The Quintessential Billie Holiday, Vol.8: 1939-1940

Billie Holiday | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 26, 1991)
• Original Release Date: April 2, 1991
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000027GO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #272,101 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entering Her Torch Period, February 5, 2001

By 

Peter (East of Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Quintessential Billie Holiday, Vol.8: 1939-1940 (Audio CD)

By the time these sides were waxed, Billie was performing nightly at Cafe Society, one of her first major gigs, and singing her signature song, "Strange Fruit". What emerges from these sides is a torchy Billie, perhaps influenced by the success of "Strange Fruit", a song known for its graphic lyrics and slow pace. We don't know if that song influenced Billie's upcoming style or her selection of slowburners, but what emerges on this CD is Billie, the Torch-Chanteuse in the making. Gone for the most part on this Quintessential set are the fast songs a la "I Cried For You" and "What A Little Moonlight Can Do" from just a few years back. Only "Them There Eyes" here unequivocally qualifies as a "fast" track. Sound quality is very good compared to Volumes 1-4, perhaps due to the improvements made in recording technology, though hisses are still evident. If you enjoy Billie's voice in a slow tempo with good songs, I would recommend this volume. Her voice is still in very much peak...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Girl Singer? Great Pop Singer? No Doubt., August 31, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Quintessential Billie Holiday, Vol.8: 1939-1940 (Audio CD)

I have seven or eight of the CDs in this series. This is my favorite, by far, of the four that I've listened to closely. This is a very different Billie Holiday than the one we usually hear on jazz stations and commercials. I think she's fairly young here, and her voice still has a youthful, buoyant and (sorry) girlish quality that is completely irresistible. The songs are a perfect fit for her voice at the time. And what songs!! Perfect little three-to-four minute gems that match or exceed the best pop-songs of the 1960's through today in their wit, expressiveness, love and utopianism. They really are pop songs, make no mistake, sung by a great pop (and jazz) singer, but played by some of the most clever and sharp jazz musicians I have ever heard, bar none. I love the whole CD, although for me, many of the peaks occur after track eight, where "What Is This Going To Get Us" kicks in, followed by "Falling In Love Again", "Time On My Hands", "I'm All For You", and "The Same Old Story". Light, passionate, romantic, and seemingly blessed by a grace and genius of expression that most singers would sell their right arm for, this is an ideal CD for anyone who loves to sing, who loves to hear great singers, and who loves giving great music to her friends. Oh, and by all means, feel free to laugh at the liner notes. Whoever wrote them could sour milk just by looking at it. Buy this yesterday; you won't regret it

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cole Porter classics with Lady Day, May 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Quintessential Billie Holiday, Vol.8: 1939-1940 (Audio CD)

There are so many Billie Holiday albums, repackaging and reselling the same songs, that its daunting to try to figure out the best. My vote (and many other folks) stands with the "Quintessential" and "Decca" series. And the best of those series has to be volume 8.

The trio of the opening songs of this album is incredible. She sings "Them There Eyes" lovely and sweet. I've heard her do bluesier version, and have appreciated those as well, but there's just something about her gleefully singing, "sparkle/bubble/get you in a lot of trouble/something about them eyes." I didn't appreciate "Swing, Brother, Swing" at first listen, and now it's one of my favorite Billie Holiday songs. The horn solo perfectly complements her performance. The spirit of the song has her bossing around the band, fierce and free. For a woman as tortured as Billie, it's great to hear her voicing such assertion. "Night and Day" transports the listener to a soft, moonlit space, filled only with the trickling chords and melody of Cole Porter's classic.

These songs, taken from her days as a nightclub performer, are at times innocent and sultry. Ignore the rambling commentary in the CD -- the reviewer seems to hate every tune for its "inauthenticity". Instead, pull this CD out on a too-hot summer afternoon, open the windows of your apartment wide, and look out onto the baking city streets (or whatever your equivalent would be). Holiday's gorgeous voice will float around and through you like magic.