The Complete Decca Recordings

Billie Holiday

AllMusic Rating
10
User Ratings (0)
Your Rating

The Complete Decca Recordings Review

by Scott Yanow

Billie Holiday is heard at her absolute best on this attractive two-CD set. During her period on Decca, Lady Day was accompanied by strings (for the first time), large studio orchestras, and even background vocalists, so jazz solos from her sidemen are few. But her voice was at its strongest during the 1940s (even with her personal problems) and to hear all 50 of her Decca performances (including alternate takes and even some studio chatter) is a real joy. Among the high points of this essential set are her original versions of "Lover Man" (Holiday's biggest selling record), "Don't Explain," "Good Morning Heartache," "'Tain't Nobody's Business if I Do," "Now or Never," "Crazy He Calls Me," and remakes of "Them There Eyes" and "God Bless the Child."

Track Listing - Disc 1

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Lover Man Jimmy Davis / Roger "Ram" Ramirez / Jimmy Sherman	Billie Holiday	03:18
2	No More Tutti Camarata / Bob Russell	Billie Holiday	02:48	Spotify Amazon
3	No More Tutti Camarata / Bob Russell	Billie Holiday	03:06	Spotify Amazon
4	That Ole Devil Called Love Doris Fisher / Allan Roberts	Billie Holiday	02:55
5	Don't Explain Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog, Jr.	Billie Holiday	02:57	Spotify Amazon
6	Big Stuff Leonard Bernstein	Billie Holiday	02:29	Spotify Amazon
7	Don't Explain Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog, Jr.	Billie Holiday	03:24	Spotify Amazon
8	Big Stuff Leonard Bernstein	Billie Holiday	03:00	Spotify Amazon
9	You Better Go Now Irvin Graham / Bix Reichner	Billie Holiday	02:37
10	What Is This Thing Called Love? Cole Porter	Billie Holiday	03:07
11	Good Morning Heartache Ervin Drake / Dan Fisher / Irene Higginbotham	Billie Holiday	03:08	Spotify Amazon
12	No Good Man Dan Fisher / Sammy Gallop / Irene Higginbotham	Billie Holiday	03:24	Spotify Amazon
13	No Good Man Dan Fisher / Sammy Gallop / Irene Higginbotham	Billie Holiday	03:08	Spotify Amazon
14	Big Stuff Leonard Bernstein	Billie Holiday	00:22	Spotify Amazon
15	Big Stuff Leonard Bernstein	Billie Holiday	02:47	Spotify Amazon
16	Big Stuff Leonard Bernstein	Billie Holiday	02:32	Spotify Amazon
17	Baby, I Don't Cry Over You Morton Krouse	Billie Holiday	03:13	Spotify Amazon
18	Baby, I Don't Cry Over You Morton Krouse	Billie Holiday	03:12	Spotify Amazon
19	I'll Look Around George Cory / Douglass Cross	Billie Holiday	03:16	Spotify Amazon
20	I'll Look Around George Cory / Douglass Cross	Billie Holiday	03:15	Spotify Amazon
21	The Blues Are Brewin' Louis Alter / Eddie DeLange	Billie Holiday	03:03
22	Guilty Harry Akst / Gus Kahn / Richard A. Whiting	Billie Holiday	02:53	Spotify Amazon
23	Guilty Harry Akst / Gus Kahn / Richard A. Whiting	Billie Holiday	01:07	Spotify Amazon
24	Guilty Harry Akst / Gus Kahn / Richard A. Whiting	Billie Holiday	03:14	Spotify Amazon
25	Deep Song George Cory / Douglass Cross	Billie Holiday	03:13
26	There Is No Greater Love Isham Jones / Marty Symes	Billie Holiday	02:57

Track Listing - Disc 2

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Easy Living Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin	Billie Holiday	03:12
2	Solitude Eddie DeLange / Duke Ellington / Irving Mills	Billie Holiday	03:14	Spotify Amazon
3	Solitude Eddie DeLange / Duke Ellington / Irving Mills	Billie Holiday	03:10	Spotify Amazon
4	Weep No More Tom Adair / Gordon Jenkins	Billie Holiday feat: The Stardusters	03:21
5	Girls Were Made to Take Care of Boys Ralph Blane	Billie Holiday feat: The Stardusters	03:13	Spotify Amazon
6	I Loves You, Porgy George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward	Billie Holiday	02:57
7	My Man Jacques Charles / Channing Pollack / Albert Willemetz / Maurice Yvain	Billie Holiday	03:10
8	My Man Jacques Charles / Channing Pollack / Albert Willemetz / Maurice Yvain	Billie Holiday	02:57
9	'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do Porter Grainger / Robert Prince / Everett Robbins / Clarence Williams	Billie Holiday	03:17	Amazon
10	'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do Porter Grainger / Robert Prince / Everett Robbins / Clarence Williams	Billie Holiday	03:21	Amazon
11	Baby Get Lost Leonard Feather / Billy Moore Jr.	Billie Holiday	03:15
12	Keeps on A-Rainin' Max Kortlander / Spencer Williams	Billie Holiday	03:15
13	Them There Eyes Maceo Pinkard / Doris Tauber / William Tracey	Billie Holiday	02:50
14	Do Your Duty Wesley Wilson	Billie Holiday	03:16
15	Gimme a Pigfoot (And a Bottle of Beer) Wesley Wilson	Billie Holiday	02:45	Spotify Amazon
16	You Can't Lose a Broken Heart James P. Johnson / F.E. Miller	Billie Holiday feat: Louis Armstrong	03:15
17	My Sweet Hunk O' Trash James P. Johnson / F.E. Miller	Billie Holiday feat: Louis Armstrong	03:20
18	Now or Never Peter DeRose / Billie Holiday / Curtis Lewis	Billie Holiday	03:17
19	You're My Thrill Sidney Clare / Jay Gorney	Billie Holiday	03:25
20	They Can't Take That Away from Me George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / Carl Sigman	Billie Holiday	03:05
21	Please Tell Me Now Arnold Clawson / Toussaint Pope	Billie Holiday	03:14
22	Somebody's on My Mind Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog, Jr.	Billie Holiday	02:57
23	God Bless the Child Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog, Jr.	Billie Holiday	03:10
24	This Is Heaven to Me Frank Reardon / Ernest Schweikert	Billie Holiday	02:51