not for Me
19. One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)
20. I'm a Fool to Want You

Tracks:

1. Saddest Tale [DVD]
2. Blues Are Brewin' [DVD] - Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra, Billie Holiday
3. Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans [DVD] - Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra, Billie Holiday
4. My Man (Mon Homme) [DVD]
5. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone [DVD]
6. Billie's Blues [DVD]
7. Fine and Mellow [DVD]
8. What a Little Moonlight Can Do [DVD]
9. St. Louis Blues [DVD] - Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith
10. I Cover the Waterfront [DVD]
11. Swing! Brother, Swing! [DVD Audio]
12. They Can't Take That Away from Me [DVD Audio]
13. Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me [DVD Audio] - All Star Jam Band, Billie Holiday
14. I'll Get By [DVD Audio] - All Star Jam Band, Billie Holiday
15. I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone [DVD Audio] - Billie Holiday, Red Norvo & His Orchestra
16. Jeepers Creepers [DVD Audio] - Billie Holiday, Jimmy Rowles
17. Bonus Materials [DVD][*]

Amazon.com

Billie Holiday (1917-59) wore gardenias, was a teenaged prostitute, did drugs, and died with a cop posted outside her hospital bed. But with her gravel-like vocals, and behind-the-beat phrasing, she was one of the greatest singers of the twentieth century. This multimedia collection commemorates her ninetieth birthday. Two CDs contain forty two of her greatest hits, from her 1935 stint with Benny Goodman, to her chilling 1958 strings album, Lady in Satin. It features her signature songs like "Good Morning Heartache," "God Bless the Child," and her unforgettable anti-lynching number "Strange Fruit." The DVD includes film cameos with Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, photographs, posters, rehearsals and interviews with friends and musicians, including a rediscovered 1956 radio broadcast with a young Mike Wallace. Her achy artistry is timeless, and as Ashley Kahn wrote in his superb liner notes, "Billie will be there tonight, tomorrow night and a long time to come." --Eugene Holley, Jr.

Customer Reviews:

A few good songs.......2007-03-27

There are some good songs on this collection. Overall a good Billie Holiday presentation. Also descent quality.

A Collector's Must Have.......2007-02-20

If you are addicted to the music and sound of Lady Day, then you must include this collection in your music porfolio. One can never get too much of Holiday.

You want Billie and you get Billie.......2006-03-03

Loved the compilation. Nice mix of tunes and certainly hits som eof her more contreversial works. Nice packaging too, lots of music in a small and neat package.

excellent box.......2006-02-04

buy this one at www.yourmusic.com for only 13 dollars, which looks exact the same product as you buy here, but so stupidly cheap!

Great Overview of Her Recording Career.......2005-11-19

I agree with many of the others here that this is a great overview of Billie Holiday's recording career. There is not much to add to the comments about this marvelous collection, but I would like to add some observations and other information that Lady Day aficionados may find interesting.

Just to correct one of the other reviewers, the four Aladdin sides (Detour Ahead, Blue Turning Grey Over You, Be Fair With Me Baby and Rocky Mountain Blues) are all available on a Blue Note CD release titled Billie's Blues, which also includes the Paul Whiteman studio track Trav'lin' Light.

This collection does not include quite every label that Billie made studio recordings for: I wish they'd thought to include Billie's only recording with Artie Shaw, Any Old Time. It's much harder to track down than any of her other studio sides. Any Old Time is quite a jump for her stylistically, as it is done in a "big band" style that more evokes Glenn Miller, the Dorsey Brothers or, well Artie Shaw. It's available on more than one Artie Shaw CD release, but they are hard to find. I have it on a CD put out by the Jazz Heritage label under the album title "Frenesi".

One of the interesting inclusions on the Ultimate Collection DVD is a discography that lists virtually every Billie Holiday studio recording and all of her "authorized" live recordings. The only omissions I am aware of are some rare vinyl pressings (more about these later). Of course, there are many, many bootleg live recordings (most of these either very poorly recorded or they are examples of Lady Day at her worst, or both). I'd like to list a few interesting exceptions. In the 70's, TCB records put out a vinyl titled "The One and Only Billie Holiday - Lady Sings the Blues - Collectors Edition". It's mostly poor quality bootlegs, including the songs from the "soundtrack" for the film "New Orleans", but one track I've never found anywhere else is a radio transcript (?) of a live recording of Don't Explain that is absolutely breathtaking. Billie is in amazing voice, and her reading of the song was never more effective. She starts the track by exclaiming "I'd like to sing a song that I wrote; it's titled 'Don't Explain' ..." and then launches right into it, with a full orchestra. The audio quality is exceptional, but the track is marred by a slight "skip" on the first line that seems to have originated with the source material. Vocally, Billie never sounded better; I'd guess it was recorded around 1942. I've been hoping for years that this would pop up on a CD somewhere, but it seems to be the most elusive and rare track I own of her.

Other rare performances never released on CD include the infamous live set at the Storyville club in Boston, issued on the RIC label and later by Monmouth-Evergreen. This album is not very interesting, as it presents Billie in a poorly recorded setting and, vocally, she was having an off night, but it is of interest to aficionados and those who want to have a complete set of Lady's recordings. I am not aware that it's ever been released on CD.

Then there are the three albums of "radio and TV broadcasts" issued by ESP Disc on vinyl in the 70's. These were available briefly on CD in a three disc set, but I didn't bother acquiring it; the performances are not very worthwhile, except for a few that are available elsewhere.

In 1986, Blackhawk Records released a vinyl album of a "recently discovered" complete recital recorded October 5, 1958 at the Monterey Jazz festival. Guest musicians supporting Billie include Gerry Mulligan and Benny Carter (you know they're really there because they are introduced when they join the band halfway through the set). Billie's performance is not half bad, especially considering how late in her life it was recorded. Unfortunately, the best track on the album vocally, Good Morning Heartache, is ruined by the sudden appearance of a prop plane (it was an outdoor festival) coming in for a landing at Monterey airport. The engines drone on for several moments, at one point completely drowning out Billie and the band. Nevertheless, I have tried to find it on CD, and I am hoping that it will be eventually released, as it's especially interesting for it's superb audio quality. Also several of Billie's standards are refreshed by new arrangments, which seem to buoy her performance and make the 11 tracks all the more interesting.

Finally, in 1958 Columbia records gave a "party" for some of their recording artists at the Edwardian Room at the Plaza Hotel, NYC. Although not intended to be released commercially (the recording quality is marginal), in 1973 Columbia released two vinyl LP's called "Jazz at the Plaza" Volumes I and II. Volume I was the second part of the program, headed by Miles Davis, and Columbia recently released it on CD. Volume II, which has not yet appeared on CD (but I'm hopeful) presented the Duke Ellington Orchestra with special guests. The guest vocalists were Jimmy Rushing and Billie Holiday. Billie does two songs, When Your Lover Has Gone and Don't Explain, accompanied only by Duke Ellington on piano and Buck Clayton on trumpet. What's wonderful about it, aside from the fact that it's the only performance Billie recorded with Duke Ellington since she sang "Saddest Tale" in the 1935 short film Symphony in Black, is that Duke Ellington wrote a "new" piano arrangement for Don't Explain that is absolutely thrilling in it's simplicity and beauty. It's so good, that Billie used it for the rest of her life (there is a TV performance clip of her singing Don't Explain in 1958 with Mal Waldron that essentially uses the same arrangement - see the DVD release The Genius of Lady Day). Although only two tracks, it remains one of my favorite live late recordings of Billie Holiday.

Until the wonderful day when every single recording and video performance of the great Lady Day is available, the Billie Holiday Ultimate Collection is certainly a good start, and well worth the investment.

Average customer rating: Best Jazz Album Of All Time Billie may be crying her heart out--but she could still blow 'em all away--and that's no small feat !!! Aged Like a Fine Wine Lady Day without the extras Lady's Swan Song

Lady in Satin Billie Holiday Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Classic Female Vocal Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Traditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Vocalists | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: New Orleans Suite John Coltrane: Crescent Plays Duke Ellington A Night at Birdland, Vol. 1 Plays Duke Ellington (20 Bit Master) Accessories: GPX C3948BI Ultra-Slim CD Player with 40-Second Anti-Shock Protection and Car Kit ASIN: B000002AH9 Release Date: 1997-09-23

Tracks:

1. I'm A Fool To Want You
2. For Heaven's Sake
3. You Don't Know What Love Is
4. I Get Along Without You Very Well
5. For All We Know
6. Violets For Your Furs
7. You've Changed
8. It's Easy To Remember
9. But Beautiful
10. Glad To Be Unhappy
11. I'll Be Around
12. The End Of A Love Affair
13. I'm A Fool To Want You (Take 3)
14. I'm A Fool to Want You (Take 2 - Alternate Take)
15. The End Of A Love Affair: The Audio Story
16. The End Of A Love Affair (Stereo)
17. Pause Track

Amazon.com essential recording

A harrowing classic, Billie Holiday's personal favorite among her '50s albums captures the singer 17 months before her death, her once honeyed voice, scarred and weakened from punishing life, its ravages highlighted by the 1958 session's crisp sonics and the contrasting "satin" of Ray Ellis' sleek string arrangements. Yet it is that very contrast that explains the power of these performances: In revisiting its torchy standards, Holiday reduces them to their core of pain and longing, transforming "I'm a Fool to Want You," "You Don't Know What Love Is," and "You've Changed" into naked declarations as mesmerizing and unsettling as a horrific accident. Any postrocker that presumes pop standards and string sections automatically translate to "easy listening" hasn't listened to this. This 1997 version adds unreleased takes and a beautiful 20-bit digital transfer to extract every shivering pang of Holiday's music. --Sam Sutherland

Album Description

Limited 'Millennium Edition' reissue of classic 1958 album in a deluxe heavyweight miniaturized LP sleeve complete with inner sleeve and a Japanese-style obi strip on the spine. 12 tracks. Individually numbered. 1999 release.

Album Details

Limited Millennium Edition. Packed in a Heavy Weight Card Wallet that Faithfully Recreates the Original Vinyl Sleeve, Right Down to the Inner Bag. The Wallet Will Come in a Plastic Cover.

Customer Reviews:

Best Jazz Album Of All Time.......2007-07-12

I can only quote the eloquent review from Amazon:
A harrowing classic, Billie Holiday's personal favorite among her '50s albums captures the singer 17 months before her death, her once honeyed voice, scarred and weakened from punishing life, its ravages highlighted by the 1958 session's crisp sonics and the contrasting "satin" of Ray Ellis' sleek string arrangements. Yet it is that very contrast that explains the power of these performances: In revisiting its torchy standards, Holiday reduces them to their core of pain and longing, transforming "I'm a Fool to Want You," "You Don't Know What Love Is," and "You've Changed" into naked declarations as mesmerizing and unsettling as a horrific accident. Any postrocker that presumes pop standards and string sections automatically translate to "easy listening" hasn't listened to this. This 1997 version adds unreleased takes and a beautiful 20-bit digital transfer to extract every shivering pang of Holiday's music. --Sam Sutherland

Nothing to add more. Only that I own all her albums, as well as around 25000 mp3s of all kinds of artists like Sinatra, Hendrix, all that one could call good music. This album was her favorite, and it is possibly the most beautiful album I have come across in music.
As they say, only a sad life makes it possible to sing from the heart, as one can find out listening to Piaf and Callas among others. This beautifully melancholical album is a treasure of Billie Holiday's voice and embodies her work, which is, unfortunately, receded to recorded history.'
When NASA decides to shoot a CD into space again as they did in 1977, this should be the one!

Billie may be crying her heart out--but she could still blow 'em all away--and that's no small feat !!!.......2007-06-15

Many reviewers lament time and again that Billie Holiday's last record album, entitled Lady In Satin, is a difficult listen because of Billie's voice had deteriorated. Yes, it is true; her voice had deteriorated quite a bit by 1958 when these ballads were recorded. However, if you listen with your heart and not with your mind, Billie turns in a rather solid performance using her voice as an instrument to inject these songs with her own personal angst and regrets. If the truth be told, Lady In Satin is perhaps one of Billie's very finest recording sets.

The CD track set deals often with the theme of unrequited love and love gone awry; and the opening track, "I'm A Fool To Want You," showcases Billie's sadness as she laments the fact that she can't help loving a man who could never love her in return. The arrangement by Ray Ellis is rich; and the strings enhance the beauty of this number. Billie sings "I'm A Fool To Want You" with all the grace of the champion chanteuse she truly was. "You Don't Know What Love Is" features Billie singing about the heartbreak of "the blues" associated with unrequited love. Billie's excellent diction strengthens her performance. Yes, she may be crying her heart out; but Billie's not fading away quietly.

Other gems on this CD include the classic "I Get Along Without You Very Well;" Billie sings this to perfection and Ray Ellis' arrangement never allows a single superfluous note. "You've Changed" allows Billie to lament that her lover just isn't the same man she once loved so much; he doesn't love her anymore. The melody strikes me with its beauty and Billie's vocals add great poignancy to "You've Changed."

"I'll Be Around" gives Billie another opportunity to explore the pain of how she must wait for a man who she hopes will come to love her someday. Billie's interpretation of "I'll Be Around" glistens like pure gold and the musical arrangement shines, too. "The End Of A Love Affair" lets Billie sing of how her apparent happiness is nothing but a mask to hide the deep emotional pain she feels because her man has left her. Billie sings this magnificently; you are bound to be touched by this very pensive and forlorn ballad.

The CD version of Lady In Satin allows us the luxury of four bonus tracks. These bonus tracks give us a rare insight into how the album was developed and tweaked to get everything just right before they released it for sale. We get two alternate takes of "I'm A Fool To Want You;" and there's a fascinating track entitled "The End Of A Love Affair: The Audio Story." "The End Of A Love Affair: The Audio Story" offers us a listen of rarely heard studio chatter and we hear Billie clearly saying to someone "I don't know the tune." The orchestra then plays their arrangement for Billie to hear it all the way through so that she can get a better feel for how to deliver "The End Of A Love Affair." When Billie does perform this number, she sings a cappella; and you get an excellent example of Billie Holiday's flawless diction. We also get a stereo version of "The End Of A Love Affair." Excellent! There is a pause track at the end of the CD, too.

The liner notes include rarely seen photos of Billie and Ray Ellis working together; and you get the original liner notes by Irving Townsend. Ray Ellis also contributes a great essay about the making of this album. Phil Schaap goes into detail about the differences between alternate takes of the same songs in his own essay.

Billie Holiday remains a legendary chanteuse; and I doubt we'll ever see another female singer quite like her. Billie Holiday sang with all her heart and soul; and her adoring audiences everywhere loved her for it. I recommend this CD for Billie Holiday fans; and people who enjoy classic pop vocals with a subtle jazzy twist will treasure this CD for many years to come.

Thank you for everything, Billie Holiday! Bravo!!!

Aged Like a Fine Wine.......2006-11-12

LADY IN SATIN is indeed one of the most heartwrenching recordings one can listen to. Billie Holiday is at her finest moment, and unfortunately it was her last. As one reads the album's liner notes, Billie declaringly states, "I've got to sing with Ellis," Lady said, "I want this album more than anything else, and I want it to be good." This was Billie's favorite record, and undoubtedly so, she gave her heart and soul in producing a record that will leave a lasting impression on any listener. The initial 12 tracks on the album will will definitely hit the gut. The remaining four bonus tracks and alternate takes offer a little revealing glimpse of what Billie was like during the recording session.

Overall, Billie finely stands alone backed by Ray Ellis' lush orchestration. This is not muzak, but a great collection of tracks done by one of jazz music's quintessential female vocalists. One will hear the sound of Billie's singing with its strength and agility despite the somewhat somber lyrics in songs, such as "I'm A Fool To Want You," "You Don't Know What Love Is," and "I'll Be Around." Indeed, this record is a true depiction of the torchsong singer.

Every genre of music experiences a period of progression. LADY IN SATIN was recorded in 1958, and amidst the changing face of popular music, Rock and Roll took over the airwaves, popular jazz music moved into a different direction than when "Lady Day" originally burst onto the jazz music scene over 20 years earlier, the record has stood the test of time, but with an inkling of historical irony and atomsphere. Indeed, this recording is Billie's best effort, and many may criticize her vocals, but by listening to the songs, it has aged like a fine wine for someone who literally tasted the fringes of life.

Lady Day without the extras.......2006-03-10

This classic album lives completely up to expectations to the extent that it contains all the original material. But, the only people I know that appreciate the tacked on alternative versions are the techno-fanatics.

Lady's Swan Song.......2006-02-21

The first time I heard the distinctive timbre of Billie Holiday's immortal voice which somehow speaks to us from the deepest haunts of the soul, I believe I was somewhere in the vicinity of my mother's apron strings, and remember her remarking to the effect, "Now, that's a tragedy - she was so great . . . a mere shadow of what she was - terribly, terribly self-destructive", echoing the common sentiment. Lady Day was still alive at that time. And I remember the furl between the eyebrows of her original producer with Columbia, John Hammond Sr., when, some twenty years later, he recalled what is referred to on the copious liner notes of this awesome 1997 Sony reissue of the 1958 original as "the more lurid elements of the Billie Holiday saga". And since her death 17 months after this recording, the discussion has raged around that curious question: "Who was greater (or, in our abstracted experience of the media, unfortunately, "which"), the early Lady, or the later?" The early Billie - with her spectacular range, her unmatched phrasing, cadence, her youthful charm - adored by her sidemen and audiences alike - or the later - in her finest hour - on this recording - the heart-broken, broke, haggard, dispossessed junkie - in the words of her primary collaborator (by request) on this effort, Ray Ellis - " When we began recording and I heard the first playback, I was quite shook up. The quality of Billie's voice had really deteriorated. It was very noticeable to me after listening to all her early records".

"Lady in Satin", one of the towering masterpieces of the genre (maybe THE masterpiece), should put that dispute to rest forever, but, undoubtedly, it won't. Gone is the full body of Billie's voice, gone - any of the usual repertoire of her well-known classic titles which have since become cultural standards - too numerous to list ... well, you know them. What is conveyed is something else, which today is curtly and rather tritely as referred to as " the ineffable". The resiliency of the human spirit which will not be denied, even in the face of ultimate denial, perhaps . . . staring squarely into the crack of doom? A frank and strangely satisfying discussion of the downside of love and desire? Billie, who chose the repetoire, in the brief time which remained to her, once called this palpably torturous session her "favorite" recording. One wonders exactly what she meant. Ray Ellis, a musician of stoic discipline, who could only have existed before the advent of the Beatles and after the gentrification of Kansas City, a maestro of what we today call `1950's musak', said: "After we finished the album, I went into the control room and listened to all the takes. I must admit I was unhappy with her performance, but I was listening musically instead of emotionally. It wasn't until I heard the final mix a few weeks later that I realized how great her performance really was".

Of course, one cannot fail take note of the destiny of what is perhaps the supreme moment in this effort, "The End of a Love Affair", amazingly absent from the first stereo issues. On this set, we have along with a remastering of the original, a number of `rejected' studio outtakes. You will listen to them all. Also, mention must be made of the great performance of trombonist Urbie Green, a legendary ensemble player, who really does "swoop down like an angel" on "For Heaven's Sake" and throughout these tracks.

Alright, listen to "I'm a Fool to Want You", her version of "You Don't Know What Love Is", the final four cuts on the album, including the aforementioned masterpiece, "The End of a Love Affair", and tell me if your Billie Holiday collection is complete without this one. And the refrain which seems to especially come to mind: "Time and time again . . ."

Average customer rating: Interesting Piper Primer

The Best of Billie Billie Piper Manufacturer: EMI Gold ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Honey to the B Walk of Life Doctor Who - Original Television Soundtrack Doctor Who - The Complete Second Series Spirit Trap ASIN: B0009HL0IA Release Date: 2005-08-09

Tracks:

1. Because We Want To
2. Girlfriend
3. She Wants You
4. Party on the Phone
5. Tide Is High
6. Honey to the Bee
7. I Dream
8. Day and Night
9. Bring It On
10. Promises
11. Something Deep Inside
12. First Love
13. G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T.
14. Caress the Gold
15. Walk of Life

Album Description

In 1998 a 15 year old female singer named Billie Piper took the UK's music scene by storm with her hit single 'Because We Want To'. When the contagious pop song made it to the number one spot on the charts, it made Piper the youngest solo artist to reach that goal. This brand new collection is the only one available featuring all Billy's hits: 3 #1s, 3 Top Tens and a Top 30 chart hit. 15 tracks in all. EMI. 2005.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting.......2007-04-22

I'm really not much of a pop music fan, but I decided to pick this up anyway out of curiosity. Like most of Billie Piper's fans here in the states I was more familiar with her as an actress courtesy of the updated Doctor Who series than as a singer. Anyways, Billie Piper's got a decent voice, much better than those over-hyped, WAY over-played Brittney's & Jessica's that unfortunately grew to popularity state-side. The songs themselves aren't really all that memorable, but have a catchy enough beat to keep you entertained on short car trips, if you could listen to it in your car. I wouldn't go out of my way to pick up her other cds like the other reviewer recommends, but that's more due to my personal tastes in music than a diss on Billie as a performer.

Also, there is one serious drawback to this cd, and the reason I hesitantly give it a fourth star. EMI has gone way overboard on it's 'anti-piracy' protection and the cd has an annoying tendency to make this static/vibration sound every 10 seconds or so on every single song when I play it on my car stereo (hence my earlier comment), or my computer, or my stereo. In fact, the only thing that has played it for me clearly thus far is the cd player in my alarm clock which doesn't exactly offer the greatest sound. Maybe mine is just a fluke, but be prepared for problems listening to this cd.

Piper Primer.......2006-12-29

Anyone looking for an introduction to Billie Piper's music (especially American fans of her acting who were unaware of her brief teen pop stardom) might want to make this disk their first stop. The fifteen-track collection includes her seven UK singles: "Because We Want To," "Girlfriend," "She Wants You," and "Honey to the Bee," (all from her first CD, Honey to the B); "Day & Night," "Something Deep Inside," and "Walk of Life" (all from her second CD, Walk of Life). Also of interest to the serious Piper collector are three non-CD b-sides, "First Love," "GHETTOUT," and "Caress the Gold."

The remaining songs are non-single CD tracks: "The Tide is High" (slated to be the fourth single from Walk of Life), "Party on the Phone," "I Dream," "Bring it On," and "Promises." Of this group, only "I Dream" and "Bring it On" aren't up to the standards of the other tracks, and it's nothing short of criminal that "Love Groove," "Don't Forget to Remember," and especially "Misfocusing" were left off this collection. Still, The Very Best of Billie is an excellent cross-section of Piper's work: funky, danceable synth-pop odes to love, sex, teenage independence, and just plain old fun. Piper may not have the sheer vocal power of, say, Christina Aguilera, but she can more than hold her own against the Britneys, Jessicas, and Mandys who cluttered up the music scene in the late '90s and early '00s--and in many ways, Piper's work is more versatile and intelligently crafted. In fact, the only reason why Piper probably never broke in the States is that we already had a surfeit of similar (if inferior) teenage female pop starlets. Our loss.

Listeners who find The Very Best of Billie to their liking should seek out her full-length CDs to pick up the songs omitted from this collection. Hardcore fans may also want to add as many of her CD singles as they can locate, not only for the remixes and non-CD b-sides but for the attractive posters that are often included. Some of these are already hard to find, and if Piper never returns to music, they'll only become more rare with the passing years.

Average customer rating: Simplicity Like A Blow The Definitive Billie Holiday Collection!!!! A relaxing Holiday Skimpy, but well produced good Introduction to the New Billie Holiday Fan

20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Billie Holiday Billie Holiday Manufacturer: Hip-O Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Vocalists | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Cabaret | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: 20th Century Masters: The Best Of Etta James (Millennium Collection) The Best of Ella Fitzgerald - 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection Pure Ella: The Very Best of Ella Fitzgerald Lady Day: The Best of Billie Holiday Lady in Satin ASIN: B00006AWJC Release Date: 2002-07-30

Tracks:

1. Strange Fruit
2. Fine And Mellow
3. Lover Man
4. Don't Explain
5. Good Morning Heartache
6. T'ain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do
7. My Man
8. I Loves You Porgy
9. Lady Sings The Blues
10. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
11. I Cover The Waterfront
12. God Bless The Child

Customer Reviews:

Simplicity Like A Blow.......2007-04-23

This is the very first jazz record I have ever bought or listened to, and I decided to write my review with the first listen still fresh in my mind. It's not that I was avoiding jazz; I was simply never exposed to it. What can I say, I stand before you unmasked as the Philistine that I am! Certainly then it must seem a bit presumptuous of me, a jazz illiterate if ever there was one, to offer any criticism good or bad. But on the other hand, who can give you the more honest reaction: the man who has studied, weighed and evaluated jazz for four decades, or the man whose ignorance precludes the possibility of bias?

The word 'Diva' gets tossed around a lot these days. It is frequently misapplied to singers like Whitney Houston or Celine Dion, two performers who are unquestionably talented, but not as much as their hype would lead us to believe. Chockingly, it is also used to describe Cher, a woman who this reviewer feels is unfit to Chine Billie's Choes.

Because Billie...ah, Billie, SHE'S a Diva! This woman's voice is hypnotic, a Lucky Strike soaked in honey and absinthe. The songs are unaffected and powerful in a way only authenticity makes possible; Billie makes you FEEL her songs without resorting to histrionics. I am thoroughly convinced the Lady lived the blues long before she got around to singing 'em. The somewhat sparse musical arrangments are an absolute joy to listen to, and lend themselves incredibly well to Billie's voice. The horns almost seem to lead the listener simply by Suggestion, allowing Billie's voice to take center stage while the instruments mould themselves around her smokey lyrics like cognac poured across the rocks. I am completely smitten by this wonderful singer! Unwind in style with the music of a vanished era!

The Definitive Billie Holiday Collection!!!! .......2006-03-20

When I saw this while browsing at my local record store, I had to buy it. It had all the classics in 1 small package. It was an excellent value at only $8.99! Wow!

This CD (along with many other CDs in the Millennium Collection series) is an excellent value for the new or casual fan of Billie Holiday. It's remastered too so the sound quality is excellent. I loved the CD, especially Don't Explain (my all-time favorite Billie song) and Good Morning Heartache. The CD is WAY better than Ken Burns JAZZ Collection! *Highly recommended!*

If you liked this one, check out these titles from Billie Holiday:

This Is Jazz Volume 32: Billie Holiday Sings Standards
16 Most Requested Songs
Swing Brother Swing!
I'll Get By

I borrowed all of these other CDs from my local library (a great way to expand your digital library of classic jazz for no charge). They were pretty good. But none of these can match 20th Century Masters-Billie Holiday. This is the one Billie Holiday CD I wanted to keep for my own collection. Her voice, her style, her songs are so powerful and beautiful - all of these attributes are wonderfully displayed on this collection. Enjoy!

12 Tracks 41:05 total time~Hip-O/Verve 24.bit remastering.

A relaxing Holiday.......2005-09-29

One of the best. A great collection of her hits. While dining or just chilling, its a must have.

Skimpy, but well produced.......2002-08-06

Although not generously packed with tons of material, this is a thoughtfully-programmed selection of Holiday's later, non-Columbia material. Ten tracks, drawn from various sessions at Decca, Commodore, Clef and Verve, starting with "Strange Fruit" and ending with a 1956 live version of "God Bless The Child." This set is nice in that it avoids the usual emphasis on her difficult-sounding later performances, avoiding the tragedy-laced version of her career in favor of a more positive, musically triumphant telling of the tale. For a budget-line release, it's pretty darn nice.

good Introduction to the New Billie Holiday Fan.......2002-07-31

Billie Holiday is one of the Most Important Artists Ever to Rock a Mic&She is Displayed here with many of Her Classic Songs that Showcased Her Essence as a Artist."Strange Fruit","Good Morning Heartache","God Bless the Child" among others featured here.there are so many Collections to get on Her but this is a Cool Introduction for the New Billie Holiday Fan.

Average customer rating: Wonderful, Simply Wonderful The only woman to do Lady Day some justice... A jazz legend paying tribute to another jazz legend.. You'll enjoy this My Favorite CD

Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday Etta James Manufacturer: RCA Victor ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Classic Female Vocal Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Blues | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music Similar Items: Time After Time At Last! Blues to the Bone Love Songs Blue Gardenia ASIN: B0000000LG Release Date: 1994-03-15

Tracks:

1. Don't Explain
2. You've Changed
3. The Man I Love
4. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance (With You)
5. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be)
6. Embraceable You
7. How Deep Is The Ocean
8. (I'm Afraid) The Masquerade Is Over
9. Body And Soul
10. The Very Thought Of You
11. I'll Be Seeing You

Amazon.com essential recording

The real mystery is why it took so long for Etta James to win a Grammy. But this great American vocalist claimed her first statue by paying tribute to another grand singer. James's versions of Billie Holiday-identified tunes like "Don't Explain," "You've Changed," "Lover Man," and "The Man I Love" are the best readings of Lady Day's signatures in a generation. Pianist Cedar Walton leads the seven-piece band in spare and graceful arrangements faithful to the mainstream jazz sound of the '40s and '50s, which gives James ample room to exercise her soaring range and deliver a dazzling, seductive, and warm tour de force. --Ted Drozdowski

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful, Simply Wonderful.......2003-12-24

I was surprised that I would love this CD so much because I had heard of Etta James but I didn't know to much about her or her music (she was a little before my time). I have to say this CD is timeless. I love the words of the songs and the richness of her voice. Etta truly makes me wish I could have been around to hear Billie do the honors herself.

The only woman to do Lady Day some justice..........2003-06-02

'Ya heard? I'm'a make this as short as possible. Etta James has one'a the mos' passionate an' wrenching voices in all blues n' soul music an' when she takes on THESE numbers, you hear that an' them some. As a big fan'a Billie Holiday not many singer could give much credibility to performin' the songs that she made famous. But this jus' works. Ms. James, rather than adopting the ballads with her own style, jus' adopted a DIFFERENT style than she normally does so that she can sing 'The Man I Love', 'Embraceable You', an' 'The Very Thought of You' with all the relaxed subtlety that Lady Day did. With a nice jazz backing section, she lays the loveliness on thick. Strictly fans'a her work only may not be as enthralled by this set, but if your musical tastes cover the whole spectrum from blues to soul to this ol' traditional-style jazz, then definitely check this out. This is one'a the most earnest, sincere, an' well-done tribute albums of all time. Ms. Billie would be proud.

A jazz legend paying tribute to another jazz legend.........2003-05-08

Etta james finally wona Grammy for this album which is shocking cause hello she's etta james what in the world took the grammy's so long...
this is a great cd ..that has a living legend pay tribute to another departed legend of jazz Billy holiday..
her range is incredible...considering she is a true barritone...amazing...one of her best albums..

You'll enjoy this.......2002-12-12

If you adore Billie and love Etta then you should be in heaven! I bought this on impulse and consider this one of my most treasured CDs. All the wonderful "old school" lyrics - the way they don't write them anymore - but with the full, rich sound of modern technology. Great tribute to Lady Day by a legend who can blow away a room full of Britneys!

My Favorite CD.......2001-04-21

I was always liked Etta's, A Sunday Kind of Love, so I was checking Amazon for CD's by her. I sure picked a great one. Mystery Lady is my favorite CD. I play it almost everyday. Her voice is so clear and strong. I recommend it to everyone.

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