Song Book

When I saw the LP copy shown above of Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book (vol. 1), on sale for a few pounds the other week, I wasn’t sure if I should buy it. Why did I hesitate, when George Gershwin was the first composer of that style & of that era whose music I’d taken a shine to (after I’d acquired a two-CD ‘Best Of’ compilation of his music back in my late twenties)? And when I was already in possession of vinyl copies of Ella singing the Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart, Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern and Johnny Mercer Song Book albums (though only vol.2 of the Ellington one)?

The Gershwin Song Book holds the distinction of being the most voluminous of the series, running to five LPs in total. I’d never encountered the complete set in the wild, and hardly ever any of its separately issued volumes. I had, however, heard the whole thing on a CD re-issue, and had been disconcerted to find I didn’t warm to it, for all my prior enthusiasm for the singer & the composer. It proved to be just a little too much Gershwin for my liking; with a few too many deep cuts mixed in with the big hits. A double LP selection would probably have been a better fit for me. Even so, I did buy the record in the picture.

First issued by Verve in 1959, my British-pressed mono copy has a “His Master’s Voice” label. When I played it, my reaction – alas – was no different than when I’d heard the songs on CD. I do very much like the sleeve-design though, and may yet keep it just for decorative purposes. It’s one of five paintings by the French artist Bernard Buffet that were used for the sleeves of the five discs on the original set.