The Complete Commodore Recordings

Billie Holiday | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 28, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Verve
• ASIN: B0000001NM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,010 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Billie at her most spectacular (?), April 16, 2001

By 

C. Heinrich "wsidechris" (Oyster Bay, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Commodore Recordings (Audio CD)

This was my first Billie Holiday recording, so maybe I'm biased. But after hearing lots and lots of Billie since, I still think that this collection has been the most galvanizing of Billie Holiday listening experiences. Her voice was in absolute perfect pitch here. Her voice sounded a bit deeper in previous recordings (unless that's due to the production), and her voice got more ragged as the years progressed. But here she sings like a cornet; the only person that I've heard that tried to sing like her and even came close was probably Dinah Washington (but in her own way). Billie could sing at a pitch that is absolutely exhilarating. If this is what you want to hear, or if this is making you curious, then get these recordings and you'll immediately know what I mean.

If you don't want to spring for this double set (with many alternate takes), then get the "Commodore Master Takes". It has all the songs, but only the popular released versions of them. This ESSENTIAL Billie Holiday. If you're only going to get one Billie Holiday CD, get this or the "Commodore Master Takes". This is timeless stuff that you'll NEVER want to get rid of.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC COLLECTION OF BILLIE & THE SOUND IS SPLENDID!, February 7, 2003

By 

Jay Siekierski (STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Commodore Recordings (Audio CD)

All the old Commodore Jazz recordings have been taken over by MCA Records and an extensive reissue of the labels
recordings is currently underway. One release that will instantly appeal to every Jazz fan is this new Billie Holiday 2 CD set The
Complete Commodore Recordings. Of the 16 tunes featured you actually get a total of 45 tunes recorded between '39-'45
for the Commodore label because all are multiple takes with the exception of "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" & "Fine And
Mellow". Some of the classics included are "I Cover The Waterfront (4 takes)," "Billies Blues" (3 takes), "Embraceable You"
(2 takes) and probably the most controversial classic of all Billie's recordings...The landmark recording "Strange Fruit" offered
in 2 different takes. The booklet is breathtaking! A walloping 40 pages full of great historical info on these recordings and the
great Lady Day during these years is excellent. Rare pix, complete recording data and producers' info on putting this
masterwork together is also included so you get the inside story correctly. All this material has been digitally remastered and
should come as a very big surprise to many when you hear the playback. A must!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strange Fruit/Fine and Mellow, December 24, 2000

By 

Jahlaune K. Hunt "Jahlaune" (Brooklyn, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Commodore Recordings (Audio CD)

If ever a song caused trouble it was "Strange Fruit" Billie had been singing this at Barney Josephens Cafe Society (downtown) for a while before she was able to record it. The record got terrible reviews by the press as it was not a mainstream song and it cost $1.00 (a lot of bread in 1939! However, even though it was not the first song about lynching (Suppertime by Ethel Waters, and a few rare blues dealt with this subject) it was the most visible. "Fine and Mellow" was the big star of the day and was on every jukebox in Harlem in fact Decca tried to steal the song from Billie and had Mamie Smith record it (it failed) The rest of the songs on this track are basic Holiday Night Club fare. These were songs she sang in most clubs and are wonderful to hear again and again.

For New Students of Billie Holiday Listen to Strange Fruit on Commodore and then on Verve. The Commodore is the one that still sends a chill down my spine! For advanced students listen to "I have a right to sing the blues by Billie and then Mildred Bailey. Then you will know without a shadow of a doubt why we still rever Lady when we cant remember Ethel or Mildred what's her name!