The Gershwin Songbook

Obviously, the vocals are lovely...but the old-timey stuff here is not my jam.

The big band music is a bit much for a full album but some classic songs and she has a lovely voice.

I had an 8 hour delay at O'Hare and that wasn't enough time to finish this album

Took me nearly 4 months to finish this one, what a slog. The 6th disc was completely unnecessary

Mate the Album is 3 hours 15 mins... the first few songs were very much of the era, but its not my thing and I ain't listening to all that.

2 out of 5. Ran too long for my liking but powered through. She has a wonderful singing voice that helped carry me through this album.

2 because of the 59 tracks.

I kind of feel like compilations are against the spirit of this list. This is very long - 6 disks on Spotify and well over 3 hours. Ella Fitzgerald is great, and these songs are timeless, but this is a lot to get through. I am recognizing some songs which is cool, but this really isn't something I would choose to listen to, even if I wanted to hear Ella Fitzgerald.

Too slow and chill

Long ahhh Songs individually were fine but 70 songs is crazy

I'm not a jazz head. this isn't my thing, but I can recognize that its a good rendition of "not-my-thing."

One album. Not six CDs. Cmon.

Kinda boring

Thats not really my vibe at the moment. But I can imagine this would grow onto me and then I would probably play it in certain situations for the vibe

Ella Fitzgerald’s voice is smooth as silk and this glides through the first three tracks and then we hit a track i actually recognise in ‘let’s call the whole thing off’ and i hate to say it but the vocals are just too clean for my liking. This track feels like it should be sang by a more lived in voice. (I’ve got) beginners luck gets up back on track and we’re swaying along like I’m watching an old film at my grandparents in my childhood. I’d have given the first lp/disc a 3/5 but fear my tolerance for this is already seriously waning and i’m only just started the second set. The Real American folk song is a real pick me up with a lively piano offering a welcome bit of variety to the general floaty big band numbers. End of disc two and everything’s still generally pleasant, but now definitely feels there needs to be more variety. Clap yo hands at least raises the tempo, a bit to more of a swing like tune This is just toooooo loooonnnnngggg. Disc 4 is too one dimensional with Slap that Bass being the stand out due to it at least punctuated the dreamy sleepiness of the rest of the music. Other than that ‘shall we dance’ almost adds some life to proceedings, but not quite. By the time i reach the 5th disc ‘i cant be bothered now’ feels worryingly self aware. I got rhythm at least ensures it ends on a high. Good moments that could have been edited to a great album. Whilst i applaud the ambition of the project it is just too long to enjoy as a single album

Ella Fitzgerald clearly takes her brief very seriously, because when it says she sings the Gershwin songbook, I assume they mean every, single song given this album comes in at a whopping 3+ hours. I’ve heard infinitely worse albums so far while doing this project, but this was just totally unnecessary.

respectfully, I cannot I made it halfway through album 3 and thats as much of my day that I am willing to sacrifice to these shenanigans

3h 15m... Maybe if it was a concept album I would have listened to it all

She's got a very beautiful voice, it's very smooth and clear. Not my genre but really cool. Didn't realise she was the potato potato chick. 2/5 stars.

Far too long

Whoever put a 3+ hour box set of jazz on this list needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror. I get it, Ella had an amazing voice and was a jazz pioneer, but there are a few tracks on this compilation that sum up my feelings about today's pull: Who Cares? I Can't Be Bothered Now Suffered through this in hopes the 1001 Albums Gods smile upon me tomorrow.

Probably too old for my taste. Didn't enjoy it, didn't despise it either.

'let's call the whole thing off' is annoying the hell out of me. It just keeps going. How did she find so many things to pronounce? Boring and too long but 1 star feels too harsh.

J - 2/5 Best Track - "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off"

Ella has a great voice and the Gershwin‘s wrote wonderful songs. Standards are standards for a reason, right? Put this album was too long, the songs began to run together, and I don’t even think I ever knew there were as many verses in ‘Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off’.

Wesh c’est baaaaad long heureusement c’était le week-end

Ella Fitzgerald, great voice. Gershwin, some fantastic music! Put them together and what do you got??!! Ella Fitzgerald singing covers of Gershwin........ This album isn't ground breaking or influential in any way, it's literally just a bunch of covers. I actually listened to the full 3 hours, after a while it all started to sound the same. Is it good, sure. Is it great, no way.

Ella reallly bring life to these often quite silly Gershwin songs. Quite enjoyable background music, except for the horrible instrumental section that started the album. Ella ***, instrumental songs *

I don't like this but I respect this. Respect gives star number two

This is music I don't mind listening in an elevator or shopping mall, it doesn't get an emotion out of me. Music that makes me go *shrug* This type of big band show jazz is really not my cup of tea. It's not particularly off putting, rather I feel it's kind of neutral or bland music, wouldn't call it muzak tho since it's rather well excecuted. I've got so much new music to sift through, that I don't feel good about loosing daylight to something I've no feelings what so ever towards.

Lovely voice... unfortunately not enough to appreciate listening to it for 3 whole hours.

película newyorkina de navidad

What the fuck am I getting myself into? 3 hours and 15 minutes is a box set not an album. She has a lovely voice. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off is one of my favorite jazz standards. (I've Got) Beginner's Luck is really good. Oh, Lady Be Good is beautiful. Some of these lyrics are ridiculous. Just Another Rhumba's torturing of standard pronunciation to rhyme is ridiculous. How Long Has This Been Going On? is good as well. One disc of six done. My god, this is going to turn into torture. This is not meant to be listened to in one sitting. A third person self-reference in By Strauss. Someone to Watch Over Me is a great song. The Real American Folk Song is terrible, rags are not my cup of tea. The lyrics are like what a ten year old would write, My Cousin in Milwaukee is so bad. People in the early part of the 20th Century had a lot to contend with, but the Gershwins' lyrics might have been one of the worst. Disc two, done. I wonder if Nora Ephron or Gary Marshall just listened to this album and stole their movies from it...because I would believe they did. There's just too many songs. They could have made on amazing double album; four sides, six songs each. Instead, it's ten sides. Treat Me Rough is about rough sex and I'm here for a swinging, jazzy Closer. Two of the bigger songs in this back to back in They Can't Take That Away From Me and Embraceable You done well by a genius. There's a lot here and you realize that she's more talented in her way than the Gershwins' are in theirs. Her performance is spot on every song, even when the material leaves something to be desired. They close out the Ella portion of the album with I Got Rhythm which is way overrated. An album of showtunes and now a bunch of intermission filler and overtures. What is the point of tacking these on at the end? One on each side I get, but six in a row on their own record?

Favorite: Love is Sweeping the Country I love the orchestral music at the end of this album. Ella Fitzgerald was undeniably a crucial and impressive person in the music industry however this album was slow, not very musically interesting, and way way too long.

Stunning album. Ella’s voice is so beautiful and smooth. I feel so comforted listening to her music. Solid 7.5/10. It was originally almost a 9 but the major drawback is most of her songs are singing about men and longing for them. Obviously she is allowed to sing about men but because it was released in 1959 it feels like that’s all she was allowed to sing about. If not the patriarchal brainwashing certainly got to her poor thing. If she just wanted to sing about men that’s okay too but just not my jam.

A clear, strong vocal and an impressive feat - yet I learnt long ago to loathe musical theatre for bringing us MTs. Ugh

Did not finish.

I didn't give this one a real shot. Not because I hate Ella Fitzgerald, but because it seems so long for an album that was made in the 1950s and is on the boring side of Jazz Music as it would become. Goin with a fairly blind 3/10

this was mid to ok and all blended together; the fact that this was a surely a 3hr 15min four LP box set is a bit much and i am annoyed at the list for pulling this nonsense. 1.5

Wow, for a few days there I almost didn't give myself credit for making it through this. I already thought double albums were on thin ice and I can't imagine what makes five discs necessary for this list. There was no better representation of Ella Fitzgerald OR Gershwin? A slog only barely rescued by being decent background music most of the time.

2.5. A lovely album. Gershwin is a little saccharine for my taste

Hyvää laulantaa, pari hyvää, mutta en haluaisi kuunnella uudelleen. 2

I enjoyed this album (I just listened to the best of album, rather than the full 4-disc box set) but this style of jazz is not really my cup of tea. It was okay background music while I worked.

Well done to anyone who got through this. Or even as far as ‘I can’t be bothered now’ as they lasted longer than me before I couldn’t be bothered anymore. I get Ella can sing and the Gershwins can write songs but surely no-one wants to sit through over 3 hours of the same sounding songs over and over again?

The site linked me to some 40min version which is probably a blessing. Yeah her voice is amazing, and the music has a certain charm and class, however these songs just don’t excite me one bit. Zoned out after 3 or 4 songs.

Escuchado por encima esta bien me gusta el jazz pero tampoco tanto como para escucharme tres horas y media de album paraaaaa tamos locos?

Six discs of Gershwin and no Summertime.

Long and plodding. It reminds me of rainy Sunday afternoons. How Ella and Louis or Porgy and Bess gets overlooked for this archival behemoth is nothing short of absolutely mental. The hit rate is low, but it's not unpleasant. I wouldn't dream of ever listening it to again, nor any of the other songbooks.

Hva skal man si. Den er i hvertfal ALTFOR LANG.

Just too long to listen to. A handful of pretty good songs, but by the end I just wanted it to be over. 2*

I'm sure this is a masterpiece but I don't ever plan on another listen

Long album, some good songs, I can respect it

Who on earth thought a 4 disk collection of songs that mostly sound the same was a good idea to include in the 1001? I've never been a huge fan of box sets to begin with, even for bands I love. Now take a genre that I appreciate but don't love and have it go on...and on...and on... Sure, she sounds great. The band is excellent (if schmaltzy). The music is all high quality, but it's fundamentally the same style throughout. I'm sure I would rate a single album of this music much higher, but I just didn't need four albums of the same thing. I was particularly irritated when I hit the fourth disk and was hearing the same songs again. Enough. Favorite tracks: I'm not even bothering to focus enough to pick out specific tracks. Sad that this made me regret my commitment to listening to every album on the 1001 at least two times before rating.

Respect to everyone involved but this does nothing for me. I'll give it two stars because it's not BAD, just not something I have any interest in.

I really tried with this, but it's 3 hours long. Way too much.

There's nothing particularly wrong with Ella Fitzgerald. She sounds just fine. But freakin' 3+ hours of this? Man, you can't be putting damn box sets in this list. That's horsesh!t! 2/5 Album 61/1001

too damn long

Well she can sing. That’s all the praise I have though. Pretty boring even to listen to the best of version so I wo old never had got through the whole thing

I tried. Way way wayyyy too long. Sorry Ella

this much of any artist is ott

This album is only on this list for one hit song. Extra star for dinosaur

Definitely not my style

This is honestly just too much. Even if you bought the vinyl back in the day, there is no way you were listening to all this in one go. It's all very good. But waaaaaaay too long making it not really good for this list. I will say though that this is HORNY. Like big time. At one point, Ella (Calling her that now that I know her sexual preferences so well) asks some lover to fuck her rough. She sings it 50's style so it's not so obvious. But... She want's some rough sex. Wow. Should have led with that.

Heard Ella before but never a full album. And boy was this thing overwhelming. I'd have enjoyed it much more if it was just 12 songs long instead of 3 hours... 2/5

This is the kind of musical delicacy I can appreciate in small, snackable doses. Instead I got served a six course meal with extra toppings, trimmings and condiments, all the sides, a bottomless beverage and whatever was leftover in the kitchen after that. So. Very. Full.

Ella is incredible, but this one is 4 discs too long.

The lady can obviously sing extremely well. It just wasn’t anything I could see myself listening to. Great for being in a jazz club in the middle of the 20th century or walking around Disney World but that’s about it. It’s fine, but 59 songs and 3+ hours of a bunch of songs that sound nearly exactly the same also seemed a bit unnecessary.

There is no way an album needs to be 3 hours long. Would've rated higher if it wasn't a silly length. Did not finish

What can I say with this one… Ella is a the queen of Jazz music but this was a workout with 6 discs of music. Although a lot of it sounds like jazz standards of the era, there are some jems here. Really enjoy Ella’s smooth and no nonsense delivery of lyrics all across the album. I just don’t see myself listening to this again though. Favorites include “Sam and Delilah”.. gruesome, “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off”, “The Real American Folk Song”, “Who Cares?”, and “Stiff Upper Lip”

2.5

Bleh for real

Great voice not my style Music

Incredible voice, brilliant musicianship but just didn’t move me or connect to it. I can see why people would consider it a great album and certainly has significance but it’s just not for me

Wow, I love Ella Fitzgerald, but no way I'm listening to this whole thing. Never really explored her albums, I basically just know her like "best of" compilation stuff, and I think that's all I need.

Smarmy overkill.

Too long

3hrs 15mins.... I'll shuffle and give it an hour Background music is the best way to describe this.

Is it sad to see the American century (+) drawing to a close? Yeah, maybe. It’s uncharted waters, anyway. It’s odd to think that my children will grow up with a different locus; they won’t watch Friends and feel desperate to live that (sic) NY life, or crave, deeply, a twinky without knowing for certain what one is. Among the various items of cultural detritus they might wade through as they attempt to gain a sense of just what America meant to mum and dad they might find this epic. And they, as I have, may arrive at the unkind conclusion that only in a century dominated by a certain kind of cultural mode could an album like this be elevated to “classic”. 1.5.

Too much for me I'm afraid.

I appreciate the audacity to release a five-disc album topping three hours, but I'm not fucking listening to it all. Life's too short. Gave it an hour - it's decent enough, but I won't be returning.

Background music. Not entertained in the slightest. Two stars

super long and boring. not my style

Great voice but not my music

2- Stars (4/15)

I just couldn't give the 325 hours of this the commitment.

This was hard to get into. I skipped the first 2 songs, no signing. It’s Ella outing in the effort that make this album even a consideration to listen to it. I’m in the hospital and my listening of this was cut short. I will rate it on what I know.

Skipping

Oh my god. 3 hours 15 minutes! Just because of this length I will probably never listen to this album again. But despite that it's musically quite nice. 1,5

When I noticed this album is 3+ hours long I went to the comments first. Well....they're not wrong. This album is way too long and gets boring fast. I'm sure if this is a style/genre you're into then you absolutely love it. But for me, this sound is dated and an album of this length seems self-important. 4.5/10 (2.25/5)

Are we serious? Five hours of songs and it's not even the Gershwins' best. Really disappointed because as an album this is not even listenable

While Ella Fitzgerald is a great singer, I don't understand why this album is on this list of albums when it's just a collection of songs other people wrote. This isn't too different from including a cover band instead of the original. As far as the album itself goes, I don't think it's anything special, and it's way too long for anyone to actively listen to it.

This album is just way too long. It’s not bad, but even a beautiful voice gets tiresome after 3 hours and I had to really force myself to listen to all of it

Certainly well done and Ella Fitzgerald is an unbelievable talent, but this just isn't for me and *oh my god* is this thing long. Really blends into itself.

Ella Fitzgerald has a great voice, and this was a nice anthology. But come on… this is supposed to be albums to listen to, and this was 6 discs long. There are so many other Fitzgerald albums that could have been included here instead. Protest vote of 2/5 even though this probably deserves 4 or 5 stars

This is not an album but a box set. I listened to it from start to finish on a car trip from Motril to Madrid. It took most of the trip, and the feeling for me was that I was trapped in a vortex, listening to the same song, once and once again. The good part is that the song was cool and reminded me of the old movies that I saw in my childhood. The bad part is that this vortex took almost 3 and a half hours.

Not for me

Nice try but I’m not doin 3 hours

luckily we got this on a friday so we could listen to it over the course of the weekend. showtunes are not my cup of tea. interesting to mix up our background soundtrack but nothing i would seek out.

3h

Gershwin, jazz vocals, vibes from my parents' whitewashed generation with their goofy sentamentalism and idiotic rhyming style, despite the terrific vocal ability on display, this is my idea of a special place in hell. I did listen to a couple hours, but this isn't an album, it's a friggin' musical library section.

sent me to sleep

Not much to say about this one. Obviously beautiful singing and I enjoyed listening to this whilst cooking for my wife, feeling like a good 1950s housewife. Made me want to put on an apron and bake a pie. Reminded me of Christmas at my Nan's. Cosy, warm, wholesome. It has its place and it's victorious in its own arena. Just didn't do anything groundbreaking for me. 2.5

Not fully sure what to even say about this. It’s a box set that’s over 3 hours long and wasn’t designed to be listened in one sitting. This isn’t an actual ‘album’ as such, and therefore isn’t attempting to do any of things actual albums try and do. How can one even review this then? From doing the condensed 45 minute version of it though: It’s perfectly pleasant and nicely sung. ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ is really lovely. I’m amazed that there isn’t a version of Summertime anywhere on it. I’m not sure I have any other thoughts. Kind of unrankable. Botched day.

Initially enjoyable, but soon wanted it to end.

way too long, why is this on here? do I really need to listen to 3 hours of kind of the same music? it was fine. low 2

GORDON LIGHTFOOT SINGS EVERY SONG EVER WRITTEN. Alright. At 3 hours and 14 minutes this is truly a blight upon my soul. I will rate it as an album so no matter the content, expect a 1. I will collect my thoughts every once in a while if something in particular jumps out and then sum it up at the end. This sounds preferable to the other option if subjecting the reader or myself to individual track reviews. I’m only one man and nobody reads these anyway. What can I even say about each and every one of these songs? I’m breaking my rule. Yeah let’s call the whole thing off. This is one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard. Nobody says Mater. What the fuck is the lyrical scheme here. It completely sucks. I have heard people reference this song but near the end where she’s just saying “I say car and you say Grawallydar” it just reads like garbage comedy. Anyway. Back to the world’s longest album. “The only kind of work that brings enjoyment, is the kind of girl and boyment.” One of the lyrics of all time. I know she didn’t write these songs but sweet Jesus. Such a talented singer too, but give Daniel Day Lewis the script to C.H.U.D. and see what happens. Oh this was “nice work if you can get it by the way” The Rhumba song again proves that the Gershwins were disgustingly bad at writing lyrics. This must’ve been comedy if the time or something. Adding “a” to every word in order for it to rhyme is killing me. The most grating song so far and that’s saying a lot. I’m really not getting much out of this so far. The rhyme schemes don’t do it for me. Right down to the “Real American Folk Song.” I hoped this was Hulk Hogan’s old theme song. Not that I like Hilk Hogan, but at least a man can think of wrestling and get his mind of songs that She’s “looking for a boy” 5 foot 6? Short king anthem. And now we’re singing about a cousin in Milwaukee. I don’t think we’re halfway through this big son of a bitch and I’m quivering towards the skip button. Man she fucking crushes that dude in “I’ve got a Crush On You.” “It’s not that you’re attractive.” Devastating. “Love is Sweeping the Country” leads off with “Why are people gay?” So that’s fun. I remember sort of liking “Love is Here to Stay” when Sinatra sang it. I like this one. Holy hell. I don’t know how far I am into this mess. It’s been at least an hour. It has to be. But this is good. I’d like “Slap the Bass,” if the lyrics weren’t such garbage. “Embraceable You” is in the Simpsons, but after 68 songs that are the same as this, it’s hard to get pumped. Well. It’s over. I’m sweating, I hate love, I hate the 1900’s as a century despite it containing my birth. Maybe that’s a comment for a psychiatrist actually. Even through all the vitriol I have written and the lack of standouts, she’s an incredible talent. The lyrics, bunk. The songs? All the exact same. But the vocals. To sing that well on so many different bad songs is a triumph. Each of these tracks on their own far removed from the others is a great performance. It was the length and the lyrics that made this such an arduous journey, not the talents of Ella Fitzgerald. When the vocal jazz torch train finally arrived at the Disney instrumental closer, I could feel the stinging pain of every single lame Gershwin rhyme ringing between my beleaguered ears. The closest we’ll ever get to someone singing the phonebook. Probably. Somebody pin down Nick Cave. I am spent. 1.5-2 HIGHLIGHTS: Love is Here to Stay

3 hours and 14 minutes of Looney Tunes music

Very long. I listen to the SHORT one :) also this is very much not my thing

skipped around here. I love who cares? but it underwhelmed so rip this.

Oi now don’t get me wrong this is great music this is class but for 3 hours?? Bit too extreme no? The songs are also starting to feel monotone in relation to one another the longer I’m listening to it. Can’t give this more than 2 stars sorry & i only listened to one side

Is it a bad album? No. Is it to my taste? No again. Is it a bit too long? Abso-fucking-lutely

I’m gonna be honest with you, I didn’t listen to the whole thing, it’s like that meme that says “I’m not reading all that. I’m happy for you tho, or sorry that happened” the thing is I’m sure it’s great all the way through but in a normal day to sit aside 3 hours to listen to six discs of music just isn’t going to happen. The songs I listened to were great, but it’s not for me. Obviously Ella Fitzgerald has an iconic voice, but it’s way toooooooooo much.

Tedious

I listened to 3 or 4 of the 6 albums and I’m not sure there’s one song that I remember or found myself humming after listening. In fact, I turned it off multiple times as it was difficult to listen to, not for any reason other than its sameness. In fact, though these two are American musical titans, this is probably the most bland collection of songs I’ve ever subjected myself to.

Always struggle with the Great American Songbook concept. She has an amazing voice and storytelling but in these songs mostly takes the role of down trodden women and that reminds me of the old films that lots of these songs feature in that haven’t stood the test of time for me. Even the songs with more positive themes are not as joyful as she could deliver. With over three hours of music this is like a coffee table album that would be rarely listened to.

Pourquoi pas, c'est pas désagréable mais le "jazz chanté" c'est pas ma plus grande passion. Coups de cœur : - But Not For Me - -

The music was fine background noise. I didnt mind the music, but the album itself was so unnecessary. This could have been reduced by three hours, and would still be too long. If the album is going to take me 4 hours to finish it needs to change my life. This didn’t do it.

The album cover artwork for Ella Fitzgerald's "The Gershwin Songbook" leaves much to be desired. The overall design feels uninspired and lacks the vibrancy one might expect from such a legendary artist. The background is a somewhat chaotic mustard yellow that distracts from her presence rather than enhancing it. This choice diminishes the elegance associated with Fitzgerald's music and persona. Although the intention may have been to evoke a certain nostalgia, the execution falls flat, making it feel more like an afterthought than a carefully curated piece of art. Album covers rated: 4/1001 Music is... well, there's lots of it for sure.

I hate this era of music.

This is a long album. I think I got the just of it halfway through 'disc 2' Sh'es very talented but I wouldn't normally listen to her

This was quite a lengthy experience; it took up 43% of my workday. On a positive note, it wasn't as bad as I expected. She has a pleasant voice. However, due to its length, I probably won't sit down to listen to the entire thing ever again.

Ella has a beautiful voice, but how many songs about wanting a man can one sing?! Apparently 3 hours and 14 minutes worth. Six albums worth. I couldn't get through the whole thing, it got so repetitive.

This just doesn't do anything for me. Maybe if I'm in a restaurant and this was the background music, I would enjoy it.

uuuwhat good, is sitting, alone in your room? Come here the music plaaaayyy! Life is a cabar-oh fuck me! What were you just doing? What? Nothing! Oh no, don't tell me nothing, you were just singing a show tune! You're crazy, I'd never do that. You can't be suicidal if you're singing show tunes! I am suicidal. You're not even depressed! Of course I'm depressed, look at me! I'm very fucking depressed! You fucking poser! Hey man, I'm not a fucking... You're not even British!

Mooie stem. Lekker sfeertje. Kerststemming. Vette hoes. Veels te lang. Niet afgeluisterd. 6,5/10 Highlights My One and Only

Nice voice but I can’t stomach 3.5 hrs of this. I got halfway and skipped through the rest. It reminds me of cartoons and being off school and mum has the radio on.

Amazing voice. Way way way too long of an album to keep my interest. I reckon if u pick the top 10-12 tracks of this on their own you would have a 4-5 star album.

Listen, I know Ella is great and these songs are classic but… this shit is too long

GREAT voice! but good gracious what a crazy compilation this is - it's just humungous and too much to take in. I'm happy to have heard these excellent recordings of a truly special vocalist, but narrowing this down to a handful of greats would have been much better than 3 hours of musical theatre tunes which devolve into a feeling of listening to the same Christmas-song-that's-not-about-Christmas over and over again.

Maybe not all of Gershwin's lyrics were worthy of being produced, did they think of that?! Gosh. I mean it's great background music, but I went through the 9 Circles of Hell listening to this whole album. 1 Star for Ella Fitzgerald because she is amazing, and 1 star for the only good song in the entire 59 song album: Let's Call The Whole Thing Off. It's a nice piece of information to know that Ira Gershwin is the original writer of the famous potato/po-tah-toh lines.

When I started this project, I vowed to myself that I'd listen to every single album all the way through, not matter who it was by or how much I hated it. That was before I saw this one was over 3 hours long. Yeah fuck that. If it's any good I'll listen to the majority of it, unlikely it'd be good enough to reach the 2 hour mark. She's got a great voice but it's the same as most other jazz records from that time. I can listen to a few tracks before I get incredibly bored. Definitely not sitting here for an hour, let alone three.

Artiste connue, mais c'est la première fois que j'écoute un album entier. Enfin que j'essaye. 59 morceaux c'est beaucoup beaucoup trop. Et même si j'aime beaucoup le jazz, je ne suis moins intéressé par le jazz vocal (même si je reconnais que EF a une voix exceptionnelle [+1]), je préfère largement les morceaux instrumentaux. En plus dans ce cas je ne connais aucun des morceaux, et l'instrumentation orchestrale me rebute. C'est dommage que ce soit le seul album de EF qui ait rejoint la liste. J'ai arrêté en cours de route. =>2/5

Had the album been simply "The Best of George and Ira Gershwin" --containing itself to, say, 16 songs -- it might have fared better. Not every Gershwin song is a classic, nor is every arrangement here worthy of the material. The producer needed to separate the wheat from the chaff. The bright spot in "The Gershwin Songbook" is Ella Fitzgerald's amazing voice and style. She was truly one of the greats.

Yep, this is exactly what I expected it to be. Ella has a lovely voice, all the orchestration is superb. And it's all totally boring. Nice for background music I suppose. Just not for me.

3 hours of this is actually crazy

I listened to this but cant tell you anything about it

2.5 Listened to 10 songs, skipped through the rest. Im sure there is some brilliance in there. Ella is one of the best. Too much of a good thing

Lovely voice, but I’ll repeat what I’m assuming every review has said, way too long. Completely unnecessary as you’ll get the full experience after disk 1

I can totally see why this is considered a great. Not quite for me, but Ella Fitzgerald truly has such an enchanting voice, and I could just listen to it all day. That alone gets points from me. There’s something really sweet and lighthearted about the lyrics on this one (“Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off” stood out for this especially) but ultimately it’s a soft, gentle thing that has my full respect, but not necessarily something I’d return to again now that I’ve heard it.

i love Ella but this isn’t her best album. I hope there will be others

Good for easylistening. Not really my thing.

Not my thing. It's obviously beautifully crafted, but the sentiment and melodies are cloying. I enjoy one or two songs at a time, no more. Great cover.

When I pulled this album up and saw it was 3 hours, I laughed. We'll see if I make it all the way through. There's no shot I finish this whole thing, I feel like I'm living in a loop. Too long and repetitive for me- it's a shame because I know how good Ella Fitzgerald is.

All sound about the same.

There is no way I am going to listen to 3 hours of this. It's fine in small doses but it should be illegal to put a 3 hour, 5 disc compilation on here. I only made it through disc so my rating is more of a "why the fuck is this on here?" than rating the content.

One of the great voices. I'd have preferred a wider range of her songs not just the Gershwin's. Can't really complain though, any vehicle will do to carry that tone. How to score this? 5 for the voice, 1 for the lyrics.

The production and Fitzgerald's voice are all fine enough, but 3 hours of the Gershwin brothers writing exactly one type of song 30 times is nauseating.

Finally made it through! This feels like a mini version of this whole project. Ella had a great voice, no denying that, but I didn’t not need 3.5 hours of this. Also nothing I would ever see myself choosing to listen to again.

It's perfectly fine background music but as an active listening experience, it's a bit dull and dreary, even just 40 minutes of it, let alone 3 hours.

Three hours. I know this is from a time where attention spans aren't what they are now, but three hours. Was this intended for a single listen? I made it three songs. When I saw the fourth was "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," I did that with this album and put on Mobb Deep. * ok, I'm trying again. But I'm not enjoying it. This is just not something I can find something to admire - plenty of talent, but nothing I'm enjoying. If this was 1001 macaroni and cheeses to try before you die, we've had Stouffer's, we've had the solid box vegan one, we've had the shitty box ones that don't even reconstitute. We've even had a couple of real delicacies. This is the Costco 30 pound bucket and you're told to eat it all at once. At least it's not a concept album.

Background music for when you’re walking through the city with somewhere you have to be. Otherwise really, really hard to sit through. Big respect to Ella though

I get that she’s iconic, but I did not enjoy this

Undeniably lovely...just not my thing.

Didn’t make it through all 4 discs here, but now I know where to go if I want to do a deep dive into Ella/Gershwin tunes.

I don't like show tunes. Three hours worth is unbearable.

My Dad loved her. She can certainly carry a tune but I don't love her voice. To me there's more emotion listening to Billie Holiday or Etta James (who also sounds much cooler.... Amy Winehouse must have been a fan) I couldn't possibly listen to over 3 hours so listened to some random songs and went with that. Then I listened to Etta instead of Ella!

This is a strange inclusion on the list. For me an album is just that. A selection of songs written or curated by an artist at a given point in time and presented as a creative piece to be listened to from beginning to end. Yes Ella fitcgerald has a great voice and the Gershwins wrote some nice songs. But 3+hrs!! I'm currently on Disc 4 after spreading this over a few days. I will finish it because I want the satisfaction of completing the list. But they really started to lose me when rhyming Rhumba with Septumber (sic) towards the end of disc 1.

Nice voice but way too long. Never listening to this for half a work day.

Fav: But Not For Me Least Fav: Looking For A Boy

Not for me

Well, I'm happy to get this album out of the way early. I didn't listen to the whole thing because I don't have 3 hours today -- listening to 3 hours of one artist in a sitting is a lot for me, even if it's my favorite band. I really appreciate Ella Fitzgerald and, although I don't have a great ear for Jazz, I like that I had the chance to learn more about her art. However, my one complaint is that this album is included at all in this list. It's a longer collection project moreso than an album, as Ella was creating her own rendition of an already existing songbook.

the tomato song was fun, but this is not my vibe

Very dated. Did not hold up well.

Her voice is beautiful but this is just not my thing. It was sooo looong, this took me forever to get through and it was grueling.

Great artist, great voice but a 3-hour compilation is beyond nonsense. She also sings better songs that aren't in this compilation

I like to listen to Ella Fitzgerald sing, but apparently not so much that I want to listen to her sing three and a quarter hours of American Standards ™️. I know it’s dismissive, maybe kind of anti-American, but in my mind, 75% of Gershwin songs I’ve ever heard might as well be different versions of Chattanooga Choo Choo.

I love Ella Fitzgerald as much of the next person but this is entirely too much to sit through

pleasant but struggles to hold attention as its multi-hour runtime begins to blur. Still good vibes though

lol I’m not listening to all of that

I sat... through three hours of this. I really should've heeded my group partners with this and just did the 45 minute condensed version instead because this was genuinely one of the biggest slogs I had to get through. I respect the work that went into it but around track five a lot of the songs started to run together. For context, this album is nearly 60 TRACKS. If you really, and I have to emphasize, REALLY want smooth vocal jazz and need something to kill three hours, this will work perfectly. If you're normal, however, you probably wouldn't.

Not for me. Old school, diner style live music performer vibes.

hade varit en trea om det inte varit 59 låtar eller vad det nu var

Could have been a 4 if it was 10 tracks long.

My One and Only Let’s Call the While Thing Off Beginners Luck I’ve Got A Crush On You I Got Rhythm Ya the music is “good” but I’m honestly supervised I even made it the whole way through. Got bored at parts. Got good at parts. Singing was great the whole way. But three hours of jazz isn’t something I’d suggest to anyone to listen to before they die.

Ella good, Gershwin lyrics repetitive and not clever

Boring

Não é mt legal qnd todas as músicas soam iguais né

Things Are Looking Up // Love Is Here To Stay // 1.5/5

Finally did it. That was a slog. It's well crafted, but 3 hours of 60+ year old music isn't fun

Super

Going to be honest, I was only able to listen to disc 1 all the way through. I listened to one song each from the other discs and I really don’t think I missed out on much by not listening to it all. I just don’t have 3 hours to spare for that today. Her voice is beautiful no doubt, but it was just a lot of the same.

2.5

Waaaaaay too long.

This is NOT an essential album to listen to in full. It might be the perfect record to play in the background of a dinner party but if you try to really listen to it, it gets really boring after an hour or so. A three hour box set shouldn’t be included in the list no matter how lovely Ella Fitzgeralds voice is. I’ll remember it for my next dinner party though.

Ella Fitzgerald’s voice is stunning but I did not have time to listen to 5 albums. Nor do I think it’s necessary to.

Nice listen

I will do my best to finish this, but Jesus christ 3 hours and 15 mins is insane Update - been listening for ages, only on disc 2. How can you make 3 hours of this. Come on Update 2 - past half way. They All Laughed was the stand out so far. No way do I finish this. I have a life to lead. Yesterday's album was 54 mins and I thought, that's pushing it a bit Just found out this is a boxset and not an album. Take it off the list. I'm giving up soon because some of these tracks and repeats and some are demos What are we doing here.

salmonella fitzgerald

I listened to a third of this. Over three hours is an excessive ask for music that all sounds very samey. She’s a hell of a singer. The composition is era defining. I don’t need to hear it all in a row. Any song in particular is a four star song, but I’m giving this two stars because unless you love tgis exact sound, this is a shit listen.

I'd be okay with it being background music in a store while I was running errands, but it's nothing I would ever put on myself.

Hot take; Ella has no soul. Her voice gives off very strong radio ad vibes. I've never understood why her name is mentioned along side Louis Armstong, Billie Holiday or Otis Redding. Did not finish.

Blind album. Great voice but it carries the album which kind of drags in my personal opinion. Thats what Ella is known for though.... The back songs needs to be just as prominent as the vocals in my personal opinion. It's all repetitive and drags on. It all sounds the same and I just was not into it.

Ella Fitzgerald is fantastic but I just don't really dig this type / age of music - or 3 hours. I guess if I have to listen to 1959 she's as good as any who was doing it then. I was reading reviews and saw this one which I've now cut and pasted. Perfect review. --- With all due respect to the legendary Ella Fitzgerald, I don’t have the time or patience to listen to a three and a half hour box set of Gershwin songs. I’m not gonna sit here and say, “oh my god, this is so amazing. What a landmark record”, just because Ella Fitzgerald is a legend. I hated this record. This type of music bores the ever-loving shit out of me. The truth is, I’ve got about 40 minutes of tolerance for most music that was recorded before 1965. I know, I’m a horrible close minded human being; the poster boy for everything that’s wrong with modern society. I see the value in it, I can appreciate Fitzgerald’s talent…she has an absolutely beautiful voice and the arrangements are wonderful. In short bursts, it’s kind of enjoyable to me. After about 10 songs, though, it becomes torturous. Is it a bad record because of that? No, certainly not. I’m not anywhere near that narcissistic. This just isn’t for me. I wish I could like music like this, I wish I could see what other people see in it. I wish I could put this on, have a cup of coffee and do the Sunday NYT crossword puzzle, without my skeleton attempting to separate from my flesh. I did learn one thing listening to this record, though. The “po-tay-to / po-tah-to” song was written by Gershwin…Saving that in the old memory bank for trivia night. Because I made no attempt to finish this collection, I’m defaulting to site consensus on this. The site ranks it a 3.62, so I’ll give it a 3.

Not my thing. Very showtuney and lots of instrumentation that distracts from Ella's voice, which is why I'd want to listen to this.

Goid

I thought this was ok, just not really my thing. She was a good singer, but I was always more into Billie Holiday.

not really for me

naja..

Średnie, te same instrumenty w każdym utworze, przez to trochę nudne (może dlatego że nie słucham jazzu). Jak dla mnie nic się szczególnie nie wyróżnia w tej składance

So many slow songs. Lovely instrumentation throughout though.

Respect the voice but the album was alright. Rating: 2.4

Not a fan of musicals...

Not quite my style of Jazz, but probably one of the most "timeless" vocal performances I've ever heard. This is the type of "timeless" where it makes you feel nostalgic for an era you didn't even experience because it was decades before you were even alive; Ella's voice is *that* poignant

Нет, конечно, тут куча всякого знакомого, но при этом я не испытываю кайфа. Захотелось включить чего-нибудь... другого. Захотелось даже двойку поставить.

I've never been a huge Ella fan (prefer Sarah Vaughan / Nina Simone for this style), but I enjoyed this far more than other stuff I've heard from her. It's buttery smooth from track to track. There's a few unusual renditions of standards that I've not heard before; I've never heard I've Got Rhythm with that intro and Someone to Watch Over Me too. Honestly I think the new intro to Someone to Watch Over Me kinda ruins how pretty of a song it is . Overall, I think there's better renditions of these standards. For that reason I'm gonna give it a 2.5 / 5.

Perfectly fine. Not my favourite renditions in the genre.

Makes me wish I was sitting in a cocktail bar dancing with strangers and just having a great time. She has an incredible voice, The album has that old hiss underlying all the songs which is quite magic tbh. Very of an era, and maybe not something I'd listen to when driving or anything, but it's a beautiful, slow, Sunday afternoon album

Listen. I love George Gershwin. (Ira Gershwin is hit or miss with lyrics.) Ella Fitzgerald has a beautiful voice. But there’s no reason why this should be on the list. It’s a box set. It’s way too long. And many of the songs use a tempo that’s far too slow for my taste. Only a handful are what I’d considered great. 2.5/5

Rating: 5/10 Meh.

Hat mich jetzt nicht vom Hocker gehauen. Und das, wo ich Jazz und Swing mag.

very good, but not for me

Ella had a beautiful voice but this is a snooze-fest. It has Walt Disney orchestration and doesn't allow Ella to swing. It should come with a paper strip like they used to wrap around motel toilet seats once upon a time. "Sanitized for your protection."

Eh ganz nett aber halt old people Musik

I like Fascinating Rhythm and Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off

Her voice is wonderful, but it’s not enough to have me enjoy showtimes

Feels like tokenism - great singer and some amazing tunes, but feels out of place alongside Ice Cube and the Shamen - this isn't really on topic

Impressive speed and aggression. Not for me.

Fitzgerald’s voice is angelic, but that’s about the only thing going for this album. The instrumentals and the melodies are pretty shallow and get old very quickly. DNF.

Ok

I find this music sleepy... unless it's background music during dinner where I can safely ignore.

Ms. Fitzgerald has a very pleasant voice and I could see putting this one for some quiet background music, but would never play it for active listening.

The music was inoffensive. But 3 hours worth?

“The Very Best of” on Amazon Music is only 12 songs and 44 minutes long. I’m not sure why so many of the reviews on here are talking about 3 hours of music. This is fine. I prefer jazzier versions of these songs from other releases, but these are nice. Not really my thing though.

This just isn't for me. Me rating it is silly.

Vin m beetje zeuren

Fine but just sounds like backing music or something. Not really my kind of thing

Gonna be brutally honest, I love Ella Fitzgerald, but ain't nobody got 3 hours to listen to non stop Gershwin songs. She doesn't even song for the first 15 or so minutes. I understand the reasoning behind it and it's part of the larger overarching "Ella sings the whole ass complete American Songbook" that last for around 15 hours, but I'm not American and I have no connection to it and it's all very old and tedious...

1. i got rythym - 1 2. oh lady be good - 1 3. nice uuork - 1 4. the man i love - 1.5 5. love iz here to ztay - 2 6. but not for me - 1 7. a foggy day - 1 8. zomeone to uuatch over me - 1.5 9. fazcinating rythym - 10. embrecable you - 1.5 11. they cant take that auuay - 1.5 12. zuuonderful - 1

The full version of this is 3 hours long, so grateful that Spotify only linked me to the 44 minute version. She's got a nice voice, but the music is just... really dull... isn't it? Feels like it's just beyond its sell by date now, some music may be timeless but this isn't (although it must have appealed to quite a few people for quite a long time). 2/5.

sadly, the greatness of this music seems to be inaccessible to me

The music my gran listened to. Nice enough, she has a lovely voice. But.... It's bloody boring and repetitive

Klik je door via deze site dan krijg je een Spotify compilatie-album van 44 minuten. Als je niet beter weet is dat een zegen. Na 44 minuten mag je wat anders gaan doen. Weet je echter dat de echte versie 3 uur en 17 minuten is dan voelt het toch nep om die uitgestrekte hand beet te pakken. Dus ik zet de lange versie aan tot ik niet meer verder wil, danwel met m'n leven danwel met mevrouw Ella. Sinds ome Miles' Bitches Brew is me duidelijk geworden dat ik nooit meer langer dan een uur ga luisteren naar iets wat me niet bevalt. Je krijgt extreem lang precies wat je verwacht. Na-oorlogse muziek die nog in zwart-wit is opgenomen. Blazertjes, strijkertjes, percussie optioneel, pianotje, harpje, een verdwaalde hobo (het instrument, niet de landloper) en Ella die het aan elkaar mag zingen. Melancholie, kerstmis en longemfyseem; Je voelt de sigarettenrook bijna in je ogen prikken. Want wat konden ze in die tijd roken. Oude Disneyfilms. Onzekere, zeer goed geklede heertjes die gaan dansen met onzekere, zeer goed geklede dametjes die eigenlijk nog net te vies-jong voor ze zijn (maar toen kon dat nog). Glaasje champagne geschonken in zo'n coupe ipv een fluitje. Begin jaren '60, Mad Men, Christina Hendricks, enorme joekels van jopen. Ik droom bij zo'n album toch een beetje weg. Ik krijg zin in sneeuw. En de borsten van Christina Hendricks. Ik zit nu op 22 minuten, wat bij veel albums ongeveer de helft is. Hier is het 1/10e. Slijtageslag. M'n conclusie na ruim een uur: Hier ga ik hem afkappen. Het zijn stuk voor stuk prima nummers. Niet helemaal mijn stijl maar ik neem er ook geen aanstoot aan. Ik haal er niet echt plezier uit, maar ik heb ook geen grote ergernissen. Als ik dit moet beoordelen als een album van ruim 3 uur dan is de score een 1 of 2, omdat het veel teveel van hetzelfde is. Als je het in kleinere brokken hakt zou het ook een 3 kunnen zijn wat mij betreft. Lastig om er een eindcijfer op te plakken.

Super great voice, very unique but that type of music just isn't my cup of tea

Not my favourite Ella songs but still Ella.

Sorry this is just too long. Ella Fitzgerald is an icon, I know, but this is just not her best work.

Sumptuous voice but couldn't really be bothered. Just not my thing I'm afraid

Not bad. It was lovely music, but nothing really stood out and grabbed me. "I got rhythm" was my favourite song.

It’s soooooo looooong. This should be cut down to a single album.

n-am rabdare de lalaielile astea. muzica de craciun

Pretty good, casual

I've heard of her before but wasn't sure of any songs by her. After hearing the first song I knew I've heard her music before but just didn't know it. I can appreciate this and see the talent but it's not quite my cup of tea. The songs I listen to were pleasant enough but they stated getting a bit repetitive so I didn't end up finishing the album.

Didn’t dislike the music itself per se but sitting through three hours of it was a slog. Probably just down to my lack of familiarity with the genre, but a lot of it sounded a little Christmas music-y to me…. I’d rate it a lot higher if it was just the first twenty-odd songs, I either liked those the most or just was way too burned out for the rest of it.

A nice pleasant trip down memory lane when I explored Jazz in my early 20's. The milder and more accessible end of jazz (which I prefer) as a whole, nice to have playing in the background at a civilised dinner party (I don't have civilised dinner parties, so it could be a while before I listen to it again). Sung beautifully and the band creating a nice atmosphere of relaxation (something I'm not used to when listening to music often) - 2

Ella Fitzgerald had a beautiful smooth voice, perfectly suited to jazz and blues on a smokey club back in the 50s, and I can see how you would have happily sat relaxed in a club back in the day listening to this with a Manhattan on one hand and a Marlborough in the other... but that would have been 65 years ago, and for me now, I could only see myself maybe listening to one or two of these tracks on a super chilled night, but in general for the majority of this album, as the title of track 6 goes... But Not For Me

I personally don't like this genre unless it's on in a certain environment. It reminds me of a fancy cocktail bar where it might be appropriate, just wouldn't put this on myself.

Lovely voice, but you can have too much of a good thing.

Tasteful well-sung big band boredom.

this is really not my thing i'm afraid. it's for old people

Unfortunately it's shit

Highlights: "The Man I Love," "I Got Rhythm,""Fascinating Rhythm," "But Not For Me" Gershwin could never be a fitting representation of Ella. This is apparently from the revised album list too; they didn't have her at all originally. They could have at least cut Armstrong in, also originally excluded. It doesn't matter if the Gershwins had some interesting hits and cool harmony; their lyrics are infantalizing trash, so everyone will naturally focus on her performance over the songwriting. If they were even trying to give a one-off representation of her accomplishments, they would do '54's Lullabies of Birdland because there's a consensus behind her performance of Goodman's "Flying Home". Something from the height of her career. But they're not trying. Ella undoubtedly belongs among the highlights of any Anglophone music survey and deserves much better than such a gormless, tacky pick.

Sounds flat

There are a few good songs here, with "Love is Here to Stay" being a personal favourite for its sentimental value, and I like the style - but the lyrical content of the songs is less appealing to me.

Jazzy jazz jazz jazz. Didn't hate it, but probably wont give it another spin.

It was okay, sounded like Christmas music without the Christmas cheer.

She's no Etta James that's for sure

Altijd beetje in twijfel, ik vind haar extreem goed maar soms ook echt totaal niet. Ligt voornamelijk aan de samenstelling en ik ben over het algemeen geen fan van big band en viool sounds, zoals hier op ieder nummer te horen.

I have to admit: I found this album very boring. Perhaps great music "objectively speaking", but nevertheless - this was boring!

fantastic voice but lost me after just a few songs. If I was in the mood maybe. 2.5/3

Meer dan drie uur van dit spul is echt te veel. Deze nummers zijn allemaal zowat honderd jaar oud, en de houdbaarheidsdatum is nu wel verstreken. Het ligt niet aan de zangeres of het orkest, maar puur qua tekst, compositie en arrangement werken de nummers op de zenuwen. Die zoetige blijheid met belegen grapjes, dat pruimen we tegenwoordig niet meer. Enkel de melancholie ('Somebody from somewhere' en dergelijke) komt nog over.

Jazzy crooner, afgewisseld met vrolijke latin. Begeleid door orkestmuziek dat zo bij een zwart wit kerstfilm kan. Het doet me ook denken aan dat je bij een gedistingeerd restaurant gaat dineren in de jaren 50, waar iemand staat op te treden tijdens het hoofdmaal. Ik moet zeggen, het is eigenlijk best wel ok. Uiteraard behoorlijk gedateerd. En een album van meer dan 3 uur slaat nergens op, zet dan gewoon een best of erop ofzo.

Not a huge fan of jazz vocalists

Bit slow.

I expected to like this more.

She has an absolutely beautiful voice and I appreciate the talent that went into this album, but the style of music isn't for me.

Reminds me of old fashioned movies. Lots of swing.

Not really my thing. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Don’t like the big band light jazz.

Ok, so, it's a three album listen. I did quite well and made it well over an hour before I realised, but, well, it's a bit niche. Part of the hour I forgot it was on. I did think it was ok, but it reminded me of wallpaper. It's nice to have on in a room, but it's quite hard to get excited by it. I don't dislike it, but, I'd be ok if the wall was painted too. I reckon that if pop music is like super fresco, then this is more like a William Morris wallpaper. Some people get very enthusiastic about William Morris wallpaper, like the national trust, they like it, I reckon some of them would enjoy this. Could be worse, it could be wood chip, like most jazz music.

An icon, but this album was a miss for me

Her voice is great, don't get me wrong, but this all sounds the same, and that's over three hours of all the same. That's ridiculous, and the fact that this is a compilation hurts it more. Lots of songs where words are rhymed by adding "-a" at the end, and that was annoying. Just an annoyed experience, overall, and her voice saves it from the dreaded one star.

Nice enough, but christ I couldn't listen to 3.25 hours of this

Tulee juhlat mieleen. Rakkaus on suurta. Leffamusiikkia. Ajankuvaa.

Ei vituta samalla tavalla kuin instrumentaalijazz. Kuulostaa jopa ihan hyvältä. Ymmärtäisin melkein minkä vain arvosanan, siis harrastelijoilta - ihmisiltä jotka ovat kuunnelleet kolme tunnin levyn useaan kertaan.

Varmasti leffa- ja pelimusana varsin hyvin toimivaa, mutta konttorilla bittiä nikkaroidessa jää vaisuksi.

Beautiful voice, but almost every song sounds the same as the choices are all on the maudlin side.

Not really for me but I didn't really dislike it as a whole. Some of it sounds as if it would fit in a fallout game.

It’s fine! Ella is great. I’ve just heard these songs 1000x times. Gershwin is fine but Ella sounds better on other artists.

Ella is of course gorgeous. However I'm not interested really in 3h of Gershwin songs! No matter who is singing them. Is this really an "album" that should be on the list? Ella has more interesting albums and surely something more curated would be better for Gershwin. I mean it's like someone decided they needed Ella to sing all the Gershwin songs just for the record. So. A bit dull to be honest. Definitely overkill.

Something about these totally overdone arrangements and her generally super straightforward phrasing just bores me to death. To me this is pop not jazz and utterly missing any of the spark that makes jazz worth listening to.

Tranquilo y muy Oldie.

Gershwin musicals just don't do much for my listening enjoyment, but I think Ella Fitzgerald got a lot out of them. 2.5/5 (mixed)

Wasn’t in the mood

This album is an affront to the list. I have no problem with Ella Fitzgerald recording hours worth of music for a comprehensive album to serve as a sort of reference guide or encyclopedia. To that extent, Fitzgerald had left behind a lot of work for us the appreciate, with an amazing soothing voice and top-tier performances from her backing band to boot. I have no problem with this. My problem is that amongst all the other albums on this list that average, say, 50 minutes, this is 3 hours. No one is listening to this in one sitting, that's absurd. This is a clear outlier amongst the rest of the albums here, so I can't imagine actually listening to the whole thing for sanity's sake. Well I'm going to listen to the whole thing anyway. Not in one sitting, of course, but I'm tackling it disc by disc per the spotify tracklist. Splitting it up like this makes it a lot more digestible. I'm going to do it all in one day, and I'm off work so I have the leisure time to dedicate to this effort. DISC 1 (early morning) - A lot of lovely gallivanting love songs. The strings soar quite nicely. It does include a rhumba near the end but it's pretty consistent throughout. DISC 2 (morning) - More longing on this side, but includes a ragtime tribute which is a treat. It picks up near the back half for some more fun songs, with a bit of swing in the beat. Nice and steady. DISC 3 (noon) - Bit of a mixed bag in terms of theming. Goes to show how disorganized the tracklist is. Great songs performed perfectly, though. DISC 4 (late evening) - Things start to slow down here, which tracks with my drink of gin and tonic. Treat Me Rough shows a change of pace here and is a standout for the album (she has a lot of fun, you can tell). DISC 5 (early night) - Songs have started to blur into each other. I cannot remember much other than it was a pleasant listen. The end is in sight. DISC 6 (night) - These are just cheeky little instrumentals from George Gershwin. Very cute. OVERALL THOUGHTS - As a collection of songs, this album is splendid. Ella Fitzgerald is a fantastic singer, we all knew that already, and the Gershwin compositions are excellent. As a contemporary album for listening to in one sitting, it's horrid. The tracklist is distinctly disorganized, the runtime is much too long, and the product makes it clear that it has no place amongst the other albums on this list. For shame, authors of 1001.

Ella Fitzgerald – The Very Best of the Gershwin Songbook Another 50s album! This time the “Queen of Jazz” - I Got Rhythm – Yes, Ella, you do. You also have a really nice voice. The swing drums are good. Brass section is nice. The lyrics are uplifting. I’m not a fan of the scat portion, though. On the whole, it’s a bop. - Oh, Lady Be Good – A real downer after I Got Rhythm was so peppy. Not really a fan of this one. The slow pace and drawn out quavers aren’t my thing. - Nice Work If You Can Get It – It’s meh. - The Man I Love – It’s a love song. Shocker. It’s sweet, but not my thing. - Love is Here to Stay – Another love song. It’s also sweet. Sounds like a tune from the romantic scene in a 50s movie. - But Not For Me – A sadder love song. Strings and keys get more focus on this one. It’s a nice instrumental section, albeit pretty simple. There’s some parts I’m not a fan of, the lyric “Hi-Ho, alas, and also lackaday” in particular. - A Foggy Day – Sadness. It’s also an American singing about London, so it just doesn’t quite feel right. - Someone to Watch Over Me – Searching for a lost love. - Fascinating Rhythm – Begins with a nifty shuffle rhythm and some sick bass. I don’t like the chorus though. So yeah, this one gets bonus for a different tone and dynamics than the others, but ’t's still pretty mixed. - Embraceable You – The longest song on here and another low tempo love song. - They Can’t Take That Away from Me – Another low tempo love song. Yep. - ‘S Wonderful – Annnnnd we finish on with another low tempo love song. The gimmick here is cutting a bunch of words short (devotion becomes “devosh” for instance). I don’t really like it. The concept of just re-interpreting older “Great American” songs isn’t something we really see today outside of Christmas music. Not all of the songs appeal to me. In fact, most don’t. The original songbook was apparently 72 songs. If these are the best, then I probably wouldn’t like most of the others. In particular, the fact that the musicianship is mostly on the low-key side to let the vocals shine means that there’s really only one thing to latch on to: the singing. While she is undoubtedly an excellent singer, it’s a style of singing that gets a bit old when most of the songs are so similar (low tempo, sad or sentimental, with lots of drawn out words and quavers). Rather than a cohesive album, this is really a set of tracks that Ella interpreted. It’s hard to evaluate as an album compared to, for example, Nevermind which is a cohesive body of work written by the band. She’s a great singer, and oftentimes, the musicianship is quite good, but many of the songs just don’t appeal to me. This is one where I get why it would be significant since it’s a Black woman bringing songs written by urban Jewish writers to a White Protestant audience. However, it’s just not one I like to listen to. 2/5. It’s not truly bad, but I can’t imagine there’s more than 1 song on here that I’d ever seek out to listen to again. It’s simply a style that I’m not into. More variety in tone and concepts would have helped. Top Tracks: - I Got Rhythm – The most fun track and the only one I’ll probably go back and listen to. - Love is Here to Stay – Of all the samey low-tempo love songs, this is the best.

My god, it just keeps going. Look, Ella has a great voice and all but the songs are not exactly thrilling and there's *three hours* of this. The one good thing is that this will make great background ambience for a D&D game if the players go to a lounge bar or something

I love Ella’s voice - this should go without saying - but I particularly like the way she pronounces (or sings) her ‘r’s. There’s something lov-er-ly about it. That being said - I just don’t think I’m a Gershwin fan.

Not the Ella I wanted.

These "black singer doing other people's songs" albums from the 50s and 60s were alright at first but they're just wearing thin now. Plus, I'm getting musical vibes from this, and musicals are the lowest form of entertainment. 2/5.

Classic songs, not sure I love this treatment of them. But Ella is a treasure so I'm more inclined to listen to her other stuff

I appreciate the album but I just didn't find it interesting. And I can't stand 'Let's Call the Whole Thing Off'

Tym razem ciezkie sie wylosowalo, najdluzszy pick jakiego widziala lista, bo bite 196 minut muzyki na 73 kawalkach, nazwa samego albumu zdradza jego zawartosc Gershwiny byli popularnym duetem kompozytorsko lirycznym klasycznego jazzu, wiec tworczosc Iry i Geogrga Gershwinow spiewa pani Ella Fitzgerald, ktora najbardziej kojarze z kolabow Armstrongowych, ale jakos nigdy nie bylem zafascynowany sama pania Ella zeby zglebiac dyskografie, bo wokalny jazz, zwlaszcza w tak klasycznym wydaniu jak z owego songbooka nie nalezy do moich ulubionych odmian jazzu, no ale dzieki pickowi troche sie go nasluchalem, ale swojej opini nie zmienilem, uslyszalem to czego sie spodziewalem, klasycznych benczmarkow zagranych przez potezna konduktorska orkiestre, ktora stanowi tlo dla czarujacego wokalu pani Fitzgerald, jesli ktos jest fanem to z pewnoscia utonie w takim orgormie materialu, jesli kogos boli, badz nudzi wokalny jazz zlotej ery, to bedzie spal lub plakal, ale jak dla mnie takie brzmienie kojarzy sie praktycznie wylacznie z kinem, wiec dziwne uczucie ma czlowiek gdy slyszy cos takiego przez trzy godziny, bo przed oczyma same przewijaja sie czarno biale obrazy zakochanych i umierajacych dobrych gangsterow, Songbook Gershwiny zaliczony, a wokal pani Fitzgerald wypalony w pamieci

I can tell its great but not for me

One of those that I thought I'd like, asi think you're supposed to, but I didn't

I enjoyed it for what it is. Probably not something I would ever choose to listen on my own. Was a little disappointed that there was little to no scatting or even upbeat jazz song (which I guess should be expected for Gershwin). 2.5/5

There are some good songs here but my oh my this was the longest album ever. This was seriously more of a triple album. I was pretty interested in the beginning so it is good. Just something I won’t revisit. 4.6/10

Her voice is flawless and it's all very nice, but it's also very dated and not really my thing

Nice voice. Boring songs.

Talented artist….. my parents enjoyed her songs

Prohibitively long. Damn, I really spent all day listening to this. It's certainly not bad, but it's just jazzy/pop standards that Fitzgerald is singing. She's got a fantastic voice, warm and familiar, but three hours of standards isn't necessary to convey that. Granted this is 1959, still in the early days of albums, and there was clearly an accomplishment in play here with the "song book" thing. But it doesn't really work as an album. I respect what was done here, and apparently she did this for a bunch of songwriters' books, but there really ought to be a condensed album for a list like this. The music is honestly really great, and my low rating is a reflection of this outmoded format, which felt like a chore. I bet if I did the "best of" for this, I'd rate it at least a 4. Favorite tracks: Treat Me Rough, Let's Call the Whole Thing Off, Bidin' My Time (no kidding), I've Got a Crush on You. Album art: The one on this site says "the very best of" the Gershwin book, I think that makes more sense. I listened to the whole book. It has a better, abstract art-style cover, but yeah. Long album folks. 2.5/5

Meh

Beautiful voice. Not my style. Couldn’t keep me interested on a busy Monday. Maybe I’ll revisit later.