Customer Rating: 
Summary: wondrful, it's the same as the long playing records
Comment: this 2 cd set is wonderful . tthere is an added track . It's a wonderful 2 cd set .
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Summary: One of the most distinctive voices in popular music
Comment: Billy Eckstine was legendary. He is one of those performers I wish I could have seen in person. His distinctive baritone voice made anything he sang extraordinary. This 2 CD set is one of the most well thought out and enjoyable collections I own. Billy Eckstine recorded for M-G-M between 1947 and 1954. Here you will find the original recordings of many of Billy's biggest solo hits as well as more jazz oriented tunes backed by Woody Herman's and George Shearing's groups. But I prefer the ballads, particularly 1950's "My Foolish Heart" and his signature song "I Apologize". Perhaps my favorite tune on the entire set is the final one. "Passing Strangers" is a duet he recorded with Sarah Vaughn back in 1957. This one will literally send chills up and down your spine. It is an extraordinary recording! There are 42 tracks in this collection and over two hours of recorded bliss. This is a great collection to "crash" with. The 24 page booklet is one of the best I've seen with extensive biographical information, rare photos and a short discography. This is a collection of timeless classics that you can enjoy for a lifetime. Highly recommended.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A master voice of his time
Comment: Being only 17, my father introduced me to Billy Ecksitne, and wow! He has such an amazing voice, I hear it goes for three octaves! Everything I have is yours, Foosl rush in, Blue Moon are all beautiful ballads, MrB's Blues is a bit of a bebop big band track, Temptaiton has quite an avante-garde melody, Somehow and bewildered feature beautiful backing singingadn are forties type ballads. Caravan is a very unusual song, almost Arabian in parts, Body and soul and my foolish heart are straight forward ballads but have such great melodies, the foru tracks with Sarah Vaughan are at times unusual but often ballads. I wanna be loved, you've got me crying again and I've never been in love before are like My foolish heart, soft and melodious but then comes the big hit, I appologise, such a well sung, emotional ballad. Then there's foru Jazz songs, As long as I live, I left my hat in Haiti, Here comes the blues and life is just a bowl of cherries. Woody herman sings with him on that last one, Then there's two ballads, Wonder why and I'm a fool to want you. Takign a chance on love and You're driving me crazy are cool jazz, Early autumn is a fantastic ballad and Tenderly-April in paris are easy,listening jazz, a bit gloomy in some tracks, Eckstines' vocals impeccable. Coquette is a cheery forties ballad as is the follow up and then there's two blues/jazz songs in How High the Moon and St.Louis blues, followed by two beautiful ballads, don't get around much anymore and lost inloveliness the album is concluded by Passing strangers, a beautiful, emotion ballad with Sarah Vaughan. Not only is Eckstine superb but the people backing him, Hugo Winterhalter, Russ Case, Pete Rugolo, Woody Herman, George Shearign quintet, the Bobby tucker quartet, Lou bring, Nelson Riddle, The metronome all stars [featuing Teddy Wilson and Lester Young!] and Hal Mooney, relive [or imagine] the fifties with not only one of the best singer of modern music history, bt also a good lot of badn leaders and instrumentalists from the period too!
Customer Rating:
Summary: I've known of Billy for years
Comment: When I was a pre-teen (1943 to 1955) my mother listened to Billy Eckstine (and others) regularly and I enjoyed his music from the begining. I never thought I could get collections of his music again until I just did a search in his name and found so much of his music had been copied onto present day media. I now can relive all the nostalga that his voice elicits. No one had or has a voice like Billy Eckstine's.
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Summary: It makes me feel young again
Comment: The first time I heard Billy Eckstine in person was in about 1950 in Boston at the RKO theatre. I had an album clutched in my arms just bought next door with most of these songs on it, not all. I didn't have the nerve to go backstage for an autograph on it at the age of 19, but now I can have his songs on CD, not that pretty used up 78 rpm which I treasure, but doesn't sound like a CD. He is getting the credit today for what he should have back then. Besides which he was sooo handsome. I adore Sinatra, but Billy is right up there. Bigger voice, softer personality, good jazz. Too bad it isn't on cassette for my car.
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