Ella Fitzgerald - Complete Ella Song Books (16 - Audio CD's - Box set - Nov. 2, 1993)

This admittedly pricey -- but by all means mandatory -- Grammy Award-winning box set is the final word on the "songbooks" recorded by Ella Fitzgerald between 1956 and 1964. In order of their initial release, contained within are Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book (1956), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers & Hart Song Book (1956), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book (1957), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book (1958), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book (1959), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Song Book (1961), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Song Book (1963), and finally, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Song Book (1964). The audio contents have been completely remastered and each title has been expanded -- wherever possible -- to include previously unissued material. In terms of packaging, the producers went to extreme lengths to create exact reproductions of all the vintage LP jacket artwork. Even going so far as to precisely miniaturize the entire hardbound text The Gershwins: Words Upon Music that accompanied their 1959 collection as well as the booklet that came with the Ellington anthology. The icing on the cake is the newly created 120-page tome that puts both the eight respective songbooks -- and their over 240 musical selections -- in proper context of Fitzgerald's luminous career. Readers are also treated to behind-the-scenes insights on the artist's interaction with the veritable who's who of arrangers. Among them are Buddy Bregman, who worked on Cole Porter as well as Rodgers & Hart; the dynamic duo of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn on the Ellington set; Paul Weston directed the Irving Berlin entry; Nelson Riddle was in charge of the George and Ira Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, and Jerome Kern installments; and Billy May held the baton during the Harold Arlen sessions. There are a few sides that shouldn't be overlooked, especially as they are otherwise or formerly unavailable. Particularly worthy of mention are "You're the Top," "I Concentrate on You," and "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)" from Cole Porter. Plus, a ten-minute rehearsal with Ellington and an alternate of "Chelsea Bridge" from the same. The Gershwin affair yielded an extra version of "Oh, Lady Be Good," while the Arlen catalog produced outtakes of "Let's Take a Walk Around the Block" and "Sing My Heart." As previously mentioned, The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books (1993) received the nod for Best Historical Recording at the 36th Grammy Awards in 1994.

Condition:NEW. Brand New Factory Sealed

TRACK LISTINGS

Disc 1
1 All Through The Night 3:15
2 Anything Goes 3:21
3 Miss Otis Regrets 3:00
4 Too Darn Hot 3:47
5 In The Still Of The Night 2:38
6 I Get A Kick Out Of You 4:00
7 Do I Love You? 3:50
8 Always True to You in My Fashion 2:48
9 Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love) 3:32
10 Just One Of Those Things 3:30
11 Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye 3:32
12 All Of You 1:43
13 Begin The Beguine 3:37
14 Get Out Of Town 3:22
15 I Am In Love 4:06
16 From This Moment On 3:17

Disc 2
1 I Love Paris 4:57
2 You Do Something To Me 2:21
3 Ridin' High 3:20
4 Easy To Love 3:24
5 It's All Right With Me 3:07
6 Why Can't You Behave? 5:04
7 What Is This Thing Called Love? 2:02
8 You're The Top 3:33
9 Love For Sale 5:52
10 It's De-lovely 2:42
11 Night And Day 3:04
12 Ace In The Hole 1:58
13 So In Love 3:50
14 I've Got You Under My Skin 2:42
15 I Concentrate On You 3:11
16 Don't Fence Me In 3:19
17 You're The Top 2:08
18 I Concentrate On You 3:00
19 Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love) 5:25

Disc 3
1 Have You Met Miss Jones? 3:41
2 You Took Advantage of Me 3:27
3 A Ship Without a Sail 4:07
4 To Keep My Love Alive 3:34
5 Dancing on the Ceiling 4:06
6 The Lady Is a Tramp 3:21
7 With A Song In My Heart 2:44
8 Manhattan 2:48
9 Johnny One Note 2:12
10 I Wish I Were in Love Again 2:36
11 Spring Is Here 3:38
12 It Never Entered My Mind 4:06
13 This Can't Be Love 2:54
14 Thou Swell 2:03
15 My Romance 3:42
16 Where Or When 2:46
17 Little Girl Blue 3:53

Disc 4
1 Give It Back To The Indians 3:10
2 Ten Cents a Dance 4:06
3 There's a Small Hotel 2:48
4 I Didn't Know What Time It Was 3:46
5 Ev'rything I've Got 3:21
6 I Could Write a Book 3:38
7 The Blue Room 2:29
8 My Funny Valentine 3:52
9 Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered 7:01
10 Mountain Greenery 2:13
11 Wait Till You See Her 1:30
12 Lover 3:16
13 Isn't It Romantic? 3:00
14 Here in My Arms 1:52
15 Blue Moon 3:11
16 My Heart Stood Still 3:03
17 I've Got Five Dollars 2:39
18 Lover 3:14

Disc 5
1 Rockin' in Rhythm 5:18
2 Drop Me off in Harlem 3:49
3 Day Dream 3:58
4 Caravan 3:53
5 Take The "A" Train 6:40
6 I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues 4:41
7 Clementine 2:39
8 I Didn't Know About You 4:12
9 I'm Beginning To See The Light 3:25
10 Lost in Meditation 3:25
11 Perdido 6:12
12 Cotton Tail 3:24
13 Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me 7:40

Disc 6
1 Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin' 3:32
2 Solitude 2:06
3 Rocks In My Bed 3:56
4 Satin Doll 3:28
5 Sophisticated Lady 5:19
6 Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me) 4:15
7 It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) 4:13
8 Azure 2:20
9 I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart 4:09
10 In a Sentimental Mood 2:45
11 Don't Get Around Much Anymore 5:00
12 Prelude To A Kiss 5:27
13 Mood Indigo 3:26
14 In a Mellow Tone 5:09
15 Love You Madly 4:39
16 Lush Life 3:37
17 Squatty Roo 3:39

Disc 7
1 I'm Just a Lucky So and So 4:13
2 All Too Soon 4:22
3 Everything But You 2:55
4 I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) 6:12
5 Bli-Blip 3:02
6 Chelsea Bridge 3:22
7 Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald: Royal Ancestry/All Heart/Beyond Category 16:15
8 The E And D Blues (E For Ella, D For Duke) 4:50
9 Rehearsal 10:10
10 Chelsea Bridge Alternate Take 3:38

Disc 8
1 Let's Face The Music And Dance 2:55
2 You're Laughing At Me 3:14
3 Let Yourself Go 2:16
4 You Can Have Him 3:43
5 Russian Lullaby 1:51
6 Puttin' On The Ritz 2:14
7 Get Thee Behind Me Satan 3:45
8 Alexander's Ragtime Band 2:40
9 Top Hat, White Tie and Tails 2:32
10 How About Me? 3:14
11 Cheek To Cheek 3:45
12 I Used To Be Color Blind 2:30
13 Lazy 2:36
14 How Deep Is The Ocean? 3:08
15 All By Myself 2:26
16 Remember 3:26

Disc 9
1 Supper Time 3:15
2 How's Chances? 2:45
3 Heat Wave 2:22
4 Isn't This a Lovely Day? 3:25
5 You Keep Coming Back Like A Song 3:32
6 Reaching For The Moon 2:15
7 Slumming On Park Avenue 2:21
8 The Song Is Ended 2:26
9 I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket 2:57
10 Now It Can Be Told 3:09
11 Always 3:05
12 It's a Lovely Day Today 2:24
13 Change Partners 3:14
14 No Strings (I'm Fancy Free) 3:00
15 I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm 2:56
16 Blue Skies 3:44

Disc 10
1 Ambulatory Suite: Promenade (Walking the Dog) /March of the Swiss ... 7:10
2 The Preludes: Prelude 1/Prelude 2/Prelude 3 Instrumental 6:30
3 Sam and Delilah 3:16
4 But Not for Me 3:32
5 My One and Only 2:36
6 Let's Call The Whole Thing Off 4:26
7 (I've Got) Beginner's Luck 3:08
8 Oh, Lady Be Good 4:00
9 Nice Work If You Can Get It 3:32
10 Things Are Looking Up 3:03
11 Just Another Rhumba 5:35
12 How Long Has This Been Going On? 3:45
13 'S Wonderful 3:28
14 The Man I Love 3:50
15 That Certain Feeling 3:02
16 By Strauss 2:30
17 Someone to Watch over Me 4:32
18 The Real American Folk Song (Is a Rag) 3:43
19 Who Cares? 3:05

Disc 11
1 Looking For A Boy 3:03
2 They All Laughed 3:03
3 My Cousin in Milwaukee 3:08
4 Somebody from Somewhere 3:06
5 A Foggy Day 3:31
6 Clap Yo' Hands 2:28
7 For You, for Me, for Evermore 3:23
8 Stiff Upper Lip 2:51
9 Boy Wanted 3:34
10 Strike Up the Band 2:34
11 Soon 2:20
12 I've Got A Crush On You 3:28
13 Bidin' My Time 2:40
14 Aren't You Kind Of Glad We Did? 3:28
15 Of Thee I Sing (Baby) 3:07
16 The Half of It, Dearie, Blues 3:46
17 I Was Doing All Right 3:26
18 He Loves and She Loves 2:46

Disc 12
1 Love Is Sweeping the Country 3:24
2 Treat Me Rough 3:54
3 Love Is Here to Stay 3:53
4 Slap That Bass 3:21
5 Isn't It a Pity? 3:24
6 Shall We Dance? 3:07
7 Love Walked In 3:51
8 You've Got What Gets Me 2:13
9 They Can't Take That Away From Me 3:08
10 Embraceable You 4:51
11 I Can't Be Bothered Now 2:48
12 Boy! What Love Has Done To Me! 3:47
13 Fascinating Rhythm 3:23
14 Funny Face 3:23
15 Lorelei 3:20
16 Oh, So Nice 3:40
17 Let's Kiss and Make Up 3:50
18 I Got Rhythm 3:06
19 Somebody Loves Me 2:36
20 Cheerful Little Earful 2:06
21 Oh, Lady Be Good previously unreleased / Alternate Take 4:08
22 But Not for Me 2:04

Disc 13
1 Blues in the Night 7:11
2 Let's Fall in Love 4:01
3 Stormy Weather 5:13
4 Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea 2:22
5 My Shining Hour 3:59
6 Hooray for Love 2:42
7 This Time The Dream's On Me 4:35
8 That Old Black Magic 4:08
9 I've Got the World on a String 4:50
10 Let's Take A Walk Around The Block 3:59
11 Ill Wind 3:51
12 Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive 3:38

Disc 14
1 When the Sun Comes Out 5:06
2 Come Rain Or Come Shine 3:21
3 As Long As I Live 3:45
4 Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe 3:28
5 It's Only a Paper Moon 3:34
6 The Man That Got Away 5:18
7 One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) 3:55
8 It Was Written In The Stars 5:08
9 Get Happy 3:29
10 I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues 5:10
11 Out of This World 2:42
12 Over the Rainbow 4:16
13 Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead 3:16
14 Sing My Heart 2:45
15 Let's Take A Walk Around The Block previously unreleased 3:58
16 Sing My Heart previously unreleased / Alternate Take 2:32

Disc 15
1 Let's Begin 2:56
2 A Fine Romance 3:36
3 All the Things You Are 3:15
4 I'll Be Hard to Handle 3:47
5 You Couldn't Be Cuter 3:13
6 She Didn't Say Yes 3:20
7 I'm Old Fashioned 3:27
8 Remind Me 3:50
9 The Way You Look Tonight 4:28
10 Yesterdays 2:51
11 Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man 3:54
12 Why Was I Born? 3:44

Disc 16
1 Too Marvelous for Words 2:31
2 Early Autumn 3:51
3 Day in - Day Out 2:49
4 Laura 3:43
5 This Time The Dream's On Me 2:54
6 Skylark 3:12
7 Single-O 3:19
8 Something's Gotta Give 2:33
9 Trav'lin' Light 3:47
10 Midnight Sun 4:55
11 Dream 2:58
12 I Remember You 3:38
13 When a Woman Loves a Man 3:51