TURN-ONS AND TURN-OFFS IN CURRENT HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES : Excellent Good Fair Poor : COMPACT DISCS

“The Irving Berlin Songbook.” Fred Astaire. Verve. AAD. Always an engaging singer, whose charm compensated for his lack of technical vocal strength, Astaire was in splendid company on these 1952 dates produced by Norman Granz, with such “Jazz at the Philharmonic” heavyweights as Oscar Peterson, Flip Phillips, Charlie Shavers and Barney Kessel. It was a bright idea to put 10 of Berlin’s golden eggs into one basket, though quantity (only 35 1/2 minutes) defers to quality. 1/2