Search - Nat King Cole :: Stardust: Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959

Outstanding boxed set of one of the greatest singers of all

Reader | Louisville, Kentucky | 04/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I just got this yesterday, and since it's an 11 cd set with a more than 200 page coffee-table sized book, I've only just begun to enjoy it. So, this is a very preliminary review, which I'll perhaps update later.



So far, however, I'm glad I spent the money on this set, and I think any Nat King Cole fan out there would feel the same way. It's a lot of money, true, but a lot of the albums and songs on this set are out of print, including such classic albums as St. Louis Blues, where Nat King Cole and the legendary Nelson Riddle recorded what--for me--are some of the definitive versions of these songs. There are 290 songs on this set, among them some of the greatest Nat King Cole ever recorded, including Autumn Leaves, Let's Fall in Love, Just You Just Me, Caravan, Stardust, and on and on. His voice and piano playing are worth this kind of deluxe treatment.



And the book by Will Friedwald is lavishly illustrated and beautifully written.



The sound quality on the first disc is outstanding, and I'm sure the other discs will be the same.



As I said, I just got it, but so far it's nothing short of fantastic for a Nat King Cole fan.







PS A quick update from early 2008...



I've now owned this set for almost two years and I love it. It has excellent sound quality throughout. The hardcover coffee table book is a treasure. It's so huge that I'm still exploring it and finding new favorite songs. Really expensive, but well worth it for any Nat King Cole fan!"

Nat Really Bops!!

Vocal Jazz Fan | United States | 08/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I usually think folks go overboard when they give a product 5 stars, but in this case, it deserves every one! The mastering of the CDs is excellent (I'm guessing, but CDs 1-4 appear to be all mono and CDs 5-11 are a mix of mono and binaural). However, in this time period, mono recording was at its peak and most people wouldn't even know that they aren't binaural recordings unless you brought it to their attention.



Nat was a world-wide singer/performer, unlike some of his peers who only had a fan base in the United States and/or Europe. There's quite a bit of Spanish language material in this set which gives the box an "international" flavor.



The large, thick book that comes with the set is well-written and has many, many excellent color and b&w photos of Nat from the period.



According to the publisher, many of the tracks are presented for the first time without the overdubbing on the original releases. Regardless, Nat's voice is pure and sweet and he knows how to play that piano!



Expensive? A bit, but if you are going to ever treat yourself to an extravagance, this is it. If you have the means, I highly suggest you procure this set! By the way, this appears to be the first of a two-box set collection. I can't wait for the second!

"