Need a good Holiday gift for your Great Uncle Ted? London/Polygram's recent Gershwin collection is a non-audiophile's dream. Released to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of his birth, this double CD acts well as an instant middle-of-the-road collection for both the pop and orchestral Gershwin.

Disc One features 17 hits, mostly by the usual suspects. Billie Holiday's "They Can't Take That Away From Me", Dinah Washington's "I've Got A Crush On You", Bing Crosby's "They All Laughed", Sarah Vaughan's "A Foggy Day", Fred Astaire's "Funny Face", and the oft-heard but never unwelcome Louis Armstrong/Ella Fitzgerald duet of "Summertime". Some more interesting choices include a live, late-night recording of "I Loves You, Porgy" by Nina Simone, a smokin' "'S Wonderful" by Joe Williams backed by Count Basie, a peppy version of "Our Love Is Here To Stay" by Shirley Horn and a jazz trio (again, a live recording), and the opener, Oscar Peterson's whimsical "Strike Up The Band".

There are some troubling picks, however. I can't imagine the quintessential version of "Someone To Watch Over Me" being sung by Blossom Dearie! Same goes for Audrey Hepburn (fine actress and philanthropist), whose version of "How Long Has This Been Going On?" may have been charming to see on the silver screen, but sounds horribly embarrassing in the presence of Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday. It's a particular waste, as "How Long Has This Been Going On?" may be my favorite of Gershwin's pop tunes, with brother Ira's lyrics more insightful than usual in this instance. The swingin'-est version I know is by Ray Charles.

Disc Two, comprised of orchestral music, is not as successful. It opens, wisely, with the complete "Rhapsody In Blue" performed well by the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. The disc then jumps to excerpt city, which I guess I can understand given that we have 75 minutes to sum up a man's career. The "Cuban Overture" (again the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra) and the "Piano Concerto in F" (Peter Jablonsky and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) selections are quite good, although it's painful to hear just the 2nd movement of the Concerto. I've long held a theory: if the "Piano Concerto in F" had as snappy a title as "Rhapsody In Blue", it too would be used in airline commercials. Not so good is an unusually vapid excerpt of "An American In Paris" (oddly, again, the Cleveland boys) and nauseating "Selections from 'Porgy and Bess'" performed by something called the Frank Chaksfield Orchestra and arranged by a horrible man named Roland Shaw.

Mr. Shaw has taken the big hit themes from "Porgy and Bess" and smooshed them into a flat, unnatural nine-and-a-half-minute sampler that sounds a helluva lot like the mish-mosh made from the five nominated songs into a dance number on Oscar Night. To do this to "Porgy and Bess" is pornography. Luckily, we can always reach for our Miles Davis/Gil Evans CD.

The liner notes are top-notch and succinct, hitting all the major ups and downs of Gershwin's career, throwing in a few anecdotes and re-quoting John O'Hara's quote to Ira after George died so young. It all adds up to a nice package for a serious listener to begin his affair with Gershwin. Also, there are a few smart photos of '30's Brooklyn, something your Great Uncle Ted may like.