Rare CD: 'P's and Q's'

Could anyone provide the track list for this rare CD?

I see individual songs mentioned occasionally on the discography, but I have never known the complete list.

Bob Wallace.

Hi Bob,

"P's & Q's" is a twofer that contains Peggy's two albums with Quincy Jones: "If You Go" and "Blues Cross Country." The cover is the same as the cover of "If You Go." (I don't have it, but I've seen photos online. As a collector, I'd love to own this CD (or at least a CDr of it), but I'm not willing to spend $90 in music that I already have on CD. All the same, yes, it is an extremely rare item, because it was never officially released -- or so I've heard.

Iv?n

Dear Friends!

I got this extreme rare CD from England in December 1999 just before the millennium. It was released ini 1992 for a special event for Capitol Records in Los Angeles and was not for selling.

It is a special double-play disc with all songs from Peggy Lee's and Quincy Jones' albums "If You Go" and "Blues Cross Country".

Jarl

Hi there,

I bought this rare CD at a regular shop in NYC in 1995, when I was there to see Peggy at Carnegie Hall. Unfortunately I later sold it at eBay for a few $$$ because I had both albums on other CDs... Oh well.. ;-)

But I guess I tell you no secret when I admit that not the rarest of the rare CDs can ever compare with the evening when I saw her live on stage... and even afterwards in her dressing room, with my knees shaking and my trembling hand in hers and me looking in 'them there eyes', barely able to say 'hello': THIS I will treasure for the rest of my life!

Best Wishes from Germany!
Thomas

I have this CD. It IS a 1992 reissue of "If You Go" and "Blues Cross Country." Here is a little description of the text. Maybe it will be of help to Ivan and others... or maybe it is too much info

Either way, here it is:

The front of the booklet IS the picture from "If You Go," but it reads instead:
"SPECIAL DOUBLE PLAY
Peggy Lee & Quincy Jones P's & Q's"

The inside of the booklet contains track listings for each of the albums and two separate, short essays about the recordings on each album. It does not say who wrote the essays.

The back of the booklet is the front picture from "Blues Cross Country," but without any text.

The last inside page of the booklet reads:
Produced by DAVE CAVANAUGH
Arranged and Conducted by QUINCY JONES

Reissue Produced by Wayne Watkins
Digitally Remastered by Bob Norberg
Project Coordinated by Kim Niemi
Cover Photos by John Engstead

The back of the CD tray again says "SPECIAL DOUBLE PLAY" across the top. The left side lists tracks 1-12 under the title "IF YOU GO" and the right side list tracks 13-24 under the title "BLUES CROSS COUNTRY".

The CD spine reads:
"CDP 0777 7 99921 2 6 PEGGY LEE & QUINCY JONES/P's & Q's"

I hope this is interesting or, at least, a bit helpful to someone.

Tony W.

Never too much, never too much information, Tony. Many thanks!

One question: are there any interesting factual details in the brief essays, or are they just run-of-the-mill praise for everybody involved?

Ivan

The essays are run-of-the-mill. Given that this was supposed to have been an issue somewhat celebrating the creative pairing of Peggy Lee and Quincy Jones, the booklet doesn't say much of anything at all. It certainly doesn't give us any insight into the sessions or anything like that. Even the font of the two essays is different, giving the inside of the booklet a kind of thrown-together look. However, we will all agree that the music speaks for itself anyway!

All the best!
Tony

In Blues Cross Country Peggy sang a song that I believe she wrote called Going to Chicago.

Going to Chicago,
sorry I can't take you.
Going to Chicago,
sorry I can't take you.
There's nothing in Chicago
for a man like you to do.

Peggy usually sang songs in a way that you can hear perfectly each word. BUT in this song I remember trying so hard to figure out what she sings at the end, BUT I never could. Recently, for some reason, that song began playing itself in my mind again, and it began really bugging me that I never could figure out that last sentence. If anyone knows, please share.

It ends:
I was going to Chicago
But ___________________________

Hi Bair,

I think she's being undecided and sings "But... I... err... umm..." (making you think she might have decided to take him along???)

Regards,

michael W.

Hi Bair,

"Goin' to Chicago" was written by Count Basie and Jimmy Rushing. One of the few songs on this CD that Peggy didn't write.

Regards,

michael W.

I'm 99% sure that at the end of "Goin' To Chicago" Peggy says, "I was going to Chicago but I run amok."

I'm with Michael on this one. I've loved this track since it first came out and I was never in any doubt that the woman may just change her mind with her But... I... err... umm. Any other interpretations?

I looove Peggy's version of "Goin' to Chicago Blues." And I too have long wondered about Peggy's final line.

"but I... err... umm"

and

"but I run amok"

sound like good possibilities both. I remain unsure, though.

She also sang "Goin' to Chicago Blues" on The Johnny Carson Show (many years later, in the mid 1970's, at a time when she was doing live concerts with Count Basie). In that TV version, I feel certain that she sings

"I WAS going to Chicago but I am NOT."

Talking now about another line from this song...

In the original number, sung by Jimmy Rushing, we hear the phrase "there's nothing in Chicago a monkey woman can do." Our feminine Peggy would have not been particularly eager to sing about monkey men (except in a comical number), and so she doesn't. She keeps "man" but skips the "monkey."

Iván

On Peggy's rendition of "Goin' to Chicago" from the Blues Cross Country Suite on the "At Her Best" CD, you can definitely hear her say "I was going to Chicago, but I changed my mind!"

This rare CD "P's & Q's" just made it to the stores when it caused a dispute between Peggy and Capitol over the fact it contained two full length LP's and as a CD retailed as two albums for the price of one. At that time there were still relatively few American CD releases of Peggy and it was rumoured that her relationship with Capitol was on non-speaking terms. I wonder how she (or her lawyer) looked upon the many twofers released in England?

A copy of this CD is available through a Marketseller on Amazon UK at ?621.97. The link is:

[www.amazon.co.uk]

Bob Wallace.

Isn't that close to a thousand dollars? Gee, I do have a collector's item it seems... but mine is still not for sale.

Dear Friends!

Other Peggy Lee rarities are:

"Twin Best Now", Japan CD from 1992 or 93.

Peggy Lee "DeLuxe" LP from Japan.

Peggy Lee "Red Label, Two Show Nightly" LP. Extremely rare!

I wish you good luck to find them!

Jarl

If you have the CD P's & Q's, I'd like to ask you a question:

Does it list the personnel (=the musicians)?

I'm assuming that it does not list personnel, because Tony does not mention any in his very detailed message above (now more than 5 years old). I'd just like corroboration for my assumption.

Ivan

Hello Ivan,

There is a new 2012 CD release with both albums 'Blues Cross Country' and 'If You Go' plus the remaining three tracks from the sessions: 'Hey, Look Me Over' from the 'Blues' sessions and 'Farewell to Arms' (which has already been released on the 'Rare Gems and Hidden Treasures' CD), and 'Deep Purple' (which I have on CD for the very first time) from the 'If You Go' sessions! There is also a list of the complete personnel of every session, with recording date.

It is NOT the new Fresh Sound CD from April 2012 (which only has one bonus track)!
It looks like the other twofers, but has a black background behind both cover pictures.

For any odd reason they had to include 'Fever' as the last track -- probably to increase the sales. The sound quality is very good and it has an 8-page booklet. It is released under 'American Jazz Classics' but has an inlay with a P.O. address from Spain... seems Spain is becoming a reissue paradise -- like with Fresh Sound Records, a company that also manufactures the LP-Time series that is only distributed in Japan at hilarious prices.

I purchased my CD on eBay from a UK seller at a bargain price.

Best Wishes from Munich,

Thomas