The Best of Billie Holiday: 20th Century Masters (Millennium Collection) [Original recording remastered]

Billie Holiday | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 30, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Hip-O Records
• ASIN: B00006AWJC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,447 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #9 in Music > Broadway & Vocalists > Cabaret
  • #21 in Music > Jazz > Swing Jazz > General AAS
  • #21 in Music > Jazz > Swing Jazz > Swing General

Editorial Reviews

The 20th Century Masters series is the best-selling single-artist line in music history and is being re-released by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) in its ground-breaking, environmentally-friendly packaging format. A first for the music industry, the standard package (both sleeve and tray) will be completely paper-recyclable, continuing the company's long-standing commitment to being "green."

To further reduce the amount of paper in the Eco-Pack, the CD booklet will no longer be offered. Official liner notes are easily accessible on the Internet at http://www.ilovethatsong.com/green.

UMe is the first North American music company to replace the traditional jewel case with recycled paperboard sleeves and the plastic tray with trays made from PaperFoam®, a new packaging technology from Shorewood Packaging, a business of International Paper, that is paper-recyclable and biodegradable. Shorewood Packaging is the first North American packaging supplier to produce disc trays from PaperFoam®. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very good--as far as it goes, that is (three and 1/2 stars), April 29, 2008

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Best of Billie Holiday: 20th Century Masters (Millennium Collection) (Audio CD)

20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Billie Holiday tries its best to give us a CD that can be great for people in all income brackets; but it falls short of being anywhere near a true "best of" collection. The sound quality is very good and the artwork is about par for this CD series. How I wish they added at least one or two more songs!

"Strange Fruit," a powerful song if you listen to the lyrics, starts the CD off with one of Billie's greatest hits. Billie sings this with all her heart and soul and her performance lacks nothing--it's all THAT good. The piano sounds great, too. "Fine And Mellow" gets a somewhat jazzy rendition as a young Billie Holiday belts this bluesy tune out to make this number take off like a jet! Billie never sings a superfluous note, either! In addition, Billie sings "Lover Man" to perfection--and beyond! Awesome--what a chanteuse Billie Holiday truly was!

"Good Morning Heartache" gets the royal treatment from Billie who delivers this flawlessly. I think Billie's rendition of this tune is THE definitive rendition of this timeless torch song. Billie's uncanny sense of timing also enhances the natural beauty of this melancholy ballad. Moreover, "T'ain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do" has great brass and when Billie comes in this number takes flight! I love it.

"My Man" sounds fresh and new when Billie Holiday performs this with so much sensitivity; and "I Loves You Porgy" from Porgy And Bess shines brightly when Billie Holiday delivers this without a flaw. "Lady Sings The Blues" starts with some awesome brass as a musical flourish to announce the beginning of the ballad; and when Billie comes in she never misses a beat! Billie performs "Lady Sings The Blues" better than any other female singer ever could!

"I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" is a pretty upbeat ballad for a gal like Billie who sang so many torch songs; Billie handles this like the pro she always was; and that's grand. The CD also ends strong with Billie Holiday singing "God Bless The Child." "God Bless The Child" shines like silver and gold when the great Billie Holiday sings it; and I'm very impressed.

Overall, this is an excellent although way too brief assortment of Billie Holiday tunes. They could have and should have added at least one more song; and even then they have the nerve to call this a "best of" collection. Diehard fans can easily find great box sets by Billie Holiday for sale on this website; this CD is best suited for the casual fan who just wants a brief smattering of tunes by Billie Holiday.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Skimpy, but well produced, August 5, 2002

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Best of Billie Holiday: 20th Century Masters (Millennium Collection) (Audio CD)

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.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Billie Holiday Collection!!!!, March 19, 2006

By 

Johnny Boy "The Record Collector" (Hockessin, DE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of Billie Holiday: 20th Century Masters (Millennium Collection) (Audio CD)

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.