Lady Day: The Master Takes and Singles

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Editorial reviews

Album Description
Billie Holiday's story is so huge, her artistry so vast, and her impact so incalculable, that even attempting to corral a representative sampling of it within a single collection of recordings is an overwhelming, perhaps foolhardy task. Many have tried, of course, and literally hundreds of options of varying quality and legitimacy, scattered across dozens of labels, are available to the consumer. Neophytes, or those not willing to commit to a gargantuan listening session, can settle for any number of single- or double-CD best-ofs that adequately present Holiday's most important, better-known music.

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Customer reviews

review by: Love Bites date: 2007-11-15 rating:
Lady Day: The Master Takes and Singles
A rainy night, a fire in the woodstove, thinking of a lost love and Lady Day.

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review by: Idler date: 2007-10-14 rating:
Best Legacy re-master yet
What has not been advertised regarding this release is that the tracks on these 4 Cds have been again re-mastered and now offer the best sound yet from Legacy. Whilst the Teddy Wilson/Billie Holiday series on the UK Hep label (mastered by John R T Davies) still probably have the edge this new box has a much fuller sound than on the previous mastering on the 10 cd box and the various individual compilations that followed circa 2002. The sheer precence of the vocals in particular is very satisfying, and there appears to be more instrumental depth and better bass reproduction - although there is also a small price to pay in that surface noise is a bit prominent on some selections.

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review by: dubs date: 2007-10-09 rating:
Good Fit
If you're a fan of Lady Day, you probably already know that these Columbia recordings are weighted almost as heavily as Louis Armstrong's Hot 5s and 7s in the jazz heavy weight arena. Their unique aural beauty is a foregone conclusion.

I originally owned volume 2, 3 and 5 of the Quintessential series then upgraded to the 2 CD, "Lady Day: The Best of Billie Holiday". Problem was, this stuff is so good, I just could not seem to get enough. Having said that, the 10 CD complete seemed a bit much. Like I said, this is a real good fit. See what a little moonlight can do.


review by: date: 2007-10-01 rating:
Good Introduction
The 10 CD complete Columbia Box set is very good, but the packaging on that one tends to discourage listening, and it probably just sits on the shelf if anyone has it. I can understand the marketers saying that 4CD sets sell well, but why not fill the CDs completely, as they already have all tracks remastered. Why only 20 tracks per disc, when 25+ tracks will easily fit on every CD? If you don't have any classic Columbia recordings, get this. But don't ask why Strange Fruit is not on this set. It was never on Columbia, as Columbia would not allow her to record it. The masters at SONY would've done well to pay for the rights to include it, but maybe the current corporate owners wouldn't allow it. That brings to mind, can anyone guess where the "artist's royalties" from the sale of Billie Holiday recordings go? Probably right into corporate pockets. Ain't that a shame? They should go to a program to help abused young women!!

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