Ella Fitzgerald - Ella: The Legendary Decca Recordings (1996)

The four-CD retrospective The Legendary Decca Recordings represented both an attempt to present the essence of Ella Fitzgerald's two-decade tenure at Decca Records and to defend that period against the conventional wisdom that not until she moved to Verve Records in the mid-'50s was her talent given full rein. Divided into four sections, the collection began with "The Very Best of Ella," not exactly a greatest-hits set, though it started with her first big hit, "A-Tisket, A-Tasket," and included such chart successes as "Undecided," "Cow-Cow Boogie," and "Stone Cold Dead in the Market." Also included were such classics of scat singing as "Oh, Lady Be Good" and "How High the Moon" and the signature song "You'll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganinni)." Thus, with only one disc, producers Orrin Keepnews and Joel Dorn accomplished their goals of including Fitzgerald's most memorable work for Decca and demonstrating that this work was as good as any she ever did. The second disc, "Ella & Friends," featured duets with Louis Armstrong, the Ink Spots, Louis Jordan, and the Mills Brothers, among others. With the third disc, "Ella Sings Gershwin & Others," the producers went on to show how her Decca recordings anticipated the ones on Verve. Of course, the popular Verve songbooks featured not only song standards but also name arrangers, and the fourth disc "Ella & the Arrangers" demonstrated that, again, Decca had gotten there first, pairing her with many gifted arrangers. Ella Fitzgerald recorded a great deal of material for Decca over the years, and some of it certainly justifies the criticisms made of the catalog in general. But The Legendary Decca Recordings presented it in the best possible light and included the most impressive sides from the period.

Tracklist:

Disc One – The Very Best Of Ella
01 - Ella Fitzgerald - A-Tisket, A-Tasket (2:40)
02 - Ella Fitzgerald - Undecided (3:21)
03 - Ella Fitzgerald - Stairway To The Stars (3:18)
04 - Ella Fitzgerald - Five O'Clock Whistle (3:10)
05 - Ella Fitzgerald - Cow-Cow Boogie (2:55)
06 - Ella Fitzgerald - Flying Home (2:30)
07 - Ella Fitzgerald - Stone Cold Dead In The Market (2:41)
08 - Ella Fitzgerald - You Won't Be Satisfied Until You Break My Heart (2:55)
09 - Ella Fitzgerald - I'm Just A Lucky So And So (2:57)
10 - Ella Fitzgerald - I Didn't Mean A Word I Said (3:20)
11 - Ella Fitzgerald - Oh, Lady Be Good (3:09)
12 - Ella Fitzgerald - How High The Moon (3:16)
13 - Ella Fitzgerald - My Happiness (3:19)
14 - Ella Fitzgerald - In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down (2:39)
15 - Ella Fitzgerald - Smooth Sailing (3:07)
16 - Ella Fitzgerald - Airmail Special (3:04)
17 - Ella Fitzgerald - You'll Have To Swing It (Mr. Paganini), Parts 1 & 2 (5:12)
18 - Ella Fitzgerald - Blue Lou (2:48)
19 - Ella Fitzgerald - Lullaby Of Birdland (2:52)
20 - Ella Fitzgerald - Hard Hearted Hannah (2:59)

Disc Two – Ella & Friends
01 - Ella Fitzgerald - The Frim Fram Sauce (3:15)
02 - Ella Fitzgerald - Dream A Little Dream Of Me (3:08)
03 - Ella Fitzgerald - Can Anyone Explain? (3:12)
04 - Ella Fitzgerald - Would You Like To Take A Walk? (3:18)
05 - Ella Fitzgerald - Who Walks In When I Walk Out? (2:20)
06 - Ella Fitzgerald - Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall (3:10)
07 - Ella Fitzgerald - I'm Making Believe (3:13)
08 - Ella Fitzgerald - I'm Beginning To See The Light (2:45)
09 - Ella Fitzgerald - I Still Feel The Same About You (3:19)
10 - Ella Fitzgerald - Petootie Pie (2:38)
11 - Ella Fitzgerald - Baby, It's Cold Outside (2:44)
12 - Ella Fitzgerald - Don't Cry, Cry Baby (2:59)
13 - Ella Fitzgerald - Ain't Nobody's Business But My Own (3:15)
14 - Ella Fitzgerald - I'll Never Be Free (3:12)
15 - Ella Fitzgerald - It's Only A Paper Moon (2:37)
16 - Ella Fitzgerald - (Gonna) Cry You Out Of My Heart (2:48)
17 - Ella Fitzgerald - (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons (3:11)
18 - Ella Fitzgerald - It's A Pity To Say Goodnight (2:41)
19 - Ella Fitzgerald - Fairy Tales (2:54)
20 - Ella Fitzgerald - I Gotta Have My Baby Back (3:22)

Disc Three – Ella Sings Gershwin & Others
01 - Ella Fitzgerald - Someone To Watch Over Me (3:18)
02 - Ella Fitzgerald - My One And Only (3:17)
03 - Ella Fitzgerald - But Not For Me (3:15)
04 - Ella Fitzgerald - Looking For A Boy (3:10)
05 - Ella Fitzgerald - I've Got A Crush On You (3:16)
06 - Ella Fitzgerald - How Long Has This Been Going On? (3:18)
07 - Ella Fitzgerald - Maybe (3:27)
08 - Ella Fitzgerald - Soon (2:47)
09 - Ella Fitzgerald - I'm Glad There Is You (3:09)
10 - Ella Fitzgerald - What Is There To Say? (3:23)
11 - Ella Fitzgerald - People Will Say We're In Love (3:12)
12 - Ella Fitzgerald - Please Be Kind (3:35)
13 - Ella Fitzgerald - Until The Real Thing Comes Along (2:58)
14 - Ella Fitzgerald - Makin' Whoopee (3:06)
15 - Ella Fitzgerald - Imagination (2:37)
16 - Ella Fitzgerald - Stardust (4:02)
17 - Ella Fitzgerald - My Heart Belongs To Daddy (2:39)
18 - Ella Fitzgerald - You Leave Me Breathless (3:05)
19 - Ella Fitzgerald - Baby, What Else Can I Do? (3:49)
20 - Ella Fitzgerald - Nice Work If You Can Get It (2:38)

Disc Four – Ella & The Arrangers
01 - Ella Fitzgerald - Basin Street Blues (3:10)
02 - Ella Fitzgerald - I've Got The World On A String (3:20)
03 - Ella Fitzgerald - Goody Goody (2:26)
04 - Ella Fitzgerald - Angel Eyes (2:57)
05 - Ella Fitzgerald - Happy Talk (2:29)
06 - Ella Fitzgerald - I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair (2:58)
07 - Ella Fitzgerald - Black Coffee (3:07)
08 - Ella Fitzgerald - I Wished On The Moon (3:11)
09 - Ella Fitzgerald - A Sunday Kind Of Love (3:15)
10 - Ella Fitzgerald - That's My Desire (3:02)
11 - Ella Fitzgerald - Thanks For The Memory (2:29)
12 - Ella Fitzgerald - It Might As Well Be Spring (2:42)
13 - Ella Fitzgerald - You'll Never Know (3:10)
14 - Ella Fitzgerald - I Can't Get Started (3:07)
15 - Ella Fitzgerald - That Old Black Magic (2:33)
16 - Ella Fitzgerald - Old Devil Moon (2:59)
17 - Ella Fitzgerald - Lover, Come Back To Me (2:02)
18 - Ella Fitzgerald - Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea (2:19)
19 - Ella Fitzgerald - (Love Is) The Tender Trap (3:02)
20 - Ella Fitzgerald - My One And Only Love (3:17)