Customer Reviews

Sings Leiber & Stoller

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"IS THAT ALL THERE IS?" is the groundbreaking Peggy Lee masterpiece that won a much deserved "Grammy Award" plus a great lp from the mid-seventies "MIRRORS" largely make up this wondrous & deeply soulful collection..."Mirrors" deserved the same success as "Is That All There Is" but went largely unnoticed except by astute and hardcore music lovers and this beautifully remastered version is the ultimate musical adventure from this classic once-in-a-lifetime singer and this is the definitive version to have! One of the greatest and most adventuresome singers of the century, Peggy Lee was musically expansive way beyond her older and more conservative audience but the younger (baby-boomer) generation loved it when Peggy did her masterful magic with material from contemporary composers and none are finer than Lieber & Stoller and this tremendous collection of classics is mesmerizing and engrossing. For a song to song review of this stunning masterpiece go to my "Mirrors" (Import version) review...original lp is an all-time favorite since its release date and is one of most sadly overlooked yet unique vocal journeys ever recorded! This lavish set is lovingly restored beyond its original glory (along with great bonus tracks) and the gorgeous pictures and liner notes are awesome! Thank you Peggy Lee for decades of brilliant singing and entertainment & many of us were blessed to experience you over & over in your sublime concerts...love and miss you Peggy Lee!!!

The sumptuous packaging (embossed double-fold digipak, 20p full color booklet with articulate essaying and track-by-track annotations) suggests a release of note, but can a book be judged by its cover?

In the case of PEGGY LEE SINGS LEIBER & STOLLER the answer is "no". This exquisite collection is very much more an aural treat than visual. Considerable expertise, effort and taste have resequenced, remixed and remastered a collection drawn from diverse sources into a complete album which is so very much better than the great album it's mainly sourced from (MIRRORS). As a showcase for Leiber & Stoller this release is monumental. As a Peggy Lee album it's one of her best. As a Grammy contender it must be considered.

Not to be compared to MIRRORS, "...Sings L&S" needs to be experienced for what it is. Each track has been remixed to a full and rich sound which was never apparent on the vinyl or CD re-issues of MIRRORS (from pressing tapes). This is a whole new thing - the addition of unreleased masters and an overall but uncompromised excellence of sound make this album fresh enough to have been recorded yesterday but with no hint of digital presence. It's actually astonishing that something like this can appear thirty-plus years after the fact - the full orchestrations (and the majesty of the Lee voice) have been revealed and are present and accounted-for wherever this disc is played.

Track comparisons also seem pointless - this collection in its entirety absolutely sets the benchmark. Buy it now - it's after all a Limited Edition and definitely not recommended to be The One That Got Away.

Disc 01

1. Kansas City

2. Some Cats Know

3. Don Juan

4. I Ain't Here

5. I'm A Woman

6. Ready To Begin Again (Manya's Song)

7. Professor Hauptmann's Performing Dogs

8. A Little White Ship

9. Tango

10. I've Got Them Feelin' Too Good Today Blues

11. The Case Of M. J.

12. I Remember

13. Say It

14. Longings For A Simpler Time

15. Is That All There Is?