Solid!

Peggy Lee

Black Coffee and Other Delights

Decca/MCA

Black Coffee and Other Delights is a two-disc collection of Peggy Lee songs recorded during her association with Decca, from 1952 to 1956. Peggy was quite productive in these four years, branching out into new directions from her previous work at Capitol. Her reason for leaving Capitol was a dispute over material. She had wanted to record Rodgers and Hart's ''Lover,'' but Capitol refused. Their reason was that labelmate Les Paul currently had a version of that song on the charts. Their position angered Peggy as, in those days, it wasn't unusual for two or more artists to release different versions of the same song at the same time, so she let her contract lapse. When Decca signed her in 1952 one of the conditions of her acceptance was that she could finally record the ''Lover,'' and it was well worth the trouble she went through to do so. The resultant track opens this CD set and became a huge hit, her second million-selling single. Set to a dramatic, frantic orchestral backing, Peggy gives the song her all. The results are truly spectacular and memorable. It will make you raise your eyebrows and go ''wow!'' the first time you hear it.

There are quite a few other great numbers on this CD set as well. Peggy showed many moods in her career at Decca. She is ultra sexy and seductive on the smooth ''Somebody Loves Me.'' She can make your heart melt on romantic numbers like ''Be Anything (But Be Mine)'' or ''That's Him over There,'' and she slips into a touch of exotica on ''Sans Souci.'' ''Let Me Go, Lover!'' finds her going a bit country, and her duet with herself on Irving Berlin's ''Sisters'' is cute and perky. Black Coffee also features a rarity, a Peggy Lee duet with another artist. Peggy's delivery and style were very personal, thus she rarely did duets. One exception is heard here, ''Watermelon Weather,'' with Bing Crosby, a slow, lazy number in which Peggy and Bing both seem relaxed and at ease, making this a truly outstanding song. ''Moon Flowers'' is from the Paramount film Road to Bali and was sung by Dorothy Lamour on screen. Paramount, however, passed over Lamour and had Peggy record the vinyl version of the song instead. ''Johnny Guitar'' is the title song from the somewhat unusual western starring Joan Crawford, and also featured on the collection are five numbers from the film Pete Kelly's Blues, in which Peggy starred and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

All in all, this is a great Peggy Lee album and definitely one to have in your collection. The liner notes leave a little to be desired. Though imaginative they offer little actual information about Peggy or the songs chosen for inclusion on the album, and what little they do present is often incomplete or inaccurate. But don't let that stop you from owning this set.

Track Listing

• Disc One
• 1. Lover
• 2. Be Anything (But Be Mine)
• 3. You Go to My Head
• 4. Just One of Those Things
• 5. Forgive Me
• 6. I'm Glad There Is You (In This World of Ordinary People)
• 7. Watermelon Weather
• 8. Moon Flowers
• 9. River River
• 10. Sans Souci
• 11. That's Him over There
• 12. Who's Gonna Pay the Check
• 13. Where Can I Go Without You
• 14. My Heart Belongs to Daddy
• 15. Easy Living
• 16. Black Coffee
• 17. Apples Peaches, and Cherries
• 18. (Ah, the Apple Tree) When the World Was Young
• 19. Baubles, Bangles and Beads
• 20. Johnny Guitar
• 21. Sisters
• 22. Bouquet of Blues
• 23. Love Letters
• 24. Love, You Didn't Do Right by Me
• Disc Two
• 1. Let Me Go, Lover!
• 2. I Don't Want to Play in Your Yard
• 3. Sugar (That Sugar Baby of Mine)
• 4. Somebody Loves Me
• 5. What Can I Say after I Say I'm Sorry
• 6. Sing a Rainbow
• 7. Mr. Wonderful
• 8. He Needs Me
• 9. They Can't Take That Away from Me
• 10. You've Got to See Mama Every Night
• 11. Joey, Joey, Joey
• 12. I Don't Know Enough about You
• 13. Guess I'll Go Back Home (This Summer)
• 14. You're Blase
• 15. It's All Right with Me
• 16. It Never Entered My Mind
• 17. Too Late Now
• 18. My Old Flame
• 19. I Still Get a Thrill (Thinking of You)
• 20. Dancing on the Ceiling
• 21. Where Flamingos Fly
• 22. Street of Dreams

Read other Peggy Lee reviews:

• Capitol Collector's Series
• Great Ladies of Song: Spotlight on Peggy Lee