How Long Has This Been Going On? - Peggy Lee, Gershwin, George
That Did It, Marie - Peggy Lee, Higginbotham, Irene
Winter Weather - Peggy Lee, Shapiro, Ted
Ev'rything I Love - Peggy Lee, Porter, Cole
Not Mine - Peggy Lee, Mercer, Johnny
Not a Care in the World - Peggy Lee, Duke, Vernon
My Old Flame [#] - Peggy Lee, Coslow, Sam
How Deep Is the Ocean? [#] - Peggy Lee, Berlin, Irving
Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love) - Peggy Lee, Porter, Cole
Track Listings (19) - Disc #2
Blues in the Night - Peggy Lee, Arlen, Harold
Where or When - Peggy Lee, Hart, Lorenz
On the Sunny Side of the Street - Peggy Lee, Fields, Dorothy
The Lamp of Memory (Incertidumbre) [Alternate Take][#] - Peggy Lee, Curiel, Gonzalez
If You Build a Better Mousetrap [Alternate Take][#] - Peggy Lee, Mercer, Johnny
When the Roses Bloom Again [#] - Peggy Lee, Burton, Nat
My Little Cousin - Peggy Lee, Braverman, S.
The Way You Look Tonight - Peggy Lee, Fields, Dorothy
I Threw a Kiss in the Ocean - Peggy Lee, Berlin, Irving
We'll Meet Again - Peggy Lee, Charles, Hughie
Full Moon (Noche de Luna) - Peggy Lee, Curiel, G.
There Won't Be a Shortage of Love [#] - Peggy Lee, Loeb, J.J.
You're Easy to Dance With [#] - Peggy Lee, Berlin, Irving
All I Need Is You - Peggy Lee, Davis, Benny
Why Don't You Do Right? - Peggy Lee, McCoy, Joe [1]
Let's Say a Prayer [#] - Peggy Lee, Farrow, Charles
The Freedom Train - Peggy Lee, Berlin, Irving
Keep Me in Mind [#] - Peggy Lee, Goodman, Benny
For Every Man There's a Woman - Peggy Lee, Arlen, Harold
In 1941, Peggy Lee had just come down from her home state of North Dakota to join Benny Goodman's band in Chicago as a replacement for Helen Forrest. Lee was young, frightened, and forced to sing the band's songs in Forres... more »t's keys. No surprise, then, that the earliest records in this anthology seem a bit stiff and without commitment. She had not yet narrowed her range nor begun to phrase behind the beat (both á la Billie Holiday), but the confidence and speed with which she began to form her style are documented here, and it's amazing to hear how quickly she advanced--keep in mind that all but three of these recordings were made in a one year period between 1941 and 1942. And even when her singing lacks interest, there are some stunning arrangements here by Eddie Sauter and Mel Powell. After six months with the band, Lee was flying: the second CD contains gems such as "Where or When" and "The Way You Look Tonight" with the Goodman trio; her hit cover of Lil Green's "Why Don't You Do Right"; a couple of duos with Johnny Mercer; and three songs from a little-known reunion with Goodman in 1947. By then she was on her own, the Holiday influence was fully assimilated, and her smoky, vibrato-less voice was assured and distinct. --John F. Szwed« less
In 1941, Peggy Lee had just come down from her home state of North Dakota to join Benny Goodman's band in Chicago as a replacement for Helen Forrest. Lee was young, frightened, and forced to sing the band's songs in Forrest's keys. No surprise, then, that the earliest records in this anthology seem a bit stiff and without commitment. She had not yet narrowed her range nor begun to phrase behind the beat (both á la Billie Holiday), but the confidence and speed with which she began to form her style are documented here, and it's amazing to hear how quickly she advanced--keep in mind that all but three of these recordings were made in a one year period between 1941 and 1942. And even when her singing lacks interest, there are some stunning arrangements here by Eddie Sauter and Mel Powell. After six months with the band, Lee was flying: the second CD contains gems such as "Where or When" and "The Way You Look Tonight" with the Goodman trio; her hit cover of Lil Green's "Why Don't You Do Right"; a couple of duos with Johnny Mercer; and three songs from a little-known reunion with Goodman in 1947. By then she was on her own, the Holiday influence was fully assimilated, and her smoky, vibrato-less voice was assured and distinct. --John F. Szwed
Ian Muldoon | Coffs Harbour, NSW Australia | 05/01/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Picture this if you will dear listener: a few days ago the President has announced that a state of war exists between the United States and Japan. It is the night before Christmas. A 21 year old Norma Jean Egstrom from Jamestown, North Dakota, stands at a microphone with the sheet music of WHERE OR WHEN written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for BABES IN ARMS in 1937. Next to her, holding his clarinet, stands one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century who for seven years had led one of the most popular big bands in the country. In the background are Mr Lou McGarity and Mr Cutty Cutshall on trombones, Mr Mel Powell on piano, Mr Tom Morgan on guitar, Mr Sid Weiss on Bass and Mr Ralph Collier on drums. What must have been going through the minds and hearts of these musicians on this Christmas Eve? What must this singer, known as Ms Peggy Lee, been feeling? The record they made of WHERE OR WHEN is poignant, wistful and bitter-sweet and in the context of its making, heart-wrenching. The meeting of these composers, these musicians, and this singer, was a musical marriage made in heaven. This release brings together a variety of musicians and arrangers but all feature the two leads. There are 37 other tracks on this splendid release including 10 previously unissued."
Peerless Peggy
Jim Andrews | Chicago, Illinois USA | 12/29/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you THINK you know Peggy Lee, get this incredible collection. The singer with Benny Goodman's Orchestra is quite different from the hit-record maker who came later. Here she's a high, high soprano very wedded to the tempo and so passive she's spooky. It was written that her rendition of "How Deep Is The Ocean" (which reverses the first two verses, incidentally) is like a moon crossing a cloudless sky, silent, steady but oh so hypnotically entrancing. Oh, so true. These recordings absolutely crawl right under your skin. You will listen and listen and listen trying to uncover the unsolvable mystery of just what is going on vocally here and why it is so deeply moving while seemingly so incredibly simple. The Lee who came out of this Lee--the later Lee who is so stylish, perfect, witty, subtle--is a whole different singer but even Peg must appreciate these recordings and how she began."
"Big Band Singer", Peggy Lee
Alfred W Kucinski | Oak Ridge, New Jersey USA | 02/06/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For all you Peggy Lee fans who did not hear or know of her when she was just starting out as a young girl big band singer, you just have to get this CD. You can hear her grow as a singer from when she first started out with Benny Goodman and his band.
For me, I remember her singing with BG during the war years of the 1940's. The all time favorite of mine is hearing her singing ,"Where or When". Believe me, this CD is worthwhile for all Peggy Lee fans. She, along with the young, at the time, big band singer Doris Day with Les Brown's orchestra were the epitome of girl band singers. Doris Day in her earlier recordings with Les Brown and Peggy Lee with Benny Goodman sound quite similar. As I said before, this CD is worthwhile for all. Peggy Lee fans."
Wonderful portrait of an artist and era
L. F. Ribeiro | North Hollywood, CA USA | 06/04/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A long time Benny Goodman fan, I nevertheless had nothing but a few singles with Peggy Lee on vocals scattered throughout my collections. Then I heard her wistful and moving "Where or When" and went on a rampage to find it. Thankfully, I found this double CD set. As others mention below, this is not the distinctive Peggy Lee of later years, but a young singer coming into her own while still very much part of a particular musical era. Hints of her famous sass and spirit push through on familiar tunes ("Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love," complete with prickly opening lyrics, "Blues in the Night" and her signature "Why Don't You Do Right?"), while some renditions sound unusually polite and restrained ("Sunny Side of the Street," "How Long Has This Been Going On?"). That isn't a fault, just a fascinating study in an artist's development. Its grand to hear some classic favorites given the Lee/Goodman treatment, such as: "Elmer's Tune," "You're Easy to Dance With," "How Deep is the Ocean?". Although most of the songs are outstanding, one of Peggy's last tunes recorded with Goodman, in a brief return to the band in 1947, is a delicious find: "Keep Me in Mind." Have a listen, you'll never want to turn it off."
A wonderful legacy
David A. Bede | Singapore | 01/22/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I write this having just read in the paper that we've lost Peggy Lee, after many years of declining health. Too often remembered only for "Fever," she leaves behind decades worth of recordings that prove she retained her sultry voice longer than we'd have a right to expect. But I keep coming back to these earliest of her sides as the most essential ones. This album is the definition of great torch singing, in my opinion.It's hard to say what I like best about this collection. The sound quality is remarkable given the vintage of these recordings, and to the extent that they do sound muffled, it simply adds to the atmosphere provided by the beautiful songs. Close your eyes and it almost feels like you're sitting by the jukebox at the corner soda fountain circa 1942 - except that the sound is probably better now than it was then! But Lee's uniformly excellent singing is the real star here, of course. It's hard to believe she was barely out of her teens on some of the ballads. Her smoky performances on "Not Mine" and "Blues in the Night," among others, provide a more than adequate reminder of some of the hard times she'd known even at that young age, while the breathy, almost-whispered delivery of "Where or When" (my favorite song on the collection) is nothing short of surreal. There's plenty of upbeat material here too, with a wide variety of beats and styles as befits a key part of Benny Goodman's catalog, and Lee's youthful enthusiasm makes up for any uncertainty in her performances of the faster numbers.Most poignant of all, in light of recent events, are the two wartime songs. "Let's Say a Prayer" and "The Freedom Train" do sound a bit dated, but they're heartfelt performances all the same and they're as relevant as ever today - which is surely what Lee herself was aiming for. The swing revival may be over, but she'll never be forgotten."