The Gershwin Songbook

Imponerande att vara så långt men ändå njutbart!

3 timmar långt men hon är underbar att lyssna på

Gershwins 5, Ella 5, but I have to knock off a point for Nelson Riddle and his overbearing orchestration.

Lovely, relaxing music.

A lot of great songs, performed by a great singer. Also an interesting insight into how much the music industry has changed since 1959. 'Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book' - they really were simpler times weren't they.

Really enjoyable album. Loved it.

Final thoughts: I listened to all of it. Was I looking forward to it? No. But I'm glad I did. What a voice! I didn't love everything on here, but the slower ballads continued to hit me just right for the duration. Will you love these songs? Not necessarily. Should you listen to this if you care about the history of pop music? Absolutely. I may not like the length, but this is exactly why I started this project. ******************************************************************************* DISC 1 --'But Not For Me' was lovely. --Sigh, nobody says 'potato' like that. --'Oh, Lady Be Good' is also very pleasant. I like the slow tracks --'How Long Has This Been Going On?' slows things down again and once again it's great DISC 2 --'The Man I Love' is hauntingly beautiful --we get some ragtime pian-ee with 'The Real American Folk Song' --'Somebody From Somewhere' is slow and wonderful. I'm noticing a pattern --This has been a pleasant experience so far, but I'm not going to do this all in one sitting. I'm not that much of a psycho (yet) DISC 3 --'For You For Me For Evermore' is perfect --'I've Got a Crush on You" I could listen to her ballads all day DISC 4 --Slap That Bass! --'Isn't It a Pity' is great. Surprise, it's a ballad! --'Love Walked in'? banger --'Embraceable You' is a classic DISC 5 --'Lorelei' is awesomely sassy --'Oh So Nice' is indeed very nice DISC 6 --this may all be instrumental. which wouldn't be terrible because the musicians are excellent. but I'm here for Ella

this was an undertaking. the second 3+ hour album on this list. and absolute insanity that an album this old could even be this long. but somehow it never got tiring!! it was never mind-blowing but it was always good. even the last disc of all instrumentals i really liked. very impressive

Arrancamos oficialmente la primera semana de octubre con una mostra del jazz, de la que sólo he escuchado un disco en colaboración con Louis Armstrong. Debo decir que pausé toda la semana el reto para poder escuchar esta obra enorme, que me fascinó. Inmediatamente, uno relaciona a éste tipo de jazz con películas (específicamente, Disney) o dibujos animados (Tom y Jerry). Más allá de esas conexiones de otro tiempo, la voz de Ella Fitzgerald a uno lo seda. Deja todo en reposo y en una bella calma. Muchas gracias y seguimos con éste reto hermoso.

Incredible work from Ella and the Gershwin's, just a stacked tracklist. Stellar.

top3: - i’ ve got a crush on you - for you for me for everyone - nice work if you can get it

Very nice and cozy

I worked my way through the 4-hour, 13-minute Expanded Edition of this project. While it was definitely a behemoth to work through, I have walked away with a newfound Ella appreciation. My favorites were, "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," "Oh, Lady Be Good," "Treat Me Rough," and "Lorelei."

Don’t like these old standards, but her voice and the orchestra are so sublime I actually liked quite a bit of this very long collection.

Her voice is like silk or velvet. Perfect soundtrack for those long, autumn evenings.

Pleasant performances all throughout, although very same-y in this quantity. However, putting a collection like this on a list of albums was like putting a boxed set of all seasons of a TV show on a list of movies.

"3 hours is just too long for an album" was my initial thought. A little over 3 hrs later and I guess I was wrong. Her voice is just amazing, I could listen to her sing the phonebook.

love her music but holy shit 3 hours???

This is great of course (because Ella, because she's always a delight to hear), but Riddle offers only the broadest and most overdone arrangements. And editors might consider spiffing the list with the likes of Abbey Lincoln, Cassandra Wilson, etc.

Listened to the first 4 discs. Band sounds great. There was a cadence exactly when my train to a stop and that felt good. Call me gay but this is a 4 even though it's long af

Despite the slowness of the music I find myself hanging on every word. It's the perfect kind of thing to put on in the background but also would be lovely to have seen live.

I remember my mam!💕

7/10

Went back to work today after week off and if any album is going to make that a joyful and restful experience it is this one. After checking that I indeed have the album with just 59 songs and not the reissue (sigh), I swaddled myself in a blanket, cup of coffee in hand, and let this just ooze over me. Such beautiful songs sung by a truly wonderful vocalist.

Legendary vocals with really good music backing it up. It's very much old school with a brass section and there are dramatic horn pops or whatever it's called when everyone with a horn blasts it at the same time. Not in a bad way but in a dramatic highlighting the music way. You will know what I mean when you listen to it. The whole album is very nice I listened to it again the next day. I'm sure I will be listening to this many more times.

I like Ella's jazzy stuff, but this is more show tunes with a big orchestra. It's definitely not my usual style. My grandmother probably liked it. Yet... the songs make me happy. Her voice is incredible as always. You might know a few of these, in Ella's version or others (e.g. "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"). It's over 3 hours of music, BTW!

Amazing Really great singing voice Some swing music I think Only heard 14 out of 60 songs

I'm going to rate it 4 stars because it's Ella Fitzgerald and I know some of these songs but it's over 3 hours long 😅

I love Ella Fitzgerald's singing, one of the best of all time. So graceful, so elegant, there's just lots to love. I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that bonkers runtime. While Ella has no problem carrying her weight in the album the repeated cycle of production just doesn't do it for me. Nevertheless, with the amount of songs on this there is no shortage of great songs. For the most part, this was a great listen excluding the runtime. Top 4: But Not For Me (solos), Embraceable You, Love Is Here To Stay, and Someone Watch Over Me 3.75-4.25/5

6 discs is absolutely crazy work, but Ella is THAT girl and it's so easy to listen to.

Beautiful ambitious album. I'm sure one day I will finish it although I doubt in one sitting since it's over three hours. One of the greatest singers of all time

The voice, oh the voice Breathing life into each note But oh so, so long

I didn't listen to the 3 hour plus box set, just selections from it. These are great songs and Fitzgerald sings them superbly with impeccable backing from Nelson Riddle's orchestra. Not really my cup of tea but I can appreciate the hell out of it (just not for 3 hours plus).

Very good. Listen to the first two discs

great singer, great songs.

Before I get into the music- why is the album cover of a white lady? Aside from that, great album. Can't believe how long it is. Gershwin and Ella Fitzgerald and wildly prolific.

So lovely

i love a bitta Ella. But i could not listen to this entire thing through. I got the gist after disc one. It’s beautiful music don’t get me wrong. But did i need to hear this before i die?

I give myself 5 stars for listening to all 3 hours and 15 minutes of this. Pleasant stuff. The lyric "So I'm looking for a boy 'Bout five foot six or seven" is not something that is familiar from contemporary online dating profiles.

Ella sings classics, c’mon. I met her Once, extra special.

Alltså visst. Gershwin är ett geni! Fitzgerald sjunger skiten ur örhänge efter örhänge. Men är det rimligt att kalla ett 6-box-set med 59 sånger och över tre timmars lyssningstid för ett album? Hur ska jag betygsätta. Hur jämför jag med 35 minuters 60-talspop? Blir ju bara larvigt ju! Nåja det kan ju inte bli en femma när man slänger hel pastakoket i väggen och hoppas att något ska fastna. 4

Brilliant voice, entirely too long, listened to the best of and didn't feel deprived

Big band jazz with the legendary Ella 👌 Takes about half a day to listen through though!

lovely, gorg-iana, icon, straight up cunt, BE-YOU-tiful, Linda Evangelista, real eyes realize real lies, intel core processor, salty salty crocodile tears yum yum yum in my tum.

I listened to "The Very Best Of The Gershwin Song Book" sang by Ella Fitzgerald instead. I did not want to grow resentful of Ms Fitzgerald or the Gershwins. I am glad that they blessed earth with a 3h 14m album, but I don't think that's meant for us to listen to all in a row. Unless that's your jam.

Ella is always on point. An amazing singer, beautiful songs to play, nice arrangements. A must!

Good stuff! Classic, mostly sounds the same, but reminds me of high school

A great collection. As an “album” it could be trimmed down.

As an album this is overkill but as a compilation it is ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loved it

Yeah it's was long but she can sing and it sounds good as i drive on 294

Never really something I'd considered listened to, but it was a peaceful, fun listen. Ella's voice is beautiful and the music was like a relaxing day in a sunny park.

I don’t know how much to write on this that hasn’t already been said. Ella’s voice is silky and beautiful, and I could listen to her sing a toothpaste ad. Throw her in with Gershwin, and you have magic. There was so many great songs showing off her range and vocal chops, as well as great performance by the unnamed musicians in the band. My favorite song, though, was the swaggering That Certain Feeling, with its long music interlude and her fluid voice playfully moving across the notes. She’s an American Treasury.

I am entranced by her voice. And it seems the music is more in the background than in, say, the Sinatra and his ilk's recordings--to this recording's credit. The Gershwin compositions have an enduring timelessness, a defining presence in the American songbook, in no small part maybe to Ella's beautiful interpretation. I don't know as I'll have time for all four discs, but I'll have a delightful time trying.

3 val. gan išgąsdino, bet pakankamai lengvai klausosi, Ella gali skaityti žodyną ir vis tiek gražiai skambės. Tekstas lengvas, galima nuspėti, kokius žodžius surimuos. Puikus sekmadienio pasivaikščiojimo po parką albumas.

A box set album of Gershwin songs that is three hours and fifteen minutes long ! I've entered the world of Jazz and climbed it's Everest ! Ella Fitzgerald's voice is absolutely enchanting, no doubt about that. This is maybe the ultimate chill out album of all time. Great arrangements. The whole thing is pretty much flawless really. Yes, it's looooong but so what, lose yourself and this world for three hours and relax. Yes, I listened to it all.

4 would love that.

very old timey but also very pleasant to listen to. enjoyed!

Voix sublime mais beaucoup trop long à écouter pour une seule journée !

Amazing voice, great songs.

naprosto divno... nevjerojatno koliko je ovo staro a izvrsno

That was a lot of music. I would say it holds up pretty good start to finish. Took multiple days to get through it.

Ok you have to be in the right mood for this one. It's over three hours and very chill. I started at work while doing some mind numbing tasks so I got into it there. Then came home and it was a low key Monday night so I played the rest. It makes me wish it was cooler out. Her voice is simply amazing and this album is clear as a bell. Some older recordings can be heard, this one sounds like it was put out a few years ago. Impressive. You can tell some of these were recorded at different times. Her voice sounds different in some and I swear I can hear the hiss of an album in a few. I wore my good headphones for this album. I'm not familiar with the Gershwins, I know the name and that they wrote a lot of "standards". I don't think I would enjoy it as much if someone else was singing. Maybe some of the rat pack could so these justice, I'll bet Sinatra or Martin could do well with some of these. Ella just takes it to a different level. I can see a lot of folks being turned off on this one. It's very of its age. It feels like Grandma's house in fall. It's a damn good album set, but it's not modern. I think this will get added to my album list. It just feels relaxing. I wish it was cut down though, it's a lot. Still though I will end up putting it on to read a book with, or cook a big meal, I won't sit down and listen to it cover to cover.

delightful

Enjoyed this more than expected. Ella's voice was incredible; her control and her phrasings were amazing. The recording and arrangements were impeccable. The only knock is the length of the entire collection - it became exhausting as the songs started to blend into one long song. I broke it up into separate listening sessions but still had the deju vu feeling when listening. All in all, its an awesome collection of one of the greatest female voices of all time.

Great voice - LOTS of album - 6 discs - last disc purely musical (no Ella singing).

Amazing, iconic voice. I just didn't have time to get through the whole album... It's over 3 hours long. But, I could easily see just throwing it on for some atmosphere when doing stuff around the house. It deserves more than that, though.

Timeless

Very very long boxset album. However, every song is really good. Fitzgerald and Gershwin are some of the best at what they do. The songwriting is very entertaining, and Fitzgerald performs the songs so so well.

outstanding profoundly sublime

This is as good as it gets for this genre for me. Great voice, elegant tone, just iconic jazz. During the whole four hours I never once wished it was done already.

Personally I would have chosen Ella's Cole Porter Songbook (I prefer Porter to the Gershwins), but this is still stellar work. There's no mistaking Nelson Riddle's work on this but this is all about that stunning voice. Highlights (if you don't want the entire 3+ hour experience): But Not For Me Let's Call This Whole Thing Off Nice Work If You Can Get It Someone To Watch Over Me Love Is Here To Stay They Can't Take That Away From Me Fascinating Rhythm. I Got Rhythm (But really her Cole Porter Songbook is the one to scope out)

The only person who comes close to the effortless quality of Ella’s voice is Sir Len Houmous! They had a brief affair in 1955 when Len got back from Korea. It was a wonderfully acoustic household…..on the surface! 4.2 22/59 A Foggy Day

I didn't expect to be charmed by so many of these songs. It's an exhaustive (and exhausting) historical record of the Gershwin Songbook performed to perfection.

If it were 45 mins of the best then 5 stars. I actually listened to about 2hrs of it but couldn’t make it through the rest as forgot where I left. I enjoyed the music but it’s too bloody long!

There's classic and then there is Ella Fitzgerald. This is classic not something that is in my regular playlist.

Didn’t finish it but it’s very cozy

Didn’t really mind 3 hours of this, it was nice background music

Lyssnade första skivan. Lättsmält och behagligt att lyssna till. Perfekt vid en pinne efter en god middag

Must listen to album for all rock fans. Very experimental sound. a fantastic album to listen to really understand the music that came after this and how influential it was to our modern sound

Of course fantastic. I was unaware of this series. I will check out the other albums.

Incredible compilation, masterful from beginning to end. If you haven't heard this music before, it won't be too hard, but if you have, it will be tedious. Having said this, it's charming, sung beautifully and it's lively all the way through. Although I had to take a few pauses to keep going till the end.

Her voice is immaculate and and musicians are incredible, but you can have too much of a good thing.

Приятно и стильно.

Almost a five just because I don’t know if I could listen to anything else for 3 hours and not get bored.

This is a great record! Classic songwriting and Ella's vocals make this one of the greatest albums of the era.

Ella is a timeless singer. Her voice is so iconic and the songs she sings are beyond classic.

Docked a star for putting an album that eats 12.5% of an entire day to consume on this list. Beautiful and well crafted, but a little much.

Excellent

Perfect with some McDonald’s after a long day at the office. Such lovely music, such lovely scenery. Without the context, prob a 3/5, but I gotta give it some bonus points.

3 horas entre pecho y espalda y no m arrepiento

Was really enjoying this then I realised how long it was and started to drift off. Was great for the first 45 mins

Ella and George and Ira and I spent 4:15 together, which was a beautiful way to end the afternoon and begin the evening.

Never listened to Ella, I really enjoyed this album.

Lengthy but great music to have on in the background

Very unintrusive music, needed to do something else while listening to it (also fell asleep at one point and relistened to a part of the album, also good for sleep ig)

Yea this is a freaking monster of a collection - 6 disks! But I enjoyed listening to it over a few weeks, I was always happy to come back to it. I found I was more relaxed when I drove to it. Not all the songs hit, but most were great.

It’s Ella and it’s Gershwin. But this feels almost like an encyclopedia. Maybe should’ve had a shorter version on here than the whole damn enchilada.

Hard to go wrong with Ella

Lovely, beautiful, superb.

Really beautiful songs, but to be honest, I didn’t get through the whole thing because it is three hours long, but I listened to the first two and a half discs and the last one (which was an instrumental by someone else, good stuff). Ella Fitzgerald‘s voice just sounds like Sunday morning for me. Saved this one.

Ella's voice is absolute ear candy

What a perfect voice. She nailed every one of these songs. Over three hours of beauty.

Geez, this is long. But even with its length, I still liked it. I get that this is important as it's an early box set, but they could have easily cut this down and a few albums or something. I didn't want this to feel like a chore, but it did a little. Ira Gershwin said "I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing them", and I agree with him on that. A number of classics, as well as obscure songs, really fit her vocal performance well. One song I gravitated to was ""My Cousin In Milwaukee." It felt like a song that was made on a dare... "hmmmm what rhymes with Milwaukee... solemn and spinal column..." It shouldn't work, and yet it does. (the plot for the musical it comes from is NUTS). It was a nice mellow album to listen to, but having it be so long really sucked some of the fun out of it. Leave them wanting more, you know? But I am going to give it good marks because I did enjoy it, but it's not a classic to me. Top tracks (there are a lot I could name, but top 5): "Fascinating Rhythm," "My Cousin In Milwaukee," "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off," "They Can't Take That Away From Me," "Aren't You Kind of Glad We Did?"

I'm not really sure how to rate this album(s). Ella Fitzgerald has an amazing voice but 50+ songs and 3+ hours of listening is a lot. I didn't think the 1,001 list did compilations but maybe this isn't one because she decided to record and release all of them together. It is an impressive aim and she did this several times. So I feel like I can't be too harsh because this was a thing she did. And in some ways it seems to have popularized the approach of singing another's set of work. And from what I read, we have Ella to thank for making so many of these songs part of common culture. Still, show tunes and jazz standards aren't my thing. And for a guy who likes themes, it's a bit strange to have a whole variety of themes and stories coming together as one-off songs are picked for the album. As it stands, I can't give it a 5 but I think a 3 would be too low given its historical significance and her incredible vocals. 3.5, round up.

How do you rate an album like this? It's a pleasant listen and it's full of good songs, but that is bound to happen when you make an album spanning 5 LP's with covers from one of the greatest songwriters and composers of all time. The orchestration is beautiful, Ella Fitzgerald has a beautiful voice and they probably spent a ton of money producing this album. I don't think I'll put these 3.5 hours on for a second time. Unlike the Magnetic Fields, who also made a long album, this one is more of a compilation album than one with an overarching theme. I don't think we needed the full 5 records on this list, despite them all being filled with lots of pleasant songs from the great songbook era of music.

Good, but way to long for an album

so quiet, i felt on a 50’s movie

Dad- 8 Mom- 8.5 Mike- NA Lori- 7.5 Michael- 7 Miles- NA Cole- NA Avg- 7.75

Oh come on Ella, you know you can't do that. Maybe the roaring 50s were a lawless place but nobody has 3+ hours in this economy. The worst part is that it all rocks.

So good, so legendary. I should listen to this more!

Beautiful voice of course. Songs are classic

Brilliant

I was honestly excited, because this is the kind of thing that I really know nothing about but am looking forward to listening to. That was until I saw the length. It's my birthday bro. I'm just gonna start out by listening to the most popular songs. This is just phenomenal. I was not familiar with Fitzgerald before this (all I knew is that she is just some singer from the early 1900s). I really cannot disassociate it with Christmas music though. Such an amazing voice and band. The album itself though is just long and the songs sound very similar. I listened to like 8 and they were all very similar and got a little stale. 8/10

I would rate a 5, but agree that the length of this album detracts. It is full of great stuff, but 3+ hours too much for my listening tastes. I will listen to it again, but in smaller chunks. An album of the "Best of" would probably be a 5.

I went into this kinda dreading it because of the length. Yes it took 2 days to actually get through it but I actually did enjoy it.

Nice

Ella Fitzgerald's singing is easily worth 5-stars, she's fantastic here. With songs by the Gershwins, arrangements by Nelson Riddle and produced by Norman Granz, you couldn't get heavier hitters in this world of music. A four disc box set representing the works of 5 albums is a lot to digest. I liked this a lot more than I thought I would and were I to listen to the five separate albums over the course of multiple weeks it would be so much better because the listening fatigue wouldn't set in. The music is great but it's better in smaller doses.

Not enough time to listen to all of it but listened to half and enjoyed it.

Ok. This music is not my jam. Also, I know it's really good and historically important. My father was a big fan. Though I don't expect this to be something I'll choose to listen to on my own when I'm just choosing something to listen to for enjoyment, I think it's still good enough to give a 4 and probably should be a 5.

escutar jazz me deixa automaticamente feliz

Ella is peerless, but the Gershwin songbook as arranged presented here is syrupy and ponderous. This entry could have been Ella Sings Cole Porter.

I mean, this is great, but I've heard so much of it before, and it's just so long, that I didn't love it as much as I could have.

This took me a long time to listen to. I put two of my later albums "Toys in the Attic" and "Suede" in at approximately 1 hour intervals. I really appreciate this list/ generator for provoking me to listen to an album like this even if it's 3 hours long. Fitzgerald's voice is incredible. The music sublime. The fact that this sounds so well and is so old is a testament to the craftsmanship of those who put this album together. My favorites are "Of Thee I Sing" and "Stiff Upper Lip." 4.25/5

At 3 hours and 15 minutes, I think this is the kind of thing you should listen to before you die, but over the course of your whole life and not in one sitting. I regularly ding records for not having a good "shape" to the thing, and this has zero shape, because it's a compilation. Ella Fitzgerald is great, George Gershwin is great. I'll happily listen to a song or two or ten. But 3 hours of this straight through is trying in a way that I'm not willing to subject myself to. So, while it's not representative of the content (which is unimpeachable, by the way), I can't in good conscience call it a 5 star "album" in the same way that I can't call a compilation of short stories a 5 star novel, but it's a remarkable historical and musical artifact. Sue me.

I like Ella (who doesn't), but am not a huge fan of the Gershwin's. It's okay if you like 50's standards, but she has much more interesting work. Admittedly, I only listened to the first album of this collection.

I hate that I’m only giving this a 4, instead of a 5. Ella is one of the all time greats, but a collection that is 3 hours long is a huge ask of any artist. In terms of making a list for a book, an album like this is a good pick, but when converted to a challenge like this, it’s a bit harder to swallow. I’m almost done Disc 2 while writing this, but there are still 4 more to go. So as much as I love Ella’s music, this was a bit much for a single day’s listen.

The best voice even thought they weren’t her best songs. Definitely worth a listen.

Took 3 billion years to complete, but it was a good journey.

Very very beautiful but also very very long

Holy shit. What. A. Voice. This is what I signed up for.

As far as generes i would never choose to listen to, this would be a record is could go back to. Just really fun and relaxing simultaneously

Absolute classic. Ella’s voice and the Gershwin’s compositions are a match made in heaven. It doesn’t make my all time favorite albums, but I will be re-listening not infrequently.

That was long but enjoyable.

6 disks is too many

Her voice is amazing but I'm not a big fan of snow tunes

My vibes.

Had it on whilst doing a bit of gardening. A tad surreal environment, but very nice.

Absolute class. But listening to all 59 songs in one session is a challenge. Ella’s voice is sublime, Gershwin was a genius.

Ella 5/5. The band 5/5. The songs: 5/5. The only issue, as many others have pointed out, is the length. It's a fantastic set, but I'd be far more likely to put on the "best of" before I'd listen to the whole 3+ hours. Still, that's not a knock on the quality of the full set, more a knock on my own attention span and need for variety.

someone already made the comment calling it "59 Love Songs". someone already made the comment informing people the line "why are people gay" is from Love Is Sweeping The Country. i just dont think there's that much left for me to mention. i guess all i have left to say is that "Embraceable You" sounds like the benevolent good-sided counterpart of Despicable Me over the course of 3+ hours you can get the sense that the album is a little overly-consistent, most of the tricks in the bag came from the same carton of eggs still it's an albumful of good music, a pleasant showing of 50s lounge jazz, and as far as genres to listen to 3+ hours of go, it couldve been a lot more intimidating than this perhaps, just maybe, this collection of songs is why the people are gay after all

This is massive, so I didn't get through it all, but I'm really surprised how much I liked it. I always liked Ella, but never thought of myself as a Gershwin fan til today Who knew?

Perfect for a sunny and warm Sunday morning. If there are any more 3 hour albums on this list, it’d better be someone as magnificent as Ella Fitzgerald. Btw, it’s amusing that the most popular review here is basically calling people who’s giving it a 5 spineless and giving it a 1 in “protest”

These are really beautiful compositions, elevated by the amazing Ella Fitzgerald. I listened to the first 2 discs while baking and then had to get on with my day, but I will get back to the rest as time allows.

Очень старый Голливуд. ОЧЕНЬ много песен. За чистый объем и в целом общее удовольствие можно ставить миллиард звезд, но я совру, если скажу, что эти тысячи часов пролетели совсем незаметно. Вот не связанный с этим альбомом, но всё же любопытный(!!!) эпизод: я разделил нежный/страстный момент с женщиной под песни Car Seat Headrest, в частности значительную часть Beach Life‐in‐Death. Невероятно! Но абсолютная правда! Лучшая песня - Let's Call The Whole Thing Off.

1001 Albums To Listen To Until You Die. I'm not sure whether I'll finish this whole list or this one album first.

Fantastic body of work. Lot of material to digest though and some songs aren't as strong as others, but the strong ones are actual classics so...

La voix d'Ella Fitzgerald est caressante, les textes sont spirituels, la musique espiègle. On passe au fil de ces 6 disques par tous les états émotifs. Un pur plaisir.

Good but too long

This album took me a good 5 days to go over - being composed of 4 discs. I only went over 3 of them, + “Somebody loves me” and “Cheerful little earful”, since others were simply alternative versions of the previous songs. I am personally a big fan of jazz, Ella and Gershwin, being an aspiring jazz vocalist myself. Ella has been a big inspiration to me for the past few years that I’ve immersed myself into the jazz scene. She is truly an incredible singer - I’ve only good things to say about her. The album overall was very cohesive and was composed of all of the jazz standards. The main theme seemed to be love and all of the songs had a very positive note to them. Overall I’d say I really enjoyed it, except for maybe the fact that the album was really long and all the tracks quite similar, so sometimes it was really hard to distinguish the songs from each other and I got bored, which was also part of the reason why the album took me so long to listen to. My favorite has to be “Embraceable you”, simply because I’m learning it in class right now :))

Uma das mulheres que abriram as portas para muitas outras mulheres negras, junto com Sister Rosetta!

Meh

This isn't really an "album" in the contemporary sense, though it certainly bridges the era of literal albums-of-78s and the format that was perfected in the 60s. It needs to be here, however. The signature Verve-style arrangements are a little to schmaltzy to my ear, but Ella is perfect and this songbook is rightfully canon. I don't think I'm going to rip through the whole six-disc set in one sitting ever again, but I'll definitely revisit these tunes often.

I like this material, but a 4 cd box set that you have to hear and rate in a day is like one of those restaurants that will give you the 96 ounce steak for free if you eat it in 60 minutes. Even if you like steak/Ella, it's too much for one sitting.

Not my style

This is an example of good enough to be 3 hours long

Timeless album would recommend

was i able to finish it one go? of course not but i made it through half of it in a day💪🙂‍↕️ Do i trust her enough to believe that the rest of it will also be great and promise to come back to finish it another day? hell yea love her and her lovely voice <3 would still delightfully listen to her if she just read me a very long grocery list

so long i didn’t get through the whole thing, but i think i got the just when i was 2.5 hrs in

This is not a compilation despite what some reviews are saying. It is a pretty great artistic statement done at scale. I recommend not trying to listen in one sitting. The 'Did not listen' button is super handy for an entry like this. I listened over three sittings but I could just as easily imagine sprinkling it throughout a full week's worth of listening. In fact I probably didn't do some of these perfectly sung and arranged witty songs justice even at that pace.

4/5

If you only take one album with you yo a desert island let it be this one because it will take all day. Still, what an undeniable voice

Gefällt mir gut :-D

Ok, first off—hooray for Ella Fitzgerald! She’s an incredible artist, and I’m not taking anything away from her, but man was this a long album. Three hours and fifteen minutes stretched across six discs, with a total of fifty-nine songs. Unless you’re a die-hard purist, that’s just excessive for just about anyone. This was an endurance test disguised as a jazz album! What an exhausting listen. I’m giving myself a well earned pat on the back for making it all the way to the end!

This is less an "album" and more a library. I managed to get through a lot (23 tunes) before I needed a break. Although great songs and an incredible voice the thing that broke me in the end was the repetitiveness of the band. The same taddah wham pow Nelson Riddle arrangement got tiresome. But did anybody ever expect to listen to this end to end? If you treat it as a library and pick a song or a side then it's a classic

Pretty good jazz album but 3 hours is excessive, I listened to about 30 minutes to get the idea. The rest is probably just as god.

Oh boy, here we go. With very few exceptions, I typically listen to these albums from start to finish. Gulp. I first developed an appreciation for the Gershwin brothers in 2011 when I helped with a local production of Crazy For You. It was nice to hear those songs again on this album. I always loved "Slap that Bass" and "I Got Rhythm." Of course, several of the other songs here should be familiar to even the most musically ignorant person. Ella's voice sounds beautiful on every track and the music accompaniments are perfectly charming. I forewent listening to disc 6 since it's just instrumental songs, although I did listen to one and it sounded nice. There's no way in hell I'd listen to this whole thing again, but I'll probably hang onto to some of the songs that were in Crazy For You.

Trudno to ocenić jako płytę, bo trwa milion godzin. Gdyby była krótsza dałabym 5 gwiazdek, bo kompozycje Gershwina i głos Elli to złoto. Ale to trwało pół dnia i pomimo swojego uroku zaczęło się ciągnąć. Ileż można sobie wyobrażać, że gra się w starym filmie? 8/10, chociaż jeszcze raz podkreślę - sama Ella zasługuje na 10/10.

Usually not my kind of music and also this is way too long. I have to admit that it is quite good though.

Loved it! I'd heard many of these before, but they really are some of the best arrangements I've heard for Gershwin period. "Let's call the whole thing off" and "Someone to Watch Over Me" are probably my favorites, but it's a wonderful listen through the whole songbook!

I can’t dedicate to an album 3.5 hours duration. I quite like Ella doing Gershwin as a bit of cafe Kelvinos background music. So… it’s a 4 with caveats based on “best of” tunes

8/10. Great voice.

very good. very long for sure. i thought this was beautiful and lovely. i would give it a 5, but this is not the kind of music i would listen to again and also it was so long

Was too long to get through

I like Ella, Gershwins and 50s jazz, so this one was solid.

Sublime and sweeping. The perfect soundtrack for a melancholic wet Sunday.

There is no denying the power that is Ella Fitzgerald; there is, however, at least inside of me… denying the length of a three-hour album. I went with the condensed Very Best of the Gershwin Songbook and got a far better, more streamlined experience. If I’m wrong for it? Only Ella can judge me. We really had the best of it all with Fitzgerald, Armstrong, Ellington, Coltrane, and so many more from that period… unimpeachable works of art that deserve to be put in museums and cherished. In my heart, Ella Fitzgerald is a 5-star artist but this album as is can’t be a full fiver, mainly due to accessibility. Nobody’s sitting down on a Sunday and clearing a massive chunk out of their day just to listen to music.

ilgai reikėjo kol perklausiau, bet visiška ramybės vakarienei gaminimo albumas

Lovely voice. Nice short album

They don't make music like this anymore. If I'm listening to the correct album, it is several albums and it goes on forever. I just let it play and went for a long walk. Classic songs from a beautiful singer. I'm more of a Billie Holiday fan for this style of music, but Ella is a legend. 4.

Ella is a beast. This one definitely goes in the 'they don't make them like they used to' category. Ella makes it sound effortless. Recorded in 1959 so my guess is that things like auto tune and pitch correction were not a thing at the time. You just had to know your shit. Real instruments, real singing...and musical arrangement by the guy that brought us the masterpiece that is Rhapsody In Blue. Hard to go wrong with this kind of personnel.

Great voice but the songs do get a little repetitive for me.

A monster of a listen. An absolutely beautiful anthology clocking in at well over 3 hours. Ella Fitzgerald elevates the music of Gershwin with her immaculate vocals. The production is clean, and the collection is beautiful to listen to. The only downside is that this isn’t so much an album as a collection of work- a legacy piece. I’m not sure what the criteria are for this list, but I would argue that anything more than a double album is not really an album.

This felt like one of those fabels where someone wishes to know everything and losses their mind for knowing too much. Stunning voice and performance but man it's long. I'm not sure how this can even be rated of of it could be called an album. They could've repeated songs and I wouldn't have noticed. There was one about slapping the bass, another about being British. I know it's a songbook but this was wild to include in the list considering there's an album that is the best of this.

Jazzy and soulful. Ella’s voice is so smooth, rich, and colourful. She really knows how to tell a story with her vocals. Her vibrato is delightful. Felt like I was in a posh jazz bar sipping a cocktail.

Ella is an icon and her voice is buttery and magical. This work is 3 hours, which seems a bit unrealistic to play and makes it feel like prime background music.

Very romantic, makes me want to learn how to slow dance and wear pretty dresses with some cute man

A Hall of Fame voice with the lyrics and music to match.

great voice with a big band. lovely

Amazing but didn't listen to it all. Picked and chose my way through it

This was a long, long album. I ended up treating it like listening to the Fallout radio. I do enjoy these old songs, but man, what a slog to listen to all at once. Better experienced in pieces.

Oh hell yeah classic jazzie Ella Fitzgerald queen, legendary voice Brass sections are juicy af Disc 6 instrumentals by Nelson Riddle are hella good

Lovely. Must return to this one. Still have two discs to go!

It's Ella. It's Gershwin. Enough said.

Nice jazz with Ella. Such a powerful voice

Listened to it for the first time. Enjoyed Ella singing the standard.

Dreamy, what a voice. Good one to listen to in the bath, or whilst floating about in a kimono smoking a cigarette and pondering lost loves. Excessively long (can you call it one album?) but surprisingly enjoyable, listened to about 3/4 of it before I'd had enough.

What a voice. Listened to the Best Of which is much less of a commitment. Will be adding to my big band playlist. Not necessarily something I would go back to regularly but very much has a place, and I love it.

Mellow, easy listening for 3+ hours from a woman who has a voice of silk

I will say in defense of this album's length, I don't think you lose out on anything by listening to it in chunks. I listened to this over about 4 days, and I'm pretty sure my rating would be the same if I listened to it all at once. This is a bear to get through, but it's also worth it because Ella's voice is fantastic and really elevates these songs. There weren't really any songs that stood out to me over others, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the majority of them. While I do wish they had chosen an album that was more truly Ella, rather than her singing an entire songbook of others, this is overall a fantastic album.

it's odd getting this album as your daily, partially because of its length, partially because of its content, but mostly because this just isn't an album you're supposed to spend your full attention on. it's archival stuff, not something for careful listening. as a result, i listened to most of it while writing stuff and getting groceries at Wal-Mart. somehow, i feel like i didn't lose anything in the process -- i still was able to enjoy how beautiful Ella sounded and also grew an appreciation for how the Gershwins constructed their pop music, how the lyrics add a sort of cultural context to what would otherwise be timeless pop. is it essential? i don't really think so, but i think there's value in three hours of old Tin Pan Alley tunes sung beautifully and performed like classical music. you could put this thing on shuffle every time you take a walk and it'd always be a very nice walk, no matter how cold and dreary.

3 hours?1?

It's a strange album to have on the list but fully deserves to be there. It's obviously very long but it needs to be treated differently to a standard studio album. The concept is simple. Get the best songwriter in town and get the best singer to sing their songs. A great historical record that I'll come back to. Perfect uplifting album to put on to create an old time atmosphere

Not my style of music, but she has a beautiful voice.

En kaffe, en sigg og ett romskip

Geniales versiones de temas que son joyas imperecederas.

It was really good just very long. But wow awesome awesome stuff the foundation of American music

long ass album, legendary voice tho! let´s call the whole thing off is such a bop :D same with beginner´s luck, these songs are truly timeless I feel like so far a 8/10, I wouldn´t be mad if this is hypothetically my only choice for a long album the optimistic texts, the great instrumentation, so groovy very longing lyrics, especially for a man

Enjoyable listen, very different from music I usually tend to listen to. The compositions and overal sonic landscape of the record were mindblowingly good. I've always liked records that make extensive use of big orchestration and this album fits perfectly into that slot. One of my favorite takeaways of the record is that it actually sounds like an album, in the sense that everything seems to belong together and blends well, which considering its release date is quite unique. Let us also not forget how well Ella Fitzgerald's voice complements the sound of the record and how beautiful her voice is in general. It really allows the songs to come to life. Overall I enjoyed this record a lot, even considering its very long runtime of a good 3 hours, the soundspace and vocals were very endearing and catchy too and the simple and even often humurous lyrics make for an easy listen. The feeling of an album is also really present, which I liked. I'd give this record a solid 8.2/10.

amazing and it could have been even longer

It wouldn’t be a challenge without some feats of endurance and this was certainly one. It was enjoyable though and with today being a quiet Sunday, I was able to blow through it in one sitting. Her voice is great and even for someone who would admit to not liking jazz, I quite liked it all. With a lot of these songs you can play ‘guess the next line’ with reasonable success and it’s always toe-tappingly melodic. I can understand why it’s on the list as it’s pretty impressive as a collection but I’m surprised by its relatively high score considering how few people seemingly make it through the whole thing. I suspect there’s a lot of ‘I got bored of it but she’s a legend so I’d better at least give it a 3’. I won’t listen to the whole thing again but parts of it were certainly worth the investment of time.

I listened to a lot of this but not the entirety. It’s almost impossible to rank as an album. Ella doesn’t miss though, so it deserves a four.

Sure! I have all five of these LPs in my collection.

I've always have enjoyed Ella, and this album is no exception.

An excellent long collection of songs that you can listen to all day.

Nydelig jazzy. En stemme av stemmer. Flott

Honestly I didn't listen to the whole album. It's 4 hours long. But what I did listen to, well, it's Ella's at her height doing Gershwin. Top notch. Too long but solid music.

Classic arrangements. Flawless vocals (obviously). It took me back to riding in the car with my grandparents. Though it's not really my thing, as an artform, it's pretty on point. Plus, several of these tracks were featured on the Golden Girls, so that's pretty much an automatic win. Minus 1 star, though, for the length - nothing should ever be this long.

Good stuff. Discovered a new artist

I'm going to be so real with you, I only listened to the first disc in this one. There is no musical artist I want to listen to for three straight hours. However, I did like what I heard! Maybe I'll check out some of the others someday. Probably not, but wouldn't that be nice.

okay YES this is 3h15m and YES it is six discs (on Spotify) of old-timey music which on paper sounds like the stuff of nightmares but honestly, twist of the century, it works and i enjoyed it. if it weren't the gershwins and ella fitzgerald, you'd be reading a very different review right now. but ella's voice is just magical (or maybe that's the christmas spirit all around me... i'm writing this in mid-december, after all). the songs switch between heartfelt ballads and fun, goofy, campy songs covering just about anything, and it makes for an engaging experience overall. particular shoutouts to the opening lines of my cousin in milwaukee from (spotify's) disc 2 and boy wanted from disc 3. and strike up the band from disc 3 opens with a part that sounds like the twentieth century fox bumper music... incredible stuff. and the rest of the tracks were still pleasant as background music, there's really nothing bad on here. favorites: but not for me, let's call the whole thing off, by strauss, the real american folk song, my cousin in milwaukee, boy wanted, strike up the band, i got rhythm

59 songs on this album - supposed to be 3 hours and 15 minutes long. It has taken me almost 8 hours to listen to it. Despite that, Ella Fitzgerald has a wonder voice, I really enjoyed it. 4 stars

8/10 Volim Ellu, ima specifican glas, zanimljive i ponekad komicne tekstove (in a good way), super bend iza sebe and list goes on. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off me bas dosta zabavila, ali i cijeli album mi je bas prosao jako brzo. Toliko mi je sjeo da sam si jos dva-tri sata nju vrtio. Inace, ima i odlican album sa Louisom Armstrongom, preporuka. Nemam sto nadodati, jedna od najboljih jazz vokalistica koju uvijek volim cuti!

Liked this. Some good songs and was easy listen 7/10

Rich and voluminous vocals spun into beautiful melodies make this a powerful collection

I did it! I had an afternoon of uninterrupted data entry style work to do and this was the perfect soundtrack. Criticism of the length here probably doesn’t hold up, it basically predates what we now think of as an ‘album’. So is basically just a lovely collection of songs that were never meant to be listened to all at once. Simpsons: Yes

Had to tackle this over 2 sessions. Obviously it's far too long, not really a single album either. However, I did find the music pleasant and enjoyable background music. Would potentially listen again if I felt like I wanted that vibe. Going to give a generous 4 stars, despite the length.

# Playlist track - Let's Call The Whole Thing Off # Notes - A behemoth of an album. This 59 song, 3 hour+ monstrosity have no right at all being in a list like this. - I tackled this maybe 2-3 days in a row and I have no idea if I managed to listen to every track. - Having said that, whatever I got to listen was pretty enjoyable! Silky smooth instrumentals with Ella's powerful voice go really well together, who could imagine. - Great soundtrack for a dinner or party, but it really really should be taken in smaller doses.

Lang niet alles geluisterd maar ja, one of the greats.

A great snapshot of the era. If you want to explore music if the past this is an album you need to listen to

someone in the reviews says it should be illegal to rate this less than 4, and they're spot on

Very enjoyable, some great tracks on there. Made all the better by Ella singing them!

Songs i liked : pretty much all of the ones I listened to Only got 2 discs through this but loved it, would happily go back again. Imagine getting the deluxe edition at the time in that fancy box, be worth a bomb now. Mid 4

Love Gershwin and love Ella even more. Up with Billie and Sarah Vaughan when it comes to my favourite jazz singers. Full disclosure, I didn't listen to all of this as it's 3 hours long and I'm a bit hungover today but if I was doing an epic roast dinner then this would have been the soundtrack. Just going to assume the rest is as good as what I heard of it and give it a 4 because Ella just don't miss.

In to this. It’s great. Listened to about 4 discs and there wasn’t a bad song. I like this music and the era. I will stick it on again. Would be nice on a Sunday.

Best of=4 stars. Other version too long. And I’m too sleepy.

Very nice.

Through two fulltime days I've only been able to listen to the first half, got a few tracks into Disc 4. Ella Fitzgerald. Absolutely stunning. Very groovy, especially with her band behind her. Very cool album. Pitch so perfect that her own band members would tune off her voice. Cool album, very neat

Ignoring the length and whether or not this is a best of compilation... This thing is very good. As one of the reviewers mentioned it is an anthology of the Gershwin Songs performed by Ella Fitzgerald who seems to have the perfect voice for these songs. I'm not sure how these tracks were remastered when converted to digital but regardless this is some of the best quality 50s music I've ever heard. The clarity is impeccable, and the songs are classic's classic's. Songs like Let's throw the whole thing out are so far deep in my brain, listening to it intentionally feels like digging up a dead cat and shining a strobe light on it. The tunes hold up well and the whole thing, which I tried my best to work through over the day, is completely listenable. My only critique is that I don't think this is my favortie music coming out of that era. There was a lot of funky and more emotional stuff coming out at this time in a similar style that I think have aged better. That holds it back from being a 5 star album because there are times where it feels a little too sanitized and reserved. But overall I'm happy to have listened.

Stimm & Diktion nöch bi Perfektion. Findi super. Big Band tight, musig natürli au super geschriebe. Einzig d Text hani so heteronormativ-cringe gfunde dassi würkli nume gwüssi Lieder ha chene lose.. sust wer's für mich locker 5 stern

Episches Album von der Länge her. Manche Songs fand ich richtig cool und mit der richtigen Atmosphäre ist es definitiv ein Album was man stundenlang laufen lassen kann. Bei der Arbeit nicht so ganz treffend immer :D Dennoch 4 Sterne!

In der richtigen Stimmung find ichs richtig toll :-) Songs der Playlist hinzugefügt: Keine

Great if you only have time for one album in the whole day! How long?!?

At first when seeing the album was 59 songs and 3 hours long, my immediate thoughts were that I'd give it a go, and see how far I got. The reality was that I started listening 1t 11am on a Friday morning and have been listening all weekend. What a beautiful voice! Simpler times that comfort today.

A Classic

Nice orchestration

Great album, beautiful voice, lovely songs

2024.11.06 first time listening to E.F

I’m pretty certain there’s nothing in the last hour that’ll blow my mind more than anything in the first two. I’ll finish it one day but as good as it is it’d be better if it was only 12 tracks.

I'd like to start by saying I took short breaks after each disc as the album is very long. Ella Fitzgerald has a nice voice, and the songs are mostly calming background music and occasionally sound like something from an old Disney film. The album can be a little bit similar, but as I took breaks, I was able to avoid getting bored of it. I will give this album a 4/5 as the music is very nice to listen to.

Nice, but didn't finish

Great album. A bit long but, enjoyable.

This is three hours and fifteen minutes long. Yes, I listened to the entire thing. It took me several days to get through because I enjoyed it that much. I guess there were like 7-8 tracks to me that were really standout and the rest were nice background music, but I'll definitely come back to it, mainly because it's really nice lounging/cleaning music to put on.

It's not the Ella album I would have picked, but I understand that it was part of a turning point in music. When you look up scatting in Wikipedia there's literally a picture of Ella. It's a pity that we don't hear any of that until the last song on the fifth disc - and the sixth disc is entirely instrumental. Real glad it was assigned on a Friday.

Full confession: I did not listen to all 4 hours of this, but I did listen to enough to know that Gershwin and Ella Fitzgerald are a winning combo.

Some reviews on here complain about “Why does Ella Fitzgerald get a box set?” “Why is this so long?” From what I can tell, these songs were recorded for this release, so I can accept it as being considered an album in the way we think about what an album is. That being said, this is THREE HOURS and someone can’t be expected to listen to the entire thing in one sitting. But I did. Ella is fantastic. These songs are great. The sound is good. But, I don’t think you can expect anything to maintain 5 stars for three hours. In the past, an album length alone has dragged some albums down a star. I think here the length causes there to be songs that took this down a peg. That this album is so long and still gets a four from me says a lot. You could make one or two five star albums out of this by selecting the best tracks. The rest is still very good. She’s a legend for a reason. I’d love to have this in my vinyl collection just to listen to a random side of record every now and again.

I’ll finish this over time and Ella’s voice is beautiful. Would also like to hear different singers but what an amazing songwriter he was.

Well, it's Ella Fitz. How does one judge this? It took me days to get through. It was definitely good, but I wouldn't call it a good album in the traditional sense. This more like an encyclopaedia than a novel. Instead of having an overarching artistic theme, this serves as a reference guide to the Gershwin brothers' music as it should be listened to. Still, Christ, over three hours.

Hm ja, sehr gut. Aber halt auch irgendwie schon über 60 Jahre alt.

First 2 sides are Chad. Not listening to 3+ hours of this.

Good

Beautiful voice, but the album is too long. I skipped around to the most popular songs. Would be a great album to have in the background for a long event. 4/5

I want to give a round of applause to everyone who listened to the entire album. I don't know you, and you don't know me, but we both went through the same experience together. I don't know how you call this an album. For some bands, it's an entire discography. 3h 15m is just too long. That being said, I really enjoyed it. Ella Fitzgerald's voice is amazing, and I will always love a big band! Every song sounds the same, but I'm not necessarily upset with that. It's a beautiful sound that you can come in and out of. I listened to this on a road trip with my toddler in the back seat. She is terrible at sleeping in the car. I am pleased to say that Ella Fitzgerald's sultry voice lulled her to sleep for a 2 hour nap, and I will forever be in her debt.

Unfair to 1) throw this among a bunch of rock albums and call it essential without mentioning the rest of her Great American Songbook entries and 2) select the longest chapter in her Great American Songbook as the representative one. Ella Fitzgerald and Norman Granz put a much larger and more ambitious package together, and in this case there should be a "selections from the Great American Songbook," a sort of greatest hits from these albums that should be considered. Gershwin is easy to listen to, but five disks of it is a long slog. Boil this whole body of work down to maybe 2-2.5 hours of music would be a far fairer assignment. All that said, Ella Fitzgerald was a fantastic singer, but she's not my favorite. She hits notes a little too perfectly; she lacked the soul of Sarah Vaughan or the swagger of Lena Horne, not to mention a whole world of soul singers who followed after her. I just get kinda bored of so much Ella.

Legend. Never gonna prob sit and crack thru this entire thing, but many many classics

Fun bit of big band sounding jazz. Wonderful voice. Many of the songs would make for good background music, but Ella's version of Let's Call the Whole Thing Off was really really good. Again, her voice is great. Raw, pure talent.

Respectfully it was good but one and done for now.

Lempparit- Disc 1-2 Vähiten lempparit- Disc 3-6

This one was an undertaking that I took the time to do in a few days. I did an album a day essentially. I did not listen to the 4th album in full, just the songs that weren't alternate arrangements. I'd say the first album was a 4, the second was a 3, and the last was a 5. I am not fully sure if it was that each was better/worse than another or if I was just particularly in the mood for it on the third day. Maybe a bit of both. Ella's voice is definitely incredibly beautiful. It's a joy to listen to. Clear and warm. The music could be a little hit and miss but when it hits... wow! The average score for all the albums is a 4, so I think that is what I will go with. I do absolutely understand why some do not have the patience to listen to the whole thing. But I also think that is a shame since I like the last section most. I would recommend breaking it up because that is A LOT for one sitting. Beautiful classic album though, very worth a listen at least once in life.

Classic

didnt finish it but i love ella. some super good tracks on this!

You've got Ella Fitzgerald, one of the greatest jazz vocalists ever, singing songs written by George and Ira Gershwin, two of the most iconic songwriters in American music history. Honestly, what’s not to like? Every track feels like it belongs in a black-and-white movie or echoing from an old record player in some smoky lounge. Ella’s voice is smooth, effortless, and classy. The arrangements are sharp, and the songwriting still holds up decades later. Even if you're not big on show tunes or jazz standards, it's hard not to appreciate the sheer talent on display here.

What a voice. So smooth. You can't go wrong with Ella. Gershwin, on the other hand, is a bit like Marmite. It feels a bit dated, markedly so, and definitely has that mid-20th century feel, but at the same time, it also has that timeless charm. I don't know Gershwin's work too well at all, and thus don't really connect to the songs. But if I was sitting in a coffee shop, and this was playing in the background, some of these tracks would feel quite lush and indulgent. This is 6 CDs worth, so it might get a bit 'samey' after a while.

Surprisingly good. Did not realize how chill and actually kinda good 50s jazz stuff is. Positive surprise for sure.

6 discs, over 3 hours. All the familiar songs you would expect, plus some beautiful instrumentals on the final disc. Great soundtrack for a long drive.

This is a long album that is also what the subreddit is saying. Overall I kind of enjoy Jazz and apparently Gershwin is a real pioneer when it comes to writing these songs. They seem like I have heard them before but the whole day ive velt I am living in old timey America. Listening to this jazz reminds of how I feel when I listen to Frank Sinatra.

Like death and taxes, Ella Fitzgerald’s The Gershwin Songbook awaits us all. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to any of Ella Fitzgerald’s work before, and I honestly don’t know much about her (oops, I do know her version of “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve.” My wife and I got married in December of 2020, and we were planning on having that as our first dance at our reception, but COVID dashed our reception plans, so I played it and we danced to it on our first New Year’s Eve together as a married couple). As far as the Gershwin’s go, I’m familiar with “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess, but I think that’s it. When I found out about this album, I’d decided that I was going to listen to the whole thing, and not an abridged version. I won’t have time to listen to it all in one go, so my review is going to be broken up into sections by disc, as they’re separated on Spotify. I’m just going to list a few bullet points for each disc, and then have an overall summary at the end. Disc 1 -The vocals are great, and the orchestra playing is incredibly rich. The balance between her voice and the arrangements is fantastic, no one is upstaging the other. -It turns out I know “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.” I love the way she sings this. It’s playful, but sophisticated. -The strings on “Oh, Lady Be Good” are fantastic, just beautifully arranged. -“Things Are Looking Up” was a lot of fun. The horns are great, and the band hits those loud notes at the perfect time. -I wanted to hate “Just Another Rhumba” because when it started off, it was really jarring because of how different it sounded from the other songs, but it was actually really good. -So far, I’m really digging this. I’m plugging away on some tasks at work and pounding coffee. My will to live is currently very high. Disc 2 -Alright, I took care of the aftereffects of my coffee, had lunch, made some phone calls, and now I’m back at it. -Three songs into this second disc, and while the singing is still great, it feels like the arrangements aren’t as rich on these songs so far, and it’s a touch boring. -“By Strauss” broke up the monotony of the first three songs a bit. I love how clearly Ella sings, and her precision on her pronunciation. -Oh wow, “The Real American Folk Song” is great. I love how this song starts off like the rest of these songs, and then goes full-tilt into a ragtime sound. I was completely caught off-guard by that shift. -“They All Laughed” is great, those Gershwins sure know how to write a song. -I didn’t enjoy this disc as much as disc 1. I don’t think it was a drop off in quality, but a lot of the songs were pretty similar in terms of sound and lyrical content. My will to live is still high, but that’s enough for today. Disc 3 -Alright, it’s been almost a week, and I’m getting back on this train. -After the first four songs, I’m not really wowed, and while these songs are nice, there’s not really much going on yet, and all the songs are pretty much the same in tone and overall sound. -The lyrics of “Boy Wanted” were fun and clever. -My final assessment of disc 3 is that it’s pretty bland. The singing and orchestra are still great, but not much here stood out to me. My will to live is still high, and I’m soldiering on to disc 4. Disc 4 -This disc is off to a much better start. It might just be me, but these songs feel a lot jazzier than the previous disc. -The lyrics on “Love Is Sweeping the Country” and “Treat Me Rough” are great. I love that there’s a little bit of innuendo to both of them. -Oh wow, “Love Is Here To Stay” is great. I love the singing here, and they lyrics are really good too. -“Slap That Bass” was kind of a letdown. The bass part was good, but I expected something a little more upbeat and higher tempo. -“Shall We Dance?” and “Love Walked In” somewhat made up for my disappointment on “Slap That Bass.” -Not a strong finish to this disc, but overall, it was more enjoyable than discs 2 and 3. I think this is a good stopping point, and maybe I can finish this bad boy up tomorrow. The will to live is still strong. Disc 5 -It’s now officially a week since I was assigned this album, and I’m going to try to wrap it up today. We’ll see if I succeed. -I really like the orchestra playing on “They Can’t Take That Away from Me.” Beautifully arranged. -I like the songwriting on this disc. The Gershwins are incredibly clever when it comes to their lyrics. The tempo of Ella’s singing is great, there’s pauses in all the right places. -Things kind of fell off from “Lorelei” to “Let’s Kiss and Make Up.” It’s not bad, but it’s just kind of bland and sounds a lot like the rest of the album. -I had really high hopes for “I Got Rhythm,” but it was just okay. -This disc was fine overall. It started off strong, and then petered out a bit. My will to live is still high, and I’m going to move on to the last disc. Disc 6 -Oh, this is just a few instrumentals. This is a nice little way to end this album. Overall Well, I managed to listen to all of this in a week, and I think that’s a pretty decent accomplishment. It was tough not to burn myself out on this album. It’s really good, but it’s the sort of thing I’d prefer to listen to while kicking it around the house. This album reminds me of things that my wife loves, like old movies, and in a way, it makes me want to slow down life for a bit, to appreciate the simple things. I think it’s really cool that Ella Fitzgerald recorded all of this, and that all of these songs exist in one place like this. I don’t know that it necessarily belongs on this list, since it’s a compilation, but it is a cool badge of honor to say that I’ve listened to it. The orchestra and Ella’s singing are both really great, and this was a nice listen.

I have access only two a best of these recordings, so was only able to listen to 44 mins instead of three hours. But how can I not love Ella.

A bit long for an album. Many very good songs

She could sing the phonebook, and she just might have on one of those discs. 4.

Eine wunderbare Sammlung mit Klassikern und ein paar Exoten. Über Ella braucht man nichts mehr zu sagen.

What a beautiful voice!

Lovely music, loads of standards with fantastic production and Interesting performance decisions by Fitzgerald. But 59 tracks across 200+minutes of music is too long

The more I listened the more I enjoyed (and the more I added to my liked tracks). Some really stellar renditions and lots of new ones for me. Had to take a detour a few times to listen to other artists versions of some tracks (Chet Baker “Not For Me” & Billie Holliday’s “The Man I Love”). But I got thru it!

Some of the all-time great songs sung by one of jazz's greatest singers. What's not to love. Fantastic orchestral backing.

This was all very likeable. It’s a transportive record that I enjoyed for making me feel like I was living in late 50s America for a morning. But it is also not something I will be revisiting in full ever - it’s a huge undertaking.

Fajne, ale aż 6 płyt ;-)

Obviously rating this high because Ella Fitzgerald’s great, but this is kind of a prime example of how the 50s inclusions on this list really stick out as being very different ideas of what an album is and does

Beautiful voice and lovely album.

Oh boy. Here it is. Is this too long? Yes. Of course. But....it's also punchy, evocative, and the vocals are (unsurprisingly) excellent. Also quite sultry! Audibly cackled when she sang, "emosh" and "devosh" lol. Homegirl has some zany pronunciations throughout. I didn't find this nearly as much of a slog as others, plenty of varied tones and timbre to keep things from getting repetitive. That said, there's no need to drink it all in in one sitting - do it in a few and you'll enjoy it a lot more. Listened to: at home. Favorite tracks: Things Are Looking Up, The Man I Love, Love is Here To Stay

Anything by Ella Fitzgerald is deserving of a 5, but I will give this a 4 because, well, a box set? Really? I can listen to Ella's pure, legendary, magnificent singing anytime but a box set seems out of place in this project. Also, there is a set of Nelson Riddle Orchestra songs at the end without Ella? Another reason this cannot be a 5.

For a couple of hours this morning, I felt like I was in a 1960s Mad Men style Manhattan appartment, drinking a martini and listening to this box set on my Radiogram. Some of the best classic songs of the early to mid 20th century, sung by one of the very best vocalists, ranging from ragtime to jazz with a touch of soul thrown in. Apparently the original deluxe edition of this came in a wooden box for $100 (well over $1000 now). Totally worth it.

Really old timey but very fun. The songs are very sweet and romantic too

LONG album with lots of songs, which is not surprising as the Gershwins has lots of great songs. Great singer with a great voice doing the songs justice.

Ah, this takes me back to by childhood. I love a bit of Ella. It's just classy singing and jazzy numbers.

This album is my Everest. 59 songs, over 3 hours. Her voice is flawless. How did it happen? And how lucky are we to live in a time where we can hear it… I know this will be a 5 star album I just want to actually listen to it. Update: I have done it. 4 stars bc it’s long!

Loving this. Ella's voice is incredible. The big band backing her up is outstanding. The three hour length is a little tough, but it's so easy to listen to I can't even complain too much about that.

Epic Ella's classcical Jazz marathon.

Lovely and classy from top to bottom.She sings with such grace and understatements, doesn’t go for many big gestures and seems to have a wink in her voice when singing some of the sillier material. One finds the Riddle arrangements lush to the point of schmaltzy, but it doesn't stop Ella one whit.

Ella has a fantastic voice but my main issue is that this album is way too long. I believe an album should be listened to in one sitting and you can't do that very easily with this one. It's best used for background music and/or in chunks. It's far from a bad album but it's just too much.