The Gershwin Songbook

Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George And Ira Gershwin Song Book: While this is not bad, it is WAY too long. 3 hours and 15 minutes is crazy for music that all sounds exactly the fucking same. Its a good sound, and I enjoyed every song on an individual basis, but I was getting really bored hearing the same fucking style of music over and over and over for 59 songs. As individual songs, these are all fairly good though not super noteworthy, but this is a terrible way to just group them all together. I don't hate it, but I sure won't be listening to this in full ever again. There are a lot of cool instruments, and her voice is very good and these things hard carry the album. 6/10

Timeless

6 discs?? Exhausting

An all time voice, with a fantastic set of arrangements. This is Ella in her element. 3+ hours is a tad excessive if you're wanting to get through it more than once.

Probably the most daunting task in this entire list. It looks like this is a box set as part of a series in which Ella Fitzgerald sang multiple American songbooks. I guess I'll see why this one in particular was chosen to be included in this list. Hard to highlight specific moments due to the sheer runtime of this collection, but this is high quality for the most part. Ella Fitzgerald was a timeless talent and probably the best representative to take on all of these classic American songbooks. One could probably make an abridged version of this collection for themselves, picking out only the "big" hits if they so desired. Most of the highlights are in disc one anyway.

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

Voice of velvet; lyrical songs.

I was going to go on a rant about how since I was a child I've viscerally hated the name Gershwin (or Girshwan) but this is the most 5/5 album so far so I can't do that. Every song on this album was pleasant. The lyrics were fun and whimsical, and Ella Fitzgerald's voice was amazing. 10/10 album

A singer with a beautiful voice, wonderful instruments and great story telling. But God damn is this album long. I found my self getting burnt out half way through. To an avid fan of the artist, this is probably a great album. But to me, wayyyyy to long. I would love to travel back in time to see a live performance in a dark jazz club, what an experience that would be. 7/10 (lost points for being too long)

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.

It goes without saying that Ella Fitzgerald had an incredible voice, unfortunately this compilation has such a wide range of tracks that it's impossible to give it anything other than a 3.

Fantastic Latin grooves and some funky slap bass lines. Didn’t understand a word but sure makes you want ti dance.

I’m sorry Ella I know ur a legend but 3 hours and a 4 disc album is insane. I wish they would’ve chosen a more reasonable length and something a bit more curated

Hard not to love - epic combo of songs and voice. A little over long is the only negative.

Okay, yes: one of the greatest American vocalists takes on one of the greatest American songwriting canons, and it's really good. I especially like the more swinging renditions--like "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" or "I Got Rhythm". But not sure this should count as an 'album'. Might be too much. Hella lotta Ella.

All time classic. Her voice is incredible. Easy to take it for granted now. And you know, I'm not always in the mood for Gershwin, but this is a pairing of two master craftspeople. She makes the songs her own.

Oh generator, I don’t have time to listen to 6 discs, amounting to more than 3 hours of music. However, I wish I had that much time because the songbook is spectacular. Fitzgerald’s voice is smooth and silky but also so powerful, the lyrics are often genius, and the melodies are gorgeous. Plus the arrangements and instrumentation. This is definitely going into my permanent rotation.

five stars... 59 songs... all gems... amazing.

outstanding profoundly sublime

Ella was a peerless interpreter and jazz singer, but this is a puzzling pick. It was compiled with very little sense of flow or structure, as if nothing was left out from the recording sessions.

Wonderful!

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.

Whatever charm listening to Ella Fitzgerald could have is robbed by having to listen to a 3h15 min album.

How do you rate an album like this that's never meant to be listened to like a "normal" album? I really enjoyed it though, the songwriting was great and Fitzgerald's voice is outstanding. Wouldn't listen all the way through again but would definitely dip into there from time to time.

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

One of America's greatest voices, singing some of America's greatest songs. If this isn't a 5, I don't know what is.

Ella, Ella, Ella - Three hours Cleaning music

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

Yes, it's one of the best singers of the 20th century singing some of the most noteworthy songs written in the 20th century... And yes, it very much deserves to be categorized as an album you must listen to before you die. And sure, it's probably good for posterity that they recored EVERY song in the Gershwin Brothers catalog, but 59 songs and over 3 hours is a slog.

Did not finish.

Classic

Absolutely stellar album. Yes, it is really long, but it works more like an anthology than an art piece. Here we can hear Ella at the peak of her vocal powers performing some of the Gershwin brothers' greatest songs. George Gershwin's melodic and harmonic richness pair perfectly with Ira's witty lyrics and I can't think of another singer capable of pulling this off with such finesse and sophistication as Fitzgerald. And as if a three-hour album wasn't enough, around the same time, Ella recorded anthology albums of song from other great American composers. I'm strongly recommend her renditions of the Cole Porter and Irving Berlin songbooks. The Duke Ellington one it great too and was recorded with the man himself. Don't get intimidated by this album's runtime and just let it wash over you. Key tracks: Samson and Delilah But Not for Me Let's Call the Whole Thing Off Nice Work If You Can Get It The Man I Love Someone to Watch Over Me They All Laughed A Foggy Day They Can't Take That Away from Me Fascinatin' Rhythm

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.

Lovely voice

I get why this is considered a classic; Ella sounds incredible, the orchestra flows with her singing perfectly, and the overall quality of the whole thing is quite impressive. But honestly this was way too long. As the album went on, it started to feel more like a chore, which kinda ruined the experience for me. Even though everything is technically well done, it just felt repetitive and emotionally flat by the end. Great background music though.

Didn’t finish it but it’s very cozy

I think it's the longest album I've ever listened to.

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

I feel like I am in a rom-com, or having cocktails at a wedding reception. It's good but it's a lot to take in.

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.

whaaaaaaaa??? Otis followed by Ella? Hell yeah, let's go! 3hr album!?? 6 disks 59 songs. I didn't get through all of this but I loved every song I heard. I love this old innocent sound, makes you think the world was just perfect during these times. 5 stars.

This album is a master piece

Honestly I only listened to a little bit of this one. She has a beautiful voice and the music was nice. I've got to cap a 3-hour album at 3 stars though, don't nobody got time for that.

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

3.5 stars Fitzgerald’s voice is undeniably beautiful and powerful, but this is a long album and I was over it by the end.

I will not knock it points for the shear length, since I'm positive it was not made to be listened to in one sitting, but instead just as a comprehensive cover of all the Gershwin songs. With that out of the way, I'd say the songs are very good for the most part. Many are creatively written and Ella's voice really does not get old even after 3 hours. 6/10

awesome she completed the entire american songbook. not awesome that I wanted to complete every album on this list

only listened to the first 2 discs so far, will edit when i am done

Tough one to rate. Obviously really good music and Ella's vocals are gorgeous but it's undeniably tough to get through this whole collection. I feel like this would have made a lot of sense as a release in 1959 when owning this set would have been like paying for a Spotify subscription basically and you could listen to like pretty much every pop song that ever existed sung by the best singer, but in the age of streaming it just makes a lot less sense. I am rating these albums based on how much I enjoyed listening to them so gotta go with 3 here but I could see it being 4 if it was just one elpee's worth of toons :) Fav song: The Half of It Dearie Blues (which is sooo good)

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.

Amazing. Top tier singer performing songs from some of the best songwriters ever.

I kinda got it after the first 12 songs

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.

Very pleasant listen. Good voice, nice music, but a bit backgroundy. Over 3 hours is taking the piss. 3.5 would've fair as there are contexts in which I'd listen to this again.

Very pleasant. Good background hotel, background drinking or eating music or cooking music. Will probably listen to again or actually finish the album because it’s obviously far too long for 1 go. 6 discs is outrageous A 3.5 rounded down to a 3 for the sheer length

I'm sorry to Ella and the Gershwins, and even to the guy who had the idea to record all this, but this should not be in the 1001 albums list. I don't feel that this was ever meant to be listened to from start to finish. The music is great but after 3 discs worth, it's all blurring together and I'm starting to hate it, and so I'm opting to throw in the towel. Music is great, inclusion on this list is terrible.

I listened to this while doing extremely mundane work and essentially never noticed it. I’m giving it one star because it’s crazy that you had 6 discs to make me notice something I really liked and never did. I’m giving it a second star because it had 6 discs and never annoyed me enough to notice it either. I’m taking the second star away again because putting a 6 disc set on a list of albums to experience is fucking preposterous.

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

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

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

Great! Unfortunately I did not have time for the whole thing

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

On the fence on whether my 3.5 here counts more towards a 4 because it was pretty good, or more towards a 3 because it took the whole goddamn weekend to listen to. 3.5/5

The definitive collection of the Gershwins' important works, sung by the best possible vocalist, and featuring a top-notch Pop orchestra. The only knock here is that the sheer volume (over three hours!) makes it less than appropriate for this list. The artists involved may be better served with other individual albums. Riddle alone should already have entries for his work on Frank Sinatra's "In the Wee Small Hours" (the very first Pop album) and Linda Ronstadt's outstanding covers album, "What's New."

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

The songs are great, but quite a few are indistinguishable from each other on one listen. But I'm not about to spend the time to go through the whole thing again n

yesterday i'd given a shoutout to the great, benevolent, and Balmy 1001albumsgenerator dot com gods for starting this ill-advised journey off in a genre i'm pretty well acquainted with. in return, it dropped a fucking interminable box set release by a singer whom i hitherto "hadn't heard but heard of." funny stuff. i pogged. i pogchamped. yea, pretty intimidating, but thankfully i'm not 100% out of my comfort zone or anything. i like showtunes (or at least things that Sound like showtunes), i like vocal jazz (or at least etc.), i've heard one (1) frank sinatra album. "i can do this," i said. "i can making this hapen." this actually wasn't a difficult listen at all. very breezy. i am eternally fanatic for music built around and led by a strong vocal melody. i've really just gotta bite the bullet and fully explore the vocal jazz of this era because it's clearly my thing. i love the instrumentation, straight up. i'm just a complete sucker for a big, fat brass section. and man, when we cash in those sappy violin glissandos, i literally get chills every single time without fail. it's like a cheat code for music—it's Almost not fair. i wasn't familiar with any of these songs; they seem to have been primarily written for musicals, mostly stage but some film, that i've never heard of in my entire life because i'm ignorant and Also living nearly 100 years after the fact. but they're super strong both in composition and arrangement! i really like the lyrics, too. often very puerile and playful, having a lot of fun with like… with Words. i guess. "when you said you care / imagine my emosh / i swore then and there / permanent devosh." awesome. maybe i'm just Simple, y'know? in the head? you hit me with fifty-odd silly love songs with gorgeous arrangements, i'll eat that shit up with a spoon. all there is to it. truth squirts, don't it? let's not beat around the bush here, though: we're listening to this for Fitzgerald's vocal performance. and what can i say? she's incredible. i was completely blown away. i don't think i've ever heard a voice sound like that, just so immediately enrapturing and captivating, at once commanding your attention but also bending to the whim of the music. that's all jazz, is what that is. i've desperately got to hear her works with Louis Armstrong; i can only imagine how well they play off each other. as it stands, though, an all-time performer for sure. her laughs on they all laughed, the clear fun she's having with let's call the whole thing off and my cousin in milwaukee, her inflection on love walked right in (for sure a standout for me—i've been humming the melody as i write), the way she hits those lower notes on that track, ugh. beautiful. i was honestly full-on smiling through a lot of this thing. it's happy-making, oh yes it is! really it feels impressive to me that i'm coming off of three hours of music that does, more or less, all sound quite similar (just by virtue of using the same palette), and i'm already kind of itching to go back and play a fair bit of it again. just speaks to both to the immaculate construction of these songs and to Ella's immense talent as a performer. though it also just speaks to my aesthetic proclivities. it mainly speaks to that.

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.

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

Look, I get it, Ella Fitzgerald has a lovely voice, she's a legend, but I can't imagine listening to one of my favorite artists for 3 hours straight, let alone an artist I barely know in a genre I don't typically listen to. There are some wonderful songs on here, but 3 hours is too much of anyone. Also, why does she get a compilation album while others get one random album with a hit single on it instead of comps of their best work? I'm not going to finish this, but I'll enjoy it for a while.

Holy long album, Batman

This album is pretty sweet. The problem is that it's too long. The best way to listen is with split listening, which makes me wish this album were split into two. But despite the length, Ella's voice is sweet and makes for cute tracks.

3.5 One of the beasts of this challenge - an album of standards over 3 hours long. I’ve weirdly been expecting this for the past couple weeks, I just “knew” I’d be getting it soon. Thankfully I got it on a day off with a workout and housecleaning to do, so I had ample time to listen to this. Here’s the thing - it’s one of the best singers of all time singing a collection of the greatest songs of all time. Yes it’s long, but it’s absolutely never bad. Shorter albums have been less fun to listen to, an assault on the ears. At worst, this occasionally settles into pleasant background noise. But there’s a lot of the best tracks on Disc 5 tbh, so I locked back in. If this were a curated, 60 minute version, it’d probably be five stars.

Excellent

Ella Fitzgerald’s voice was a true treasure, she sounds absolutely wonderful through this whole thing, but there’s two downsides, I’m not that into Gershwin, and this is a box set that goes for 4 hours, upon finishing it I wanted to crawl in a whole and die, not because it was bad but because it’s really hard to muster the willpower to listen to Gershwin vocal jazz for that long. But her voice is truly magnificent

An absolute ten out of ten. She’s wonderful. She’s fabulous. Everything is well composed and perfect. Her voice is amazing. I have nothing negative to say in the slightest about this album.

3 hours is a ridiculous inclusion on this list, so I listed to the Very Best of the Gershwin Songbook (shorter version). For that: it’s really nice Sunday morning music. Not my favorite but it gives a great overview of Ella, who has an amazing voice! 7/10

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.

Thoughts, as I spilt up this album into 2 days (disc 1 on the 1st day and disc 2-3 on the 2nd day, I couldn't care less about the outtakes of disc 4) Day 1 -Those first instrumental songs on the first disc are awful, remind me of the cheesiness of the Moody Blues Orchestration at the start of "Days of Future Passed" - By song 11, this is growing pretty old, glad that I stopped after disc 1 Day 2 - To start It's nice and bright for the holiday weekend - This copy and repeat lyrical style and classic disney orchestration is starting to get annoying by song 15 of disc 2 - On side 3 "Isn't It a Pity" is George Harrison's classic of the same title influenced from this song, also the instrumental section of "Love Walked In" sounds to me like the same George Harrison song Finished although it's listenable (if you have it in the background), the fact that someone thought a 4 hour album full of the same cheesy lyrics and chippy disney like orchestration should be on this list, means 1 star -

I made it through 2 discs and a had so far. It’s solid stuff but 6 discs and 3 and a half hours just takes time. I will continue to work through it but based on the third I’ve heard I don’t expect it to turn higher. I am appreciative from listening to it though!

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

Sehr oldschool - bisschen Frank Sinatra in weiblich und als Orginal - 40‘s Jazz. Ganz nett, hat was, aber vermutlich nicht etwas was ich öfter anmachen werde. It grows on you. Das geht einfach fünf CDs bzw drei Stunden lang. 3/5

Tooo looong, gets super booring.

Det kan vel knapt bli bedre, så æ e fornøyd.

Ella forever

This is a pretty good album for locking in at work. Feels very romantic.

3/5

Au top du top

What a delight. We have Ella Fitzgerald's beautiful voice and vocal phrasing. Then we have the genius that was Nelson Riddle, for his orchestrations, and his wonderful Orchestra. Lastly, the wonderful songs of George and Ira Gershwin. 5 stars. Originally released as a 5 album Long Player (LP) box-set in 1959. The albums were also released separately, so you could choose to buy them separately, one at a time, as your budget allowed. The orchestration is by the great Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra. For those daunted by listening to all 54 tracks I suggest just reviewing one of the volumes, as there's a lot here to take in. There's a high level of quality across the whole collection but the third volume just shades it for me. Would I listen to this album again? Oh yes! Would I buy this album? Yes. I bought it immediately after listening to it. Vol. 1 1 Sam And Delilah - Wonderful. - 5 Stars 2 But Not For Me - Great lyrics. Oh that voice. - 4 Stars 3 My One And Only - 4 Stars 4 Let's Call The Whole Thing Off - Excellent. - 5 Stars 5 Beginner's Luck - 4 Stars 6 Oh, Lady Be Good! - 5 Stars 7 Nice Work If You Can Get It - 5 Stars 8 Things Are Looking Up - Swing baby! - 5 Stars 9 Just Another Rhumba - 4 Stars 10 How Long Has This Been Going On? - Beautiful. - 5 Stars 46/50 Average 4.6 Vol. 2 1 S Wonderful - Fantastic. - 5 Stars 2 The Man I Love - Just wonderful. What a voice. - 5 Stars 3 That Certain Feeling - Super. - 5 Stars 4 By Strauss - 4 Stars 5 Someone To Watch Over Me - Just beautiful. Romantic. - 5 Stars 6 The Real American Folk Song - Rag time. - 5 Stars 7 Who Cares? - 4 Stars 8 Looking For A Boy - Lyrically brilliant. Nice, gentle swing. - 5 Stars 9 They All Laughed - Like a lot of these songs, instantly recognisable. Brilliant. - 5 Stars 10 My Cousin In Milwaukee - 4 Stars 11 Somebody From Somewhere - Achingly beautiful. - 5 Stars 52/55. Average 4.73 Vol. 3 1 A Foggy Day - The orchestration on this is brilliant. - 5 Stars 2 Clap Yo' Hands - A little more uptempo. Swings. - 5 Stars 3 For You, For Me, For Everymore - Luscious. - 5 Stars 4 Stiff Upper Lip - Delightful. - 5 Stars 5 Boy Wanted - I'm running out of adjectives! - 5 Stars 6 Strike Up The Band - 5 Stars 7 Soon - 4 Stars 8 I've Got A Crush On You - Sultry, romantic and quite brilliant. - 5 Stars 9 Bidin' My Time - Playful. - 4 Stars 10 Aren't You Kind Of Glad We Did? - Blissful. Naughty. Frisky 😉. Goose bumps when the orchestra kicks in, in full swing. - 5 Stars 11 Of Thee I Sing (Baby) - Goose bumps again. Nelson Riddle was a genius. - 5 Stars 53/55. Average 4.82 Vol. 4 1 The Half Of It, Dearie, Blues Bluesy. Ella Fitzgerald's call and response with the Orchestra is brilliant. Oh those horns. So mournful. - 4 Stars 2 I Was Doing All Right Swing baby! Wonderfully sung - 5 Stars 3 He Loves And She Loves I'm running out of things to say….. - 5 Stars 4 Love Is Sweeping The Country - This is so romantic. I wish love was sweeping my country, and indeed the World. - 5 Stars 5 Treat Me Rough Oh my! Naughty and wonderful. - 5 Stars 6 Love Is Here To Stay Such a famous song. Brilliantly sung. - 5 Stars 7 Slap That Bass Indeed. They way the orchestra comes in is superbly done. Jaunty. "zoom, zoom, zoom" - 5 Stars 8 Isn't It A Pity? "let's forget the past, let's both agree, that I'm for you, and you're for me and it's such a pity we never, never met before". What a brilliant song. - 5 Stars 9 Shall We Dance? - 4 Stars 10 Love Walked In - The love songs on this album are fantastic. Ella Fitzgerald's vocals are brilliant but equally the star of the show is Nelson Riddle. - 5 Stars 11 You've Got What Gets Me - It's up tempo again. A little bit of swing. - 4 Stars 52/55. Average 4.73 Vol. 5 1 They Can't Take That Away From Me - A very different interpretation, and arrangement, from Frank Sinatra's. 5 Stars 2 Embraceable You Sultry. - 5 Stars 3 I Can't Be Bothered Now - 4 Stars 4 Boy! What Love Has Done To Me! - The humour in these lyrics are delightful. - 4 Stars 5 Fascinating Rhythm Dramatic opening. - 4 Stars 6 Funny Face - 4 Stars 7 Lorelei Smooth. Wonderful melodies. Lovely clarinet. Beautiful vocals. - 5 Stars 8 Oh, So Nice - Drift along, on a lovely cloud of music with that beautiful voice. Jazzy piano solo. - 5 Stars 9 Let's Kiss And Make Up Frisky. - 5 Stars 10 I Got Rhythm There's a sprinkling of scat Jazz throughout this album, and there's a sprinkle here. A great way to close out the collection. - 5 Stars. 46/50. Average 4.60 Total /265 - 249 Average for whole album - 4.70

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

It's Ella Fitzgerald

Wow! I have a bunch of Ella albums in my library but not this one. Great find!

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

Couldn't find it but listened to other Ella Fitzgerald tracks. Old school awesome.

Never listened to Ella, I really enjoyed this album.

Listened to the first 4 songs. I get it. There's 3+ hours of this. It's fine. Docking it a star for being so long. Ridiculous. lol 2/5.

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)

This is very long. I listened to two of the five discs and got the gist.

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.

Its ella doing gershwin there isn't much to love. But is a compilation the best representation of her capabilities or that of the music gershwin's were able to produce. I do not agree. This a behemoth to tackle in one day let alone one listen. It all morphs into one sound after a while and it becomes difficult to develop and unique impression for each song.

It’sa little long

Musiikki kuin musikaalissa istuisi. Vau! Nyt ollaan kaukana.

Ella Fitzgerald has an amazing voice and anything she sings sounds awesome. Loved this album listened all 3 hours plus

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

Great voice, less convinced by the songs and struggle to think of an occasion when I would be in the mood to listen to this.

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

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.

Classic but not for me.

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

Six discs of Gershwin and no Summertime.

Just too much. She has a gorgeous voice but it’s wasted in these songs. Some of the tracks are great, some are so bland and banal I just can’t care. Who thought this album over all of her albums should be on a list? 3

good but really long, liek really really long. All quality but the songs werent unique enough from each other to justify listening to a 3 and a half hour album. Cool songs are, love is here to stay, siff upper lip and embracable you

I'll be frank, I only listened to the first disc (out of 4) but this is no brainer. Ella is one of the greatest singers of all time. The instrumentation itself is gorgeous, warm and inviting, perfect for a pleasant (dare I say romantic) evening.

Hard to go wrong with Ella

That was a lot of Ella, but, so good.

I did not use a private spotify session for this one, I should have. I only made it through disc two, there was a lot of anger from me when I had to listen to "Rhumba" get rhymed with "Number", "Slumber" and "Dumber". FU GERSHWINS!

3 Stunden 14 Minuten 💀. Musik ist gut aber keine chance, dass ich das aktiv durchhöre. Stimme ist schön. Nicht sehr abwechslungsreich. Viel zu lang aber da die einzelnen Lieder fast immer gut sind 3/5 (erinnert mich an fallout radio mit nur einer Sängerin)

Nope

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

I've never really been able to get into vocal jazz in general, unfortunately, and nearly 3 and a half hours of it is too much. I listened to this as I worked, and a lot of it gets tuned out, but every time my attention gets drawn to it, it's pretty nice. Plus it doesn't actually feel like 3 and a half hours, somehow! Almost certainly never listening too this again, but I will be listening to one of Ella Fitzgerald's shorter albums soon. Maybe she'll be the one to finally get me into jazz?

I really enjoyed the music, but 3 hours of it was a bit much

Beautiful. She knows what it feels like to be in love, and to be out of it. What a treat, even though it was long.

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

I mean of course it’s great, I can enjoy it from a distance. I probably would have appreciated it more if there wasn’t 3+ hours of it.

Generally pleasant, but still proud of myself for listening to the whole boxed set

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

I ... this... I don't know. For me this is absolutely sublime. I want people to hear this. This is kind of a match made in heaven and it is seriously amazing.

What a voice! She really gives a lot in each reading of a Gershwin tune here, often breathing life into old source material.

I love Ella Fitzgerald's voice, and she aquits herself well here; I do NOT appreciate Gershwin's too-cutesy showtunes in general, and three hours of this is ENTIRELY too much. I could probably whittle it down to a 50 minute disc of songs I kind of enjoy, but as it is, I will never be able to down this monstrosity.

This one was a bit of a surprise; I thought I’d kind of hate it. Although I don’t think I’ll revisit it, I quite enjoyed the Gershwin’s music. Ella Fitzgerald is very talented, even if she didn’t feature for the first third of the record. The production is first rate. The problem is that I don’t feel like the record gives me a compelling reason to listen to it again; I guess that’s to say that, as enjoyable as its constituent parts are, I don’t care to dive back in repeatedly. They can’t all resonate with me, I guess.

Like listening to a soundtrack for a 60's TV show...

3 hours of pleasant background music. I did first disc and called it a day

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

God of mercy that was long

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

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

Long album, some good songs, I can respect it

Not gonna listen to a 3 hour album, I did listen to the most popular songs. They’re great

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.

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

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.

Technically great but I didn’t give a single shit.

This compilation album has way too much filler. The songs that are great stand out but half of it could be trimmed out and I feel nothing would be lost.

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.

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

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

Beautiful voice of course. Songs are classic

Pretty lovely singing and the backing tracks are quite exciting. I just didn't like that It was 3 hours long, which was pretty grueling. Had it been less than an hour I would've definitely rated it higher.

Another one of these impossible to rate albums. Here, listen to the best vocalist of all time sing some songs by one of these best composers of the 20th century, now rate 1-5. I mean it’s incredible. Fitzgerald is in my opinion as great a vocalist as there ever was. Not just on technical aspects such as range, pitch or enunciation. She also has a great emotional range and amazing delivery. The songs range from pretty good to great. I have to say I can’t rate it at five stars though. Five stars are desert island albums. Things I connect with fully and deeply. This is very good music, I just can’t say I deeply connect with it. Call it four stars. Oh, two comments. Great Gershwin songbook and no Summertime? I actually think the instrumental break in Just Another Rhumba referenced that. Weird choice. The other thing is choosing this album for the list. I mean yeah you must listen to Ella Fitzgerald before you die, she’s an all time great. Do you have to listen to over three hours of pretty samey songs? Definitely no. Go listen to one of the Ella and Louis albums, they’re so much more fun. You know what? On second thought I’m docking it a star for these comments. Not a good pick. Three stars.

Brilliant

I really enjoy Ella Gitzgerald and this style of music, but three hours of love songs is a chore and a half to get through

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.

La vida en 1959 era mucho más cruel, pero también sencilla y nos permitía el tiempo para invertir en un disco quíntuple (!). Ahora, en el año 2025 de nuestra tallarinosidad, nadie tiene tiempo para eso. Además, pierde puntos porque cada año que pasa el "American Songbook" gringo pierde relevancia para los que no nos identificamos con ese país. Eso sí, la voz de EF es innegable.

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.

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

This is a marathon of a listen…

No one scats like Ella. :-)

Didn't have 3 hours to spare, listened to a few tracks. Sounded good.

Wow, that was a slog. The only reason this is getting a point is because you can’t fault Ella’s voice.

Is this perfectly serviceable background music, unobtrusive and pleasant? Yes. Does Ella Fitzgerald have a stellar voice that deserves to be on this list? Yes. Do we need three and a half hours to prove that? Christ no.

Nice

I can only give it three stars because I heard this was 3 hours long so I cut corners and only listened to a Best Of version. Which I liked.

Have to be in the right mood but very talented

As an album, this is far too long. As an artifact, an archival source, it may be essential. Only a few of the songs captured me in what was inevitably a distracted playthrough, but Fitzgerald’s delivery is consistently divine and the psychological insight of the material is revealing and comforting: the underlying social and existential anxiety, the sense of a disquieted era, calls to our own. It’s an uncanny artifact, as the songs were old, popular nostalgia when recorded, already out of time, sold as such.

5* for the voice; 3* for the songs; 2* for the length. I kept hoping for ones I knew, then realized the ones I expected were all written by Cole Porter or Irving Berlin instead. Maybe Gershwin peaked with "Rhapsody In Blue"? Regardless, it was a slog but infinitely more enjoyable than The Magnetic Fields monstrosity. Can't wait for the inevitable AI-generated Ariana Grande sings the complete work of the Sleaford Mods

I tried. I got half-way through - but if I finish I'm going to hate Ella Fitzgerald AND Gershwin. Including this album is probably the biggest disservice in the whole of these albums, because this isn't really a complete work - it's just a massive marketing ploy and a marathon of songs that cannot be possibly enjoyed as a whole. Which defeats the purpose of an album - a good one is a thematic book that keeps you interest and doesn't tire you. It shouldn't be a chore to listen to and it should be digestable enough to listen to in one sitting without zoning out. This is not that - I seriously doubt ANYONE has sat through this without gritting their teeth and gave it an complete ACTIVE listen. Putting in the background while working or doing chores doesn't count if you're zoning in and out. No, as the entire set of songs, over 4-6 discs - it's the most indulgent of records on this list and as much as the parties involved are musical gods in their own right, and Ella Fitzgerald deserves all the credit of her whole career - this is simply a jazz version of yacht rock for the privileged and culturally-poor.

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.

Great voice

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

Chill vibes but nothing I would listen to again.

Pretty good

high quality, but way too long, and gets repetitive fast.

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

Favorite Track: Who Cares? But way too long and some songs weren't even her

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

This doesn’t need to be a three and a quarter hour box set. It could have been a 9-10 song single album.

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.

she's got a great voice but i found it boring and wayyyy to long

I mean, that voice.

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

who says "/pətɑːtoʊ/"

Personally not for me, great voice though

too damn long

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.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore Ella’s voice and this is a beautiful album. But I truly didn’t think it would ever end.

ella ur album was 3 hours long. idk how you had time to make that but i certainly did not have time to listen to it. the first song was pretty good tho.

3 hours! No thank you! Listened to the first few songs, loved her voice and the vibe but it got real old real fast

Ella is amazing what can I say. This is one of the songbook she did for several songwriters. Picking up all 3 versions of this record releases. I want to see if the quality stays the same, worse or better. If you love Ella you will this.

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

Very easy listening, not her most exciting work

I listened to all 3 hours of this, it was very nice

Lovely sounding album, but very long. After the second disc it all starts to sound the same. Will revisit this for background music and a get together, or for some study/work music. Overall lovely, just so so long.

Als je 3,5 uur naar een album kan luisteren zonder er zat van te zijn moet je het wel 5 geven.

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.

Her voice is amazing, can't deny that, but just shuffling through it a little and it's already getting very same-y. I think the whole 3 hours would bore me to tears.

I tried. Way way wayyyy too long. Sorry Ella

this much of any artist is ott

I'd give this album a 4 if it wasn't 4 hours long. I listened to it while working and it was more than enjoyable, seriously a talent.

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

Luckily, i realized i could listen to Ella Fitzgerald sing the phooey book for three + hours

It was good but way too many songs

I'm incapable of appreciating this kind of music. Ella has a decent enough voice but the combination of her voice and how much Gershwin's compositions remind me of classic Disney movies takes me out of the listening experience 100% of the time. The whiplash of the track order also was difficult to get through. One song she's the luckiest girl in the world because she's in love, the very next song she's singing about her woe's. I got through 9 tracks before I had to stop it. I couldn't even have it on as background music while house cleaning it was so distracting in an unpleasant way.

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

6 DISCS???? THE FUCK?!?!? Also I mean, its Ella Fitzgerald. She's fucking amazing. There is really nothing much to say that hasn't been said before. She's one of the queens of jazz, her voice is beyond iconic and as a jazz fan, I just adore her. FR tho, I kind of hate the album art. It's so fucking ugly

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

Отличный альбом, Элла в любой момент создаст атмосферу своим голосом и музыкой.

I don't feel bad not listening to all this because its suppsoed to be her singing their works but it has not a SINGLE song from Porgy and Bess. Ella Fitzgerald singing Summertime is transcendental. Gives me goosebumps every time. Not including any songs from there is a crime.

Great voice, legendary songs, but at 3+ hours, I’m only queuing this up for a Great Gatsby-esque masquerade ball... with no end time.

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

Didn’t enjoy this. Very samey and boring. 6 volumes

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.

Sometimes, the struggle is real. How do you rate something when every aspect -- from composer to singer to band -- is top-notch but it's just not your thing??

Only listened to three songs I ain’t listening to allat but those 3 songs were actually pleasing to listen to so I’ll come back to it

That was long but enjoyable.

Definitely not my style

Perfect renditions of classic songs. A record for your entire life

6 disks is too many

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

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

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

I wasn’t excited to get a 3+ hour album, especially since I’ve been behind on my albums. The day I went to start this was the day after my cat died. The apathy allowed me to think I could do three hours, what does it matter? And I am SO glad I did. This is a beautiful album, and Ella’s voice was like a warm hug while I was struggling through the worst of my grief. I am grateful I heard this when I did. Another gift given by the generator. I was irritated at the top review calling people who enjoy this album “spineless”, but I see they’re a Bob Dylan fan and I’ll agree it takes more bravery to listen to that man sing.

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

Some absolute tunes - tooooo long

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.

Long Worthwhile Maybe one volume Should be on the list?

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

I don't wanna hear it. Slow jazz. 1/5

just the most classic beautiful shit in the world. one of the most amazing voices to ever walk the earth, putting her indelible mark on some of the most timeless songs ever composed. perfect work.

I like her voice and music, this is just another 'not much stands out' good album. Doesn't help it's 3 hours

I couldn't give this one the attention it deserves, just due to its length, but what I did hear I liked. Definitely the type of album I'm glad this challenge showed to me, otherwise I may never have listened to it.

Great voice, but way too little variety for over 3 hours of music.

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

Listened to it while cooking and had a fun time. Once my food was done, I still had 1h30 left. At that point I tapped out, it was too much of the same. To me then this album is great in adding a classy, old-school soundtrack to life. But as front to back, critical listening deal? I couldn't even do it for the challenge. In the end though, my carne adobada came out delicious as fuck, and maybe I have Ella to thank for that.

She is truly the greatest to ever do it but as an album it is just too long without enough variety.

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

Great stuff!

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

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.

I think I got the "You Don't Know the Half of it Blues" after listening to all 59 tracks of the Gershwin Songbook! Much like the Miles Davis record earlier this week. I wish I had some earlier Ella Fitzgerald to compare to this later work. Don't get me wrong, Eight box sets to record the complete American Songbook is quite the feat. Favorites from the whole set, Sam and Delilah, Let's Call the Whole Thing Off (you say sasparila I say sasparila), Things are really looking up (I enjoy when she goes low), and Slap That Bass.

2.5

Bleh for real

Great voice not my style Music

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

Made it through. That was long. Not really my thing. A little too songbooky. A mammoth effort though!

This was pretty long! High quality musicianship and top level songwriting.

Interesting music. Very recognizable. Probably wouldn't actively listen to it in my daily life.

Not a big fan if vocal jazz, but it was nice to hear all these Gershwin songs as sung by Ella. Someone to Watch Over Me They All Laughed The Half of it Dearie Blues They Can't Take That Away From Me Embraceable You I Got Rhythm

3 hours long bruzz, good voice, production, and instrumentals. Comforting, but also not my style. 6.2/10

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?

Overall: 5/10 So, I'm laid off from work this week. Apparently that's a blessing in disguise because I can listen to this goliath throughout the day instead of devoting 3 hours straight to one album. It didn't help. This is good music, and Ella Fitzgerald had an incredibly smooth voice that's soothing and exciting all at once. That album length though....you get fatigued pretty quickly then check how many songs are left and start to groan. If you want to listen to this much of one thing in one sitting then that's your perogative, but I prefer short doses of perfection and I didn't enjoy this enough to excuse the runtime. Fav Song: N/A Least Fav Song: N/A (hard to choose when it all kind of blended together)

Midcentury vocal pop is nice but not really essential listening for me.

Album was listened to prior to bed, great album for a slow night.

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”

This is a beautiful record, and even though it's not the sort of thing I'd listen to with any frequency, I can totally appreciate the quality and elegance.

Very long. Present but not my thing

7/10 As so many others have said on here this is a tough album to rate that feels like it does not belong on this list - certainly sitting through this for three hours does not seem like the best way to appreciate the majesty of Ella Fitzgerald. Anyway many of the songs are beautiful, it just drags on for far too long to listen in one go. Oh and it called me single one too many times... Listens: 0.6

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.

3 hours?!?!

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...

Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 🖌️💄👵 Production: 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🎵🔥😍📈⏳😐🤔😒⌛📉😴💤 Rating: 🎨🎨🎨/5

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

Wow, this was a lot to get through. Ella was insanely talented. And her band kicks. But I have a hard time listening to any single artist/group for 3+ hours. I’m really trying not to take run time into consideration when rating, but it’s hard to look past the chore that was sitting through all of this. It’s excellent background music, but it’s just not something I’d put on in my spare time.

Three hours. Listened to the first hour then left the party as they’d run out of vol-au-vents. Great music though, but knocked down a star each as it’s not an album and it’s THREE HOURS LONG!

Not for me, I appreciate the compilation, but a tough digest at 3 hours, as has been mentioned copious times. Ella Fitzgerald does have a fantastic voice. Good for a selection of songs to shuffle but not to absorb and live in. It's an era I'm unfamiliar with and have no major desire to revisit this selection of music. I feel a compilation is a bad placement on this list, surely a better selection from a such widely renowned artist. A 3 from me, arbitrary.

Absolutely get why it should be here, by this is a tough one to get through even with a whole weekend to do it.

Gee I've been in the yard listening to Ella for a long time today. Is it repeating? No? Oh I'm only on disc 4 of 6!? Might as well hear the whole thing, we've come this far. .

A perfect Sunday afternoon listen

Classic Sunday morning vibes with this album but my god is it longggggggggggggggg

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 :))

Brilliant background music, sounds like the kind of thing that would sound incredible on vinyl.

eh cute aber vieeeeeel zu lang wtff

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

Meh