Reviews (page 3 of 14)
Didnt know this album was gonna be this long. Music is great though. I don’t normally listen to Jazz but this is nice.
I feel like I could have pulled about a dozen or so songs from this and made a really amazing album. I did love hearing Ella sing, and I listened to the whole thing, but it's not really designed for one go listening. A lot of the songs sound very similar, and have similar themes. There were definitely some old favorites and some new ones though. Also, I love the album cover.
jazz ew pls no. album cover is beautiful tho
Don't like jazz singing
I might not have been that focused on this album. First of all I listen to only the first CD of the boxset but I don't think it would have changed anything to go throught all the CDs. But yes, Ella Fitzgerald has a great voice and Gershwin was a genius. Favorite Songs: Let's Call the Whole Thing Off
Way too long, no way I'm finishing this. RYM: N Saved a song: N
Too long
Ella Fitzgerald has a great voice and she suits these songs incredibly well. I also don't mind long albums. However, this could have been shorter
I'm sure I should be high brow, but I struggled with this album. It was alright in bursts but if I'm being honest I was rather bored throughout the album.
It is a good listen, but after more than 3 hours you feel drained and bit bored by the end.
Multiple 4 star albums combined to make a 3 star album
Alleen de eerste cd geluisterd vond ik wel geinig beetje Disney film vibes.
Ja wel echt vet, maar dit aget toch net matig.
Beautiful voice, but this is just not my cup of tea and the album is waaaaay too long.
Written by George and Ira Gershwin, arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle, sung by Ella Fitzgerald. That’s some legendary stuff.
Chill
I love Ella Fitzgerald but 3 hours worth of Gershwin songs? No thanks. But she’s amazing and can sing anything and sound great.
A beautiful voice that wonderfully carries show tunes from decades ago. The soft horns, smooth drums, and elegant piano all add to the finesse this album brings. Although not my usual playlist, this was an excellent listen.
A legendary musician sings terrible songs.
That was Ella good. Beautiful voice singing old time standards. Very Enjoyable.
Classic! Old Hollywood vibes. Weirdly misogynistic
Listen, I’m fully on board with long ass records. I’ll happily sit through The Wall, 69 Love Songs, or any other bloated masturbatory concept album in one sitting. Hell, I just survived 78 uninterrupted minutes of Anthony Kiedis. But this isn’t an album. It’s the musical equivalent of The Complete Works of Shakespeare. I don’t even think greatest hits albums belong on the list, much less a collected works box set masquerading as an album. That said, the “very best of” version absolutely rips. Ella is ridiculous and the Gershwins wrote standards for a reason. Turns out if you take the best songs from one of the greatest singers ever performing one of the greatest songwriting catalogs ever, you end up with a pretty good record. I’d give that one a 4.5/5. I might defer to the site consensus for the full box set.
Yes, it's long, it took me all day to get through it. Yes there are some pretty lousy songs on it (there's 59 tracks, I don't think even the esteemed innovator of albums with only hits, Michael Jackson could even make that many). But the stinkers are definitely the exception. I really thought I'd give up halfway through, but the variety or the tracks and talent these two legendary artists provide easily make this an enjoyable experience from back to front. Ella's performances are top notch, the band arrangements are great, and the quality of the recording is prestine. Will I be relistening to this in full? Probably not. But I'm glad I did. I'm also really surprised about the exclusion of Summertime, especially since she did a version of it. 4.5/5
I am committed to listening to this list in its entirety so this is the crux of the whole process. On this day, I have listened to 2 of the 6 discs so I’ll chip away at the rest of it over the coming days. It’s a compilation so shouldn’t be on the list and that is factored in my rating. She obviously has a great voice so all due respect but this isn’t really my thing.
I can't do the full 6 discs of this. One is enough. She's got a lovely voice but this gets dull pretty quickly.
Only listened to the 45 minute long "best of" - which was more than enough.... She's a legend, but 3 hours of show tunes is too much for anyone...
Haven't finished
Let me start by saying that I did not listen to the 3hr/6 disc version of this bc there is literally no reality where I would do that shit. Any of yall who attempted the full one, I am in awe. But also have questions...bc I know you're lying. In any event, the "Best Of" version which was 45 min was really beautiful. Voice like silk. Still holds up. I would've loved an extra up tempo Gershwin number on here but it's fair to say that Ella is at her best when she is yearning or brooding. Highlights: But Not For Me, They Can't Take That Away From Me
I'm gonna keep it real with everyone here: I did not listen to the entire 198 minutes of this album. I made it through the first 80 minutes or so and then skipped around to another few songs that had a higher listen count. All in all, I probably listened to half of this 3 hour and 18 minute behemoth, and I feel that's more than enough to give this a proper rating. It goes without saying that Ella Fitzgerald's voice is absolutely beautiful and I would have probably appreciated it even more if the album was shorter, more focused, and had a little variety. The songs on this record suffer greatly from "sameness"; big band comes in, Ella sings, then were on to the next one to do it again. There were multiple songs I liked, but nothing really stood above the rest. I'll give it a solid 3/5; it's good, but a bit too old-fashioned for my taste and WAY too long. I'd be shocked if more than 15% of the people doing this list make it through the whole thing.
Oh come on… this isn’t an album! This is a box set! Seriously. I have a few projects. I listened to this already. And I did. I listened to all 3 hours of it. But I have some questions: why is this the only Ella representation on the list? Why the Gershwin song book? I mean she did the WHOLE DANG AMERICAN SONG BOOK. So why Gershwin? Anyway, not listening to this again today. Will have to wait for when it comes up again. 3 Boolean: True, at some point, in chunks, probably not all at once
amazing
Why is it 3+ hours long?
Was fine
Сара 3 Марко 3
Ella’s voice is as smooth as silk, but I just don’t like this kind of music.
Made it through 3/6 discs on the day. But countless other hours listening to her. 3 hours 15 is a lot for one day, but her voice is so endlessly listenable.
She could sing the phone book. Not necessarily my favorite and its really long but good nonetheless.
First, i'm not listening to the whole album, i will listen to the first 10 songs. I liked the music, it was pretty chill, but oh my god it gets boring and tired after 7th or 8th track, now imagine listening to the all 59 tracks.
niks voor mij.
Great music with a great singer, but on principle I don't think an album of this length really needs to be on this list. Surely there must be a more concise record to show off Ella Fitzgerald talent!
A beautiful voice with some pleasant songs
I'd recommend listening to The Very Best of The Gershwin Song Book rather than this whole compilation as it gets pretty repetitive pretty fast. Still, it's okay in the background and Fitzgerald does have an incredible voice.
Was a box set really necessary? Music was enjoyable, but a bit bloated. Actually 2/5 changed my mind.
Pretty good but unfortunately can get pretty repetitive due to it's length (it's over 3hrs if I'm not mistaken) but Fitzgerald's vocals are absolutely amazing so it's still pretty enjoyable throughout. I'd give it a 71/100 to be exact
How how the moon double time solo is a thing of beauty encapsulating the vocal range, music history knowledge, and having a ball. Incredible catalogue and collaborations. Nothing could be better about this album, perfect signer, and best represents the genre.
wow, what a voice 4/5.
3+ hours is a lot. I get that this is supposed to go through the full songbook here, and there’s lots of great songs…but as a whole it can feel like a burden to go through. That being said, Ella has such a beautiful voice and paired with the instrumentals it creates an overall relaxing and enjoyable listen. Likes: there’s 59 songs total…I can’t remember the various likes throughout
This compilation definitely wasn't meant to be listened in one sitting, of course. So yesterday and today I've put it on my speakers on and off while cleaning, doing dishes, cooking, and reading. I feel like if I tried to just listen to the three hours of it and be done with it I would've done it a big disservice. It was wonderful, both Ella's vocals and the compositions... makes you feel like you're in love. I'm going to try to find the vinyl for my collection.
🙂
I’m not entirely sure how to approach this review. I was initially excited to see an Ella Fitzgerald album come up, but that excitement faded a bit when I realized it was a six-LP box set: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book. My issue wasn’t the material—it was the 196-minute runtime. I probably would have enjoyed this much more as a carefully curated 60- to 80-minute selection. As it stands, listening to over three hours of George and Ira Gershwin standards performed by Ella and a full orchestra is simply a lot to ask of anyone, especially while trying to get work done. The music itself is pleasant throughout, with Ella’s silky-smooth voice effortlessly carrying these classic Broadway-era songs, but at a certain point it started to resemble the Energizer Bunny and simply kept going and going and going. To be fair, I almost certainly missed some gems along the way. That’s the downside of tackling a collection this massive: eventually your attention drifts, no matter how good the music is. So what do you do? You keep it playing and hope something grabs you. Would I put this entire box set on again? Absolutely not. Am I glad I experienced it? I suppose there’s some value in hearing it once, but I can’t say it left a lasting impression. Maybe Ella’s catalog simply wasn’t meant to be consumed in this way, because the sheer size of this set definitely affected my final rating. A single-disc highlights collection would have been an easy 4 out of 5. The full three-and-a-half-hour experience earns a perfectly respectable 3.
I have a six disc box set is considered an album. The music was fine but there certainly didn't need to be so much of it.
Is this 1001 albums you must hear before you die or 1001 Ella Fitzgerald tracks you must hear before you die? It's very nice, but it's a little much.
Such an incredible vibe from the start, jazzy, groovy, gentle pitch, everything I like in jazz!! I love track 4 on Disc 1, it's a subtle and fun way to portray different accents and cultural significance relying on language, and not just black American accents from different regions. The songs may be short, which is quite unusual for an older album and disc set, but again, each song has either a groovy or ethereal and magical vibe to it, which makes you want to listen to the rest of the album! Disc 2 seems to give more in love jazz vibes, which still keeps its catchy side. She seems to be very liberal for the youth's side, especially with track 6, where she talks about how in the 50's music , you can't keep still and have to express yourself, because the industry changed and somehow they start liking more and more nonsense, which comes back to appropriation and white Americans having no background whatsoever. Track 9 talks about how innovative thoughts or facts are dismantled and discredited because they seem out of pocket, but those famous innovators do not need the approval of critics to be seen as true and based in reality! (Milwaukee is a city in Wisconsin). Disc 3 is more summer vibes, with ethereal sunshine vibes in a wide open valley. Some of the love songs are very yearning, but not in the sense that she's desperate for a man, but there is reciprocal feeling that is also yearning from the partner. In track 5, she actually educates 'boys' how to treat women and provide the bare minimum. In Disc 4, there is this sense of almost loneliness, as if she is finding herself and certain waves or periods are hitting hard again.
замечательный альбом с джазом. если бы у меня было кафе, эта музыка там играла бы 25/8
Yes, as much respect as Ella Fitzgerald deserves (and she has all my respect—what a voice, what a talented woman she was!), this compilation shouldn’t be here. I agree with the guy who gave it a low rating—my attempt to listen to this entire box set failed miserably! So, I’m not going to pretend to be a connoisseur just for the sake of it, just to avoid going against the grain: there are albums that deserve to be here more, given the criteria the author of this list himself laid out :-(
Far too long of an album to sit through. I listened to it on my drive to and from work, on my breaks and dinner time, about one hour forty. It’s just pleasant music to listen to, her voice was amazing. For me it would just have to be music I’d have on in the background, nothing wrong with it, but I just couldn’t sit and commit to it.
6 discos, 3 hrs y cacho y aun así me lo chuté todo lo cual significa que se deja. Pero a todo queda un pregunta: cómo es que llegamos al reggaeton?
I can listen to that in the background while doing anything, great focusing music
Enjoyable relaxing music, but it is waaay too long in my opinion though.
I can appreciate it’s good musically and good at the time but not something I want to sit and listen to. In the right environment I’m sure this is good
There aren’t many artists that I would actually spend 3 hours listening to but I enjoyed it all the way through and there are some really incredible songs in here. 4.5/5
I’m a big fan of Ella so this was great for me.
Slap that bass. I could listen to this forever.
I adore Ella. My earliest memories of Ella are Ella singing Gershwin. We had the shorter version of this in my house as a kid, and I still have it. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I do not mind listening to Ella for 3 hours. I would routinely listen to this and the Cole Porter songbooks on my drives between home and college. I've actually wanted to own Ella's Complete American Songbook for a long time. Some day I'll get there.
Dette er hinsides godt og dårlig. Prospektet av å høre på mer enn 20-30 minutter av dette sammenhengende er en non starter. En låt her og en låt der? Det kan nytes. Som samling er det derimot noe som må utholdes. Eller deles opp. Eller avbrytes. Uansett hvilken tilnærming man velger, taper samlingen.
Tror vurderingen av dette albumet kan variere litt ut fra hvor god man er til å porsjonere det ut. Det er jo mye bra her, og åpenbare klassikere, topp musikk og absolutt viktig, men det er for mye av det. Stundvis glemte jeg at jeg hørte på et album. Så måtte jeg ta en pause og plutselig hørtes albumet bra ut igjen, men å avslutte med rene instrumentaler var seigt. Scoren får 2 basert på at det ikke er mulig å høre på dette som 1 album. At den gruppa her misliker dobbeltalbum er en ting, og da sier det seg vel selv hvordan et sekstuppelalbum gjør det.
no lo he terminado, son 3 horas de disco, pero me ha sorprendido gratamente para no tener nada que ver con lo que suelo oír
So long! But is a six disc boxset so know not meant to be listened to like this. Didn't hate, good voice, but samey, boring and long. Did listen to all. Last disc is total crap
I was thinking of skipping when I saw this is a 3 hr box set but I really enjoyed it from the start and finished the whole thing. Despite the (sometimes) corny rhymes, the songwriting is top class (as would be expected) and the vocal performances effortless and perfect. Beautiful, comforting music.
Look.... Ella sings beautifully... But this compilation album is totally cheating in regards to a 1001 list you "must" listen to. Down rating simply out of the sheer length of what this is.
this album is fabulous and makes you want to dance, i think it would be perfect for the next time i'm cooking an extremely elaborate hands-on dinner for my guest that will take me 3 hours (loooong album), sipping on some wine. This album would make the time fly by
It was a fina album but it is not my style it really gives me the 50s vibes but it is 3 hours long.
Really didn’t get bored of this until ‘I got rhythm’ and then it was just 15 mins of instrumentals. What an album.
I want to say that, for the record, I listened to this entire thing. All 194 minutes of it. And I truly cannot understand why this is on here. Yes she has a great voice, yes the instrumentation is fun, but like this is THREE HOURS LONG, and from what I've seen it's the only compilation on this list, so I just don't get why it needs to be here. I'm sure Ella Fitzgerald has plenty of really amazing albums that could be here in the place of this one, I don't see why we need this one. Favorites: The fun ones
Fantastic vocals and composition but I found the lyrics and content were very repetitive. I did enjoy it, probably wouldn't listen again in full though but glad I did.
classics are classics for a reason!
It was a marathon, not a sprint, but it was worth it!
Couldn’t quite make it through the full 3+ hours
Classic songs in classic arrangements and what a voice! Fabulous. 5
Lovely. Enjoyed almost all of the songs, even if so many of them sound so similar to each other. I also think this is really pushing the definition of "album," as it's over 3 hours long - something I grew increasingly frustrated by.
to be fair I didn't listen to the whole thing because I couldn't find it and also I was busy. but I've heard this stuff before
She’s the best.
I’m gonna ignore the actual runtime of this “album” because there’s actually no way I was going to listen to 3 hours of this. That being said, it’s great and soothing but like that’s about all I get out of it.
Maybe one of my favourite genres, and Ella's voice is just angelic, perfect music to have in the background while completing an assignment I have to take one star off because of the length, 3 hours is insane!!
Ahh, the notoriously long album on the list. It’s okay though, because I could listen to Miss Ella all day and all night. She was a generational talent with an absolutely recognizable voice. We were taught about her in school (A-Tisket A-Tasket), and she was such a memorable singer that I wish I had started listening to her sooner. Did I listen to the whole album? Does it matter if I take my time enjoying it over several days? 5 stars
Good
Excellent. Écouté en plusieurs fois les disques mais je peux pas mettre moins de 5 je crois. Je ne connaissais Ella que très peu. Sa voix est juste magnifique et les compositions des Gershwin sont top. Ça va être dans mes rotations fréquentes.
All great sings. Perfect voice. Not a big fan of the brass blasts in that era of music. I prefer the songs with mostly string accompaniment.
Not my cup of tea, but at least it's several hours long... Fortunately, I was able to get the "expanded" edition, which has a whole additional volume featuring sliiiightly different variations of the same f'n song back-to-back-to-back. It's great... But I listened, so who's really the fool?
Warm vibe
*Gordon Ramsay's lips smacking* Finally, some good fucking music.
Pre Listen: Ah, Ella Fitzgerald. Back when I was first really getting into exploring my musical tastes, the first genres I found I adored were Big Band, Swing, and Jazz. Resulting I became well acquainted with Ella's work pretty early into my life, and while I don't believe I have any songs from this collection on my playlist, I'm sure I'll enjoy this music. Disclaimer, due to the length of the full collection, I decided to only listen to Volumes 1 and 2. Notable Tracks: They All Laughed | They Can't Take That Away From Me - Both songs are tied for 2nd place as my favorite songs. Energetic rhythms that I can hum along to. Would be fun to sing along to as well, if I took the time to learn the lyrics. Clap Yo' Hands - My least favorite track in the first half of the collection. It sounds fine, but it's really missing a lot of the poetic lyricism in much of Ella's work. Fun song, just feels out of place amongst the rest. For You, For Me, For Evermore - My favorite song on the collection. This song just strums the right heart strings for me. Maybe it's the soft guitar at the start, leading into a more dreamy swing with the rest of the band. It gives me that rosy feeling of nostalgia more than any other track on here. Post Listen: Ella Fitzgerald has been celebrated to the moon and back from her incredibly expansive works. Her voice is absolutely Golden, and the Big Bands she often worked with compliment her talent incredibly well. They all elicit images of a romantic past from a bygone time, where things were a bit classier, and life was brighter. Of course such a time is only fantasy, and looking in to the true stories from Ella's career shatter those nostalgia goggles. It's nice to pretend things were perfect once upon a time though, and this album transports you to such a fantasy with ease. Love ya Ella. 4/5
Yeah this was really good. Added several of these to my library. So much variety and each track came with so much talent. I was stuck at an airport gate for two hours and it breezed by while I listened to Ella Fitzgerald. So many fun, charming lyrics too. Just all-around fantastic.
Reflection on relationships and other themes. Old-timey, cosy melody, with whimsical vibes at times. Like her voice and the brass instrument(s). Also like the wordplays.
It's Ella, so you can't go wrong with the music. My only complaint would be that this is a 6-disc set and is over 3 hours in length.
Some of the songs are entertaining and Ella Fitzgerald has a beautiful voice don't get me wrong. This is mostly just boring slop from an era that isn't timeless for my generation.
I would play this album in winter/Christmas time with a fireplace on and while baking some chocolate chip cookies. It would also last as long as winter.
3.5
Stunning voice, of course. But I'm not sure this music was even designed to be marathoned across 3+hours so it seemed a bit of a challenge to get through.
Very lovely throughout, even if quite a few songs feel redundant. Not everything is a winner but it's hard to argue with Ella Fitzgerald's voice or Nelson Riddle's arrangements. Favorite tracks: "Looking For a Boy," "I've Got Rhythm," "Aren't You Kind of Glad We Did?"
I didn't listen to all of this - it is very good but several hours of it would do my head in.
Ella is obviously great. Album is obviously long. I did listen to all of it, but was fairly zoned out halfway through the second disc. Tipping the scales against this, as an ALBUM, is the fact that disc 6 is just instrumental stuff that isn't even Ella singing? I got a couple songs in before I had my wtf? moment. Ella=great, album to showcase her=ok, but has some issues.
My IDOL
Listened to probably the first 3 songs and then started skipping through them. It's quite impressive that, despite all the songs that hadn't been written yet in the 50s, these guys managed to make the same one 59 times.
2026.05.17
This album was great. I enjoyed every 1000 hours of this long tedious 4 album bundle. Really I did. But I think music should be digestible. It couldn't listen to it in a single session. It shouldn't take 4 days to listen to something. Would give it 4 stars but its long as fuck. Strong 3
sorry i cheated and only listened to disc 1. and i did like it, i like ella's voice, more of the songwriting i wasn't fond of. maybe i'll come back one day to do the other discs...
I listened to this whole thing over the course of a few days and NOT at one time. And it's really great and solid all the way through and I'm glad I listened!
Banger after banger after banger. A hugely influential album. This whole style of music is at the foundation of rock.
I really don't know how to approach rating this. Her voice is stunning and Gershwin is a great lyricist but four of hours of music makes it impossible to consume in one sitting. I'm giving a three but would have rated much higher if a single disc had been chosen for this project.
Well as cool as this is its still too much for one day. I got it done but its like 3 days worth of music for me. Im lucky enough to have the time to do it, and I know I can pause it for the time I need but I dont want to do that. An album a day scratches my brain real good. So actually to the album, its great. Its hard not to find a bunch of song you like when there are nearly 60 here to pick from. I got maybe 10 or so. To my surprise, im more into the slow and dreamy tracks here. It just fits her sultry voice for me. The backing track is good all around if not a bit too subtle for me. It hides alot but it does put the onus onto Ella. I had fun even though I was tired by the end. Good music that would fit a different context much better than living my life with headphones on for half a day.
Absolutely amazing collection of some of the greatest performances of any music ever. Be warned - This is NOT a traditional album. It's a huge 6 disc box set, so prepare accordingly 😂
Live Reacting to this album. The first words being Delilah was a floosy was awesome. OOOO, Big Band. Wait.. 4 DISCS?!?!?! Ooo, Congas in Just Another Rhumba hit my brain just right. Lost track. I would have rated it higher, but it was so fucking long lol.
I feel like Tobias on arrested development taking the $12 shuttle to the airport: excited at first but as it goes on and on and on… the more I want to get off the bus. 2.5
This doesn’t deserve to be on the list as-is. Gershwin is a legend. Ella Fitzgerald’s voice is incredible. But there’s gotta be a trimmed down “best of” 40-minute LP in this three hour box set. That leaves me with no idea how to rate this. 6/10 Has Its Moments But Is Way Too Long And Unedited
Mega długi, nie zdążyłam przesłuchać do końca, fajny klimat ale nie porwał mnie
lovely. amo a ella, y la portada me recuerda mucho a mi forma de dibujar y me encantó eso. muy cabaret tambien!
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?
Beautiful voice. Just a little old fashioned for me.
Hey, you know what? Ella Fitzgerald? Very good singer. And the Gershwins? Very good songwriters. What's not to love? I mean, I suppose you could criticize the run time, but in this particular case, I don't think it's a valid criticism. The length isn't a matter of self-indulgence, but rather, a matter of completeness. Without a doubt, this album is included as a representation of some of the greatest American music ever made, rather than as an album itself, and I'm perfectly fine with that.
Not sure it’s an album, but it’s a 5⭐️ few hours.
Granted, a questionable choice for the only Ella Fitzgerald representation on this list, and far too long for the purposes of this project but.. it’s still Ella Fitzgerald and big band performing Gershwin songs and is a wonderful listen to me.
This feels like buying one of those giant bags of jasmine rice at costco but for gershwin
I really enjoyed this. Ella Gitzgerald’s voice is beautiful to listen to and did justice to every song here. I did have to listen to this across a few days though because it’s so very long. Even as a jazz lover I don’t think this is an easy album to sit down and listen to cover to cover. That doesn’t mean it isn’t an incredible accomplishment though.
Definitely don’t try to listen to this all in one go. That’s not what this album is for. This album is for dinner parties, or other such sophisticated-but-lighthearted events. Ella Fitzgerald has a great voice, but a lot of the songs here aren’t quite my jam. I think I’m just not big on the brothers Gershwin.
it’s a fun album. it sounds like a movie disney soundtrack to me
Delightful and soulful, but most of the songs are about cheesy old-time love
There has never been before, and shall never be again such a voice as Ella.
The album was great, but I honestly could listen carefully to the first disc, the rest was a blur.
This is a very long collection of famous old jazz tunes sung by a legendary female vocalist. Her voice sounds incredibly beautiful, smooth, and clear on every single track, and the backing orchestra is great. However, because there are so many songs on this album, the music starts sounding exactly the same after a while, which makes it feel too boring.
Su voz
While I argue that it shouldn't be on this list if we're not allowing compilation albums, I can't argue its inclusion based on merit. This is one of the greats, at her best. Yeah, it took me three days to get through, but what a great three days.
Disproportionately long album compared to many others but it is good the whole way through. I spent time to learn about the Gershwin brothers and appreciate the kind of playful and romantic lyrics Ira was coming up with as well as the classical optimistic musical style of George. Ella herself is undeniably great, she commands without being forceful, it would have been cool to see her live. Its a commitment to make it from beginning to end especially if you want more musical variety on the whole but I'm glad I did. There are lots of highlights throughout. Disc 1 Lets Call the Whole Thing Off, Oh Lady Be Good Disc 2 'S Wonderful, By Strauss, The Real American Folk Song, They All Laughed Disc 3 Clap Yo' Hands, Boy Wanted, Strike Up The Band Disc 4 I Was Doing Alright, He Loves and She Loves, Slap That Bass Disc 5 I Can't Be Bothered Now, Fascinating Rhythm, I Got Rhythm Disc 6 All 3 Preludes
Didn't listen to all of it. She has a voice like silk. Would defo listen to at Christmas.
She could definitely sing but I ain't listening to 3 hours of this.
Why is it three hours and why is it kinda good. Didn’t listen to all of it but I’d happily chuck it on in the background
i do like it i like it so much but omg 3 hours is ridiculous. surely there's a better way to include ella fitzgerald in this list? if i owned a cute little cafe this would be played back to back at least once a week but since i do not im just kinda sitting at work really wanting to listen to something else. i did get through the entire thing though. it's a long track run but it's not unpleasant by anyyyyy means. like never in any universe does this deserve less than a 3 fave track: by strauss
Good but too long
If this wasn’t a friggin BOXSET this would get a higher rating, but - compilations? Really? The ENTIRE Gershwin song book? I mean, what an education. So important for jazz. And Ella. She really is a marvel. But… the whole friggin BOXSET? I just can’t go higher than 3. Boolean: yes, I do suppose I should have listened to this whole dang thing before I died, but it would have been so, so much better as MULTIPLE albums. Yeah
This album is a problem for the list for obvious reasons- few of us have time to listen to a 3+ hour entry. And it’s not intended to be listened to in a sitting.
Too many songs. Also basically just one song.
3hr my god Ok I gave up 6 songs in
not doing a 3 hour album FFS
This is ridiculous. 194 minutes of Ella Fitzgerald singing Gershwin tunes? This has to be an exception. How can anyone be expected to finish this in one day and have enough time for thoughtful commentary? She’s amazing, Gershwin is one of the best composers to ever live, every one of these songs rips, but give me a break man. This goes against my covers rule, my comp rule, whatever. I think it’s fair to put this thing on shuffle, let it run for an hour, and report how you feel.
A smirk and a wink from a woman hopelessly out of your league. 4.5/5
I know everyone says this is a masterpiece but it felt really long and repetitive, it took me weeks to finish
Genial este disco. Me encanta ella y el sonido.
TLDL
59 songs? funny.
I...what...is our time a joke to you guys? Ella is amazing though.
Long and very repetitive, it’s not like it was inherently terrible, but it was just boring
How can I rate this when it took me four days of stopping and starting to get through. I mean, I enjoyed it at times and at other times it just went on and on and on. Maybe I can revisit this again? But likely not.
She's something, ain't she? But 3 straight hours of Ella, damn, that's way too much in 2026.
Ella has a voice for the ages and the Gershwin songbook is impeccable. Putting them together produces something pretty sublime but 3 hours of it is still a little much.
Rating: 4.7/5 Short Review: Effortless, precise, and completely timeless. Ella makes complexity feel light, like it was always meant to sound this easy. Polished on the surface, but full of feeling underneath. Favorite Track: “They Can’t Take That Away from Me.” It’s warm, confident, and quietly emotional. She doesn’t push it, which makes it land harder.
I tried to do this in a day but I just couldn’t, music should be enjoyable and not turn into a chore. Ella Fitzgerald has an amazing voice and did great justice to all the songs on these albums. But 3hrs is pushing it. There is only so much 1950s jazz standards I can listen to without getting bored. There are some really good songs on here but there were some really boring moments that took me out of the experience. Happy I listened but I probably will not be coming back for a very long time
I love this style of music, but its a type of nostalgic love that finds me, yet I never seek out on my own. The album sounds like instrumental music to an old disney film, or claymation holidays specials. It is the definition of warmth and comfort to me, but I never look for it in the same way that I never seek out lullabies. I don't enjoy it in the same way I do modern music, but to me it's music that sets a scene and it does it wonderfully. Ella Fitzgerald is a great vocalist and I'm impressed with her her range and clear sense of humor in her music thanks to lyrics from Gershwin. I do miss old songs that tell clear stories. No metaphors or abstract lyrics that require multiple listens to understand, just a story sang in very straightforward language. Almost every song is incredibly relatable and the emotional range on this album is wide. Love, anger, apprehension, regret, Rumba, all expressed beautifully through a clear, controlled voice with clever writing that still holds up. I tried my best not to associate this kind of music with fallout, but I have ripped too many bongs and played too many hours of the game not think of it when I hear Ella's voice. But whichever way I was introduced to it, I'm glad I was. I'm rating it solid 3 stars, This album did not move me, but I can recognize it as something important. I like it a lot more than other albums from this era so that's gotta count for something.
#1 The production and sound quality is amazing for its time, and there is no denying that Ella is one of the best voices of all time. However, the extremely long runtime causes the songs to run together, and it isn't a genre that I am typically drawn to for anything other than background music or film settings. I won't say this isn't a good album, but I also won't likely ever re-visit it.
I'm sorry. I don't have the time to listen to an over 3-hour album.
Would've been nice if it didn't take five business years to listen through.
lovely
not something i usually listen to but i did enjoy it. I loved it especially for when i did my chores. It made me feel like im in a movie
lovely voice but far too much Gershwin for a single day
Again, I'm not listening to albums that are nearly 60 songs long that's absolutely ridiculous.
Brilliant but oh so long Love Ella more than I do Gershwin . Not sure a 6 disc box set should be on this list , even as nice as this is . The problem is, is it’s 3 hours of easy listening Jazz . Loved it and was annoyed in equal measure so 2.5 - rounding up as 2 feels churlish
"Here's your new album!" Thank you 1001 album generator dot com "59 track jazz album from the late 50s" No thank you 1001 album generator dot com :(
Very smooth
Very talented but not really my thing
I could only listen to the 45 minute 'best of'. She has a great voice but jazz is not my cup of tea and certainly would die of boredom over a behemoth 3 and a half hours.
A great voice, but why the hell is this so long
first thoughts: so I'm listening to a person sing an assortment of songs for 3 hours? after: that 3 hours wasn't that long
Great singer and the album was nice background music for inside activities but it is overly long. Still not bad.
Yeah yeah it was fine but did it have to be so long
This is extremely long. Sounds good but not a lot of memorable songs.
I mean it is what it is, but it's not for me.
Great
This was a massive one. Ella is one of my favorite voices and paired with this classic song writing team, the combo is incredible. Perfect listening for a cocktail party.
Some fun songs, but way too much album to get through on one sitting!
What a freaking wonderful storyteller. Words are so simple, so delicate and tells a lot by attempting less. Her voice is smoky and enchanting. This time I am happy that drums have more dimension than most other pieces in this genre. Aren’t you kind of glad we did? Isn’t it a pity? Slap that bass
Wow. Just incredible. The range and depth of the jazz paired with Ella’s voice takes you on a journey that genuinely transcends time. The orchestration is rich and full, Ella floats over every note like she owns them, and the whole thing somehow sounds timeless sitting here in 2026. A true classic that earns the title without even trying. If you haven’t listened, just put it on and let it take you somewhere.
3 hours of Ella - my cup runneth over
59 song is insane
My time has come. It's obviously great, but my limit for four stars is that I'd put the album on again on my own time, and I'm never listening to this as an album again, so three stars.
Ella's a gem but I am not listening to FIVE discs
Had zero expectations of this but found it quite pleasant.
Seems repetitive to me. not my vibe.
Llevo escuchado 3/6 discos so far y me encantan. Ella tiene de las mejores voces que existieron en la historia de la música. Simplemente magnífica, una voz fuerte pero aterciopelada que acompañan con firmeza y dulzura las canciones. Los conceptos de amor, esperanza y el andar por el mundo están impresos hermosamente en cada una de las letras de las canciones. Y el jazz, cada uno de los instrumentos es protagonista a la vez creando un conjunto excepcional. Bueno ya terminé con el álbum, es de 1959, Ella Fitzgerald cantando las canciones del cancionero de George y Ira Gershwin. Ya hablé de las letras que me gustaron mucho pero la verdad Ella es la cantante que les da verdadera vida y magia. All in all me gustó mucho. Guardé varias canciones pero mis favoritas son "Boy Wanted", "Somebody From Somewhere", "(I've Got) Beginner's Luck)" y "Lorelei".
This album triggered a deep reflexion on what I appreciate in Music and how to approach these reviews. Are artists interprets/actors or do they own their art ? If a singer sings generic songs really well, is it good music or good singing ? I'm just rumbling nonsense at this point. I'll be using this template from now on to help me structure the whole thing : What I liked : Amazing voice, overall great production What I didn't like : Generic songs, the lenght, lack of theme Unmissable tracks : ??? Short personnal view : I understand that in this era, people were used to a catalog of songs free for all to interpret. However lyrics and their link to the artist are important to me, here I couldn't care about anything because of this. Also 3 hours ?? That's not an album it's more of an attempt at a compilation, so besides the point of this list... Rating : 4/10
Actually really nice listening to it while doing some chores. My picks: let's call the whole thing off and they can't take that away from me.
Not for me.
3,4/5
I don't think I can do this. I'm not going to waste 196 minutes and 48 seconds of my life on someone, even if it's the great Ella Fitzgerald. Let's try this: I'll listen to the 15 most streamed songs from this album on Spotify, something like the best of. And then I'll probably deduct one star of the rating for all the ones I didn't listen to. Or maybe I won't. Let's wait (not 3 hours and 20 minutes) and see. So, here they are: 02) But Not For Me - 7,0 04) Let's Call The Whole Thing Off - 8,0 06) Oh, Lady Be Good! - 6,5 07) Nice Work If You Can Get It - 7,0 11) 'S Wonderful - 6,5 12) The Man I Love - 6,0 15) Someone To Watch Over Me - 6,5 19) They All Laughed - 7,0 22) A Foggy Day - 7,5 29) I've Got A Crush On You - 6,5 38) Love Is Here To Stay - 6,5 44) They Can't Take That Away From Me - 6,5 45) Embraceable You - 6,5 48) Fascinating Rhythm - 7,0 53) I Got Rhythm - 7,0 TOTAL: 6,80 (68/100) Current ranking: 556/894 Okay, I won't take anything away from you, Ella. I'll just assume that the other 44 songs are just as much of a drag as these 15 "most streamable" ones are. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off!
Number: 112 Date: 04/24/2026 Artist: Ella Fitzgerald Album: The Gershwin Songbook Year: 1959 Genre: Jazz Musical Familiarity: Moderate (3) Rating: 3 Before: ======= Oh, I thought I already had this one, I guess not. Definatley not. It's 3+ hours, I would remember that. During: ======= Opening track, Sam and Delilah. Wow, yeah I think I would remember this. This is awesome. But 3 hours is a bit much. Seeing how it's Friday, I think I'll take the whole weekend for this one. After : ======= So, it took 2 days for this one. Way too long obviously to be included as one entry. Surely there are other single albums out there that showcase Ellla's talents equally well. But maybe the point of including the book was to pay tribute to the Gershwin brothers as well? 4 my personal rating 2 suitability for this list 4 impact ----------------------------------------------- 3.3 composite rating
Fuck me. This took forever and more than not was boring as fuck.
It's a difficult one to rate, this A truly amazing voice (5⭐), some ok songs (3⭐) but some shite songs (1⭐) Overall, it's just punishingly long (1⭐), but you can't deny that incredible voice (5⭐) Good for having on in the background, but not an album to actively listen to, certainly not in one sitting
Ella can absolutely sing and is amazing. But this album is sooooooo much. I get that at the time one would just put this on for an evening or something and that you can find a lot of the songs throughout American cinema and culture, but how do you even review an album like this? The individual songs and Ella’s voice are great. The album as constructed is just a mountain.
It’s Ella so it’s great. But it’s also a lot of Ella. 3 stars.
It is really nice to see this on here. I was originally a bit put off by the fact that this list has no classical music, but I guess it gets weird with where does a "Symphony" become an album. Buuut, there's just something so enjoyable about the full orchestra that is severely lacking in modern music. Also, there are a number of reviews about this being a compilation album, and I wholeheartedly disagree. If anything, I would say it's a cover album, but realistically it's just Ella taking on an absolutely massive project to bring light to music that has inspired her over the years. I think it just looks weird to or modern eyes to see the actual songwriters get credit on the cover, when today they're buried deep in the credits, if the rights aren't bought outright behind the scenes by the labels themselves.
Ella is great. Gershwin songs are hit and miss. Three hours is much too long
buns
I know she is a legend and has a nice voice but it's not that interesting. I was surprised how white she sounds. Maybe I would appreciate her more if she did songs in another genre and time. The Gershwin music turns me off. Cheesy songs with Nelson Riddle swing/big band arrangements blasting horns in between lyrics. All sound the same. Impossible to listen to 3+ hours of this. I had to keep skipping after a minute or so.
++*: Slap That Bass ++: Promenade (Walking the Dog), March of the Swiss Soldiers, Fidgety Feet, Prelude I, Prelude II, Prelude III, Sam and Delilah, But Not for Me, My One and Only, Let's Call the Thing Off, (I've Got) Beginner's Luck, Oh, Lady Be Good!, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Things Are Looking Up, Just Another Rhumba, How Long Has This Been Going On?, 'S Wonderful, The Man I Love, That Certain Feeling, By Strauss, The Real American Folk Song (is a Rag), Who Cares?, Looking for a Boy, They All Laughed, My Cousin in Milwaukee, Somebody from Somewhere, A Foggy Day, Clap Yo' Hands, Stiff Upper Lip, Boy Wanted, Strike Up the Band, Soon, I've Got a Crush on You, Bidin' My Time, Aren't You Kind of Glad We Did?, Of Thee I Sing (Baby), The Half of It, Dearie' Blues, I Was Doing All Right, He Loves and She Loves, Love Is Sweeping the Country, Treat Me Rough, Our Love Is Here to Stay, Isn't It a Pity?, Shall We Dance?, Love Walked In, You've Got What Gets Me, They Can't Take That Away from Me, Embraceable You, I Can't Be Bothered Now, Boy! What Love Has Done to Me!, Fascinating Rhythm, Funny Face, The Lorelei, Oh, So Nice!, Let's Kiss and Make Up, I Got Rhythm, Somebody Loves Me, Cheerful Little Earful +: Someone to Watch Over Me, For You, for Me, for Evermore 9,9/10
Bliss.
this is too long. nothing i actively dislike but it is just ok and too long.
2/10 Of course I get the longest album of the entire project on an insanely busy day. Listen, Ella Fitzgerald is an amazing singer and the songs are, generally speaking, mediocre to good. But I think similarly about this album as I do about all the live albums on this list - especially the earliest ones: this should not be on this list. This album is simply not comparable to the vast majority of the albums on this list. This is a compilation. It is not an album. Being over 3 hours long is another big ding against it - no album needs to be this long (and it is because, of course, it is not an album). The songs get incredibly repetitive and dull after a while, and as a result I started to treat it like background music. There's definitely a good album somewhere in there, but you need to omit a good 90% of the songs to get there. Objectively speaking, this album deserves a 2; but I'm writing this as I'm finishing up Disc 5 (of 6), about 3 hours in, and I can't be objective anymore. This is PAINFUL. Sorry, Ella, but I just can't give you a 2. Or higher.
Voice and singing are undeniable but this is far too long and I can only imagine there are other superior Ella Fitzgerald albums for this list
love jazz. But didn´t listened to the whole álbum, too long.
Wayyy too long, and not even good music
My god this is long…. Amazing voice but half an hour is plenty, not 4 hours… was on in the background all day. It’s a 1.5
El segundo disco no me gustó, pero los otros dos sip 🙂↕️
a mí papá le gusta decir que ella puede cantar lo que sea. acá hay tres horas de prueba
*Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book* Really good... But also reeeeeeeeeally long. I think if this wasn't so exhausted I probably would get it to either a high four maybe even a four and a half Stars. There are some really good versions on here and even some that even evoked some of Nelson Riddle's arrangements with Sinatra. Ella Fitzgerald is on absolute fire throughout the project. I guess all in all this just feels more like a museum project, especially with the length. I'm not sure how I feel about it as an album. I'm pretty sure at the time this would have felt a lot like dropping the needle on the Bruce Springsteen five albums live box set. But here's some 70 years later it doesn't translate. But it is still a self-stellar set. (8.33) ★★★★
Too long, but many nice songs and a wonderful voice. 3.5 stars
I ended up doing the 45 minute best of compilation for this. While I think it's really great at times, this still of music really works best in small doses for me. Even 45 minutes was a bit of a slog, so I can't imagine 3 hours of it. Stuff like "I Got Rhythm" or "They Can't Take That Away From Me" are bona fide classics, but after a while, the lesser known Gershwin songs all kind of start to sound the same. Is it objectively good? Yes. But, as a collection, I'm not sure it's all that necessary. High 3 stars.
Some good songs on this. All very fruitily sung by Ella, guru of old timey singers. I don’t like the album art though so a star off for that.
wo w
my listening notes will be sporadic, as this is a 3hr album. let's call the whole the thing off--Ella is just incredible. her voice is so clear. it's enlightening how intertwined the gershwins and Ella's iconic sound are. my goodness i just love Ella by strauss--love hearing the gershwins poking fun at themselves. also i don't think i've heard a scatted waltz before. i could listen to Ella all day long. which is good, cause that's what i'm doing. i will have to go find the other "Ella sings the ____ songbook" albums. the half of it dearie blues--love that bass clarinet there this album is lacking in scatting. promenade (walking the dog)--a gershwin classic for a reason. maybe the instrumental pieces could've been included as interludes instead of all lumped at the end (or beginning in some versions?). similarly to double nickels on the dime (the minutemen), i think this would benefit by having a physical copy with zero pressure to listen to the whole thing, just throw on a side or two whenever you want. 5/5. Ella is an icon. incredible. perfect. the pinnacle of music. pack it up, everyone, it's all downhill from her. (after reading other reviews, i will acknowledge that this is not the pinnacle of Ella's discography in the way this list typically operates. i agree that other, shorter albums of hers would probably be more popular around here. doesn't change the fact that i enjoyed listening to three hours of Ella. "bUt It'S sO lOnG" radiohead got 6 fucking albums, so deal with it and listen to some Ella.)
Favorites from the American songbook – what's not to love? Should we talk about the incredible talent of the Gershwin Brothers with the witty lyrics of Ira and the beautiful, fun, energetic music of George, or should we focus on the unparalleled and simply genius vocals of Ms Ella Fitzgerald? Either way, the combination is solid gold. I loved starting my Monday morning off with this album set, and although I only got to listen to three of the records, I saved it to my iTunes library and I'm confident in my five star rating that this is an absolute gem.
Shockingly I managed to listen to this full album and I really enjoyed it. No album should be this long though. I’d rate it higher if it was shorter to be honest.
Inoffensive background music for when you need 9 hours of music but can't change the track as there's a certain slug sat on your phone
Not really my thing. Perhaps nice to have on in the background at a dinner party or playing a board game but I couldn't really get into it just sat at my desk.
Hard to rate this alongside other albums on this list as it’s over 3 hours long. I don’t think the expectation should be to rate the 5 or whatever disks as a whole but the general vibe of what was put down. I liked it mostly.
Nice
A box set is not an album. She’s a great singer. The source material is not.
Good music, great voice. Not really my main thing or first choice though, and a 3-4 hour box set was maybe a bit much for the "an album a day" project, LOL.
So far very good, but I can't sit down for 3 hours. I do have a life 1001 albums, and throwing an entire songbook in here has to be rage bait. shoutout to the legend ella fitzgerald though
It was a little too long.
From the Vault #8 (March 12, 2026) Greetings. I'm back for another pre-written review of a long album. After working my way through 69 Love Songs, which I had assumed was the longest album in the book, I assembled a list of albums above one hour in length for if I ever had time to kill in the future. It's mighty convenient that the 1001 Albums book includes the runtimes of every album, lemme tell ya. Lo and behold, it was revealed to me that this album is actually the longest on the list, being 15 minutes longer than that of 69 Love Songs. Needless to say, I have to vanquish such evil from my list before it had the opportunity to catch me off guard. I'm not sure what this album could be other than a hoity-toity vocal jazz album by going off of the year of release and album cover. Here goes. Okay, COME ON. I am two hours and my quintillionth song into this album, and this broad is still bloviating about love. Contrary to popular opinion and the many peer-reviewed disserations which have been written on the subject, I am not a lover of men, so I couldn't relate to this album all that much. I think Ella Fitzgerald has made herself unlovable. It's quaint listening to all of these songs about how much she loves her current partner, yet she's always up and looking for love within the next few tracks. It's difficult to say why her relationships always fall apart given what we know about them, but I think "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" provides an important insight into the dynamics. In the song, Fitzgerald relentlessly nitpicks her partner for pronouncing English words differently to her. She weighs up the possibility of whether she should leave her partner, to which she backs down over fear of being alone. To even have such reservations is indicative of deeply uncompromising, selfish and insecure behaviour. I recommend that she seek professional help and takes the zombie pills or whatever it is that psychologists do these days. She also pronounces "oysters" as "ersters", so I'm thinking institutionalisation may be in order. Book time. Fitzgerald has an "unassailable" reputation, apparently. A good pairing of singer and songwriter. "It is the best of the Song Book albums, and the definitive collection of the works of perhaps the definitive American songwriters." Wait, there's multiple of these? There's eight, apparently. The average length of which is about an hour-forty in length. A box set compiling all of these albums is just over 15 hours long. That's fucked up. I suppose I don't question Fitzgerald's prominence as an artist. She was going nuts with all of the albums that were being put out at the time. Wikipedia says this album belongs to "...what is possibly Fitzgerald's greatest musical legacy..." I.e., the songbook series. The article said it was only "possibly" her greatest musical legacy, so there's still a chance we switch this album out. It was well-received by critics, though to be fair there's only four ratings. I mean, surely there's an album equivalent in quality to this one which also isn't three fucking hours long, right? I switcharoo this inclusion. ================== Kablammo. Me from the present here to say that it feels mighty good to instantly vaporise this album from the list. I wasn't expecting it so soon, however. I definitely thought I'd roll 69 Love Songs before this album, if only for the fact that I've known about it longer. This website should honestly relegate the long-as-fuck releases to the last hundred-or-so albums (save for maybe the White album). It'd certainly make the final stretch of this list more dramatic and treacherous.
No thanks. I could have died and not listened to this.
This'd be three stars if it was three hours long.
Could listen to this album all day long, timeless, gorgeous voice, love it.
If I have to listen to anything for three-and-a-quarter hours, I'm glad it's Ella Fitzgerald. Hard to stay fully engaged throughout but ones that caught my attention, in order of appearance: 'They All Laughed', 'Of Thee I Sing', 'The Half Of It Dearie Blues', 'I Got Rhythm', 'Promenade (Walking The Dog)', 'March Of The Swiss Soldiers', 'Fidgety Feet'
definitely didnt listen to 3h worth of this but i liked it! good morning album, passionate vocals, tick
Dit album heb ik niet afgeluisterd. Het duurt mij te lang er. Er staan veel nummers op die ik ook al ken van andere artiesten of van Ella zelf samen met Louis Armstrong. Na anderhalfuur wist ik het wel. Als het daar was gestopt had ik het misschien nog wel 3 sterren gegeven. Maar ik was het daarna wel echt zat
Ella Fitzgerald is natuurlijk een fantastische zangeres met goede timing en frasering. Ik luister liever wat meer persoonlijk werk van Ella Fitzgerald ipv dit album. De nummers zijn vermakelijk maar ook soms beetje jolig. Wel fan van de band en Ella Fitzgerald maar misschien minder van het repertoire Gershwin.
Ik heb de fout gemaakt om te beginnen aan het hele album, ik ben na 2,5 uur luisteren geswitcht naar een best of Gershwin songbook wat gewoon 45 minuten duurt. Wanneer een album te lang is beinvloed het ook je mening over een album wat jammer is, als je 4 uur zou moeten luisteren naar je favoriete artiest zou je op den duur ook verveeld raken. (althans ik) los van de lengte zal ik het wel beoordelen op muzikaliteit, en dat zit wel goed. Ella Fitzgerald staat bekend om loepzuivere stem met een grote range, en dat etaleerd ze ook op dit album, haar timing is erg goed en ze weet de nummers van Gershwin zo eigen te maken dat je haast vergeet dat het niet haar nummers zijn. De arrangementen zijn ook goed en het is gewoonweg goeie muziek. Toch blijft mijn luisterervaring bij dit album steken op een 3.
I love Ella Fitzgerald, I do...but this is very tedious, samey, long ass compilation, and I feel it doesn't even have the best versions of songs I like from her.
Box sets… I have views on them. I have box sets of artists I love that well meaning people have bought me- and I wouldn’t listen to them in one sitting and I certainly couldn’t do this with an artist I admire but dont love. So I listened to the very best of… she has a wonderful voice and the arrangements are sharp and full of movement- however my cloth ear for jazz doesn’t pick up the nuances and whilst I enjoyed it- it didn’t wow me. That’s on me I reckon though
Primera vez que escucho un álbum de Jazz, me gustó.
I did it. I listened to the whole thing. I completed the Ella Fitzger-athon. And I have some thoughts. This album fundamentally breaks this project. Most of the 130ish albums I've had so far are somewhat analogous to movies - discrete experiences with at least some thought put into the beginning, middle, and end. Not every one is a concept album, but they at least have some kind of flow to them. If these other albums are movies, this one is a sitcom, specifically an early sitcom with no overarching narrative. That's not to say it's worse, it just needs to be enjoyed differently. Independently, most of these songs are pretty great. Ella Fitzgerald's voice is incredible, and the jazz accompaniments suite the songs well. If I heard one of these at a snazzy cocktail bar, I'd probably really enjoy it. Binging all these songs together is a mistake. The cutesy lyrics and jazzy bombast can only get you so far. I was mentally done halfway through the second volume/disc, but I was less than halfway through this thing. If you have the opportunity, maybe try listening to this over a long weekend of cleaning the house or something. I think I would have definitely liked it a lot more if I had given each volume a little more room to breathe.
This wasn't a songbook. It was a set of songs encyclopedias. It's all good, but it's all also roughly the same. And it's just too goddamned long.
Voice of angel. Album was so long I actually died and she greeted me.
I DID IT!!! You can start a speakeasy and play this entire album and it would be awesome! Her voice is iconic. Just because of the length it is not getting a top score, but if this was 40 minutes long it would be a top album for me. 6.75/10 Top song My cousin in Milwaukee
What a voice but a album over 3 hours long. It's a test. Minus one point for the length.
April 14 Tuesday 2026 Not my usual cup of joe Prefer Chet bakers cover of “not for me”
It was an absurd listen and the weirdest thing I did in this game. Somehow, it worked for me today. It shouldn't be here. It's not an album. But its a valuable and historic collection of songs delivered by the best person to do the job. So I'm baffled and confused But can't give this one less than a 4. I can't belive I listened to 3:30 hours of this today I hope you don't have the Cole porter songbook in here aswell. See you tomorrow Long live Ella Fitzgerald, the best to ever do it.
In a nutshell: the full treatment. The Gershwin brothers. Live orchestra arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle. Ella- The First Lady of Song. This is a power combo. But I'm conflicted. There's a lot to get through. I don't know Ira and George's work was that extensive. It's marvellous, don't get me wrong. I haven't heard Ella like this before. Ella gives each song a depth and breadth that only she can give. It's a pity this is the only Ella Fitzgerald album on the list too. As separate entities, Ella and the Gershwins are essential listening. But you only need a taste. The first disc is plenty, maybe the second if you really dig it. Overall: 5/10
only listened until the 3rd disc.
Ella is always a 5. 3 hours of pure bliss. Enough said.
Never really listened to this type of music before. I actually really enjoyed it.
Listened to this at home with Ryan after work. Really nice and chill. Ryan enjoyed it.
Projet titanesque.
6 disques! Ça prend beaucoup de sfamina! J'avoue que j'ai arrêté au milieu du 4e. Je me demande vraiment qui se procurait ça, 6 vinyles comme ça, dans les années 50, c'est assez niché. Bons arrangements, instrumentation big band typique de ces années. 4 étoiles pour la forme, une entreprise colossale surmontée en 8 mois d'enregistrement, bravo à Ella et son équipe !
It was a good album but its just not my style.
This album is a great representation of Ella Fitzgerald's range as a performer. She works through Gershwin songs with the strength of a woman who knows how to hit all the right notes at exactly the right time with exactly the right tone.
i love her voice so much, its just so beautiful!
Nah, I hated it, I'm sorry, I know Ella is a legend but the first tracks where she doesn't sing put me to sleep, then she picks up and it's cool but idk, the music didn't make it for me.
the princess and the frog vibes, undeniably strong voice however not for me
I'm all for Ella Fitzgerald being on this list, but it's "1001 ALBUMS," not "1000 Albums and a Box Set...". I'll listen to a bit of this today, and then maybe more of it over the next few days. This is just a lot to try to consume in one sitting. I'll give this a 3 out of respect for Ella, but you can't expect a more thorough listen or review on a collection of over 3 hours of material.
Dobra purva pesen everything else mid/bad
ayo cool smooth jazz
Ella has one of the greatest voices ever.
Fun Lovely voice Beautiful lyrics Interesting sounds
Listening to that album make me feel like taking a train ride somewhere anywhere just me, book and an empty seat beside me
Way too long to listen to in a single sitting. Disc 1 was good.
love her
Classic songs!
This album wasn’t for me. I don’t find myself gravitating toward this genre (jazz/vocal jazz). I tend to enjoy more catchy and memorable instrumentals or meaningful lyrics that I can relate to. While listening, I found myself feeling bored and even skipping some tracks, which is unusual for me since I’m pretty open-minded when it comes to discovering new music. However, I did enjoy the song “Things Are Looking Good for Me.” Overall, I’d rate the album a 3.5/10.
me hizo sentir que estaba en una película animada viejita de disney. Muy tranqui pero amo la voz de Ella
I got through this 🤩🤩🤩🥳 great programming background music.
i aint listening to this shit
I listened to the wrong one but it was great. This one is just way too long so I’m carrying on and rating the one I listened to by accident.
Didn’t listen to the entire runtime, but Ella can probably take anyone’s discography and make it sound beautiful.
definitely not my favourite of ella’s work (bit too folklore story time for me) but her voice is transcendent. somehow it is both light and airy yet rich and dense. she knows how to sing about love like no one else <3
Boy this was long. Good gems buried throughout. Also some weird ones… can’t all be winners with that many songs.
Buena música, un poco melancólica, mucho r&b y blues, bonita voz, pero no me gustó tanto, me fastidió, pero su musica, es increíble
What a great listen. I was really dreading it beforehand, given its enormous length. But Ella's voice is something I hardly could get enough of. The only thing detracting from this is the instrumental part, this wasn't really necessary on an already pretty long album. 4/5
Destaques: Let's Call The Whole Thing Off, Things Are Looking Up, Just Another Rhumba, The Man I Love, Someone to Watch Over Me, The Real American Folk Song, They All Laughed (resto não ouvi tudo) Simplesmente muito longo e acaba ficando repetitivo como um álbum, mas definitivamente não é ruim, os Gershwin são ótimos compositores e Fitzgerald é uma incrível intérprete.
I can go out, grab a few drinks, get something to eat, get back home, and this will still be playing. I know because I did all of that. At least 69 Love Songs was fun, this is just old people music
So good but goddamn 3 hours is crazy
I stopped listening a quarter way through because I got bored
Lmao casi 4 horas nose si I’m gonna do this shit La primera cancion me ha parecido strangely sexualll slow down delilah Goofy aaaa song la 4a
classic sound
Beautiful voice, but this was 3:15 of the same song
What a struggle…worse than listening to Rush..if it wasn’t for Ella’s beautiful voice I would have stopped with the first song…my god 3h and 15mins of these songs…words escape me.
Let no one tell you I'm not dedicated to this project lol 3 hours!!! I love Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
Nice voice, not my cup of tea.
nice jazz album
Gorgeous record, although necessarily extensive.
this is a nightmare. absolutely beautiful songs but after the second track it gets quite repetitive and hard to get through
The length alone is so off putting I cannot lie. 😭😭 I got through it, but the following morning as I had to take a break. I can appreciate Ella Fitzgerald and her contributions to Jazz and music as a whole, but this wasn’t it for me.
- Multiple names connected to George and Ira Estates signed that pro-Zionism letter from Hollywood (and explicitly put their connections to G&I on the letter) . I'm going to extrapolate that George and Ira were also Zios. No thank you. - These songs are so fakely sickly sweet, and listening to hours of musical music without the musical is not pleasant to me. - The only thing I enjoyed is Ella's voice, but it's still too much of it. - It mostly made me feel bad that she had to learn all these boring, patriarchal songs. I just got to the part where she compares being in love to Columbus finding a new world (cough, colonizers). Gross. - Didn't finish.
Obviously too long blah blah, I’ll ignore that. Indisputably great songs, with witty original lyrics and elegiac melodies. Ella has one of the great voices, and is perfectly matched to these songs of which she creates arguably definitive versions. Vocal jazz is not typically my style but this is pretty great
Like Ella Fitzgerald but this is way too long to be on here.
Ella siendo Ella, maravilloso!! Pero 4 estrellas solo porque mi favorito de ella es otro y para mí es inigualable.
Too long, started off good tho
Amazing vocals and instrumentation. Lyrics make me feel like a little girl fantasizing about love.
Classic songs and legendary vocalist, but six disks? I did the first two then was done. Can't hate on Ella even if not all the classic musical soundtrack hit right.
Enjoyed it but didn't get through all 5 discs. Will have to revisit.
No es mi estilo