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Not really complete as several tracks are missing. I love this set. But still great though. Sophisticated and wonderful. I dont think Billie ever sounded better on these recordings. Buy it now.
This Billie Holiday is truly essential collection. It is beautifully remastered. I give the music and performances 5 + stars. There is only one Billie Holiday anyway.
It brings with it.the retro-Billie Holliday treat. Love this whole CD. It was recommended to me by a friend and I'm glad I purchased it. It's both calming and joyful. I love it all.
The best prices are (of course) from Amazon. For the Verve releases, there are three sets to choose from.
What I observed with this collection (as with many other complete sets) is that they include the unreleased alternate takes with the released takes. 9 times out of 10, there's a reason why it was never released in the first place.However, there are those that like that about the album, thus it is not to shoot them down.Also, I really question whether this was her "peak" period.
I'll state the obsevation, and then give my solution. This collection has almost all of her songs from Brunswick to Decca (not everything, but certainly her best, and about 5 hours long).
People that say this have not heard her Commodore releases, or her Verve releases.Here's a good solution for those that don't want more than the original release of the songs. Pick up "The Lady Sings" boxed set from Proper recordings (it's a boxed set, and dirt cheap, with primo sound quality).
Complete (including alternates), premium (complete minus alternates), and a best of. Happy Hunting.
There weren't many other vocalists anywhere near Billie's prowess at this time and her delivery runs the gamut of emotions from wistful sadness, to savage beauty, to a warm embrace. This is Lady Day at her peak and is probably the definitive collection showcasing how phenomenal a talent she was as a vocalist. As the title implies these are pretty much all her surviving tracks cut for the Decca label from 1944 to 1950 when she was in her peak vocal form and the songs here are a white-knuckle rollercoaster ride of emotions. Many of her signature songs are here: "Lover Man," "Don't Explain," "'Taint Nobody's Business If I Do," "God Bless The Child," and "Good Morning Heartache." Some have complained that it is not a truly "complete" recordings package, but many of the original recordings were lost or destroyed years ago. If I had to chose a starting point for Billie Holiday you'd be hard pressed to pick a better choice than this set.
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