Collector's Item
03/17/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This triple CD is a wonderful compilation of Cole Porter's songs, a MUST for any collector of Cole Porter's music. The producers have been brilliant in compiling variations of songs done throughout the years and one can compare the original songs rendered by Cole Porter himself or Ethel Merman among others in its original version and then go for the more modern sophisticated versions with better sound equipment. The comparisons are often delightful and undoubtedly ingenious. I highly recommend it."
GREATEST COLE PORTER COLLECTION EVER!!!_A classy, witty, joy
C. P. Wilson | Seattle, WA United States | 11/04/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Professionally and lovingly compiled by The Yale Collection of Historical Sound Recordings (HSR) and The Indiana Historcal Society, this box set is PHENOMENAL!!!(probably the nicest I will ever have the pleasure of owning..if I could give it 10 STARS out of a possible 5 I would)!!! First of all it includes 3 CD's (69 recordings/songs), 1 BRILLIANT BOOK (Cole Porter History, songs, performers, disography, etc), all enclosed in a wonderfully padded box decorated with the cover art of never-surpassed Broadway artist/caricaturist, Al Hirschfeld. Second, it encompasses the very hard to find recordings of Cole Porters sassy songs of the 1930's; the decade that he broke onto and redefined Broadway. Third, you get to enjoy several different takes of 1 CP song performed by perhaps the best artists of all time, the likes of which include Judy Garland, Louis Armstrong, Teddi King, Lee Wiley, Billie Holiday, Mabel Mercer, Bill Evans, Sylvia Syms, Bobby Short, Fred Astaire, Artie Shaw, Rosemary Clooney, Benny Goodman Orchestra, Ethel Merman, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald,Tony Martin, James Stewart (yes! Jimmy Stewart sings), Lena Horne, and of course the man himself: COLE PORTER (and countless others). Not only will you have one of the best collections of Cole Porter's music but will also be introduced to the wonderful voices and jazzy styles of some artists you may have never been exposed to before-and I guarantee that this collecton will inspire you to go out and find their own recordigns too. Fourth, all the songs are organized under the subtitle of each 1930's CP Broadway musical for which it was written (i.e.The New Yorkers(1930), The Gay Divorce(32), Nymph Erant(33), Anything Goes(34), Miscellaneous Song(34), Adios Argentina(34), Jubilee (35), Born To Dance(36), Red, Hot, and Blue (36), Rosalie(37), You Never Know(38), The Sun Never Sets (38), Leave it To Me (38), The Man Who Came To Dinner (39), Broadway Melody of 1940 (39),Du Barry Was A Lady (39) -Finally, (as if this isn't enough) there is a FANTASTIC/VERY INFORMATIVE/TREASURE of a book enclosed in this 3-CD set that includes a wonderful history of Cole Porter, a break down of each song and (both it's own history as well as the very interesting stories of the peformers who sing it), an irreplacable CP Discography, and INCREDIBLE BLACK-AND-WHITE PHOTOS seen throughout! Can I get any better than this? What are you waiting for. BUY IT and demand they re-release this collection. In the meantime, if your debating spending the extra cash for this now OOP collection, I can assure you-IT'S TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!"
Track Listings (22) - Disc #1