Calling all Peggy Lee fans-your collection is incomplete without this 2-cd set! Peggy always had a knack for choosing(as well as occasionally writing)great material for her albums and this Decca collection is among her best works. The liner notes alone are worth the price, detailing Peggy's background as well as her musical career up to that point. Her golden good looks & sultry voice were among the best of the many female singers of the day and seeing her perform Live was always a treat. This anthology is a definite must-have and highly recommended.

Born in 1966, my exposure to various artists from the 20's-60's came from hearing 90's covers (e.g., Black Coffee by K.D. Lang). Which then led to "discovering" the artists most closely associated with the songs. I'm humbled to admit my exposure to Billie Holiday came from first hearing the stylistically different Dianna Ross versions from Lady Sings the Blues.... I bought this Peggy Lee collection in the 90's for "Black Coffee," played a track or two, and it's sat in my collection since then.

Having watched the movie "Johnny Guitar" this weekend, I dragged out this collection to see if it contained the haunting, beautiful title song (and it does). Also, I listened to both discs start to finish and wondered why on earth I hadn't listened before. As other reviewers have noted, some songs have a Billie Holiday similarity, but never to the point of being an intentional homage or a pandering ripoff. Far from being a mediocre collection by a personality coasting on her looks, Lee's work is a solid collection by a respectable artist. Who just happens to be beautiful also. I have to confess to being mystified by a review dismissing Lee's work as "whitewashed" Billie Holiday. Lee sings standards of the day in her own style, which is unique, but not taken to the level of being affected or gimicky (apart from intentional novelty material). As someone who loves the music of Billie Holiday, Julie London, Dinah Washington, Dinah Shore, Judy Garland, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, and now Peggy Lee, I'd say liking Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee is not a mutually exclusive choice. The material by those two is not particularly comparable for the most part. The review implies (to me anyway) that Lee's work is shabby because she is attractive and white. OK, she's not Billie Holiday! Nobody else is, either. That doesn't make Peggy Lee useless or third rate. Give the samples a try and you may find you like Peggy Lee too.

Given that this 2-disc box set was released in 1994, I didn't have much expectation regarding the sound quality, but believe me: every single song in it sounds amazingly good and clear. I must say the remastering work is truly remarkable, just like the magnificent Ms. Peggy Lee deserves.

Her Decca years (1952-1957) were by far her most experimental, versatile and "rebel", since after her fabulous version of "Lover" was released and became such a big hit, she was given total artistic freedom, which is something to thank, for she was not only a fabulous singer but also an accomplished musician and songwriter, and was always involved in the making process.

All of her albums and singles from this period are superb, and a huge and very relevant part of her body of work from those years is included in this great box set. You'll also find a few but very welcomed rarities in it that you can't get elsewhere, therefore you should get this if you're a Peggy completist.

Songs such as "I'm Glad There's You" and "River, River" -although not among her most famous- are some of Peggy's very best (at least for me), and it makes me so happy that they were included in this box set, since the versions I own on other CDs have a rough sound quality; but in this one, they sound glorious and far more enjoyable.

Peggy's alluring, heavenly voice, stunning looks and irresistible charm make her THE perfect artist to my eyes. I can't believe I didn't own a single CD of hers till the past last year, given that currently I can't live without listening to her each day. She was truly magnificent and absolutely one of a kind.

I just can add, "in this world of ordinary people... I'm SO glad there was you", dear Peggy!

Althought it would be sacrilege to loudly admit this (and no wonder some would find this opinion offensive),but Peggy Lee was more a product of her time than real overwhelming vocal talent.Her glamouros look and whisper of a voice was pleasant for eyes/ears enough to make her mega-succesful with mass audience who find her uninvolving purr easier to take than say,Billie Holiday who was clearly her inspiration but black woman and drug addict.For people who dont see further than her beauty and style,Peggy Lee is a godess,but if you are looking for something deeper,you won't find it here.I have several of her original albums and althought I had listen this compilation of her works for "Decca" for past 2 years,it always failed to excite me or even move me - so many novelty songs streched over 2 CD's that her jazz phrasing is simply burried under them.I see Peggy Lee clearly as a package of this CD: beautiful photos,excelent liner notes and then under all these wrapping there is just a small whispery voice that sounds too often as a lullaby.There were other female singers in the 1950's (June Christy,Anita O'Day,Kay Starr) whose voices clearly presented personality and whose records stand the test of time much better.Very popular then,Peggy does not move me - she make me sleepy and drowsy and a double CD compilation is somehow too much of pleasant humming.(Advice:check Kay Starr's "Capitol Collectors" compilation and hear how she lustfuly belts her version of "You Got To See Your Mama Every Night" - her black voice and dark beauty were completely opposite of Lee and her white-washed imitation of Billie Holiday)