Billie Holiday The Complete Commodore & Decca Masters

[RiRiIII]

Just released by Hip-O Select. Is the price justified, compared to previous releases?

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Commodore-D...6526&sr=1-1

Many thanks

Alex

[jazzbo]

I've passed on this compilation. . . . If it had all the material it would of course have been more expensive, but more attractive to me. I have all the material in the last two complete Decca and Commodore forms and will stay with that.

The music is fantastic, in my opinion.

The price is standard for Hip-0-Select. They're pricey, but they're limited editions with deluxe (so to speak) packaging. I would wager, judging by quite a few other editions I have from them, that the sound and the notes will "justify" the price to an extent. It's also "collectible" in ways that previous releases of the material may not be.

[AllenLowe]

I would be curious as to what they re-mastered them FROM. Because the best Billie sound for the Commodores is still the old gatefold LP, which is even better than the initial CD reissue that was done, I think, by Steven Lasker.

Edited December 5, 2009 by AllenLowe

[jlhoots]

I have the Columbia & the Verve but not this, so I ordered it.

[paul secor]

Why would anyone want this? CDU has the original 2 CD Decca and Commodore Billie sets for $41 combined (might even be cheaper elsewhere) with 95 tracks as opposed to 52 listed on Amazon for the Hip-O Select. Even if the sound might be improved (& who knows about that) anyone who buys it will still be missing out on a lot of music.

[Chuck Nessa]

The all the takes of Big Stuff (issued take and 4 alts recorded over 4 dates and 15 months) in the complete Decca set are wonderful. Worth untold amounts of money.

[Harold_Z]

I would be curious as to what they re-mastered them FROM. Because the best Billie sound for the Commodores is still the old gatefold LP, which is even better than the initial CD reissue that was done, I think, by Steven Lasker.

Better than the 12" Commodore FL30,008 vinyl? What gatefold lp?

[Chuck Nessa]

Must be an Atlantic.

[jlhoots]

Why would anyone want this? CDU has the original 2 CD Decca and Commodore Billie sets for $41 combined (might even be cheaper elsewhere) with 95 tracks as opposed to 52 listed on Amazon for the Hip-O Select. Even if the sound might be improved (& who knows about that) anyone who buys it will still be missing out on a lot of music.

Well, I paid $34.95 so I'll just have to live with(out) what's missing.

You win some, you lose some.

Edited December 6, 2009 by jlhoots