Ella Fitzgerald - Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book (1958) VBR

Ella Fitzgerald - Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book

Year 1958

Disc 1
1. Let's Face The Music And Dance 2:57
2. You're Laughing At Me 3:18
3. Let Yourself Go 2:20
4. You Can Have Him 3:47
5. Russian Lullaby 1:55
6. Puttin' On The Ritz 2:18
7. Get Thee Behind Me Satan 3:49
8. Alexander's Ragtime Band 2:43
9. Top Hat, White Tie, And Tails 2:36
10. How About Me? 3:18
11. Cheek To Cheek 3:48
12. I Used To Be Color Blind 2:34
13. Lazy 2:40
14. How Deep Is The Ocean (How High Is The Sky) 3:11
15. All By Myself 2:29
16. Remember 3:26

Disc 2
1. Supper Time 3:19
2. How's Chances? 2:48
3. Heat Wave 2:25
4. Isn't This A Lovely Day? 3:29
5. You Keep Coming Back Like A Song 3:35
6. Reaching For The Moon 2:18
7. Slumming On Park Avenue 2:24
8. The Song Is Ended 2:30
9. I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket 3:01
10. Now It Can Be Told 3:12
11. Always 3:09
12. It's A Lovely Day Today 2:28
13. Change Partners 3:18
14. No Strings (I'm Fancy Free) 3:03
15. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm 3:00
16. Blue Skies 3:43

This handsomely repackaged collection of 32 masterfully crafted songs by American composer Irving Belin stands as part of the greatest body of work produced by any 20th century popular singer. In compiling her monumental songbook collection Fitzgerald paid tribute to America's "big five", Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Richard Rogers, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin. She also recorded the works of Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer and Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, superb but arguably second tier composers.

Of the "big five", Berlin is admittedly the most sentimental and perhaps least urbane. Where Richard Rogers could tell of ladies playing craps, (The Lady Is A Tramp) and Cole Porter could write of sniffing cocaine, (I Get A Kick Out Of You) and illicit love, (Love For Sale) Berlin was content to praise the joys of Easter Bonnets, White Christmas and Alexander's Ragtime Band. But let's not forget his more than capable hand at romance with the likes of Cheek To Cheek, Blue Skies and I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.
As with all of Ella's songbooks, the arrangements, the selections and of course her superlative styling make this essential listening. I do have a preference for the Cole Porter and Rogers & Hart songbooks, but this collection still rates five stars. How could you miss with Ella and Berlin?