Billy Eckstine - Collection 1947-62 (CD)

Starting out as a trumpeter as well as vocalist, Billy Eckstine led one of the most innovative big bands during the early 1940s, with many future bebop stars passing through his ranks as he had a number of R&B hits on the National label before he disbanded his orchestra and became a solo singer - this earlier era is covered in our existing Acrobat release "Billy Eckstine - Jukebox Hits" (ACMCD4019). As a solo performer, he became a popular, sophisticated and highly-regarded crooner, racking up a string of hits during the late '40s and through into the rock 'n' roll era. This great-value 74-track 3-CD set comprises selected A & B sides from his releases on the MGM, RCA and Mercury labels during these years, and features all his twenty and more hits on those labels his US pop and R&B chart entries in this era, and his UK hits, including the Top 10 successes "Bewildered", "Fools Rush In", "Temptation", "Sitting By The Window", "My Foolish Heart", "I Wanna Be Loved", "If", "I Apologize", "Kiss Of Fire", "No One But You" and "Gigi" and his duet hit with Sarah Vaughan "Passing Strangers". It's a substantial overview of a core 15-year period of his career, including at least one side of a significant proportion of his releases, and providing an entertaining showcase for his versatility as a performer and for his distinctive and unmistakeable vocal styling.

Track List:

Disc: 1

1. This Is the Inside Story
2. The Wildest Gal in Town
3. Fool That I Am
4. 1
5. Intrigue
6. Mr. B's Blues
7. Everything I Have Is Yours
8. Blue Moon
9. Fools Rush in
10. Bewildered
11. Caravan
12. Somehow
13. Temptation
14. Crying
15. Good Bye
16. Body and Soul
17. Fool's Paradise
18. Sitting By the Window
19. Someone to Watch Over Me
20. My Old Flame
21. My Foolish Heart
22. Baby Won't You Say You Love Me
23. My Destiny
24. You're All I Need

Disc: 2

1. I Wanna Be Loved
2. The Show Must Go on
3. Be My Love
4. I've Never Been in Love Before
5. I'm So Crazy for Love
6. If
7. I Apologize
8. I Left My Hat in Haiti
9. I'm Yours to Command
10. I'm a Fool to Want You
11. Pandora
12. Enchanted Land (Song of India)
13. Out in the Cold Again
14. Taking a Chance on Love
15. A Weaver of Dreams
16. I Love You
17. Room with a View
18. Hold Me Close to You
19. Kiss of Fire
20. Be Fair
21. Until Eternity
22. Coquette
23. Send My Baby Back to Me
24. St. Louis Blues

Disc: 3

1. I Can Read Between the Lines
2. Rendezvous
3. Lost in Loveliness
4. No One But You
5. You Leave Me Breathless
6. Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me
7. Love Me
8. What More Is There to Say
9. Love Me or Leave Me
10. September Song
11. La de Do de Do (Honey Bug Song)
12. You'll Get Yours
13. The Bitter with the Sweet
14. Your Eyes Say Yes, My Heart Says No
15. Condemned for Life
16. The Chosen Few
17. Oh My Pretty Pretty
18. Passing Strangers
19. Boulevard of Broken Dreams
20. Gigi
21. Vertigo
22. Prisoner of Love
23. Alexander's Ragtime Band
24. (Main Theme from) "Exodus"
25. Jeannie
26. Guilty