Peggy Lee On Record (1941-1995)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Ridin'High, Dec 29, 2016.

  1. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored


    @Ridin'High , sorry for the dumb question but what is that “Concerto for Harp” image? Is that an actual concert program? It’s gorgeous!
     
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  2. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Probably the most affordable way of obtaining "Guess I'll Go Back Home" is to look for a copy of the Decca LP The Best of Peggy Lee. The performance is on MCA's 2 CD compilation Black Coffee and Other Delights, and the mastering of that set is wonderful, but you may not be able to find a copy at a low price since it is long out of print. The LP, on the other hand, was reissued many times, and a copy should be relatively easy to obtain at reasonable cost.

    Love Songs is a nice single-disc compilation in terms of programming and artwork, but the mastering is not pleasant to my ears. If you haven't heard Peggy's version of "Love Letters", any of these three compilations are worth getting just for that number. It's a beautiful arrangement, and one of my favourite Decca tracks of Peggy Lee.
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2018
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  3. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored


    Thanks! I hope Black Coffee and Other Delights is good because I just accidentally bought two copies of it. Sigh...
     
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  4. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    The mastering has a warm sparkle and lifelike presence, and the programming is good. It focuses more on Peggy's album cuts from the Decca period, while Classics & Collectibles gathers more of the singles.

    The second copy is for the car and/or cottage.
     
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  5. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored


    At least they’re two slightly different copies in terms of packaging — one MCA and one Jazz Heritage (?). :)
     
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  6. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    You won't be disappointed with the MCA edition. I'm not familiar with the other, but it's probably just a repackaging.

    Time for me to spin "The Best of Peggy Lee" on the 'table.
     
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  7. TeacFan

    TeacFan Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    Arcadia, Ca.
    Jazz Heritage is an authorized repackage of the MCA release. Got a copy and am a happy camper.
     
  8. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored

    It looks like the tracks from Songs In An Intimate Style can be obtained through Love Songs, Black Coffee and Other Delights, and Classics and Collectibles. Is that right? If I get those three comps, I believe I should have Songs In An Intimate Style covered.
     
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  9. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Correct. "Love You So" is the song that will cause you to have overlap, since it's only available on Love Songs. Worth it though, since it's a nice performance.
     
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  10. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Sipping a gin martini and spinning my MCA (rainbow comet) reissue LP of The Best of Peggy Lee. I forgot how warm and pretty songs like "Where Can I Go Without You" and "How Bitter My Sweet" come through on here. The pseudo stereo reverb is used sparingly on most tracks and doesn't get in the way. I've always preferred the Decca recording of "Don't Know Enough About You" despite critics suggesting otherwise. And "Ooh That Kiss" is so goofy it's as if Peggy is schooling Mr. Magoo in the art of love.

    Also, the way Peggy delivers "the way you hold your knife" during the climax of "Can't Take That Away From Me" is everthang.

    If the original gatefold contained an essay and photos of Peggy, this edition replaces thus with a catalogue of other MCA gatefold albums. Most disappointed that The Patsy Cline Story is not advertised. I guess the pop department liked to keep separate from "country".
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2018
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  11. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    "Bella Notte" and "Peace On Earth/Silent Night" are the numbers absent on the 50-song pressing. They appear as tracks 22 and 26 on the first disc of the complete edition. Both are Lady and the Tramp songs. The AllMusic entry reports the 50 track edition (and is poorly reviewed), and the Apple Music version is the 52 track edition. The compilation hasn't been input at Discogs, and I'm not sure how it appears elsewhere online.
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2018
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  12. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored

    Thanks!
     
  13. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored

    I checked out the song “Sweetheart” on YouTube. It’s great! Is it readily available on any CD collections?
     
  14. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    I much prefer the flip side myself ("Light of Love"). I only really play "Sweetheart" during Halloween. ;)

    Anyway -

    [​IMG]
    ^ This will get you "Sweetheart" as one of six bonus tracks, plus three alternate takes of the original selections, and a newly remixed version of "Fever" in stereo. The version of "Sweetheart" included on this reissue is an alternate take, mixed to stereo.

    If you absolutely must have the original single version, look for this set:
    [​IMG]
    ^ No idea how the mastering sounds on this one.

    Or, you could just find a copy of the original single, which will get you the two official master takes of "Sweetheart" and "Light of Love" without all of the unnecessary duplication this 3 CD set will bestow upon your library.
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2018
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  15. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored


    Awesome! I just picked up that All Aglow Again on eBay in a lot with a few other discs two days ago.
     
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  16. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored

    Does anyone know whether the iTunes version of Jump for Joy is taken from the same files as the DRG release that presented the stereo version on CD for the first time? It seems logical that it would be the same as the DRG disc. Plus it has the two bonus tracks.
     
  17. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    If it has the same two bonus tracks, it's the DRG edition, because "Baby, Baby Wait For Me" is a previously unissued alternate take not available anywhere else.
     
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  18. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    I'm quoting myself here because when I posted the above I thought I'd never get At Last: The Lost Radio Recordings without paying a small fortune.

    Aside from England being knocked out of the World Cup tonight I'm a happy man. The At Last CD has arrived in the post and I only paid £8. I'm looking forward to playing this.

    I also got The Lost Capitol Masters cheap a while ago, which I also wasn't expecting.
     
  19. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]



    Let me put these trio of related images together in this same post, even if I am only going to discuss the third one. (Comments about each of these images have been made on previous pages, and in some instances I haven't been sure which image was being mentioned.)

    CBackley, that's not a dumb question at all! I too wondered about the same thing, and do agree that it looks like a concert program. Here's what I've been able to figure out, more or less.

    The original source of the Concerto for Harp image was Qobuz. The latter is a French music streaming service, similar to the better-known (& Swedish) Spotify. Access to Qobuz would seem to be restricted to Europe; US residents might not be able to listen to samples.

    Concerto for Harp is a digital album, put together by a Public Domain label called Sandmann & Walter. That label has just taken the 12 tracks from the Decca album Dream Street and reshuffled them, thereby altering the original sequence. Instead of "Dream Street," the opening song is "Dancing on the Ceiling."

    In conclusion, this Concerto for Harp is, by all indications, yet another of the many concoctions churned out by opportunistic PD outfits in the last few years.

    Delving deeper into the Qobuz site, here are two of the several others that I caught:


    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    That last one is a reissue of The Man I Love ...
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2018
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  20. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored


    Well, that’s most definitely NOT Frank Sinatra on that cover of The Man I Love!
     
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  21. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored

    I’m still working my way through this thread. I just saw the discussion of the two different versions of “Happiness is a Thing Called Joe.” I checked that song out on YouTube, and it’s simply gorgeous. Is it true that the 1998 Miss Peggy Lee box set has both versions of that track? I know that set has so-so sound quality; should I look elsewhere for better sounding copies of both versions of that track?
     
  22. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Maybe it's a young Nelson Riddle, heh.
     
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  23. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    The sound of Discs 3-4 are atrocious (Peggy gets sucked into the Norberg vacuum), but you need that box if you are trying to collect all of Peggy's masters because many songs on Disc 2 are not available anywhere else.
     
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  24. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    lol. Let's just spin the wheel and wherever it lands will be the opening track.

    Because the concept of "pure luck" and a carefully planned masterpiece the likes of The Man I Love album have soo much in common... :rolleyes:

    These album art covers are ridiculous and have nothing to do with the content contained therein. They're clearly intended to incite curiosity among both casual and serious fans. The equivalent of 'click bait' for album art.
     
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  25. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored

    I’m listening to All Aglow Again! for the first time. What a great album!
     
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