Complete Columbia Recordings

Complete Columbia Recordings

ASIN: B00000294V

Track Listings

1. Vision of Mother

2. White Dove

3. Gathering Flowers for the Master's Bouquet

4. Angels Are Singing (In Heaven Tonight)

5. It's Never Too Late to Start Over

6. Have You Someone (In Heaven Waiting)

7. Little Glass of Wine

8. Let Me Be Your Friend

9. We'll Be Sweethearts in Heaven

10. I Love No One But You

11. Too Late to Cry

12. Old Home

13. Drunkard's Hell

14. Fields Have Turned Brown

15. Hey! Hey! Hey!

16. Lonesome River

17. Man of Constant Sorrow

18. Pretty Polly

19. Life of Sorrow

20. Sweetest Love

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
It is interesting to note that, despite the mature and sober themes, the Stanley Brothers were relatively young men at the time of these 22 triumphs. When they signed with Columbia in the fall of 1947, lead vocalist Carter was 23 and tenor vocalist and banjo player Ralph was 21. Though Monroe, Flatt, and Scruggs were spearheading the bluegrass movement with fiery licks, the Stanleys looked to older mountain music for their inspiration. Using traditional Appalachian folk forms, the Stanleys created an original and memorable songbook filled with poignant songs of mother, God, murder, and death. With piercing, mournful harmonies (sung by Ralph and mandolinist Pee Wee Lambert), songs such as "A Vision of Mother," "The White Dove," "The Drunkard's Hell," "The Fields Have Turned Brown," "The Lonesome River," and "A Life of Sorrow" remain potent, genre-defining statements. Even when the tempos are jaunty--as on classics such as "Little Glass of Wine," "Man of Constant Sorrow," and the banjo-fueled "Pretty Polly"--the subjects are deep and dark. --Marc Greilsamer

Tracks:

Makin' My Mind Up
Baby What I Mean
Inside, Outside, Upside Down
I'll Run
Love's The Only Answer
More Today Than Yesterday
Broken-hearted Man
Good Morning New Day
The Thought Of Loving You
Proud Mary
Our Day Will Come
For Once In My Life
This Guy's In Love With You
Since I Don't Have You
No One For Me To Turn To
Sweet Little Thing
Judas To The Love We Knew
Get Ready
I'll Always Have You
She's Ready
Walk On By
My Cherie Amour
Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
Hold The Sun Back
A Lifetime Of Love

Customer Reviews:

More Today Than Yesterday ?Yes!!.......2006-12-24

This an excellent collection for people who enjoy good ,happy, sing along songs.It just baffles my mind that bands like The Monkees, Grand Funk, and others get ridiculed so badly."More Today Than Yesterday" is just an awesome song.How can anyone not smile when they hear it?It's like being unamerican or something of that nature.Pat Upton is a great singer and the band is no slouch either.All the songs are great(Listen to "Get Ready" and you should be convinced)and "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" is just so appealing.If you don't believe me just take a moment and listen.You won't be disappointed.Highly reccomended!!!!!!!

Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings 1963-1964

Average customer rating:

Seven Steps: The search for the 2nd great quintet
The Story of the Birth of the Second Quintet
Labor pains have never been so pleasurable.
Some of Miles' Best Playing
Music in between eras.

Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings 1963-1964
Miles Davis
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0002YCVSI
Release Date: 2004-09-28

Tracks:

Joshua
I Fall In Love Too Easily
Baby Won't You Please Come Home
So Near, So Far
Basin Street Blues
Seven Steps To Heaven (Take 3)
Seven Steps To Heaven (Take 5)
Summer Night

Tracks:

Seven Steps To Heaven (Rehearsal Take)
Seven Steps To Heaven
So Near, So Far
Joshua
Introduction By Andre Francis
Autumn Leaves
Milestones
I Thought About You

Tracks:

Joshua
All Of You
Walkin'
Bye Bye Blackbird
Bye Bye (Theme)

Tracks:

Introduction By Mort Fega
Autumn Leaves
So What
Stella By Starlight
Walkin'
All Of You
Go-Go (Theme And Announcement)

Tracks:

Introduction By Billy Taylor
All Blues
My Funny Valentine
Joshua
I Thought About You
Four
Seven Steps To Heaven
There Is No Greater Love
Go-Go (Theme And Re-Introduction)

Tracks:

Introduction By Teruo Isono
If I Were A Bell
My Funny Valentine
So What
Walkin'
All Of You
Go-Go (Theme)

Tracks:

Milestones
Autumn Leaves
So What
Stella By Starlight
Walkin'
Go-Go (Theme)

Amazon.com

The seven CDs of Seven Steps chronicle the formative period of Davis's "Second Great Quintet" from its first arrival, bassist Ron Carter in the spring of 1963, to its last, tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter in the fall of 1964.

The set begins with the West Coast studio session for the Seven Steps to Heaven LP, with Miles, Carter, and tenor saxophonist George Coleman joined by L.A. musicians Victor Feldman (piano) and Frank Butler (drums). Then it's off to New York where Miles would cover the same material with Herbie Hancock in the piano chair and Tony Williams on drums. (The original LP selected tracks from each group, but all the tracks from both sessions are here, including unissued alternate takes.) The rest of the set features concert performances in which the band plays established Davis anthems along with a few choice standards. The leader is inspired throughout, lashing out with passion and urgency on trumpet that's clearly fuelled by the young and extraordinary rhythm section bubbling underneath him--Hancock shows an uncanny ability to shape a group's performance on a number of levels, balanced by the steady Carter and the incendiary Williams, whose drumming is both polyrhythmic and consistently, freely lyrical.

In some ways, the set is a search for the right tenor saxophonist, but all are contenders. The polished Coleman constructs solos with remarkable tension curves. Sam Rivers is a startling presence, pressing the envelope with pin-wheeling runs and an assortment of accelerated bleats that highlight the rhythm section's avant-garde sympathies. However, the arrival of Shorter is unquestionably the highpoint, as the group dialogue developed by Davis and the rhythm section finally meets its perfect complement in Shorter's complex, multi-dimensional playing. As with Columbia's previous Davis sets, Seven Steps is another triumph of design, sound, and documentation. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

Seven Steps: The search for the 2nd great quintet.......2007-05-29

Although I already owned much of the material presented on this sprawling 7 CD box set, I bought it for completist reasons like most of the folks who love Miles. It is a musical document of Davis in transition. Coltrane had split from Davis in 1960, and other crucial personnel (Kelly, Chambers) were soon to depart as well. By 1963, Davis was ready to hit the road again. This box set chronicles the story of his search and formation of what was to become the 2nd great Miles Davis quintet. This group was poised to take jazz music to the next level.

As a whole, the music on this box set is excellent. Although the box set is a bit pricey, we are treated to previously unissued studio tracks as well as "complete" concert performances (including the proper sequence of the 64 Lincoln Center concert). I also need to mention that the sound quality (with the exception of the mono "In Europe" '63 Antibes show) on these tracks is exceptional, as the music is sonically superior, given the 24 bit digital remastering treatment.

From this writer's perspective, the heart of this box set is arguably the February 1964 Lincoln Center concert. The band was "on" this night and the listener gets treated to definitive performances of just about every song. Although saxophonist George Coleman was considered too conservative (he was later to be replaced by Wayne Shorter, considered by his bandmates to be the perfect fit for their evolving musical exploration and ideas), he was on fire at this concert. The overall playing and ability of all five members as represented here at Lincoln Center equals nothing short of musical perfection. In particular, discs 4 & 5 showcases the extraordinary talents of five individuals who appear to be able to lock in and communicate telepathically with one another. In particular, the musical interaction of the rhythm section (Hancock, Carter and Williams) at this venue is simply outstanding.

There is much more that I could add about the music contained in this box set. As stated previously, this is a document of a transitional period in the life of Miles Davis. However, it is certainly not insignificant or "throw away" music. Yes, there are a few "standard" selections from the Miles Davis songbook that are repeated on several of the live concerts presented here, however, the band takes risks and pushes the musical envelope- stretching the boundaries on this material, thus creating exciting and rewarding music for the listener. From this writer's perspective, the music on this box set is exceptional (and still holds up by today's standards), and is another must have for the serious Miles Davis collector.

The Story of the Birth of the Second Quintet.......2007-02-02

After Miles' first great quintet had disbanded, he was at a point of transition. Though he soldiered on for a couple of years with Hank Mobley, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb, a group that produced some amazing music (Someday My Prince Will Come, Friday and Saturday Nights At The Blackhawk), he wasn't breaking any new ground artistically. And though that period of his career rates as a favorite with many a Miles fan, Miles himself was not exceedingly happy with the group (Mobley in particular), feeling that he was in an artistic "rut" of sorts. It was around this time that Kelly, Chambers and Cobb left the group to pursue their own interests, effectively leaving Miles without a group, and thus beginning a transition that would culminate with his soon-to-be legendary second quintet.

The story begins in 1963, with Miles putting together a new group and laying down tracks for his next record, Seven Steps To Heaven. The new group began with tenor saxophonist George Coleman and bassist Ron Carter. Drummer Frank Butler was enlisted, though Miles really wanted 17-year-old prodigy Tony Williams, who had commitments at the time with Jackie McLean. Pianist Victor Feldman rounded out the group, and brought along some fresh and lyrical new material ("Joshua" and "Seven Steps To Heaven"). Feldman declined Davis' offer to join the band, so Davis went back to New York and finished the record with Herbie Hancock on piano and Tony Williams on drums, who was now free from his commitment with McLean. It was evident from the first session that the group was going to be special; it was Williams' amazing ability and propulsive force that drove the group and forced everyone else to play beyond their abilities. Miles knew that Williams (and his feel for the "new thing") was needed to guide him towards developing a new sound, so he relied heavily upon his direction and advice during the formation of this group. Disc one (and half of disc two) contains the entire album Seven Steps To Heaven, along with previously unreleased rehearsal and alternate takes.

Starting midway through disc two, this set chronicles Miles' new group as they experiment with the tenor chair, beginning with their appearance at the Antibes Festival in France (released in 1964 as Miles Davis In Europe). Though the set still consists of the same mixture of Miles' "hits" from the Coltrane era and standards (along with the new Feldman tunes), the band managed to stretch and mold the material into an entirely new form, almost unrecognizable from previous arrangements. Williams drives the group, often at breakneck tempos, controlling the tempo with his frenetic ride cymbal work, pushing and pulling the meter and pulling out all the polyrhythmic stops. His mastery of the drums is flat out amazing and unprecedented (and still unmatched), regardless of age. His arrival on the scene totally changed the way jazz drummers would play from that point on, and many an experienced veteran was sent back to the woodshed after hearing him for the first time.

The real highlight of this set is discs four and five, which consist of the entire performance at the Philharmonic Hall in New York on Feb. 12, 1964, which had been released in 1965 and 1966 as My Funny Valentine and Four & More, respectively. The entire concert is presented for the first time in its entirety, and includes a previously unreleased version of "Autumn Leaves." This recording represents this incarnation of the group at its absolute finest, as the play with a passion and intensity that results in an invigorating and uplifting experience. The band's intensity may have been borne of the fact that Miles had just informed them before going onstage that their usual earnings were being donated to charity that evening, which enraged the group to the point of exchanging words with the leader. Miles himself suggests in his autobiography that their anger was responsible for their frenetic performance; he also says that Coleman played that night better than he's ever heard him play.

It was Coleman, however, that was the one piece of the puzzle that still was not quite the right fit. He plays throughout this set with a brilliantly melodic ease, with clean and lyrical lines firmly entrenched in the bebop tradition. Williams was dissatisfied with Coleman's playing, however, which he thought was too traditional for his tastes. Likewise, the group was a bit too adventurous for Coleman's tastes, so he left and was replaced at Williams' urging by Sam Rivers. The sixth disc of this set features Rivers on the album Miles In Tokyo, which had been released in 1969 as and was previously available only in Japan. Rivers is an intriguing option, sort of the anti-Coleman, if you will, with his angular and often guttural sound that skirted the boundaries of tradition and form and eschewed traditional bebop clichés. Regardless of who is manning the tenor chair, the group remains cohesive and inspired, and often explosive.

Ultimately, Rivers proved to be a bit too far out for what Miles was looking for, which was exploratory, yet still respective of the boundaries of time, melody and structure. Upon returning from Tokyo, Miles received word that Wayne Shorter was now free from his commitment with Art Blakey, so he immediately offered him the job. Shorter proved to be just what Miles was looking for, the perfect compromise between Coleman's melodic traditionalism and Rivers' exploratory modernism. In addition to being a fine soloist, Shorter was a great writer, whose compositions brought to the quintet the infusion of new material it had so sorely needed. The final disc consists of a recording of the band's appearance in Berlin, which was released in 1969 as Miles In Berlin, and was previously only available in Germany. This disc captures Shorter still settling in a bit, though it is immediately evident that his distinct voice is a perfect fit for the group, thus concluding an 18-month audition for a saxophonist.

Labor pains have never been so pleasurable........2006-05-16

This box set begins with a false start (a session in LA with a pick-up group), but then bursts into flower as Miles acquires a rhythm section of mere kids; those kids, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and particluarly seventeen year-old tinderbox Tony Williams, light such a blaze that they will propel the leader from the massive re-working of his live-set documented here (the continuous sets played without breaks between songs, breakneck tempos, or else abrupt shifts in tempo, a return to modal playing not heard from Miles since Kind of Blue), to the edge of Free Jazz (documented in the Plugged Nickel box), to a whole new songbook of originals that sound shockingly Ornette Coleman-ish (the ESP box set) and finally into r&b grooves and electricity. All in just four years. No artist in jazz ever mutated so quickly, and as Miles says of this group, "It wasn't all me, it was them too."

This box covers the first stage of that extraordinary journey. It could well be dubbed the search for the saxophonist, as the band picks up then discards hard-boppish George Coleman, avant gardist Sam Rivers, and finally splits the difference stylistically by settling on Wayne Shorter. Aside from two perfunctory studio dates on the first disc, we then get four concerts from 1963-64(Antibes and the famous CORE concert with Coleman, a Tokyo date with Rivers, and a Berlin date with Shorter); much of the repertory is the same from show to show, but I feel that actually increases rather than diminishes the interest of this box; for in the great jazz tradition, Heraclitus-like,these improvisors never approach the material the same way twice. These recordings are transitional, a warm-up for the material on the ESP and Plugged Nickel box sets; But Miles Davis' transitional periods would be considered masterpieces for most other artists. Plus, none of these concerts have ever been released complete and un-edited before, the CORE concert (originally split artificially into ballads and fast numbers) has been restored to its proper order, and the sound is spectacular. Finally, note-for-note, this might be the most technically perfect trumpet playing of Miles' career. His high-notes, virgin territory for him, are hair-raising, and he would never play at such untrammelled length again. This alone makes this set mandatory.

Some of Miles' Best Playing.......2006-02-28

Yes, this set gets a little repetitive. But I like it because 1) the studio sessions are gorgeous, a continuation of the ideas laid down on "Kind of Blue", 2) it actually is interesting to compare Coleman and Rivers and Shorter, and 3) this is some of Mile's best playing, studio or live. He is inspired by the new band, and he is on FIRE.

Music in between eras........2005-11-04

Some music invariably slips through the cracks, particularly when a musician has as enormous a catalog as Miles Davis. Certainly, "Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Miles Davis 1963-1964" covers one such period. Admittedly, it's an easy period to overlook-- after the triumphs of John Coltrane's tenure with the band and the brilliant collaborations with Gil Evans, Davis was tapped out. Coltrane left the band in 1960, his replacement Hank Mobley never seemed to work out, and the rhythm section left en masse.

So Davis began gathering a new band, starting with tenor saxophonist George Coleman and bassist Ron Carter. Coleman, unrecognized, was a sax player who could match Davis both in energy and lyricism, while Carter was one of those rare virtuosos of the bass who could make just about everyone stop in their tracks. Davis briefly worked with pianist Victor Feldman and drummer Frank Butler in the studio in 1963 before completing his first small-band studio record in two years with pianist Herbie Hancock and drummer Tony Williams. In Hancock and Williams, he had musicians who could play straight, but who were also interested in the burgeoning avant-garde movement, and who would eventually help push Davis to the free jazz line.

"Seven Steps to Heaven" proved to be the only studio session Davis would do until 1965-- the album itself is a bit fractured with the different rhythm sections, but it plays nicely, with Davis framed by Feldman or Hancock and playing lyrically throughout. Coleman, for his part, seems remarkably out of place (when he's present, Davis works as a quartet on the ballads), but most noticable is the presence of Williams on the cuts from the last session-- his explosiveness coaxes dynamic performances out of Davis.

Coleman stayed wiht the band until the spring of 1964-- three shows, one from Antibes in 1963 (released as "Miles in Europe") and two sets from New York City in 1964 (split up as "My Funny Valentine" and "Four and MOre") document his time with Davis. The quintet performs excitedly, with the rhythm section encouraging Davis and Coleman, the latter challenging the leader to better performances, but it seems quite honestly that everyone seems to run out of steam now and again on these sessions, particularly the '63 show. Nonetheless, there's many just superb performances throughout the sets, in particular from 1964.

But in the spring Coleman left and Davis needed a replacement for a summer tour of Japan in 1964, picking up Sam Rivers for what would be recorded as "Miles in Tokyo". Rivers was a square peg in a round hole with the Davis band-- his playing is agressive and powerful, but eschews conventional rhythm and sound and sometimes even looses the rhythm section. As exciting as the performance is to hear because of its historical oddity, it just doesn't work.

The final disc in the set finds Davis with the band that would be integral to the next several years of his career-- tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter finally filled the reed seat in his band for a European fall tour. The resulting show (released separtely as "Miles in Berlin") finds Davis and company feeling each other out-- the performances are quite good but stuck pretty close to the mainstream.

Like all the Columbia boxed sets, this one comes with rather extensive liner notes and superb sound, it's really a nice package (and looks great next to the rest of the series). Davis' career would have higher points, but there's enough interesting material in here to make this worth having.

The Complete Columbia Recordings: Miles Davis & John Coltrane

Average customer rating:

Not for everyone, but great for its target audience

The Complete Columbia Recordings: Miles Davis & John Coltrane
Miles Davis , and John Coltrane
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings 1963-1964
COLTRANE The Classic Quartet: Complete Impulse! Studio Recordings

ASIN: B00020W0YM
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Tracks:

Two Bass Hit
Two Bass Hit
Ah-Leu-Cha
Ah-Leu-Cha
Ah-Leu-Cha
Little Melonae
Budo
Budo
Dear Old Stockholm
Bye Bye Blackbird
Bye Bye Blackbird
Tadd's Delight
Tadd's Delight

Tracks:

Dear Old Stockholm
All of You
All of You
Sweet Sue, Just You
Sweet Sue, Just You [False Start with Discussion]
Sweet Sue, Just You
Sweet Sue, Just You
Miles Davis Comments
'Round Midnight
Two Bass Hit
Two Bass Hit
Billy Boy
Straight, No Chaser

Tracks:

Straight, No Chaser
Milestones
Milestones
Sid's Ahead
Little Melonae
Dr. Jackle
On Green Dolphin Street
Fran-Dance
Fran-Dance
Stella by Starlight

Tracks:

Love for Sale
Freddie Freeloader
Freddie Freeloader
So What
Blue in Green
Flamenco Sketches
Miles Davis Comments
Flamenco Sketches
All Blues

Tracks:

Someday My Prince Will Come
Teo
Introduction by Willis Conover - John Coltrane, Willis Conover, Miles Davis
Ah-Leu-Cha
Straight, No Chaser
Fran-Dance
Two Bass Hit
Bye Bye Blackbird
Theme

Tracks:

If I Were a Bell
Oleo
My Funny Valentine
Straight, No Chaser

Customer Reviews:

Not for everyone, but great for its target audience.......2006-09-26

Who should buy this set? Well first of all anyone interested in Miles Davis or John Coltrane and especially their interplay together will probably be interested, but this set seems to have been made for the completist or armchair jazz scholar. This is more of a personal library piece, to be treated as such rather than an introduction or overview of these two jazz "giants". This set covers Miles Davis' work with John Coltrane during Miles' time with Columbia Records. The albums that this would entail are:
'Round About Midnight
Milestones
Miles At Newport
Kind Of Blue
Someday My Prince Will Come
As well as many alternate takes and live recordings not found on these albums.
So you may have heard that Kind Of Blue is a great starting point for jazz. This colletion comprises that entire album and some alternate takes, but the disc that has that album has another song at the beginning and some Miles Davis comments as well as presenting the tracks out of order from the original album order. There is nothing like putting in Kind Of Blue for the first time, hearing the low bass strumming and the explosion of Miles' first notes of "So What". Here you would have to skip to track 4 and then back around for that experience. Or what if (like me) Someday My Prince Will Come is one of your favorite albums by early Columbia Miles Davis. Sadly Coltrane did not play with Miles on every track so the album is not included here in its entirety for obvious reasons. Many times alternate takes are placed one after the other for comparison sake. Rather than listening to these discs like albums with an overall feel, these discs should really be approached as study guides and keys to the interworking of Miles and Trane.
If you are new to jazz or at least to Miles and Coltrane then buy Kind Of Blue and explore it over and over, buy Someday My Prince Will Come and listen to "Pfrancing" and see if it does not speak to you.
If you have the aforementioned albums and you do not really care about alternate takes or the liner notes, then this set was not made for you.
If you have had the aforementioned albums for some time and you love Miles and Trane, buy this set and dig deeper. Listen to the alternate takes placed next to the takes you remember from the albums. Study Miles and Trane together, the call and response, the give and take. Read the wonderful booklet enclosed with the set and learn more about Miles and trane and the other musicians in this classic quintet.

The Miles Davis and Gil Evans: Complete Columbia Studio Recordings

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The Miles Davis and Gil Evans: Complete Columbia Studio Recordings
Miles Davis , and Gil Evans
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Live at the Five Spot
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Sun Ship
Blowin' the Blues Away
The Miles Davis Quintet, 1965-68: The Complete Columbia Studio

ASIN: B0002199H2
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Tracks:

Springville
The Maids Of Cadiz
The Duke
My Ship
Miles Ahead
Blues For Pablo
New Rhumba
The Meaning Of The Blues
Lament
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You)
Springsville (Remake Take 7)
The Maids Of Cadiz (Take 1)
The Duke (Take 11)
My Ship (Take 1)
Miles Ahead (Take 4)
Blues For Pablo (Take 1)
New Rhumba (Take 5)
The Meaning Of The Blues (Rehearsal Take)
Lament (Rehearsal Take)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) (Take 8)
Pause Track

Tracks:

Buzzard Song
Bess, You Is My Woman Now
Gone
Gone, Gone, Gone
Summertime
Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess
Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus)
Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab
My Man's Gone Now
It Ain't Necessarily So
Here Come De Honey Man
I Loves You, Porgy
There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York
Gone (Take 3)
Summertime (Take 2)
Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus) (Take 2)
I Loves You, Porgy (Take 1, Second Version)
There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York (Take 2)
Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess (Take 5)
Gone (Take 4)
Pause Track

Tracks:

Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio)
Will O' The Wisp
The Pan Piper
Saeta
Solea
Song Of Our Country (Issued Take)
Saeta (Full Version Of Master)
The Pan Piper (Take 1)
Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio) (Part One, Alternate Take)
Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio) (Part Two, Alternate Take)
Song Of Our Country (Take 14)
Pause Track

Tracks:

Song No. 2
Once Upon A Summertime
Ads Pes Da Cruz
Song No. 1
Wait Till You See Her
Corcovado (Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars)
Blue Xmas
Nothing Like You
Devil May Care
The Time Of The Barracudas
Falling Water (Take 4)
Falling Water (Take 6)
Falling Water (Take 8)
Falling Water (Take 9)
Springsville (Take 5)
The Maids Of Cadiz (Take 11)
The Maids Of Cadiz (Take 11, Insert 1)
Lament (Medley: Take 2)
The Duke (Take 1)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) (53225 Issued Version)

Tracks:

Springsville (Rehearsal Sequence)
Springsville (Rehearsal With Piano)
The Maids Of Cadiz (Take 9)
The Maids Of Cadiz (Take 10)
The Maids Of Cadiz (Rehearsal Sequence)
Count Off For The Duke (Take 3)
The Duke (Take 8)
The Duke (Piano Take 3)
My Ship (Take 6)
Miles Ahead (Rehearsal Sequence)
Miles Ahead (Take 12)
Miles Ahead (Take 15)
Studio Discussion
My Ship (Take 7)
Miles Ahead (Piano Insert-Mono)
Blues For Pablo (Rehearsal Sequence)
New Rhumba (Take 2)
Lament (Take 1)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) (Take 5)
Studio Discussion
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You)
Pause Track

Tracks:

Studio Discussion
Springsville (Take 8 Without Overdubs)
Studio Discussion
Miles Ahead (Take 11 Without Overdubs)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) (Take 3 Without Overdubs)
Springsville (Overdubs Take 1)
Springsville (Overdubbed Solos 4-5)
Springsville (Overdubbed Solos 6-9)
Springsville (Issued Overdubbed Solo)
Miles Ahead (Issued Overdubbed Solo)
Miles Ahead (Overdubbed Solo)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) (Overdubbed Solo 1)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) (Overdubbed Solo 2)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) (Overdubbed Solo)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You (Overdubbed Solo 9)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) (Overdubbed Solo 19 & 19c)
Miles Ahead (Mono Master)
Gone (Rehearsal Sequence)
Gone, Gone, Gone (Rehearsal Sequence)
Studio Discussion
Bess, You Is My Woman Now
It Ain't Necessarily So
Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess
I Loves You, Porgy (Rehearsal Sequence)
There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York (Remake)
My Man's Gone Now (Remake Take)
Song Of Our Country (Take 9)
Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio) (Rehearsal)
Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio) (Alternate Ending)
Pause Track

Amazon.com

From their first work together on the Birth of the Cool sessions in 1949, Miles Davis and Gil Evans forged a unique relationship as great soloist and brilliant arranger. The real opportunity to explore their shared vision didn't come until 1957, however, when Davis had forged a relationship with a major record label able to support it. Though a product of the big-band tradition, Evans was never limited by sectional voicings and riffs. He had an interest in unusual instrumentation and a talent for creating subtle mixes of distinct voices, adding French horns, oboe, bassoon, and harp to the conventional big band and thinning its saxophone, trumpet, and trombone sections. His arrangements for Davis are like settings for the finest jewels, whether he's creating rich, brass chords or adding only light percussion to the trumpeter's solitary lament. Together Davis and Evans produced three orchestral masterpieces: Miles Ahead (1957), Porgy and Bess (1958), and Sketches of Spain (1960). They're all here, along with less-inspired, later projects like the Quiet Nights bossa nova album. What most distinguishes the box set is the archival work of Phil Schaap, who has compiled a wealth of alternate takes. They reveal much about the processes that went into these works, including extensive editing and even some overdubbing. As early as 1957, Evans and Davis were already beginning to use the studio itself as an integral part of their music. --Stuart Broomer

Average customer rating:

Hearing Masterpieces In Progress
Why Boxed Sets Aren't For Everyone
The music -- perfection! This package -- a rip-off!
THANKS!........
Miles can do no wrong

The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings
Miles Davis , and Gil Evans
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Cool Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

The Complete Columbia Recordings: Miles Davis & John Coltrane
The Complete Columbia Studio Sessions, 1965-68
Blowin' the Blues Away
Out to Lunch
Live at the Five Spot

ASIN: B000002BDB
Release Date: 1996-09-03

Tracks:

Springsville
The Maids Of Cadiz
The Duke
My Ship
Miles Ahead
Blues For Pablo
New Rhumba
The Meaning Of The Blues
Lament
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed(By Anyone But You)
Springsville (Remake Take 7)
The Maids Of Cadiz (Take1)
The Duke (Take 11)
My Ship (Take 1)
Miles Ahead (Take 4)
Blues For Pablo (Take 1)
New Rhumba (Take 5)
The Meaning Of The Blues (Rehearsal Take)
Lament (Rehearsal Take)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You)(Take8)
Pause Track

Tracks:

Buzzard Song
Bess, You Is My Woman Now
Gone
Gone, Gone, Gone
Summertime
Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess
Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus)
Fishermen, Strawberry And Devil Crab
My Man's Gone Now
It Ain't Necessarily So
Here Comes De Honey Man
I Loves You, Porgy
There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York
Gone (Take3)
Summertime (Take 2)
Prayer (Oh Doctor Jesus) (Take 2)
I Loves You, Porgy (Take 1, Second Version)
There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York (Take 2)
Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess (Take 5)
Gone (Take 4)
Pause Track

Tracks:

Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio)
Will O' The Wisp
The Pan Piper
Saeta
Solea
Song Of Our Country (Issued take)
Saeta (Full Version Of Master)
The Pan Piper (Take 1)
Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio) (Part One, Alternate take)
Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio) (Part Two, Alternate take)
Song Of Our Country (Take 14)
Pause Track

Tracks:

Song No. 2
Once Upon A Summertime
Aos Pes Da Cruz
Song No. 1
Wait Till You See Her
Corcovado
Blue Xmas
Nothing Like You
Devil May Care
The Time Of The Barracudas
Falling Water (Take 4)
Falling Water (Take 6)
Falling Water (Take 8)
Falling Water (Take 9)
Springsville (Take 5)
The Maids Of Cadiz (Take11)
The Maids Of Cadiz (Take11, Insert 1)
Lament (Medley: Take 2)
The Duke (Take 1)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Any One But You)(53225 Issued Version)

Tracks:

Springsville (Rehearsal Sequence)
Springsville (Rehearsal With Piano)
The Maids Of Cadiz (Take 9)
The Maids Of Cadiz (Take 10)
The Maids Of Cadiz (Rehearsal Sequence)
Count Off For The Duke (Take 3)
The Duke (Take8)
The Duke (Piano Take 3)
My Ship (Take 6)
Miles Ahead (Rehearsal Sequence)
Miles Ahead (Take 12)
Miles Ahead (Take 15)
Studio Discussion
My Ship (Take 7)
Miles Ahead (Piano Insert-Mono)
Blues For Pablo (Rehearsal Sequence)
New Rhumba (Take 2)
Lament (Take 1)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) (Rehearsal)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) (Take 5)
Studio Discussion
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You)(Piano Take 4)
Pause Track

Tracks:

Studio Discussion
Springsville (Take 8 Without Overdubs)
Studio Discussion
Miles Ahead (Take 11 Without Overdubs)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But Yoy)(Take 3 Without Overdubs)
Springville (Overdub Take 1)
Springville (Overdubbed Solos 4-5)
Springville (Overdubbed Solos 6-9)
Springville (Issued Overdubbed Solo)
Miles Ahead (Issued Overdubbed Solo)
Miles Ahead (Overdubbed Solo)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) (Overdubbed Solo 1)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) (Overdubbed Solo 2)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) (Overdubbed Solo 4)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You) (Overdubbed Solo 8)
I Don't Wanna Be Kissed (By Anyone But You)(Overdubbed Solo 19 & 19C
Miles Ahead (Mono Master)
Gone (Rehearsal Sequence)
Gone, Gone, Gone (Rehearsal Sequence)
Studio Discussion
Bess, You Is My Woman Now (Rehearsal Take)
It Ain't Necessarily So (Take 1)
Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess (Take 3)
I Loves You, Porgy (Rehearsal Sequence)
There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For NewYork (Remake)
My Man's Gone Now (Remake Take)
Song Of Our Country (Take 9)
Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio) (Rehearsal)
Concierto De Aranjuez (Adagio) (Alternate Ending)
Pause Track

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Hearing Masterpieces In Progress.......2007-01-16

Amen to a lot of what other reviewers have said here. Here's my two cents: I enjoy listening to these albums very much (Sketches of Spain is my favorite in this collection because it's so damn beautiful and creative). But I also enjoy listening to the outtakes.

Yes, most of these outtakes deserve to be on the cutting room floor. But it is neat to listen to Miles and Gil work out those phrases that we all know and love so very much. It's sort of like looking over Picasso's shoulder as he paints or Hemingway's as he writes. The outtakes let you hear a little bit on how these masterpieces were put together.

Why Boxed Sets Aren't For Everyone.......2006-05-08

The four albums (well, three and a half) that trumpeter Miles Davis and arranger Gil Evans recorded together between 1957 and 1964 rank among the most celebrated works in either man's discography, and indeed they contain a wealth of fine music. They were and remain, however, carefully rendered studio sculptures, pared down from many hours' worth of recordings deemed unworthy of release at the time by the principals, whose judgment we should certainly note even if we choose to ignore it, as Columbia Records has repeatedly done (for better and worse) in assembling and releasing its ongoing series of "complete" Miles Davis boxed sets.
Miles' and Gil's COMPLETE COLUMBIA STUDIO RECORDINGS was, of course, the very first of these packages, and as such it has served as the mould for all of the expertly remastered, tastefully packaged and extensively annotated boxes which have followed over the past decade. No doubt about it: it's a first-class piece of work. The trouble, alas, is the music itself, which in this case really does disprove the old adage about too much never being enough. Stunning as they frequently are in their own right, these precisely orchestrated, heavily arranged pieces don't lend themselves particularly well to alternate versions and outtakes; and with nearly three whole CDs (each the length of two full albums) devoted to material from the single LP MILES AHEAD, monotony is a powerful presence in this box.
Fortunately, MILES AHEAD - as well as PORGY & BESS, SKETCHES OF SPAIN and QUIET NIGHTS - can be easily obtained by itself with the same wonderful sound and even a few of the bonus tracks included herein; and unless you're utterly fascinated by the long, slow process through which albums are - or at least were - assembled, that would probably be the better way to go. Kudos to Columbia for its fine Miles boxes (all of which started here) nevertheless!

The music -- perfection! This package -- a rip-off! .......2005-02-06

I bought this awhile back, and I wish I hadn't. The music, of course, cannot be over-praised -- five stars just aren't enough. I am infinitely grateful that this music graces our planet, and my life. Thank you, Miles and Gil and company!

So what's the problem? This package (Columbia 67397, $110 at this writing) is awful. It's at least sixty percent alternate takes, rehearsal fragments, and studio chatter. If that stuff interests you, great -- I just want the core music. The physical package stinks, too. The discs are in cardboard sleeves, difficult to extract, and the book can't be read at all unless it's removed from the binding (and, in my opinion, there's very little of interest in the book).

All four original discs, with the same remastering and all the significant alternate takes, can be purchased right here at Amazon for $45. The only new (previously unreleased) material, "Time of the Barracudas" is included on "Quiet Nights," so you're not missing out on anything. Spend the $65 difference on more music, not pretty packaging and filler.

THANKS!...............2003-09-04

...THESE CATS MILES AND GIL WERE TERRIFIC TOGETHER! I CAN LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM A 1000 TIMES MORE THAN I PLAYED IT! SUMMERTIME IS MY FAVORITE AND LIKE LIFE ITSELF IT IS JUST TOO DAMN SHORT! 3:16 HEY! ISN'T THAT IN THE BIBLE SOME WHERE? ANYWAY, TO MILES AND GIL FOR STOPPING BY ON EARTH HERE..THANKS!

Miles can do no wrong.......2002-08-08

I already own three other Miles Davis Box Sets; the one with John Coltrane, the "In A Silent Way" Box Set and the "Live At The Plugged Nickel 1965" set. Of course, these three box sets are far more exciting than this one. With Coltrane you get "Kind of Blue", the first real 'Modal Jazz' album, the "Plugged Nickel" is really exciting and furiously loose hard bop and "In A Silent Way" is the beginnings of fusion. With all these things stacked up against it, what would a Hard Bop loving cat like myself find appealing in this collection of cool toned orchestrated music?

Well this is really GOOD cool jazz, not the lousy stuff you get on radio. Every album (even the not-so-good Quiet Nights) is really good. My favourite is the material that makes up Sketches of Spain. This album is just amazing. It is not really jazz or classical music, but is really great.

All in all a great box set; not just for the people who are into cool jazz but for hard boppers looking for a little distraction.

Second Chance: The Complete Barry! and Columbia Recordings
Average customer rating:
Second Chance: The Complete Barry! and Columbia Recordings
Thelma Jones
Manufacturer: Kent UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | R&B | Styles | Music
General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000P0JQ46
Release Date: 2007-06-26

Tracks:

Stronger
Never Leave Me
Gotta Find A Way
Oh - Oh, Here Comes The Heartbreak
Souvenirs Of A Heartbreak (Previously Unissued Alternate Take Of Barry 1018)
I Won't Give Up My Man (Previously Unissued Alternate Take Of Barry 1018)
The House That Jack Built
Give It To Me Straight
Second Chance
Mr. Fix-It
Salty Tears
You're The Song (That I Can't Stop Singing)
I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Ove
Love, Look What You Got Me Into
Lonely, Enough To Try Anything
I Want What You Want
I Second That Emotion
I Can Dream
Now That We Found Love
Angel Of The Morning
How Long
Stay A While With Me

Album Description

Cult 60s/70s soul heroine Thelma Jones has recently made an acclaimed singing comeback, after more than a quarter of a century of audio silence. In celebration of her upcoming UK `live' debut, Kent has compiled - for the first time anywhere - her complete 1960s recordings for the Barry! label, and all of her issued 1970s Columbia masters. Collectively, these comprise Ms Jones' entire catalogue prior to her recent comeback.

"Second Chance" offers full proof that all that prevented Thelma Jones from becoming a full fledged Soul superstar was bad luck. Just as her record `The House That Jack Built' was shaping up to be massive in 1968, Aretha Franklin covered it and had the hit that should have been Thelma's. Despite having a radio hit with the well-remembered `Salty Tears' in 1976, she found herself swimming against the tide of Disco and was unable to place any of her Columbia recordings on the charts. But what Thelma lacked in chart presence she more than made up for in soul - and here's all the proof you will ever need of that.

Writers and producers here that will excite all true soul fans include Sam Dees, Teddy Randazzo, Robert Banks, Bert De Coteaux and many more top-tier talents who were only too happy to bring something to the table for Thelma Jones.

Album Description

Second Chance offers full proof that all that prevented Thelma Jones from becoming a full fledged Soul superstar was bad luck. Just as her record The House That Jack Built was shaping up to be massive in 1968, Aretha Franklin covered it and had the hit that should have been Thelma's. Despite having a radio hit with the well-remembered 'Salty Tears' in 1976, she found herself swimming against the tide of Disco and was unable to place any of her Columbia recordings on the charts. But what Thelma lacked in chart presence she more than made up for in soul - and here's all the proof you will ever need of that. Writers and producers here that will excite all true soul fans include Sam Dees, Teddy Randazzo, Robert Banks, Bert De Coteaux and many more top-tier talents who were only too happy to bring something to the table for Thelma Jones.

Complete Columbia & RCA Victor Recordings

Average customer rating:

John Kirby
a gem from an underrated band

Complete Columbia & RCA Victor Recordings
John Kirby Sextet
Manufacturer: Definitive Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Orchestral Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

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Biggest Little Band in the Land
Night Whispers: 1938-1946
The Complete Decca Studio Master Takes 1940-1949
The Complete Decca Studio Master Takes 1935-1939
The 1930's Recordings

ASIN: B00004Z55U
Release Date: 2004-04-05

Tracks:

It Feels So Good
Effervescent Blues
Turf
Dawn on the Desert
Anitra's Dance
Sweet Georgia Brown
Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes
Minute Waltz
Front and Center
Royal Garden Blues
Opus 5
Fantasy Impromptu
Blue Skies
Rose Room
I May Be Wrong (But I Think You're Wonderful)
Little Brown Jug
Nocturne
One Alone
Humoresque
Serenade
Jumpin' in the Pump Room
Milumbu
You Go Your Way
20th Century Closet
Temptation
Blues Petite

Tracks:

On a Little Street in Singapore
Chloe
Andiology
Can't We Be Friends?
Then I'll Be Happy (I Wanna Go Where You Go/Do What You Do)
I Love You Truly
Frasquita Serenade
Sextet from Lucia
Coquette
Zooming at the Zombie
Bounce of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Beethoven Riffs On
Double Talk (A Fugue)
Cutting the Campus
Close Shave
Bugler's Dilemma
It's Only a Paper Moon
Fifi's Rhapsody
Night Whispers
Tweed Me Down
Move Over
Wondering Where
Keep Smilin'
Comin' Back
No Blues at All
St. Louis Blues

Album Description

The complete recordings made by the legendary Only master takes. For the first time in one set. 2 CD set

Customer Reviews:

John Kirby.......2007-04-10

This was one of the best bands, little or big, of the swing era. It contained a great trumpet player in Charlie Shavers. I saw him with Tommy Dorsey at the Aragon ballroom in Chicago -1945. And again with JATP.
The other personal are all fine in their own right!
These CD's cover the years from 1938 through 1942 and most of all the recordings he made in that era.
Fifty-two selections, a great example of his work and the best of his work!
I was so glad to get these on CD. I had very little of his music till now.
Highly recommended!

Rod

a gem from an underrated band.......2005-08-02

why the john kirby sextet is not better known is a complete mystery to me. they had all the style, talent and heart of any big band out there. and even though i grew up with a grandfather who taught me to love big band jazz, it took listening to don byron's "bug music" to finally find john kirby. as he says, they were brave, sophisticated and made up of some of the finest african-american jazz players of the period. give it a try - you won't be disappointed.

Average customer rating:

Sweet stuff from the peak of the crooning era
Sweet stuff from the peak of the crooning era

The Complete Columbia Recordings
Dick Haymes with Harry James and Benny Goodman
Manufacturer: Collector's Choice
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

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Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Traditional & Vocal Pop | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Complete Capitol Collection
Golden Years of Dick Haymes
Keep It Simple
Sings for You
The Ultimate Collection

ASIN: B00000DGQE
Release Date: 1998-10-20

Tracks:

I Never Purposely Hurt You
Montevideo
Ol' Man River
Walkin' By The River
Braggin'
Dolores
For Want Of A Star
I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)
Juanita (Previously Unreleased)
Don't Cry, Cherie
Aurora
My Silent Love
Lament To Love
Lost In Love
A Sinner Kissed An Angel

Tracks:

I Guess I'll Have To Dream The Rest
Yes Indeed!
It's So Peaceful In The Country
I'll Never Let A Day Pass By
Rancho Pillow
Minka
You've Changed
The Man With The Lollypop Song
The Devil Sat Down And Cried (With Helen Forrest)
You Don't Know What Love Is
Day Dreaming
I've Got A Gal In Kalamazoo
Take Me
Serenade In Blue
Idaho

Customer Reviews:

Sweet stuff from the peak of the crooning era.......2003-05-29

This 2-CD set covers all the Columbia studio singles crooner Dick Haymes recorded with bandleader Harry James during a fabled 1939-1941 association wherein Haymes was famously brought in as the replacement for bobbysoxer idol Frank Sinatra. Also included are a handful of tunes recorded with Benny Goodman, during a short stint with his band. It's all delightfully corny, cornball material -- Haymes was a real smoothie, with a light, silken baritone and an unabashed penchant for syrupy sentiment. He doesn't seem as heartfelt as many of his big band contemporaries, but he's certainly a man of his times. If you dig schmaltzy, romantic pop vocals (and the sweet sound of James' sleek arrangements) then this is a set you'll wanna check out.

Sweet stuff from the peak of the crooning era.......2003-05-28

Second Chance- The Complete Barry! And Columbia Recordings

Average customer rating:

Second Chance- The Complete Barry! And Columbia Recordings
Thelma Jones
Manufacturer: Kent Music/City Hall
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000PHX4XS
Release Date: 2007-06-01

Ljuba Welitsch The Complete Columbia Recordings

Average customer rating:

Enigimatic Flame!
perhaps the most sensual of German lieder singers

Ljuba Welitsch The Complete Columbia Recordings

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Sopranos | Voices | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Tenors | Voices | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000029V9
Release Date: 1997-06-03

Tracks:

Salome, Op. 54: Final Scene
Tosca - (Act I): 'Perche chiuso?...Mia gelosa'
Tosca - (Act II): 'Vissi d'arte'
Don Giovanni - (Act I): 'Don Ottavio, son morta!...Or sai, chi l'onore'
Don Giovanni - (Act II): 'Crudele! Ah no, mio ben... Non mi dir, bell'idol mio'
Die Fledermaus: 'Czardas'
Der Zigeunerbaron: 'Habet Acht' - (Gypsy Song)
Four Last Songs: 'Fruhling'
Four Last Songs: 'September'
Four Last Songs: 'Beim Schlafengehen'
Four Last Songs: 'Im Abendrot'

Tracks:

Op. 43, No. 1: 'Von ewiger Liebe'
Op 105, No. 1: 'Wie Melodien Zieht Es Mir'
Op. 84, No. 4: 'Vergebliches Standchen'
'Die Mainacht'
'Meine Liebe ist grun'
Op. 2: 'Gretchen Am Spinnrade'
Op. 43, No. 1: 'Die Junge Nonne'
Schwanengesang: 'Liebesbotschaft'
Op. 32: 'Die Forelle'
Myrthen, Op. 25, No. 1: 'Widmung'
Liederkreis, Op. 39, No. 5: 'Mondnacht'
Myrthen, Op. 25, No. 3: 'Der Nussbaum'
Zigeunerlieder,Op. 103: No. 1
Zigeunerlieder,Op. 103: No. 2
Zigeunerlieder,Op. 103: No. 4
Zigeunerlieder,Op. 103: No. 7
'Mne Grustno'
''Mel'nik'
'Gde ti, zvezdochka?'
'Hat Dich Die Liebe Beruhrt'
'Valse De Chopin'
'Dei Nacht' - Op. 10, No. 3
'Cacilie' - Op. 27, No.2
'Ich atmet' einen linden Duft'
'Blicke Mir Nicht In Die Lieder'
'Ich Bin Der Welt Abhanden Gekommen'
'Um Mitternacht' - (Incomplete)

Amazon.com

Ljuba Welitsch had a short career, her stardom spanning the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s. Perhaps this is because she gave so much of herself--even on records you feel she's operating on all cylinders. Her most famous role, Salome, is represented here by the closing scene with Fritz Reiner and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, recorded at the time of her triumphant New York debut. She was also a great Donna Anna, her rendition of the big arias from Don Giovanni full of fire and thrust. Tosca's "Vissi d'arte" is a passionate reading, one of the best on disc. The song disc is more variable but always interesting. A great singer, captured in her prime. -- Dan Davis

Amazon.com

Half of Bulgarian soprano Ljuba Welitsch's Columbia output stems from her salad days at the Met, when her silvery voice cut across the footlights like liquid fire. The 1950 Tosca and Don Giovanni selections, as well as her incomparable Salome Final Scene with the fiery Fritz Reiner at the helm, sound more potent than ever in these 20-bit transfers from original source material. Also memorable are two delicately scaled Joseph Marx lieder and a peerless Strauss Cacille. Sadly, the 1952-3 lieder sessions find Welitsch in dire straits: her voice has acquired a papery edge, with perceptive decline in intonation and breath control. Give Paul Ulanowsky credit, though, for admirably maneuvering through the thankless, Crisco-thick piano "deorchestrations" of Strauss' Four Last Songs. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Enigimatic Flame!.......2003-11-14

This woman moved me! I felt exitement, finality, pain, passion, victory, sensuousness, and nostalgia of a time unknown to me. The Salome aria is the most convincingly and beautifully sung I have ever heard by far. The thread of sound is never broken. The lieder selections are very lovely and interestingly personal, not at all detached or serious; a joy. Strauss' Four Last Songs done with piano are quite effective as such.

The recorded sound is very impressive; a clean, full-bodied sound. Columbia's mono recordings are absolutely superior.

This soprano seemed to have something very important to say. There is an ever present urgency in her delivery, a haste, and a desperation that clings to the heart. As she sings, she invokes compassion, mystery, fear and joy.

Please hear this woman!

perhaps the most sensual of German lieder singers.......1999-08-22

This collection of Ljuba Welitsch's singing Strauss is an great example of a singer's cultural connection to a composer giving her an almost eerily innate feeling for the music. Welitsch's voice can only be described as sexy, in a pre-war German sort of way, silvery hard and focused in tone combined with a sensuality of expression that is unique. She breathes life and fire into this music in a way that later singers -- even the great Elisabeth Schwarzkopf -- could not.

Album Review:

Album Review

Album Review