A nicely different album than some of Peggy Lee's other albums for Capitol Records – a set of sophisticated arrangements, handled by Quincy Jones – which really give Lee the kind of setting to remind the world that she can be as compelling of a jazz singer as she can a vocalist on upbeat groovers! Jones here is coming off of work by his larger groups of the late 50s, and has a wonderful sense of tone and shading – creating this richness that's as deeply blue as the image on the cover, and which really works on the more melancholy currents that Peggy could hit at the right moments – those qualities that would get explored a bit more in later years, but which really find their way to open up here. The group features nice work from Benny Carter on alto and Victor Feldman on vibes – and there's a sense of loss and longing to the record that almost rivals that on the Sinatra album Wee Small Hours. Titles include "As Time Goes By", "If You Go", "I Wish I Didn't Love You So", "I Get Along Without You Very Well", "When I Was A Child", "Here's That Rainy Day", and "I'm Gonna Laugh You Out Of My Life". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set of tracks from Peggy – featuring the sublime hit "Is That All There Is?", produced by Lieber & Stoller, and arranged and conducted by Randy Newman. Other arrangements are by the likes of Mike Melvoin, Mundell Lowe, George Tipton, and Bobby Bryant – all of whom conspire to give Peggy one of her hippest albums ever. Titles include "I'm A Woman", "Love Story", "Brother Love's Travelling Show", and "Don't Smoke In Bed". LP, Vinyl record album

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Peggy's sweet as sugar, but working here with a heck of a lot of spice – thanks to arranger Benny Carter, who brings in a wonderfully jazzy feel to the set! The album's one of Peggy's best from her comeback years at Capitol – and a prime example of the syncopated, slinking mode of arrangement that was the best 60s discovery for the Peggy Lee voice – and which allowed her to create a unique space for her own maturing sexuality in pop music. The whole thing's great, and avoids the cliches of some of the other Peggy Lee albums from the time. Titles include "I Believe In You", "Ain't That Love", "The Best Is Yet To Come", "The Sweetest Sounds", "Teach Me Tonight", "Tell All The World About You", and "Big Bad Bill". Plus, CD features 3 bonus cuts – including "Amazing", "Loads Of Love", and "I'll Be Around". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully spare early jazz sides by Peggy, and the kind of material that's not easy to find amidst the bulk of her pop-oriented work. The album's a moving set of ballads and torchy numbers, recorded in small-combo fashion, in a style that's similar to some of Chris Connor's later Bethlehem work. The combo includes Cootie Chesterfield on trumpet, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Max Wayne on bass, and Ed Shaughnessy on drums. A real treasure – with titles like "A Woman Alone With The Blues", "Love Me Or Leave Me", "Easy Living", and "Black Coffee". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique later album from Peggy Lee – one that's so different than the brash confidence of her early material, and which shows her really perfecting that boozy, mature sound that she brought to a handful of gems like this! The album's got a truly adult approach to pop that was less concerned with chart placement than it was with getting over a more sophisticated level of expression – and Peggy turns out to be wonderfully well suited for this mode – a deeply emotive singer by this point, capable of bringing a deeper sense of life into younger tunes of the era, fleshing them out with the newer freedoms of the time, yet without going overboard. There's almost a Robert Altman sense of poise and adult grace to these tunes – arranged by Artie Butler with a careful simplicity, and sung by Peggy with some of the truest emotion of her days on record. Titles include "Love Song", "Razor", "When I Found You", "A Song For You", "It Takes Too Long To Learn To Live Alone", "Someone Who Cares", and "Just For A Thrill". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderfully spare early jazz sides by Peggy, and the kind of material that's not easy to find amidst the bulk of her pop-oriented work. The album's a moving set of ballads and torchy numbers, recorded in small-combo fashion, in a style that's similar to some of Chris Connor's later Bethlehem work. The combo includes Cootie Chesterfield on trumpet, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Max Wayne on bass, and Ed Shaughnessy on drums. A real treasure – with titles like "A Woman Alone With The Blues", "Love Me Or Leave Me", "Easy Living", and "Black Coffee". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite a rare album from Peggy Lee – and a strange one too! The album features backings "conducted" by Frank Sinatra, done in a moody, flowing, dreamy and sad style – similar to his own work of the late 50s Capitol years, especially the more melancholy albums that we love so much. Frank's probably not doing the bulk of the work, though, as the record also credits Nelson Riddle with arrangements – and Riddle's sound here is very strong, again in the mood of his best sad work with Sinatra – territory explored on albums like Wee Small Hours or Only The Lonely. Titles include "That's All", "Please Be Kind", "He's My Guy", "Then I'll Be Tired Of You", "The Folks Who Live On The Hill", and "If I Should Lose You". LP, Vinyl record album

Peggy Lee's at Basin Street, but the set's an upbeat, swinging date that's right up there with her studio work for Capitol in the 60s! The album's billed as an "after hours" performance – and it's definitely got the relaxed feel to live up to that promise – a feel that's more small combo jazzy than other Lee work of the period, although it's still got that upbeat punch we love from the Capitol years. The group is directed by Joe Harnell, who also plays piano – and other members include Bob Donovan on flute, Willie Thomas and Phil Sunkel on trumpets, Dennis Budimir on guitar, and Chino Pozo on congas and bongos. Titles inlcude "I Got A Man", "The Second Time Around", "Fever", "Moments Like This", "Day In Day Out", and "Them There Eyes". CD also features a bonus track – "Call Me Darling". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredibly haunting early work from Peggy Lee! The record is one of her moodiest, and is essential listening for anyone who's ever though of Peggy only as a schmaltzy pop singer. The arrangements are fantastic, and they have a sad somber quality that we'd compare to those on Frank Sinatra's legendary Wee Small Hours album. The tracks are similar, too – and filled with pain, loss, and longing – really some of the deepest work of Peggy's career at this time! Titles include "So Blue", "What's New", "Street Of Dreams", "Too Late Now", and "Dancing On The Ceiling". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album in Peggy's career – one that featured some wonderful crossover hits that broke her into a whole new audience in the 60s – and which really helped cement Peggy's relationship with Capitol Records. Benny Carter and Dick Hazard arranged the set with a gentle bouncing swing – still jazzy enough to keep Peggy's sophisticated side in place, but buoyant enough to hit that syncopated groove that was helping singers like Sinatra and Sammy D find new chart success at the time. Titles include "The Alley Cat Song", "I'm Walkin", "Mack The Knife", "I'm A Woman", "One Note Samba", and "There Ain't No Sweet Man". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredibly lovely later album from Peggy Lee – her first album for Atlantic, and proof that she was still growing tremendously as an artist, well into the 70s! The record's title track was a tune written for Peggy by Paul McCartney, who also produced the number for the record – and it's got a wonderful "adult" feel – one that steps off even more from Peggy's last Capitol recordings. But in some way, the real star of the album is Dave Grusin – who co-produced the rest of the record along with Peggy, and who gives the session a warmly laidback jazz-based approach – one that's miles away from Peggy's 60s work, and handled in a maturely mellow groove that's totally great. The sound is tight, but never too slick – and Peggy's aging vocals sparkle beautifully amidst a host of modern tunes that include "He Is The One", "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter", "You Make Me Feel Brand New", "Sweet Lov'liness", "Sweet Talk", "Always", and the funky classic "Easy Evil". LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool work from Peggy Lee – mostly with arrangements by Benny Golson, and done in a really wonderful style for the 70s! The work's every bit as mature as her other Capitol sides from the time, but it's also got a bit more confidence too – a style that somehow offsets the melancholy of these years with a subtle positive sensibility too, possibly from Golson's presence. Titles include a great version of "Passenger Of The Rain" – the title track to Francis Lai's soundtrack for Le Passager De La Pluie – and other tracks include "Make It With You", "The Long & Winding Road", "That's What Living is All About", "You'll Remember Me", "I've Never Been So Happy In My Life", and "One More Ride On The Merry Go Round". LP, Vinyl record album

As smooth as mink – and as sexy too! The album's one of Peggy's jazziest from the Capitol years – and has her working with some really great arrangements by Max Bennett or Benny Carter – both of whom come up with a lean groove that swings tremendously, but without some of the overly-cliched modes of later Capitol years! Peggy's in great form throughout – and titles include "Whisper Not", "My Silent Love", "Days Of Wine & Roses", "Close Your Eyes", "Cloudy Morning", and "Where Can I Go Without You?". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album from Peggy Lee – baroquely beautiful, in a way that builds massively off of her "Is That All There Is Period" – and take her into territory that's almost equal to Lotte Lenya! The whole album was written by the team of Lieber & Stoller, in a sad, boozy, faded style that's quite different than any of their earlier pop hits – and arrangements by Johnny Mandel and Perry Botkin are handled in a style that goes more for the emotive depths than the poppy hooks – really allowing Peggy to sing in a mature style that really befits her voice at the time. The record's incredibly dark – and is the kind that probably killed her career at the time, but which now stands above most other other records of the 60s and 70s. Titles include "Some Cats Know", "Ready To Begin Again", "A Little White Ship", "Tango", "Say It", and "I Remember". LP, Vinyl record album

A hip collection of tracks from Peggy Lee – featuring tunes recorded for Capitol during the late 60s and early 70s, put together as a special package for Placidyl sleeping pills! The album's hardly sleepy, though – and the standout cut is Peggy's awesome version of "Spinning Wheel" – a monster groover that puts her in the company of Doris or Shirley Bassey, as the cut's got a fantastic break and a great groove throughout! We totally dig the other stuff, too – and titles include "Pieces Of Dreams", "Let's Get Lost In Now", "Two For The Road", "Watch What Happens", and "You'll Remember Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A selection of tunes from the film Pete Kelly's Blues – a 20s tale of jazz and gangsters that starred and was directed by Jack "Dragnet" Webb! Given the setting of the film, the tunes often have a more traditional jazz bent to them – with backing from the orchestra of Harold Mooney that features a fair bit of Kansas City-styled jazz. Peggy and Ella's vocals are pure 50s Decca, though – and if anything, the album's a great chance to hear them singing in a slightly different setting, but with all the strength of their best work of the time. Peggy sings on about 2/3 of the album – on tracks that include "Sugar", "I Never Knew", "Somebody Loves Me", and "I'm Gonna Meet My Sweetie Now". Ella sings on the last third – on tracks that include "Ella Hums The Blues", "Pete Kelly's Blues", and "Hard Hearted Hannah". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the most intense work we've ever heard from composer/reedman Darius Jones – a set of longer works, recorded live in Vancouver – with a style that mixes core jazz instrumentation with some added string elements that really send things over the top! There's plenty of free improvisation going on here – and the alto of Jones sounds especially nice next to the skittish drums of Gerald Cleaver – as the duo find strong interplay with the work of Jesse and Josh Zubot on violins, Peggy Lee on cello, and James Meger on bass! All the string instruments are hardly any sort of string quartet – and instead, they come across with those freer improv modes unlocked during the loft jazz generation of the 70s – really exploding here with a sense of united majesty and individual expression. Titles include "Zubot", "Damon & Pythias", "Rainbow", and "Fluxus V5T 1S1". LP, Vinyl record album

Plenty of body, and even more soul – a great little groove on the record at points, in that slinky, vampy sort of mode that Julie London picked up in the 60s! The album's got Julie taking on a fair bit of R&B and bluesy numbers – still singing in her more jazz-based style, but getting a nice groove on most numbers from Kirk Stuart – balancing out some piano-led grooves with more brassy backings, all very much in the style of Peggy Lee over at Capitol in the early 60s – yet completely different too, given London's vocal approach. Titles include "Romance In The Dark", "I Got A Sweetie", "The Comeback", "Come On By", "If You Want This Love", and "Treat Me Good". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest soundtracks ever for a Burt Reynolds film – an a hip mix of soul and jazz tracks that's gone onto become a classic over the years! The album's a compilation of sorts, but most of the material was recorded fresh for the film – and the different artists really work together here to forge some great backdrops for the action on the screen! Al Capps handled the larger charts, but most numbers really spotlight an individual artist – and highlights include Randy Crawford singing a new version of "Street Life" – different than the one with The Crusaders – Sarah Vaughan singing "Love Theme From Sharky's Machine", Peggy Lee vocals on "Let's Keep Dancing", and Julie London singing "My Funny Valentine" – as one of the first recordings after many years of retirement. Other great numbers include "Dope Bust" by Flora Purim & Buddy DeFranco, "Sharky's Theme" by Eddie Harris, "Before You" by Sarah Vaughan & Joe Williams, "8 To 5 I Lose" by Joe Williams, and the instrumental cuts "Sexercise" and "High Energy" by Doc Severinsen. LP, Vinyl record album

A classic album by Keely Smith – Louis Prima's one-time wife and classic singing partner, working here on her own! Swingin Pretty features arrangements by Nelson Riddle – showcasing Keely as a great singer in her own right, able to work in that sophisticated jazz-based style that you'd find with the best Capitol singers, like Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, or Nat King Cole. Titles include "It's Magic", "Indian Love Call", "Someone To Watch Over Me", "Stormy Weather", and "There Will Never Be Another You". LP, Vinyl record album

20 tracks over 2 records – Gene Vincent, Sam Cooke, Peggy Lee, Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, Johnny Otis, Cilla Black, Nelson Riddle, Beau Brummels, Gene Chandler, Billy Bland, Bobby Freeman, and more! LP, Vinyl record album

A classic album by Keely Smith – Louis Prima's one-time wife and classic singing partner, working here on her own! Politely features arrangements by Billy May, showcasing Keely as a great singer in her own right, able to work in that sophisticated jazz-based style that you'd find with the best Capitol singers, like Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, or Nat King Cole. Titles include "Cocktails For Two", "The Song Is You", "I Can't Get Started", "S'Posin", "I Never Knew", and "All The Way". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic Christmas cuts from a range of female singers – some jazzy, some a bit more pop – almost all recording these sweet little gems in the postwar years, during a huge boom of Holiday music in the US! Titles include "Snowbound" by Sarah Vaughan, "The Christmas Song" by Peggy Lee, "Winter Wonderland" by The Andrews Sisters, "I'd Like You For Christmas" by Julie London, "Santa Baby" by Eartha Kitt, "The Tree" by Peggy Lee, "Jingle Bells" by Dinah Shore, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" by Judy Garland, "The Man With The Bag" by Kay Starr, "Frosty The Snowman" by Ella Fitzgerald, and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by Patti Page. LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool Japanese package, one designed to appeal to lovers of classic film noir and postwar crime fiction! The set brings together an assortment of jazz and vocal tracks – the sort that might have been coming over the radio in the background while two lovers plotted a murder, or a gang of thieves were staking out a bank – a nice moody mix of work from Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Teddy Wilson, Duke Ellington, Les Brown, Lee Wiley, Peggy Lee, John Kirby, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

The ghost of Christmas past comes back to haunt us – but in the grooviest way possible, thanks to a fab selection of old school Holiday tunes from the folks at Bear Family! The music here is mostly from the 40s and 50s – and is mostly vocal overall, sung by artists who move through jazz, R&B, and pop vocal styles – often putting an extra sort of punch in a Christmas tune, with the kind of upbeat, optimistic quality that was often the best part of mainstream postwar music! There's few folks we'd trust more than Bear Family for a collection like this – and they do a great job – with titles that include "Here Comes Santa Claus" by The Mills Brothers, "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus" by Lionel Hampton with Sonny Parker, "Dig That Crazy Santa Claus" by Ralph Martierie, "The Christmas Spell" by Peggy Lee, "Santa Claus Got Stuck In My Chimney" by Ella Fitzgerald, "I Need A Man For Xmas" by Thelma Cooper, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by Johnny Mercer, "The Man With The Bag" by Kay Starr, and "Cool Yule" by Louis Armstrong. LP, Vinyl record album

Here Comes Santa Claus – and a heck of a lot of other folks too – all served up here in a mighty nice collection of Holiday goodies from the postwar years – classic singles and LP cuts, all served up in a mix of jazz, vocal, and R&B modes! The set's a great entry in the series of Christmas-themed compilations from the Bear Family – and like the rest, it's got a mighty big track list, filled with hand-picked numbers by the folks who really know this stretch of music better than most! Titles include "Willy Claus" by Molly Bee, "Winter Wonderland" by Lennon Sisters, "It's A Marshmallow World" by Johnny Desmond, "Christmas Auld Lang Syne" by Bobby Darin, "Jingle Bells" by Frank Sinatra, "I Like A Sleighride" by Peggy Lee, "Ski Jump" by Frederic Curzon, and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" by Judy Garland. LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy set of jazz vocals – recorded in the mid 60s by Lisa Marne, who was once a TV variety show personality – but never issued at the time! The "combo" on the title really gives a great indication of the feel of the record – small group backing with a very jazzy vibe, in a lineup that includes a nice tenor that slinks alongside Lisa's vocals – as she moves through a very groovy set of tunes that have a hiply swinging vibe – very much in the territory of mid 60s work by Peggy Lee or Marion Montgomery! Titles include her great reading of the vocal version of the "Bewitched" theme song – plus "Like Young", "Wives & Lovers", "Hey Pussycat", "Night Train", "Moment Of Truth", and "Boy From Ipanema". LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Alvin Robinson, Bettye Lavette, Johnny Adams, Mickey Murray, Doris Allen, Peggy Scott & Jo Jo Benson, Soul Suspects, The Rugbys, Randy & The Radiants, The Tikis, The Twiggs, Sam Dees, Evie Sands, and US Apple Corps. LP, Vinyl record album