Customer Reviews

Edith Piaf: L'Intégrale (Complete) / 20 CD / 413 Chansons

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, I think with a possible moments pause here, that I would respond to the question posed by my review title with an affirmative. This collection brings together for the very first (but doubtfully the last) time the early Piaf recordings originally owned by Polydor (1936-45) together with the Pathe Marconi years, 1946-63. It also includes many rarities, alternative takes and a representation of the Carnegie Hall 1956/7 shows. It is certainly the definitive Piaf, if not actually the "complete" recordings.

On a positive note, the remastering is absolutely crystal clear with good deep sound staging and wonderful lifelike resolution of detail. Please remember these recordings are old though and you can't expect todays sound quality or anything close to it. Now, back to the music....

I have a few gripes about this set. Firstly, the 30th Anniversary Sets produced in 1993 included material incongruously absent from this mammoth 20CD set produced in 2003 (second time round re-mastering). For instance, "L' Homme Du Berlin" recorded as a demo on a crude tape recorder is missing from this set but included in the 10 CD set from 1993 (and even the 2 CD sampler from that set). Whilst this set DOES include the same song, it is a polished studio take and although good in its own right, I personally like the intimate raw feel of the first recording. Okay, you can't please everyone all the time and there must be limits on space, but come on, this is a 20 CD set! Why not have made it into a 24 CD set and called it the COMPLETE RECORDINGS? It's frustrating for collectors and completists but nobody else need worry - this set is simply outstanding in its representation of Piaf at all ages and times.

There are other "issues" which possibly need mentioning. The Carnegie Hall recordings are NOT complete. Again, for reasons better known to the folks at EMI France, the 1957 show has been abridged so that it fits neatly onto the disc 20 when the 1956 show spills over from disc 19 leaving the rest of the disc to cover the 57 show. I have not heard the complete 57 show but it was released on vinyl back in 1977 and according to people who own that issue, it is a better show and recording than 1956. It seems odd to compromise a recording familiar to the larger public for the sake of "space" when compiling such a big set to begin with. The 1956 show also has an instrumental introduction whereas the 57 show has Piaf singing the same song. Puzzling decision?

There are no booklets included or any sleeve notes. I personally would have liked to see this but at the bargain prices this set can be found for, that is a small glitch in my view. Buy it now whilst you can and enjoy France's greatest ever singer. Then buy the biographies to help put the songs and recordings into some context.

PS - since writing this review, I have added the following titles to my Piaf CD collection: Live In Lausanne, Live In Brussels, Live At The Copacabana, Unplugged in Quebec 1955-56, At Paris L'Olympia 1955, ditto 1956, ditto 1958, ditto 1960, ditto 1962. I also have found the said 1977 Lp set of Carnegie Hall January 13th 1957 which has the "missing" 6 songs left off Disc 20 of "L'Integrale". Is there any more out there? I also wonder if some of the songs used in the films Piaf appeared in such as "Etoile Sans Lumiere" are represented here in the same versions? Needless to say if you're either a fan or a collector, there is a lot of additional material out there which is not included in this set. I don't believe you'll ever find a better starting point though.

This box set is the 2007 re-issue of the 2003 "L'Integrale" box set released as part of the 40th anniversary of Piaf's passing in 1963. This box set is so far the most complete collection of Edith Piaf recordings put together. 413 tracks in total, including 6 "inedit" tracks discovered in 2003.
This box consists of a CD-sized sturdy cardboard box that holds the 20 CD's in individual cardboard sleeves, with and outer slip case of the artwork shown. The CD's have a 2003 copyright, which confirms that this box set has not been remastered again. No booklet is included. Tracklistings are found on the back of each CD sleeve. The audio quality is great in most tracks, including the 6 "inedit" ones. Get this bargain while you can, since the box set can be found for as low as $80 on amazon, which makes each CD $4.

I like to keep my reviews short and to the point (sometimes).

And there is only one thing to say about this collection:

If you are a staunch Piaf fan, buy this. It is likely the ultimate Piaf collection.

It's more affordable than the accordeon set, but features the exact same track listing, newly remastered.
The sound quality on all tracks is marvelous (though representative of the recording techniques and technologies of the time it was recorded).

I adore this collection, and any Piaf fan would.
Also, its fun to realize every now and then that you are hearing a track for the first time.

Another plus, is the amount of essentially, demo recordings, alternate takes, and recordings of Piaf on stage at Carnegie Hall (the final two discs of the 20).

Simply: buy it... you will have no regrets.

This set was originally released in 2003 in a limited edition at a very high price. It was reissued in 2007 without the booklets and that is what we have here. It's a huge collection of tracks at a low price, most not easily obtainable elsewhere. On the other hand: (1) Each disc is in a cardboard sleeve that says "Voir livret pour details" (see booklet for details) but there is no booklet, with the result that the only information given for each track is the title, nothing about date or anything else. (2) It's hard to find the recording(s) of a particular song among 20 CDs; I made a spreadsheet of all the tracks and then sorted it alphabetically so I could find things. (3) Despite its size, this collection isn't complete.

For someone who doesn't need this big a set, I recommend the 100 Chansons collection. This is a set of 5 disks, attractively packaged. Each disc has a theme, there is information about each track, and all tracks are listed on the box so its easy to find things. It contains some recordings not in L'integrale, e.g., a live recording of "La ville inconnue."

I don't own this set but have done some research on various "integrale" Piaf sets. This one is identical to the 2003 "Accordeon" box set in terms of musical content but totally lacking in any kind of documentation or recording information, be it recording dates, arrangers, or even composers. There's no booklet whatsoever. Worthless to any serious collector. A bargain if you're only interested in owning the music.

I ordered this product from barnes and noble and they sent in a box set that had two duplicate cd 13 (label, cover, and song list were the same) and a missing cd 15. I went to Amazon and the result was:

Amazon sent in a box set that had two duplicate cd 13 (label, cover, and song list were the same) and a missing cd 15.

I don't know if this a major defect in the current line. It needs to be corrected!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't normally write reviews here ,this; my first I think . I am published elsewhere.
What can I say..I have listened to every cd...I prefer lps. However; this collection
was a work of love. I have compared these discs to other tranfers. The entire collection is musical and the tranfers are superb. To me, given the price and excellence...you need only buy this one, no other. If you are not mesmerized by the quality and gifts of this tortured artist..there is nothing more that I can say. To those who buy this and have the same experience ( I own over 30,000 records plus cds with a world class system) as I did ..I envy the pleasure you will find in your discovery....enjoy!!

an absolute MUST for any piaf fan! gazillion songs that are not easy to find on 'popular' CDs!

With 20 CDs for $29 it's hard to imagine a better value. I can't speak for serious collectors, but for people like me I'd say it's "no booklet, no notes - no problem." I did receive all 20 CDs, with no omissions or duplicates.

One of the greatest voices ever heard! This collection is fantastic. I couldn't recommend it more. The re-mastering is spectacular.