Amazon.com

Largely unknown in this country, Gainsbourg has become the toast of the rock underground in recent years, with hipsters ranging from Beck to the Bad Seeds readily dropping his name. The son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Gainsbourg dabbled as a painter and pianist in the mid-'50s while sipping Pernod in the seedy nightclubs and cafes of Pigalle. He finally found his true calling in 1958 at the age of 30 when he launched his recording career by delivering romantic and risqué monologues about the Bohemian arts scene with a distinctive voice best described as a mix of Lou Reed and Maurice Chevalier.Mercury Records has compiled two albums from Gainsbourg's early career, each presenting his French-language raps over very different musical backings. Du Jazz dans le Ravin collects jazz tracks released between 1958 and 1964. A fan of Monk, Miles, and Dizzy, Gainsbourg had great taste even if his own playing wasn't extraordinary. Coleur Cafe chronicles the same period, but it focuses on Gainsbourg's attempts to introduce France to various "ethnic musics," including Latin American rhythms and what today would be called Afro-pop. Tunes such as "Erotico Tico" and "New York USA" reek of novelty, but they're still better than most of what fellow world-beaters David Byrne and Paul Simon deliver.Sadly, Gainsbourg isn't around to enjoy his big comeback: He died of a heart attack in 1991. But he was consistent to the end. "For me provocation is oxygen," he said, and he caused an international scandal months before his death by voicing his explicit carnal desire for Whitney Houston on live TV. Let's see if Marilyn Manson can top that one. Jim Derogatis ... Read more

Reviews (8)

My favorite Serge Gainsbourg compilation album
This CD showcases the best of Serge, in my opinion.

Somehow I think that Serge loved this period best. I think that this is where his heart was - long before he turned into Gainsbarre and the late 60s - 80s.

The song "Couleur Cafe" itself is an enduring classic of French popular music. To this day one can still hear it being played on the radio in France.

Loungey French with African & Latin thrown in
Serge Gainsbourg put his extraordinary talent to merging Euro-Pop music with Latin and African rhythms on this album, and comes up with the most hip & happening lounge music you'll find. I gave my Esquivel away because after getting hooked on this, it just fell short. Couleur Cafe never fails to make everyone feel like having a party and transports one to an easy state of mind. At first listen, I smiled and laughed. At the second listen, I was chilling out in my own space and at the third, I realized Serge is an extremely sensitive, deeply philosophical man who can extract the very elements of an eclectic range of styles that, when combined, lightly uplift the soul.

Say this with an accent..."Oh my goodness"!Tres Tres Bon
Escargot........Croissant.......Jaques Cousteau. Before I get going I just want to give you all my extensive french knowledge...that's it. Just so you don't think I'm some Sartre Reading Left Banker eating my comfit...this is fabulous without the language thing. I don't know what Serge is saying but this is just the greatest compilation of french beat/ ethnic beat music. You can see the ambiance as you listen to this. Go to Pauvre Lola and give it a listen. The use of girls voices in the pieces is just so sexy and brilliant. Serge himself is a brilliant composer. His melodic lines are always shifting the moment you think you have them. And with all it's frenchness and innovation it is immediately accessible.It is brimming with kitsch. One day I had it in my walkman. I fell asleep and started dreaming of men in berets being followed by models in New York. When I woke up Serge was saying "Rockfeller Center, Empire State Building". It was this song about New York... This is a pretty obscure recommendation but If you want a very european 60's feel, give this a shot You will love it beyond belief.

EXPERIMENTAL GOODS
Gainsbourg here is exploring another musical style, and successfully so. It makes me want to dance, at least. I particularly enjoy "Laissez-moi tranquille", although the entire album works well as one coheisve piece, and is great background music. Also wonderful are the vocal and instrumental versions of "Cha Cha Cha du Loup"... the arrangement of "Les Amours Perdues" is clever, along with "New York USA". Apart from this, while the album is lovely overall, it descends into an odd faux-jungle sound in the background with Gainsbourg singing and seems to be a choir of young people singing(chanting) in the background, and this becomes tiresome.

Stop plucking your nose hairs and buy this CD
Gainsbourg was an incomparable French composer of high-quality, sophisticated pop tunes of all kinds. He sounds like a much more upbeat, hipper, peevish version of Leonard Cohen. In fact, if you don't understand two words of French, Serge's music sounds even better, since your imagination is free to roam anywhere it likes.

There are 3 major compilations of Serge's '60s output that are on the market, "Du Jazz Dans Le Ravin," "Coleur Cafe," and "Comic Strip." All three are ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL music for self-respecting pop conneisseurs. In fact, whip out your credit card right now and buy all 3, because THERE IS NO BETTER POP MUSIC MADE BY ANYONE ANYWHERE.

"Coleur Cafe," which is a mostly Mambo, Latin, and African beat influenced collection is the most consistent of the three. "Du Jazz Dans Le Ravin" is a Miles Davis/Dave Brubeck influenced collection of ultra-cool Jazz-pop fusion. "Comic Strip" is a less consistent, late '60s, psychedelic-rock influenced set which features some of Serge's most spectacular songs such as his collaborations with Brigitte Bardot (Bonnie and Clyde) and Jane Birkin (je t'aime...moi non plus). ... Read more

Album Description

The Bay Area's sultry-cool jazz sensation, Jacqui Naylor, definately believes in stretching the concept of the jazz standard. Her new CD titled "Live At The Plush Room", captures the artist's eclectic musical tastes and uses her wide vocal range and retro-hip intimacy to connect tunes by Irving Berlin, Bill Withers, and Barry White.

Thirty percent of the artist's revenue from the CD will benefit Music in Schools Today(MUST), a nonprofit organization that serves the public schools in the San Francisco Bay Area by supporting student's diverse talents and creativity. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Naylor excels as an Artist and Human Being
I had the awesome opportunity to be a part of the recent show at the Plush Room in San Francisco where Jacqui and other artists donated their time and talents to raise funds and awareness for the Orphans in Africa Crusade. My two favorite tracks from the Plush Room CD are #2 Ain't No Sunshine and #9 Playing your game. Her style is unique in the sense that she keeps taking chances with the material and her voice. She has a lot of soul in her bones and I'd like to hear her do more R&B flavored stuff in the future. This is a wonderful album for those who think they don't like jazz. This is Neo-Jazz and it rocks. It's only a matter of time before she blasts into the universe!

p.s. she looks just as good in person as she does on her website.

Stunning Debut
I was first attracted to Jacqui Naylor when I heard her on a local morning show. Seeing this gorgeous lady the first thing in the morning was not only one way to start the day, but then I heard her sing and I was hooked. I ran out and bought tickets to her Plush Room Show.

Jacqui has a style that is close to jazz, but has some blues and cabaret as well, making her an artist than can appeal to a wide variety of tastes. Her voice at first sounds like a little girl, but she can fool you and get down waaaay loooowww. The highlight of this CD is "Ain't No Sunshine" which is not only true to Bill Withers' fine version but in many ways surposses the original. "I got the Sun in the Morning" is another highlight and is one she uses in her live shows to end on a high note. I also loved "It Could Happen to You". But really, all the songs on this CD are excellent and will give you a good idea of what it is like to hear her live.

If you do hear her live, three songs not to miss are Pink Floyd's "Money" which she keeps true to the original - right down to the lyrics. "So Far Away" the Carole King song, is perforemd with heart and soul and her arrangement is better than the original. The showstopper is "I'm a Mean and Evil Woman" where she really lets herself go. Too bad none of these are on this CD but perhaps she'll find room for them in the next one.

jacqui has teriffic stage presence as well. She is amiable and almost humble on stage and never fails to give acknowledgement to her quartet - who are pretty darn good when they are given the chance to do solos.

The only thing better than listening to Jacqui Naylor's "Live at the Plush Room" is to see her in person.

Mix up the Martinis
On the liner notes to the CD, Ms. Naylor thanks the Plush Room for giving her the opportunity "..to show the world how much I love to sing." It's clear that she does, and enjoys every minute of it. Lots of Jazz standards we have all heard hundreds of times before, but she makes them well worth another listen. She is backed by an excellent band; there are several exquisite piano solos throughout the record. This is a well-recorded live CD; it puts you right in the middle of the proverbial smoky jazz club. If you are a straight-ahead Jazz fan, this is the CD for you. Mix up the martinis, sit back, and enjoy.

Sultry vocals
This is an enjoyable CD, Jacqui Naylor has a great sultry sound, not unlike the great Billie Holiday. The reason for the four stars is that the recording is very heavy in the bass. I find to enjoy this disk fully, I have to lower the bass way down. I imagine the issue is related to this being a live recording. I urge jazz fans to buy this disk and enjoy this young talent.

Outstanding performer and artist
I was fortunate enough to have caught Jacqui Naylor live just weeks ago. This album captures the almost indescribable, intimately magic touch that she obviously commands with audiences. I enthusiastically recommend this album, along with "Shelter", which shows off her range of compositional skills and a different, non-traditional jazz, (at times almost trip-hoppy/new rock) sound and fascinating reworkings of popular rock songs. She is a genuine artist who has earned all the accolades. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

C'est Magnifique
This mesmerizing CD is best savored on rainy twilights while sipping blue champagne and smoking gold-tipped cigarettes indusky Parisian garrets--alone.

But mere words cannot express the magic of Piaf.Her voice is an exquisite instrument that transcends time, space, language.And she's most evocative in her native French, as she is here. This CD features some of her very best work.Listen to "La Vie En Rose"--and feel your heart leap up.

Beautiful!
I think that Edith Piaf is 'la creme de la creme,' and I love the passion she uses when singing. It's incredible, yet very raw. Her husky voice always gets me, and the balls she had to have to sing about what she didwhen she did. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Recommended
Lots of fun, and even though it's mostly live recordings the recording quality is quite good. A wonderful "first CD" for the fledgling cabaret enthusiast. ... Read more

Amazon.com

There's no such thing as a genuine Billie Holiday greatest-hits collection--her career was split among too many labels for that--but this single-disc distillation of the Complete Decca Recordings 2 CD set (recorded between 1944 and 1950) is pretty solid. Holiday's in fine vocal form (though her accompaniment is undistinguished easy-listening stuff; the choir on "God Bless the Child" is a bit frustrating), and the songs are arranged to work as an album rather than chronologically. She transcends the ideas of torch songs, of blues, of ballad singing--her version of "Lover Man" exemplifies erotic despair, tormented and aroused at once--and even the lesser-known tracks here are pleasant surprises, like a Leonard Bernstein song. --Douglas Wolk ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Not even close to her Greatest
Although there are a few good cuts on this collection, despite the generally terrible arrangements, almost any other collection of Billie's is better. If you want a single disc Greatest Hits album, try an obscure Brit import called "Fine and Mellow." The only thing the DECCA CD has going for it is better sound quality, because it was recorded much later than most of her good recordings.

Great sound quality
I've heard many Billie Holiday CDs and this is one of the better ones. The sound quality is fantastic. 19 of her very best hits. I recommend this to both new and old Holiday fans.

An album for those who've never listened to Billie Holiday..
...Like me! True, these songs don't represent the real Billie because they are so short (about 3 minutes each). And there are a lot of added strings in the background in order to fit into what was commercially typical of the day. BUT trust me, after you listen to "Good Morning Heartache" it will sound like REAL music, compared to so much (noise/garbage) that passes for music in the present.

I love this record!

Should be called, "Some of her greatest hits"
While it is true, no one album could contain all of Billie Holiday's greatest hits, it's not a bad start. I you have just discovered Billie Holiday and you want to listen to some of her best renditions then this album isn't a bad place to start. Billie Holiday is so rare a talent that we may never see another like her again. So much of who she was is heard in her voice that it is often feels like an intrusion into the mind of another individual. At the same time, that is what makes Billie Holiday the greatest. So much of what music is today is vapid beyond belief. What with singers that convey no emotion because they have none to offer, lyrics that are as sharp as a butter knife and listeners who get excited over any tripe handed to them in their lethargic ears. In short, Billie Holiday is for everyone, everyone who has a discerning taste for quality. Buying this album is like taking the first bite of a meal that is going to satisfy both your taste buds and your soul.

Lady Day at her heart-breaking, slow-burning best.
This album was my introduction to Lady Day, and what an intro. From the first slowly slinky phrases of 'Easy Living' there's hardly a duff moment. IMHO, the one misguided moment is the inclusion of a version of 'God Bless The Child' with a schmaltzy choir intro. If you can forgive that, there's plenty here to delight and seduce the vocal jazz newbie. 'Solitude' and 'Good Morning, Heartache' are *beyond* torch songs: Holiday's small, wounded-bird cry works its way under your skin and settles into your soul. The leisurely, easy 'You're My Thrill' is seduction by sound, evoking small, smoky, dimly lit nightclubs, a half-empty whisky glass, the scent of Gitanes on someone's hair...pure magic. Holiday's knack of hitting those notes like a human trumpet (a trick which might not sound appealing, but has to be heard to be believed) is showcased brilliantly on 'Them There Eyes'. 'Don't Explain' is an entirely adult love song, love with none of the jagged edges smoothed off, and no shadows to hide the truth in.

All in all, this is an album made for listening to late at night, in semi-darkness, with a summer breeze bearing the sounds of the city drifting through the window. If you can't get that, then try putting it on, shutting your eyes and letting Lady Day take you away. You won't regret it. ... Read more

Album Description

Produced by Joe Adams, supervised by and featuring RayCharles on piano. After four decades of suppression, JimmyScott and Ray Charles' 1962 legendary recording is finallymade available. Rhino. 2002. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Beyond Wonderful!
Finally, this great lost LP is now on CD, and everyone can hear the artistry that is Jimmy Scott. It's a tragedy that due to tangled legal issues, "Falling In Love Is Wonderful" was quickly pulled in 1963 shortly after it's initial release. ... Jimmy's career was frustrated by this, and so one of the greatest jazz vocal LPs became something of a Holy Grail for those discriminating listeners determined to find a rare copy in music stores or online. But now all the legal issues are resolved and everyone can enjoy this remarkable record on CD. To think of the lost opportunities to Scott's career could make one weep. And to listen to Scott's mesmerizing vocals could bring a tear to one's eye on classic tracks like "They Say It's Wonderful" and "Someone To Watch Over Me". I can't recommend this CD enough!

"Falling in Love..." is Wonderful
Ray Charles wanted to highlight Jimmy Scott's ballad ability, and he does here. What keeps this CD from being rated 5 stars is that there is not much variation in tempi. Otherwise, Scott's ability to get inside a ballad and make it his own is exemplary. The title cut, for example, is the most moving version of this song I have ever heard and I think is the strongest cut. Charles' piano complements and, in fact, comments a bit on the lyrics and there is some great byplay between the vocalist and pianist. The stereo mix is a bit extreme (The mono mix might present a more coherent image, but you might lose Charles' piano, by himself, out in the left channel).

This is thoroughly enjoyable and it's great to see it re-released. ... Read more

Album Description

Live at the Living Room Vol.1 is the debut in a series of live recordings from New York City's leading singer/songwriter club. The CD features performances by rising jazz/pop Blue Note recording sensation Norah Jones, songwriter and EMI recording artist Jesse Harris & The Ferdinandos, Atlantic recording artist Malcolm Holcombe, Detroit native Chris Moore and England's newest "folk angel", Rachel Loshak. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

not nora jones
this CD was advertised as a nora jones CD it is not, she is only on the first song. I was disapointed.

Got Live If You Want It!
To set the record straight both Malcolm Holcombe and Jesse Harris have had major label releases. The reviewer who claimed this was a collection of local artists was totally off base . This CD is filled with inspired performances. and the Norah Jones track is just stunning. Malcom shines like a rusty diamond - if you like Tom Waits and John Prine you'll love his work. Jesse Harris wrote five songs on Norah's Blue Note release and is featured singing tracks from his new release. The other artists also offer a glimpse into what a night at the Living Room is like. Buy this collection.

ALMOST AS GOOD AS BEING THERE!!!
WHAT A SOUND!! This CD sounds almost as new and fresh as being there.Norah Jones sounds live, indeed; not like most studio recordings. I've seen her at THE LIVINGROOM,so I know!! Jesse Harris also lays down some good tracks. OVERALL : An excellent and diverse selection of acoustic music. I'm looking forward to their next volume.

COOL COMPILATION
Neat to hear Norah before the hype.....I like this live version of Got To See You Again better than the studio one....I think her songwriter Jesse Harris is really good too...Totally worth my ten bucks.....

Disappointment
Norah sings only one song on this CD. The rest is an assortment of apparently local artists of varying talent. If you want to hear Norah, save your ten bucks for her next release! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Aptly titled future Jazz Classic!
This is chill to the max.Mellow, but mournful. Easy but DEEP.

It sounds AMAZING on SACD.

I though MFSL was a load a crap, then I heard this.

I'm a believer. . .WHATelse they got?

Listen, really listen
I can't tell what I like best: the vocals, the audio quality or the songs.So where's that leave things?Simply put, this is an altogether splendid CD.SACD is, of course worth the additional cost if sonics mean anything to you.Not to take anything from Ms. Barber's fine songwriting, but her intrepretation of The Doors's classic "Light My Fire" really does just that for me.

showcase sacd
If you have been wondering about the hype about SACD and need convincing and you like cool jazz, this disc is for you. Patricia Barber has been making superb jazz cd's for years, musically interesting and breaking new bounds and always well recorded. While the CD version of Modern Cool is in my books a 9 out of 10, the SACD takes it up to an even better level. Great dynamics,a soundstage that is three dimensional and if you play this late at night, Patricia is right there in the room with you. Multi-channel is not for everybody and for the crowd that has reservations about 5.1 mixing, the 2 channel stereo is stunning with presence and magic. Get this sacd and you will use it to showcase your system. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Simply Elegant
It is impossible to describe Mabel Mercer. She is as unique as Blossom Dearie, Tammy Grimes, Elaine Stritch, Bea Lilly, or Edith Piaf, but not nearly as unusual as any of them. Fred Astaire's style might be closest to hers, although Mercer had a better voice with a greater range. Both were songwriter's singers - interpreters who put the song before the personality, who presented the work paying complete attention to the nuances of the music and the exposition of the lyrics. The song spoke for itself. Among current mainstream performers, perhaps most reminiscent of Mabel Mercer is Rosemary Clooney, although Clooney's direction - and she is superb - is not to distill the songs to quite so pure an essence as did Astaire and Mercer.

If elegance is restraint of ornament allied with purity of form and richness of substance, then Mabel Mercer is simply elegant.

Among this rich substance there are some evergreens like "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore," '"Loverly," "Young and Foolish," and, perhaps, "Blame It On My Youth". But most of these songs were obscure even when the albums were recorded in 1956 and 1958, and the passing of more than 40 years has not shed any more light on them. Some are minor works of major composers and lyricists: Romberg, Hammerstein, Kern, Rodgers, Hart, Lerner, Lowe, Coward, the Gershwins, Arlen, Mercer, Bernstein, Comden and Green. Others are works of a group of less known talent: Howard, Wilder, Levant, Coleman, and Grant. But all tell simple stories or present poignant images, and after a night at the theater Mercer's 11:30 PM audience was ready for gentle songs of quiet reflection made, perhaps, even more evocative by their very unfamiliarity.

Almost all of the songs are about love at some stage: anticipation ("Wait Til You See Her"), yearning ("Lonely Little Boy"), despair ("Blue Moon," "If Love Were All'), fulfillment ("Some Other Time"), loss ("He Was Too Good To Me," "Guess I'll Go Back Home"), lost youth ("Isn't It a Pity," "Young and Foolish"), and gained wisdom ("Once Around the Clock," "Sail Away").

Most of the lyrics are of the Seine/champagne variety, although of course there is Noel Coward with this rhyming full-house ("though I never really grumble life's a jumble indeed, and in my efforts to succeed I've had to formulate a creed"), and Ira Gershwin shows his usual virtuosity in "Isn't it a Pity":
Think of all the lonely nights we've wasted: I with the neighbors, you at silly labors,
What joys untasted: I reading Heine, you somewhere in China
. . .
Think of all the lonely years we've wasted: fishing for salmon, loosing at backgammon,
What joys untasted: my nights were sour spent with Schopenhauer

Mercer adds only the most subtle trace of distaste to the word "Schopenhauer." In "Guess I'll go Back Home" she adds just the slightest emphasis to the first "he": "I'll walk by the house where he used to live, I hope he married well." It's the verbal equivalent of a slightly raised eyebrow or an up-turned palm.

On "Midnight at Mabel Mercer's" the accompaniment is provided by two pianos. The pianos are particularly well arranged on "Sonnet," " Wait Til you See Her," and especially "Young and Foolish." On "Once in a Blue Moon" strings are added. Even at this point in her career, Mercer had the ability to overpower the accompaniment. She chose not to, and the strings are distracting.

Two discs of Mercer magic
There's an abundance of Mercer riches to be savored on this generous two disc set. "Once in a Blue Moon," on which Mercer is accompanied by piano and a small string section, is a sentimental favorite of many, and for good reason: Mercer has rarely been more affecting than in the title track and her famous version of "My Shining Hour," and the string arrangements are admirably restrained, accentuating Mercer's message rather than imposing false sentiment on top of her interpretations. But it's "Midnight at Mabel Mercer's" that is the real gem here: it offers an opportunity to hear Mercer much as she must have sounded in her legendary New York appearances in the 40's and 50's, accompanied only by piano (two in this recording) and singing uninhibitedly full-out, going for the climaxes of the songs whether the notes are in her voice or not (and quite often they aren't). A word must be said about "the voice" to those unfamiliar with Mercer--there isn't, by the fifties, when these recordings were made, much of it left, though it sounds as though it must have been a perfectly good mezzo in its prime. Just the same it's hard to think of a more eloquent singer of popular song. As skilled at tossing off a frothy number like "Wouldn't it be Loverly" with just the right light touch as she is in revealing all the genuine sadness and regret in potentially maudlin ballads like "Poor Pierrot" or "Young and Foolish," Mercer has that ability to communicate that no amount of stunning vocal chops can compensate for. Sure, there's a lot of creakiness here and there, flubbed top notes and odd rolled r's, but give her a chance and you'll find the tattered velvet of Mercer's voice enormously appealing.

At last!
Mabel Mercer's recordings on CD are hard to find, and, indeed, some exquisite sets have never been released on CD, to my knowledge. ("The Art of Mabel Mercer" is particularly to-be-hoped-for.) This 2-CD set includes perhaps the sweetest of Mercer's collections, "Once in a Blue Moon". I was unfamiliar with "Midnight at Mabel Mercer's", but its bill of fare is so varied and so velvetly sung that I was immediately captivated.

Mabel Mercer is, I know, an acquired taste, but, for those in the process of acquiring the taste, this selection is a splendid introduction.

Mabel Mercer: Simply the Best
I am extremely pleased to see that some of Mabel Mercer's finest work on vinyl is finally being reissued on compact disc. Her recording of "Isn't It A Pity" included in this set makes a great song even greater for no one was able to interpret a lyric like the incomparable Mabel Mercer. Her singing of "Once in A Blue Moon" accompanied by an extraordinarily beautiful arrangement is worth the price alone and I cannot recommend highly enough this collection for any true Mercer fan. "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore", "Blame It On My Youth" and Noel Coward's "Sail Away" are particular standouts among the gems included here. A great big thank you to the producer of this superlative set--an absolute must buy! A true artist sadly missed! ... Read more

Amazon.com

After a decade and a half of recording everything from '60s pop covers culled from the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, country music, and pensive singer-songwriters, Marianne Faithfull signed with Island Records as a reinvented new-wave punk queen. With sharpened edge at the ready, she cut 1978's Broken English, a harrowing purge of sexual jealousy and guilt, six cuts from which are featured here. Her voice, ravaged from years of excess, cracks with wasted beauty and lent tarnished experience to her tales of struggle and hopeless nostalgia. After several albums of modern pop (a healthy selection from all are included in this essential anthology), Faithfull hooked up with producer Hal Willner to record 1987's Strange Weather, adopting a new role as an ageless, bluesy chanteuse. A Perfect Stranger follows through her latest collaboration with Angelo Badalamenti (1995's A Secret Life) and features six previously unreleased tracks, including a cover of John Lennon's "Isolation" and "A Waste of Time," a song she cowrote with Steve Winwood. --Rob O'Connor ... Read more

Reviews (7)

From riches to skid row ¿ well almost
Marianne was born into a wealthy family and didn't need a musical career. Nevertheless, she achieved a measure of success as a pop singer in the sixties, having six UK hits including four that made the top ten. During that time, she recorded four albums - two of pop music and two of folk music - but she also went from being a happy, smiley person (see the cover of Come my way, her first folk album) to an utterly unhappy person dependent on drugs. Her sixties music can be found elsewhere. This compilation focuses on her very different music from 1979 to 1995.

For most of the seventies, Marianne did not record any music such was the depth of her misery. When she started recording again, her voice was different, affected dramatically by all the drugs. She actually started again in 1977 with an album of country songs, mostly covers and three of them originally by Crystal Gayle, but it was her 1979 album, Broken English, that made the world take notice and it is then that this anthology commences.

The songs here are often melancholy, reflecting Marianne's experiences of life as a drug addict. She was past the worst but still affected by it. I find it particularly depressing because of the history. It is one thing to listen to somebody from a poor background singing about hardship - they were born into it and have made an effort to get out of it. Marianne went the other way, so her problems are, at least in part, self-inflicted. Yet there is no denying that her problems with drugs gave her music an edge.

This compilation is dominated by, but not limited to, tracks from her albums Broken English (6 tracks), Dangerous acquaintances (5 tracks), A child's adventure (3 tracks), Strange weather (6 tracks), Blazing away (4 tracks) and A secret life (4 tracks).

A good example of Marianne's style during this period is Ballad of Lucy Jordan. This song was written by Shel Silverstein and first recorded by Dr Hook, who recorded a lot of his songs including Sylvia's mother. Whereas Dr Hook recorded this song in a fairly light-hearted way (just as they had with Sylvia's mother), Marianne took Lucy Jordan's plight very seriously, bringing out the true meaning of the song.

If you want a direct contrast between her old and new music, there is a re-recording of As tears go by, the song that the Rolling Stones wrote especially for Marianne, though they also recorded their own version. The re-recording here is very different from her sixties UK hit version. Sister morphine is also a re-recording of a song she did in the sixties.

Many of the songs here are originals, several of which Marianne co-wrote, but there are some great covers apart from those already mentioned including Working man's hero, Isolation (both John Lennon), Ballad of the soldier's wife (Kurt Weill), Strange weather (Tom Waits) and a couple of oldies from the Great American Songbook, suitably updated (Boulevard of broken dreams, Yesterdays).

The original songs are very dramatic and could only have been sung by somebody disillusioned with so many things in life. If you think things are bad in your life, listening to Marianne will remind you that your life could be a lot worse.

The music here is artistically superior to her sixties music but is more difficult to listen to. The two parts of her career yielded completely different music, so liking one does not mean you'll like the other. My eclectic tastes in music enable me to appreciate both.

If you are new to Marianne's music from this period, this will give you in-depth coverage of it, though if you think a double-CD may be too much, I recommend you just go for one of the original albums from which this is compiled.

A Perfect Collection
It's about time the record industry smartened up. Marianne Faithfull is an artist who I always felt deserved to be better represented. And I must say, this is an excellent start. Included is the standard fare, music from the watershed "Broken English," plus it's follow-ups, "Dangerous Acquaintances" and "A Child's Adventure." In the middle is her post-"Broken English" return to "Sister Morphine," whose lyrics she wrote, and which she recorded before the Stones did.

Disc 2 kicks off splendidly with her biting rendition of Weill's "The Ballad of the Soldier's Wife." It is followed by Marianne's deep and dark interpretation of the old blues standard "Trouble in Mind." Then we get the slow and mellifluous beauty of the songs from "Strange Weather," another watershed. It is followed by some excellent unreleased tracks, "A Perfect Stranger," "Conversation on a Bar Stool," and "A Waste of Time." Plus there are some excellent selections from "A Secret Life." The whole collection is rounded out with that album's "She," a tear-inducing piece of orchestral beauty.

Marianne remains a favorite for me and for many others, and is an artist truly worth every accolade ever given to her, not the least of which was being voted the 25th greatest woman in rock history by her peers for VH1.

A Supurb Retrospective!
Marianne Faithfull's "A Perfect Stranger - An Island Anthology" ia a suburub retrospective of her musical journey while with Island Records. When Marianne released her autobigraphy "Faithfull" several years ago, Island Records rushed out "A Collection of Her Best Recordings". I always felt that Marianne, a uniquely talented and gifted artist, was cheated, that it was a poor representation of who and what Marianne was all about. While the main focus of her "Collections" was on her muscical masterpiece, "Broken English", I felt she and her fans deserved better. If anything, her "Collection" served as an introduction to Marianne and her music. But, "A Perfect Stranger - The Island Anthology" is a more fitting and proper retrospective for this truly great artist of her Island Years. Side 1 of the CD focusses on her musical Trilogy (Broken English, Dangerous Acquaintences, and A Child's Adventure). This side contains a wonderful collection of songs from these three wonderful albums from the eighties. Marianne muscial career is like a roller coaster ride with peaks and, yes, with valleys. The Trilogy era is a tru peak in Marianne's musical career. In addition, side 1 contains a wonderful remake of her sixties classic "Sister Morphine". Side 2 contains, again, a wonderful collection of songs from her "Strange Weather" her live "Blazing Away" and her "A Secret Life"". Though a change in musical direction for Marianne, these songs leave no doubt of her talent and artistry. Side 2 also includes a remake of her sixties class "As Terars Go By" and some new songs that are a real treat. This CD is a tribute to Marianne and her music from the late seventies through the nineties. I, personally, see it as a gift from Marianne to her fans. I play it often and never tire of it. Though her fans knew all long, Marianne artistry is finally being recognized. Just this year, she was voted 25th by her peers on the VH1 list of 100 Greatest Women in Rock & Roll. Listen ti the Anthology and you will see why. Now, if we can only get Decca Records to release an Anthology of her early work from the sixties - that would be truly wonderful. Thankfully, Marianne is not done yet - check out her latest & wonderful "Vagabond Ways" too!

Marianne's a Gem
I was well aware of Marianne Faithfull's soap operatic life long before I was aware of her brilliance as a musician. This recording gives a great deal of insight to the listener, not only into Marianne's life, but into one's own life as well. Her style encompasses many genres of music, and she masters them all. The true strength of this collection is that it provides a showcase for that style. There's a little something for everyone whose main interest in music is as a reference point for their own inner lives, but it probably will not be of much value to those who enjoy a more escapist style of music.

Marianne Faithfull at her best.
Focusing on her post-pop-diva career, this CD reveals Marianne's deeply complex and haunting, throaty style. Because of the brilliant positioning of songs, especially on the first disk, each one takes on new energy and meaning. The strong backbeat and in-your-face lyrics continue from the pounding opening of "Broken English" through "Witches' Song", "Intrique", "Why'd Ya Do It", and "Sweetheart" to the crisp intensity of "Running for Our Lives". I found this to be perfect long-distance driving music, especially at full blast, with the windows up, through sleepy Carolina towns and country roads. The second disk highlights her strong, wise, sorrowful and pensive sides. She is an actress and a perfomer, besides being a singer, and it all comes through here as she takes you on a journey through the ups and downs of love and life. "Ballad of the Soldier's Wife" will make you cry. "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" will make you remember what regret is. "Sleep" will make you shiver. This is Marianne the artist at work, with three new songs and two great live versions of older ones. Old fans, you will be excited by this CD. New fans, be prepared to be charmed by Marianne Faithfull's sophistication, her art, and her rock 'n' roll heart. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Reminiscence
Even if you weren't raised in the '40's (as I was) this compilation will stir your heart strings. Wonderful lyrics, wonderful tunes, wonderful songsters...just as I remember hearing them played on our old 78's.

The title says it all
Buy this CD and listen to these songs. Perfect for any mellow mood, their melodies hover in the air and create an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.

Composed of the stuff of emotion and life, these classic songs will have you wanting to sing along to the familiar tunes, yet you won't dare disrupt the perfect golden tones as they wash over you.

Magic Moments
I am happy to recommend this lovely compilation of ballads and romantic standards. The producers have found some truly inspired performances to collect together on one CD. I've had it since 1995 and I have shared it with many good friends. Just put it on, pour a favorite drink and turn the lights down low. Enjoy.

Fabulous Mix
This is a terrific album. Sunday mornings, late nights, all around great album. Dinah Washington's version of "I Wanna Be Around" is not to be missed!

Terrific compilation of lovely ladies of song.
A terrific compilation of some of the best girl ballad singers of the last 40 years. I recommend it highly. ... Read more

Album Description

A brilliant new recording by the foremost interpreter of the great American songbook… Bobby Short is an American treasure! Produced by the legendary John Snyder, this title features Bobby performing 18 great standards with his long-time quintet.

Over 70 minutes of superb musicianship, impeccable taste in songs and an undiminished passion that infuses his brand of cultivated charm with a genuine joie de vivre ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Now this is what I call great cabaret and lounge music...
I love to drink a martini and smoke my Cuban cigars to this, and thsi alone... This is one of my most treasured lounge cd's, it's a throwback to those classic lp's recorded in the 50's, you know an old fashion make out record. A sophistocated album to amoke and srink, and converse about exotic places far away that you've traveled to. a great coktail party cd, and Bobby is also an exellent jazz musician, probably one of the jazziest of all the cabareters...

Bobby's Best!
This is Bobby Short like you've never heard him before. The tracks are more instrumental and the collaborative playing of the entire band sparkles. He gives us new interpretations of some classics in his repertoire, and songs I don't believe he has recorded previously. Bobby Short is not sitting still in the 21st Century, he keeps swinging down a brand new avenue.

This cd offers a good selection of standards
First I would like to thank Mr. Short for the great songs that he performs on this cd. I have never heard some of these songs sound so good.

For this cd Bobby recorded most of the tunes instrumentaly and threw in a couple vocals for good measure, which is fine with me.
Bobby and his band did a wonderful job of reviving these old work horses. These songs were really played well.

I would like to see Bobby record some more cds along this line. I would be the first in line to buy them.

Recommendation: If you like smooth jazz this cd is for you. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This box set earns the "deluxe" designation not only because of its handsome packaging, insightful essays by Holiday scholars, and testimonials from the likes of Tony Bennett, Sonny Rollins, and Etta James, but also because of the vastly improved remastered sound that makes Lady Day the definitive issue of Billie Holiday's pivotal 1930s and '40s Columbia/Vocalion/Brunswick/OKeh oeuvre. The sides here include epochal collaborations with Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Lester Young, Teddy Wilson, and others. Six-plus discs chronologically present 151 masters, with the rest of the 10 CDs' space given to alternate takes and radio air checks.

It was during the early years of this period, of course, that Holiday quickly developed into one of the 20th century's vocal monuments. Her incisive way with lyric and melody, often deploying playfulness, wit, and pain in a single song, became a model for both many a female singer, as well as Frank Sinatra and Marvin Gaye. These are records to be endlessly replayed for many kinds of appreciation. Played end to end, they introduce ideals of groove and emotional expression that remain fresh and even startling many years on. Lady Day is not only a perfect example of how to reissue key material, but is an album that will stand as a beacon for veteran Holiday fans and for the new ones it will no doubt attract. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Fabulously Packaged Dynamic Sounds
Finally...Columbia Records outdo themselves in the remastering department. You would think that a record company that has made billions of $$$ since its beginnings(first quarter of 1900's)and that has among the finest & best selling artists' catalogues in recording history would have already invested in the most stellar remastering technology to preserve great music. This BILLIE HOLIDAY Box Set is THE Treasure Chest from the "Golden Age Of Jazz". This completes most of my BILLIE Collection...The Legacy Box; Commodore Recordings; The Complete Verve. She's definitely the GREATEST Female Vocalist that ever existed! I love OLD music cos those people sang with a heartfelt soulful passion. Nice packaging; remastering is definitely much better; great artist info included for us younger fans who were born decades later. Thanks Columbia!

In a word...WOW
I have never been able to appreciate Lady Day's Columbia years because of the bad quality and age of the existing sources...UNTIL NOW. Recordings that used to be a challenge to this listener are now remastered to a quality that surpasses what would be typically expected from recordings of this vintage. You can now fully appreciate Holiday's delicacy in her phrasing, the arrangements, all brought back to life. This may be considered a pricey set for some, and one may decide on the highlight disc instead. But to have this whole set and have the songs all in their recorded order is Holiday heaven. You really won't know what you're been missing, some real gems, until you own this set. One track flows so nicely into the next. Repeated takes are all saved for the last discs so there is no disruption in the flow. And the packaging and book are lush and handsomely packaged, most aesthetically pleasing. A most prized and eagerly awaited complete addition to the Holiday catalogue. A treasure.

Just the most essential music of the 20th century
I would need much much more than a thousand words to tell you about my feelings related to this sublime music.How many times I cried listening to some tunes,or was feeling incredibly high and happy listening to other ones.
If you want me to play to the "desert island" game,I would only take this set with me;you don't know how I treasure Monk,Duke,Armstrong,Trane,Bud,Bird,Bill Evans,Bechet,Fats Waller,Hines or Tatum,but I''d surely forget them all to keep these Columbia years of Lady Day with me.Here is the most fantastic music I've ever heard,here are the highest moments of the history of jazz.NOBODY never recorded such a bunch of masterpieces in some eleven years;nobody,even Duke.Here is a colossal set of the most amazing music you'll ever hear.
This is the third time I purchase these sessions:first,I bought them on 33rpm,some 25 years ago;then on separate CDs;then,a friend of mine let me listen to this set,and what a shock!!! The sound is so great that I thought I was discovering tunes I knew for years and years.It seems that Billie and the guys are playing in your room,just in front of you!!!
Now,for those who have no idea of what's in this very beautiful set,let's have a glance at the musicians you'll listen to:the ghotta of jazz is here!!! LESTER YOUNG,Teddy Wilson,Johnny Hodges,Duke Ellington,Count Basie,Benny Goodman,Chu Berry,Jo Jones,Buck Clayton,Roy Eldridge,Ben Webster,Benny Carter,Charlie Shavers,Red Allen,Cootie Williams,Hot Lips Page,Bunny Berigan,Jack Teagarden,Walter Page,Milt Hinton,John Kirby,Cozy Cole,Sid Catlett,Kenny Clarke,Freddie Greene,Dickie Wells,Hary Carney,Harry James,and many more.
About the tunes: masterpieces,masterpieces and masterpieces!!!
It would take some ten pages to describe it.Of course,the most magnificent ones are those in which Lester Young plays.Lester and Billie,Pres and Lady Day;they had the most magical musical complicity of the history of jazz,they really LOVED each other,even if their lives had separate ways;Lester,the Greatest of all jazz saxophone players,was born 1909;Billie,the Baltimore child,was born in 1915;they both died 1959,Lester in March,and Billie in July.The tunes they recorded during these years,the tunes you'll listen to in this set are very simple to describe: it's LOVE.and maybe the most beautiful that ever was.Maybe,these are the most sublime masterpieces in the history of Music."when you're smiling","he's funny that way","travelin' all alone","mean to me","foolin' myself","me,myself and I","born to love","gettin' some fun out of life","I'll never be the same"....I could listen to these tunes a hundred times everyday.This music is magic;it'll make you feel great.And you'll cry sometimes too,because of too much beauty.Here is the very best of Jazz,a music that gave us tons and tons of beauty;Billie's voice is at her most expressive,so young,so fresh,so joyful,and so sexy (and even sometimes,so sexual);Lester 's playing ,even if he only blows short choruses,is the most beautiful one that ever was ("all of me","foolin' myself","born to love","mean to me",...).
Here is sublime music;the most magnificent you'll listen to.I couldn't live without these records.They are my copanions since I was 15 years old;I spent hours and hours listening to them,wether I felt high or bad;and even after 23 years of frequent listening,they seem to me as fresh and new as when I discovered them.
Thanks a million,Lady Day (a nickname Lester gave to Billie),thanks a million for so much beauty.It never happened in the history of Art.

Save money and buy the German set instead!
Don't bother paying a ton of money for the Billie Holiday Columbia box set when you can buy the 10 disc German box set called "Portrait" for a whole lot less.
The American set goes for $150 to $160 where the German set is going for $25 to $35.
I've heard both sets and the German one is MUCH better with far less surface noise without sacrificing the sound.

But I must warn you that the German set does have a touch of stereo reverb added to the recordings, but it's very
tastefully done. I'm usually one of those who hates doctored up old recordings, but this is so well done. It's okay.

The German collection also has more songs which includes great recordings from the other labels Decca and Commodore. For some reason the set is missing four great tracks (Strange Fruit, Yesterdays, Fine And Mellow and
Until The Real Thing Comes Along) but the American set doesn't include Strange Fruit, Yesterdays and
Fine and Mellow either. The American set only deals with the Columbia sides, but does give you lots of
alternate takes, which the set from Germany avoids. But that's alright, I just want the official recording, not
the alternates or outtakes as I call them.

As far as packaging, the American set wins hands down, but the imported German set does have a nice
40 page booklet and is better about protecting your CD's and most importantly...far better sound quality.

5 Stars if you're an early period Billie person, like most
Nothing wrong with the presentation. Me, I'm a late period Billie person. But this gets the job done (to say the least!). ... Read more

Amazon.com

Like Rufus Wainwright, Nellie McKay was born about thirty years too late. She may look like a winsome teenager on the cover of "Get Away From Me," but she's got the soul and grit of Ethel Merman, mincing her way through drawing room dramas and musical conflagrations with more subtlety, wit, and better personal politics than Eminen, but with similar results--most stunningly on "Sari," where she perfectly melds the ire of Missy Elliot with the goofiness of Moon Unit Zappa on this edgy rap song. McKay quickly changes personas becoming a torchy siren on her paean to domesticity "I Wanna Get Married," wearing her irony as lightly--and as transparently--as a see-through negligee. At nineteen, McKay has only scratched the surface of what she's capable of, veering from witty jazz, to edgy cabaret, to brash confessionals, and taking the listener on what certainly will prove to be a long, eccentric ride. --Jaan Uhelszki ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A great debut
This is a totally terrific cd. The title seems an obvious jibe at Norah Jones' "Come Away with Me." I like Norah Jones' music, but Nellie McKay's cd has an energy and an eccentricity that are miles beyond. Maybe the best comparison is to Van Dyke Parks' "Song Cycle": "Get Away from Me" is another incredibly accomplished first record by a singer-songwriter-pianist who draws upon all sorts of musical influences to make songs that are completely distinctive.

The songs that really stand out (after one day's listening): "David," "Manhattan Avenue," "Sari" ("sorry"), "The Dog Song," "I Wanna Get Married," "Won't U Please B Nice." I hear many influences in this music--reggae, Tom Waits, Rickie Lee Jones, "The Beach Boys Love You" (the loopiest B Boys album), and sixties pop in all sorts of ways. McKay's piano at the start of "Manhattan Avenue" evokes the theme from "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," and the her brief piano solos here and elsewhere often suggest Thelonious Monk. Her lyrics are fast, sharp, and artfully rhyming: "i wanna get married / yes i need a spouse / i wanna nice leave it to beaver-ish / golden retriever / and a little white house." Her voice has incredibly flexibility and range. And in the words of Muddy Waters, "she's nineteen years old"! I hope Nellie McKay keeps making records for a very long time.

If you're wondering about "explicit" and "clean": I bought the "explicit" version (the "everything on it" version, as the record store clerk called it). The Parental Advisory seems to be a matter of three or four well-chosen instances of the f-word (or variants thereof). I'd have no problem letting my teenaged children listen to it.

I got the Clean so I can listen in front of my kids!!!
Frankly, this is one of the most sophisticated releases I've ever heard, let alone a debut! I am almost obsessive about listening to this music, so, although I would prefer the un-altered version, I want to be able to listen to it while my 4 & 6 year old boys are awake!

WOW! How Knew?
Nellie McKay is AMAZING!
I have nothing but praises for her phrases.
I heard her and immediately ordered her debut CD. I certainly have been amused. This girl is truly UNIQUE. (On 'David'... "Mr Bushie says- I'm your president-I have lots to say-hey hey hey- and click goes the remote-there you have my vote" so very clever!) This young singer is an able ENTERTAINER - she is not a one-trick pony - she does it all. And all very well!
To borrow her phrase - Blah blah blah.
I'm certain this debut CD is just the first showing of what will be a VERY long successful career.

Why on earth does the CLEAN version exist?!
This kid is utterly amazing. She'd have been a success as a songwriter, a singer, a pianist, a lyricist, or an arranger. As it stands, she's all of that combined. Her piano lounge pieces have been polished and re-arranged for this album. But why on earth is there a clean version? No one interested in her energy, wit, sarcasm, humor, and irony would want to get this. Get the regular ("explicit!") version instead.

An amazing debut!
Nellie McKay is brilliant. No 19 year old should have this much polish and verve. Her music--all original--is extremely strong and diverse (show tunes to rap) and she sells everything with a brassy gusto that is amazing to behold. I recommend this set to all my friends and if Nellie sells worldwide the way she's selling in Minnesota, she'll have a long and rewarding career. What a talent! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

An International Treasure
Charles Aznavour is a star of immense proportion, unique in his ability to emote in song what other artists cannot. He is a talent unmatched in his ability to stir up emotion in the listener with his melodic and sometimes sad vocals. Too bad that he is not as well-known in America. To listen to Charles Aznavour is an experience of one of the greatest chanteurs in music.

The best of his English language music
Charles Aznavour was slow to achieve success even in his native France. Born in 1924, he was already in his thirties when he gained recognition. There have been many compilations of his French recordings and they are well worth a listen, but this set focuses on his English language recordings. One track (I didn't see the time go by) is from 1983 while the rest were recorded between 1971 and 1978. Charles never recorded covers - the song here titled Ave Maria is his own song, not the standard. He wrote all his own material in French though he sought help in translating his songs into English. As he once said, songs are hard to translate if you still want them to rhyme in a different language.

Understandably, Charles never made the same impact in Britain and America that he did in France, but he was very popular for a few years in both countries, with hugely successful live concerts in both countries in the sixties. He had just two UK hits - The old fashioned way (1973) and She (1974), the latter going all the way to number one. This was a rare achievement for a French record though Charles was not the first Frenchman to top the UK charts. Serge Gainsbourg did it in 1969 with Je T'aime moi non plus, a duet with English born but French based Jane Birkin that was only made available in the UK because it had been banned in France.

Although his UK hits are classic love songs, Charles sang about many other topics too. It will be my day is about an unsuccessful, obviously inspired by his own struggle for success. They fell is about Armenia, a country that Charles was deeply interested in. But it is the love songs that Charles is best remembered for. Apart from She and The old fashioned way, Yesterday when I was young is probably the best-known song on this collection, but The happy days, How sad Venice can be, No I could never forget, You've got to learn, I didn't see the time go by and Ave Maria are among the many other great songs here.

Charles showed the world that France is well capable of producing world-class singer-songwriters - this collection provides but a small sample of his artistry.

the great aznavour!
This is one of his all time best! One of the greatest voices in the world! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The German-accented vocals of Marlene Dietrich are an acquired taste, for sure, but Falling in Love Again does a good job at showing her diverse output: from the obvious ("Falling in Love Again," made famous again in 1998 for a Mercedes TV ad campaign, and "Illusions") to the downright strange (Dietrich's throaty interpretation of "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine"). The career of the sultry songstress is all too easy to typecast, but the reality behind these tunes was anything but simplistic. She was a struggling actress who used her physical charms to compensate for her thespian shortcomings; she entertained Allied troops during the Second World War--singing, playing the musical saw, and earning herself a Medal of Freedom from the U.S. War Department; she even worked with a young Burt Bacharach on a pair of singles for Dot Records. Once Dietrich sings a show tune, you'll never hear it the same way again, and her renditions of these tunes--everything from Cole Porter's "You Do Something to Me" to Freidrich Hollander's dark "Black Market"--are memorable, to say the least. --Jason Verlinde ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Great start, uneven finish
Dietrich's heavily accented vocals definitely require some getting used to, but they're also what make her performances so unique and evocative of their era. Whatever her shortcomings in English and French pronunciations, Dietrich could purr sensuous lines like "My past that makes you hate me/makes you love me too" or "I gently untie the past" like no one else, and she offers up dozens of them here. The first eleven songs on this album sound like the ultimate romantic World War II movie soundtrack, from the joyous nihilism of "The Boys in the Backroom" to more bittersweet ballads like "Illusions" and the title track, and straight up love songs like "You've Got That Look" and "Symphonie." Tucked neatly into the mix is the more subversive "Black Market," which is open to interpretation and then some, and the classic "Lili Marlene," with which Dietrich reportedly brought soldiers on both sides of the lines to tears in her USO shows during the war. The fuzzy but surprisingly consistent sound quality (the recording dates range from 1939-1957) and distinctive orchestration add to the sense of atmosphere, to the point where you can almost imagine being in the audience in a battle-scarred nightclub in wartime Berlin, with Marlene and the band on stage just a few feet away.

But the collection stumbles badly with what I'm guessing were the B-sides to her two 1957 singles. The awkward rock-and-roll arrangements of "Near You" and "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" were originally released on the same record label that gave us Pat Boone, and they sound every bit the part. (Ironically, the flip sides of those singles, "Another Spring, Another Love" and "I May Never Go Home Anymore," are terrific.) The collection recovers its footing somewhat with the two final songs from 1965. "If He Swing by the String" and "Such Trying Times" don't quite measure up to the glory of the earlier recordings, but they're a nice enough ending to the album and certainly more in keeping with its overall style.

I suspect the folks at MCA were aiming for a sampler of Dietrich's singing career regardless of context and how well the songs fit together. This would be a five star collection if they had opted for consistency rather than completeness. But in the era of skip-buttons, it's still worthy.

The best one
The best one to buy if you must have only one. I own many but love this compilation because the emotion of the originals is there and the sound quality is very good, which is something that cannot be said for all Dietrich CDs.

The Music that brought the Chancon to a World Audience!
Marlene Dietrich was more than an actor who could sing; she gave voice to a silent artform: the Chancon genre. With her music she paved the way for such great voices as Edith Piaf and on a smaller scale Hildegard Knef and Zarah Leander. -- This CD features many of the big successes, most noteworthy Falling In Love Again (from "Blue Angel") and Boys In The Backroom (from "Dextry Rides Again"). Who can listen to the sultry rendition of Black Market without visualizing Marlene Dietrich "peddling her wares" in the dark allys of a pulverized post WWII Berlin. This CD is part of History. Marlene Dietrich tells of a dark time she has witnessed, the horrors of which the world must never forget.

Good selection of Dietrich's recordings from the 40s and 50s
It's worth it just to get "Falling in Love Again" and "Lili Marlene", but there are other good ones here too. The "Live in London" CD is the other one I'd recommend: between the two of them, all the classic Dietrich songs are there. Yes, she's an acquired taste, definitely one of a kind, and they don't make 'em like that anymore. The remastering is quite good on most tracks, and the mono sound is very atmospheric.

Good, but not the best!
This CD is fun but these are old recordings so the sound quality isn't super. I recommend the Die Grossen Erfolge [IMPORT] Marlene Dietrich for the real music lover that wants the most from Marlene more. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

This is a considerably expanded version of the soundtrack album to Vincente Minnelli's Oscar-winning film. With two discs and 100 minutes of music (much of which is presented for the first time), these original session masters are highlighted by the MGM Studio Orchestra, Oscar Levant, Benny Carter, and Gene Kelly, all of whom perform such memorable Gershwin tunes as "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Love Is Here to Stay," and "S'Wonderful." Just about all of the material has a monotonously mono sound, but Levant's version of "Concerto in F" is included here for the first time in true stereo. Along with several Levant improvisational piano solos based on Gershwin's music, there are also some outtakes as well as extensive production and historical notes. --Joseph Lanza ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Filled with musical gems
This comprehensive edition is a must have for fans of the movie and of the Gershwins. The outtakes, contrary to the first review above, are excellent. Gene Kelly offers a wonderful vocal of "I've Got a Crush on You" and his short riff on "'S Wonderful" is almost like an acoustic version, much different than the over-the-top duet in the movie. And the Oscar Levant piano pieces are as close to George sitting down at the keys as we're going to get.

TOO LONG !!!!!!!!!!!
I would not suggest buying this version of this sondtrack!!! The underscores and the extra tracks that are not f