Billie Holiday's Greatest Hits Decca

A very good compilation of Billie's recordings with a big band for Decca, ca. 1950's. If you can't get the full Decca recordings (I have it on the original Decca LP, "The Billie Holiday Story"), then this is an excellent fallback with very good song selections and excellent, consistent sound quality (not normally the case with other Holiday collections). Being an avid Holiday collector for well over 50 years, I would highly recommend this CD as being representative of some of her best work.

Interesting thing that Billie Holiday best remembered years were either early ones with "Columbia" (happy,swinging,small combos,Teddy Wilson on piano) or later ones for "Verve" (sad,melancholic,depressing) while nobody knows her middle years when she ruled the charts with recording for "Decca" (even lesser known are her "Commodore" recordings).The thing is,on "Decca" Holiday was backed with strings and lush orchestras so people usually dismiss these records as "pop" rather than jazz,which is nonsense of course - she was vocally in her prime and her lazy growl was nothing if not seductive at its best.As a "torch" singer Holiday was excellent - not a bad note here - songs all jewels ("Solitude","Crazy he calls me","That ole devil called love") and its fun to hear intro to "You're my thrill" copied note for note on Joni Mitchell's torch album "Both sides now" recorded decades later.It has been said that strings were almost status symbol for singers at the time and nobody had to twist Holiday's arm to do it,she liked the strings,wanted them and enjoyed being surrounded with cinematic sweep.Only strange choice is silly vocal chorus on "God bless the child" that betrays the time of recordings,everything else is first-class and luckily we even have spare original of that song recorded few years previously so even that is not bad thing.If only for two breathtakingly beautiful Holiday singles collected here - "Don't explain" and "Lover man" - this CD is definitely worth purchase. This is the time when she actually had hits,was played on jukeboxes and finally was lifted above cult-status into big time,"Downbeat" awards as singer of the year on national level and so on,really great CD.

I had a music teacher who used to say you either love Billie Holiday or you love her more. She was one of the greatest jazz singers of all time -- many would say the greatest -- but she cut so many sides it's hard to know where to start if you want to get to know her work. This is a fine introduction, with a collection of definitive songs and solid production. I have many hours of her music covering her entire recording career, and this is the Billie CD I always have in my car.

What a performerWonderful to listen to.

I had lost my copy and was pleased to find it from one of Amazon sellers.

The songs on this CD brings back lots of memories of my husband and I surfing the jazz clubs in NYC. There was a club called the Blue Note that always seemed to have the music of Ms Billie Holiday singing the blues or that of Miles Davis playing as you either entered or were just passing their doors. A wonderful songstress whose music will never die.

We love Billie Holiday! her voice remains us of a time of style, grace, elegance and important lyrics. Her lifestyle reminds us of sufferings, racial hatred and unfulfilled potentials. She represents us.

what a great classic voice

good recording

とてもいい曲ばかりで良かったです。部屋の雰囲気が変わるようです。

ジャズ喫茶でホリデイをリクエストしたら、このアルバムをかけてくれ、気にいったので購入しました。レコードでも出てました。デッカ時代のベスト盤のようです。　ベスト盤はまとまりが弱いのであまり好きではないのですが、これはデッカでまとめてあるので、比較的まとまりもあります。若い時代の声で、「ラバー・マン」、「ドント・イクスプレイン」などがしみじみと聴けます。

ほかのホリデイのCDも聴きますが、このCDを一番よく聴きます。歌詞がとても明瞭でバックの演奏が明瞭で、すべてで堂々としてます。かるっぽいとこがなくて、すごくロティンチックでいてクールです。トランペットのマイルスデイビス、歌のホリデイといっても言いすぎでないとおもいました。