Review by Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck
4 stars out of 4
Nancy Wilson is one of the first ladies of jazz. She has some fine
company mentioned frequently in the same breath. Ella Fitzgerald and
Sarah Vaughan would be the first that come to mind. She has an enormous
catalog of recorded works, mainly with Capitol Records. This four
disc set is comprised of the following: Disc One is "Spanning the
Decades," it contains rare singles and hits; Disc Two is a collection
of 23 previously unreleased cuts, including an unreleased "Live at
the Sands" album from August 1968, titled "From the Vaults." Disc
Three was selected by Miss Wilson herself and its appropriately titled
"Nancy's Choice;" Disc Four is "Hidden Gems," featuring 18 tracks
released for the first time on CD in the US.
Just to give you idea of the length of this set, I began listening
to it around 2 A.M. and it ended around 6:30PM. Now that is a solid
chunk of music, and its all quality material. As noted by friends
and business associates in the beautiful book that accompanies this
set, Wilson is a genuine and quality individual that is respected
and admired by everyone that has come into contact with her or has
had the pleasure to work with her. She is also as beautiful as her
voice, and she is getting more beautiful with each passing day. Just
look at her on the cover of this boxed set, isn't she a gorgeous women?
I can't imagine how many men feel in love with this woman, and her
voice is so smooth and sweet…that's a deadly combination for any man.
I have the distinct feeling by listening to her music that she has
always been a spiritually grounded individual with two feet firmly planted below her.
I must point out that it's quite extraordinary to offer so much quality
consistently with such a large volume of material. It's not only appealing,
it's admirable and uncommon. This serves as a slice of history and
heaven for all of those that have followed Wilson's career. It can
be enjoyed equally by folks that haven't heard of her, those who like
to snuggle up with a book, and others that curl up next to a fireplace
to chill out and relax; this is music perfect for those occasions.
Wilson has an effect on you that's calming, spiritual, and sexually
attractive all at the same time. The broad base of styles covered
in these songs is out of the ordinary for any artist. Although she
has been placed into the jazz-pop category, she goes above and beyond
that. Some of the influences you will hear are quite different than
jazz and pop. Blues, rhythm and blues, and some night club Vegas type
music (on the live cuts) are found sprinkled about these four discs.
This is not quintessential Nancy Wilson by any means, its only one
aspect of a glorious career. Is there any way that a label could produce
the essential collection for her? I doubt it, unless they are willing
to issue a 10 CD boxed set, only then would it cover her career in
depth enough. If you can't wait for that ultimate set this would
be good place to start. Collectors and diehard fans will be all over
this collection. Even though I wouldn't consider myself a big a fan
like some people, I sure enjoyed this and would welcome music by Miss
Wilson any day of the week. She is a shining star amongst stars, and
her career has been larger than life. This boxed set should not be
missed by people whom enjoy pop and jazz or any combination thereof.
The crossover appeal is very strong and effective because of her diverse
catalog. Those who enjoy Diana Ross and Dion Warwick will love this.
I am sure if you go out and buy this that you will find a lot to relate
to in the music. The enjoyment that the music and words generate is
an exceptional experience for anyone that loves the purity and emotion of music.
Disc One
1. The Seventh Son (Dixon) - 2:25
2. My Foolish Heart (Washington/Young) - 2:36
3. The Verdict (Freed/Moore) - 2:32
4. The Next Time You See Me (Forest/Harvey) - 2:45
5. Save Your Love for Me (Johnson) - 2:45
6. You Can Have Him (Berlin) - 4:43
7. (You Don't Know) How Glad I Am (Harrison/Williams) - 2:39
8. Afterthoughts (DePaul/Leigh) - 2:17
9. (You Got) The Power of Love (Bramlett/Cooper) - 1:58
10. But Only Sometimes (Anton/Badale) - 2:28
11. He Called Me Baby (Howard) - 2:48
12. Are We Losin' Touch (James) - 2:54
13. You're as Right as Rain (Bell/Creed) - 3:00
14. Now (Hillman/Mayer) - 4:58
15. In My Loneliness (When We Were One) (Mayer/Snow) - 4:00
16. As Time Goes By (Hupfield) - 4:48
17. The Way It Goes (Jennings/Sample) - 5:28
18. Do You Still Dream About Me (McKinney/Takayanagi) - 4:48 Disc Two
19. Hello, Young Lovers (Hammerstein II/Rodgers) - 2:48
20. Small World (Sondheim/Styne) - 3:14
21. Gypsies, Jugglers and the Clowns (Sachs) - 2:02
22. I Can't Get Started (Duke/Gershwin) - 4:50
23. If We Only Have Love (Blau/Brel/Shuman) - 3:50
24. The Man That Got Away (Arlen/Gershwin) - 2:24
25. The Folks Who Live on the Hill (Hammerstein II/Kern) - 4:56
26. Crazy Butterfly - 1:56
27. Peace of Mind (Woods) - 3:05
28. Face It Girl, It's Over (Badale/Stanton) - 3:32
29. Just Go (Hamilton) - 2:33
30. Band Introduction - 2:44
31. We Would Have Been Fine - 6:27
32. K.C. Medley: That Face/K.C. /Black Is... (Bergman/Cavacas/Charnin/Spence/Wood)
- 8:15
33. Ghost of Yesterday (Herzog Jr./Kitchings) - 2:17
34. I Concentrate on You (Porter) - 2:56
35. Be True to Me (Carillo/Mitchell) - 2:36
36. Anytime (Lawson) - 2:22
37. Hurry Change (If You're Coming) (Feldman/Stephens) - 4:18
38. No Easy Way Down (Goffin/King) - 3:11
39. Go Away and Find Yourself (Bell/Butler/Gamble) - 3:20
40. When You're Alone (Butler/Gamble/Huff) - 2:53
41. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (Gamble/Ross/Williams) - 3:01
Disc Three
42. I Want to Be Loved (But Only by You) (Churchill) - 2:20
43. Passion Flower (Raskin/Strayhorn) - 2:24
44. He's My Guy (De Paul/Raye) - 2:29
45. Did I Remember (Adamson/Donaldson) - 3:45
46. Rain Sometimes (Hamilton) - 2:20
47. Over the Weekend (Brooks/McCarthy Jr.) - 3:05
48. Free Again (Baselli/Canfora/Colby) - 3:47
49. Theme from Hotel (Keating/Quine) - 2:39
50. Prelude to a Kiss (Ellington/Gordon/Mills) - 2:45
51. Glad to Be Unhappy (Hart/Rodgers) - 3:19
52. Do It Again (Desylva/Gershwin) - 3:01
53. Suzanne (Cohen) - 4:37
54. How Many Broken Wings (Lewis/Lewis) - 3:14
55. Can I (Davis/Griffith) - 3:13
56. China (Johnson/McDaniels/Wood) - 3:50
57. I'm a Balloon (Baskett/Groves) - 4:30
58. Sunshine (Farrow/Johns) - 6:42
59. Casablanca (Healy/Higgins/Limbo) - 4:37
60. If You Wanna Sing Me (I'll Be a Song) (Otis/Otis) - 4:48
61. Dindi (Gilbert/Jobim) - 5:03
62. Godsend (Bates/Durham/Willis) - 2:50
63. I Remember (Sondheim) - 4:13 Disc Four
64. I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out of My Life (Coleman/McCarthy) - 2:40
65. Listen Little Girl (Landesman/Wolf) - 3:15
66. Wave (Jobim) - 2:47
67. Below, Above (Fisher/Levy/Nelson/Oliver) - 3:24
68. What Do You See in Her? (David/Weldon) - 2:57
69. Let's Fall in Love All Over (Martin) - 3:16
70. Morning in Your Eyes (Lehman/Lehman) - 4:01
71. All My Love Comes Down (Page/Page) - 4:04
72. I Don't Want a Sometimes Man (Perry) - 3:55
73. All by Myself (Robinson/Schreer) - 2:38
74. He Makes Me Feel Good 'Bout Myself (Baskett/McDonald) - 3:16
75. I'm Gonna Let Ya (Baskett/Groves/McDonald) - 3:08
76. The Island (Begman/Bergman/Lins/Martins) - 4:50
77. Ribbon in the Sky (Wonder) - 3:44
78. Not Afraid to Love [live] (Farrow/Safford) - 3:11
79. When Did You Leave Heaven? [live] (Bullock/Whiting) - 3:10
80. Guess Who I Saw Today? [live] (Boyd/Grand) - 3:42
81. The Greatest Performance of My Life [live] (Allen/Anderle/Sandro) - 3:18
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