Lady in Autumn: The Best of the Verve Years

Billie Holiday | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 22, 1991)
• Original Release Date: October 22, 1991
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B0000047CO
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,594 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lady Day -- PURE HEAVEN, November 29, 1999

By 

F. Barton "Forrest W. Barton" (Newport, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lady in Autumn: The Best of the Verve Years (Audio CD)

This two CD set, with incredible liner notes by Leonard Maltin, Yes, the Television guy, is a landmark release. The chosing of ALL the material here is very carefully thought out, not like others, with whatever they can get to fit, whatever condition, this one is constructed top to bottom with perfection.This set displays Billie in all her Autumn glory, from live recordings, to outtakes that are better than the originals. If you want a set that represents what Billie meant in her later years, get this one. It will take you down her many paths, of pathos, despair, happiness, and just great talent, period. An EXCELLENT starter set.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Revelation, December 13, 2001

By 

Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lady in Autumn: The Best of the Verve Years (Audio CD)

There is an on-going dispute between Holiday fans: is Billie Holiday more interesting at the beginning of her career, when her voice was at its best, or at the end of her career, when her interpretive skills were at their finest? My preference is for the latter, and LADY IN AUTUMN offers a truly fine sampling of later Billie Holiday recordings.

Even at its youthful best, Billie Holiday's distinctive, very quirky voice was never noted for any of the qualities we usually applaud in great singers: Holiday's range, power, and breath support were always more than a little ify. But Holiday showed a remarkable facility for shaping her voice much as sculptor might, and she transformed her vocal defects into an astonishing personal idiom that has never failed to mix musical delight with raw emotional power. And this ability was at its height toward the end of her career.

It is true, however, that Holiday's later recordings are an acquired taste, and listeners who are new to her unique stylings may be put off by the vocal roughness of her later work. But for those who have already listened to an enjoyed her earlier work, Billie Holiday's LADY IN AUTUMN will be a revelation.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars And Still Her Heart Has Wings, February 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Lady in Autumn: The Best of the Verve Years (Audio CD)

This is the best ballad collection of Billie Holiday to date. You hear someone who has experienced life, in every nuance of her voice. 'These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You' is the most heartbreakingly perfect ballad ever recorded, with a subtly touching piano accompaniment by Oscar Peterson. This track is for those who have loved and lost. 'Don't Worry 'Bout Me' has an ironic sadness when viewed from here and it is appropriately placed as the last song in the set. It will make you cry.