30th Anniversaire

I bought this for my wife who is a huge Edith Piaf fan and she loves it. She has a lot of the songs, but this disk is a great double cd comp of some of her finest works.
Worth the price.

The best of the best or "la creme de la creme" - what more to say about this wonderful lady.

This is a collection that is worth having if you are a Piaf fan. You not only get her most famous songs but a good collection of those that are not as well known. All in all, it gives the listener a great feel for her miraculous voice and her Bohemian Style. You don't have to be French to love Piaf.

Edith Piaf was to French music of the 1930s to the 1950s what Sinatra was to American music; an unstoppable force. Much like Sinatra, Piaf sang with a naked raw emotion and gritty evocativeness that cuts right to your heart. And like Sinatra, her voice is immediately identifiable.
"30th Anniversaire" is two things; first, a summary of her recordings from 1946 to her passing in 1963, and secondly, as a commemoration of the 30th anniversary of her passing. Perhaps there was a fear that Piaf was being forgotten in an ever-changing world, yet a listen to these tracks reveals her music to be timeless, transcending time and place. So long as there are lovers and romantics, Piaf will remain alive.

"30th Anniversaire" covers Piaf's more mature work which is essentially the soundtrack to post-war France and includes many of her most memorable signature songs. For me, these are Piaf's most evocative and memorable recordings as her voice shows her to have lived these songs. Even if you don't understand a word of French, you cannot miss the powerful delivery and evocative nature of Piaf's voice, and if you understand French you fully comprehend the gripping and vital lyrics of love, loss, anger, regret, and a life well lived with no regrets. The sound quality on the recordings is quite good, especially when compared with other recordings of the era that have sometimes been inadeptly re-mastered. There are other Piaf compilations out there, perhaps the most notable the "Love and Passion" set which covers 1936 to 1950 in an impressive 5 CD set, and that particular one is perhaps the best starting point for Piaf, not to sell "30th Anniversaire" short. I've seen quite a few Piaf compilations over the years but nothing matches the breadth, scope, quality, and depth of this collection. Any beginner would be wise to start here.

It doesn't get much better. This is a great mixture of soulful, emotional cuts that make your heart long for the past. This CD's songs paint a picture of one tormented soul, who was able to express her pain through her music. You almost feel her pain as you listen.