Holiday,Billie Lady Day: The Master Takes & Singles CD

It's fitting that singer Billie Holiday began the most celebrated part of her career with Columbia in 1933, when the country was in the throes of the depression, and ended it in 1942, when the world was gripped by war. Her anguished delivery fit in perfectly with the times. As she projected the torments of her life through music, she gave us an escape from our own troubles, by reminding us of how bad life could get. Regardless, Holiday's sublime Columbia recordings, which originally appeared on the Brunswick, Vocalion and Okeh labels, are among the true treasures of jazz. The complete recordings were released a few years ago in a mammoth box set. This four CD collection pares the material down considerably, although the producers have not just taken the cream of the crop. In the tradition of many "warts and all Columbia sets, this one features the master takes and singles released during the period. Without any true explanation of what this means (the remaining tracks from the original set weren't alternates) this gives a more complete picture of the recording landscape of the time. The majority of Holiday's records during the time were made for jukeboxes, and thus follow a fairly predictable format in presentation and length. In addition, almost everyone at the time had to record some inferior material, and Holiday was no exception; for every "Night And Day there are at least two songs that weren't worth much more than the paper that they were printed on.

1. I Wished on the Moon 2. What a Little Moonlight Can Do 3. Miss Brown to You 4. If You Were Mine 5. These N That N Those 6. You Let Me Down 7. Spreadin Rhythm Around 8. Life Begins When You're in Love 9. It's Like Reaching for the Moon 10. These Foolish Things 11. I Cried for You 12. Did I Remember? 13. No Regrets 14. Summertime 15. Billies Blues 16. A Fine Romance 17. One, Two, Button Your Shoe 18. Easy to Love 19. The Way You Look Tonight 20. Pennies from Heaven 21. That's Life I Guess 22. I Can't Give You Anything But Love 23. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm 24. He Aint Got Rhythm 25. This Years Kisses 26. Why Was I Born? 27. I Must Have That Man 28. The Mood That Im in 29. You Showed Me the Way 30. My Last Affair 31. Moanin Low 32. Where Is the Sun? 33. Let's Call the Whole Thing Off 34. They Can't Take That Away from Me 35. Don't Know If Im Comin or Goin 36. Ill Get By 37. Mena to Me 38. Foolin Myself 39. Easy Living 40. Ill Never Be the Same 41. Me, Myself, and I 42. A Sailboat in the Moonlight 43. Without Your Love 44. Travlin All Alone 45. He's Funny That Way 46. Nice Work If You Can Get It 47. Things Are Looking Up 48. My Man 49. Can't Help Lovin Dat Man 50. When You're Smiling 51. On the Sentimental Side 52. When a Woman Loves a Man 53. You Go to My Head 54. Im Gonna Lock My Heart 55. The Very Thought of You 56. I Can't Get Started 57. More Than You Know 58. Sugar 59. Long Gone Blues 60. Some Other Spring 61. Them There Eyes 62. Swing, Brother, Swing 63. Night and Day 64. The Man I Love 65. Body and Soul 66. Falling in Love Again 67. Laughing at Life 68. Time on My Hands 69. St. Louis Blues 70. Loveless Love 71. Let's Do It 72. Georgia on My Mind 73. All of Me 74. God Bless the Child 75. Am I Blue? 76. I Cover the Waterfront 77. Love Me or Leave Me 78. Gloomy Sunday 79. It's a Sin to Tell a Lie 80. Until the Real Thing Comes Along