Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Body and Soul
2. Strange Fruit
3. Trav'lin' Light
4. All of Me
5. (There Is) No Greater Love
6. I Cover the Waterfront
7. These Foolish Things
8. Tenderly
9. Autumn in New York
10. My Man
11. Stormy Weather
12. Yesterdays
13. (I Got a Man, Crazy for Me) He's Funny That Way
14. What a Little Moonlight Can Do
15. I Cried for You (Now It's Your Turn to Cry Over Me)
16. Too Marvelous for Words
17. I Wished on the Moon
18. I Don't Want to Cry Anymore
19. Prelude to a Kiss

Disc 2:

1. Nice Work If You Can Get It
2. Come Rain or Come Shine
3. What's New?
4. God Bless the Child
5. Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me
6. April in Paris
7. Lady Sings the Blues - Chico Hamilton, Billie Holiday
8. Don't Explain - Chico Hamilton, Billie Holiday
9. Fine and Mellow [Live] - Chico Hamilton, Billie Holiday
10. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
11. Stars Fell on Alabama
12. One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)
13. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You
14. Lover Man
15. All the Way
16. Don't Worry 'Bout Me

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18934 in Music
• Released on: 1991-10-22
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .38 pounds

Amazon.com
The received wisdom on the tragic torch singer's later work--of these 35 tracks, six were recorded in 1946 and '47, and the rest in the '50s--is that her interpretive skill made up for the collapse of her voice. In fact, the serious cracks in her pitch don't appear until the second disc of this set, and it doesn't approach the febrile croak of Lady in Satin until the END. But she relies on a handful of vocal tricks, and some numbers that had been in her repertoire for ages, to approximate the glory that her voice once was. At times, though, the results are lovely and heartbroken rather than saddening, especially with the simpatico musical backing she got in these sessions. --Douglas Wolk

Customer Reviews

Lady Day -- PURE HEAVEN
This two CD set, with incredible liner notes by Leonard Maltin, Yes, the Television guy, is a landmark release. The chosing of ALL the material here is very carefully thought out, not like others, with whatever they can get to fit, whatever condition, this one is constructed top to bottom with perfection.This set displays Billie in all her Autumn glory, from live recordings, to outtakes that are better than the originals. If you want a set that represents what Billie meant in her later years, get this one. It will take you down her many paths, of pathos, despair, happiness, and just great talent, period. An EXCELLENT starter set.

A Revelation
There is an on-going dispute between Holiday fans: is Billie Holiday more interesting at the beginning of her career, when her voice was at its best, or at the end of her career, when her interpretive skills were at their finest? My preference is for the latter, and LADY IN AUTUMN offers a truly fine sampling of later Billie Holiday recordings.

Even at its youthful best, Billie Holiday's distinctive, very quirky voice was never noted for any of the qualities we usually applaud in great singers: Holiday's range, power, and breath support were always more than a little ify. But Holiday showed a remarkable facility for shaping her voice much as sculptor might, and she transformed her vocal defects into an astonishing personal idiom that has never failed to mix musical delight with raw emotional power. And this ability was at its height toward the end of her career.

It is true, however, that Holiday's later recordings are an acquired taste, and listeners who are new to her unique stylings may be put off by the vocal roughness of her later work. But for those who have already listened to an enjoyed her earlier work, Billie Holiday's LADY IN AUTUMN will be a revelation.

And Still Her Heart Has Wings
This is the best ballad collection of Billie Holiday to date. You hear someone who has experienced life, in every nuance of her voice. 'These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You' is the most heartbreakingly perfect ballad ever recorded, with a subtly touching piano accompaniment by Oscar Peterson. This track is for those who have loved and lost. 'Don't Worry 'Bout Me' has an ironic sadness when viewed from here and it is appropriately placed as the last song in the set. It will make you cry.