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Cheated out of playing nightclub canary Sally Bowles on Broadway in director Hal Price's Cabaret, Liza Minnelli nevertheless delivered an Oscar-winning star turn in Bob Fosse's cinematic reinvention of the show (which had the good sense to retain perverse imp Joel Grey from the stage production). Although the 1972 film discarded several songs from the original score, the new ones sound even better: Minnelli's breast-beating "Maybe This Time," the sultry "Mein Herr," and the salaciously satirical "Money, Money." By placing almost all the pertinent musical action on the stage of the decadent Kit Kit Club, the Kurt Weill-like compositional nuances and political underpinnings bask in the spotlight...that is, when Minnelli stops eclipsing it with her no-holds-barred performance. --Kurt B. Reighley ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Huge Improvement from the Original Score
Even though "Cabaret" is DEFINATELY my favorite musical, I have to say the movie version is my favorite recording. Yes Lotte Lenya and Joel Grey were excellent in the original recording, there were some pretty so-so songs that didn't stand out as the ones on this soundtrack do. First of all, the movie version of "Cabaret" was NOT the Broadway version. The only songs taken from the original are "Wilkommen", "Money, Money", "Two Ladies", a translated version of "Married and the concluding title track. Two new Bob Fosse tunes are included which spruce up the score: the sultry "Mein Herr" and the unforgettable "Maybe This Time" performed FLAWLESSLY by Minnelli. Another original tune is the delightful yet disturbing "If You Could See Her" by Joel Grey. Overall as I said earlier this is my favorite recording as it's the best vocally. The instrumentals are also incredible and are an improvement over the Broadway. Granted, classics like "Don't Tell Mama", "So What" and "Perfectly Marvelous" were omitted, but who cares? Fosse, Minnelli and Grey make this show their own. "Cabaret" will always remain my favorite musical and the movie soundtrack my favorite recording. A+

PERFECT SOUNDTRACK TO PERFECT MOVIE
This soundtrack is absolutely perfect, without one throwaway track. You needn't even have to have seen the movie to enjoy these marvellous songs, but it certainly helps. I consider the movie and this album the highlight of Liza Minnelli's career. It starts with Joel Grey's Wilkommen, after which Sally Bowles is introduced and lets rip with Mein Herr. Two Ladies is risqué and very funny, while Maybe This Time is a sad love song. Money Money is energetic and very funny while Heiraten sounds like a real period piece, a German love song from the 1930s. If You Could See Her Through My Eyes (the love song to a gorilla maiden) is full of irony, while Tomorrow Belongs To Me is as chilling and sinister as it is anthemic. The title track Cabaret needs no comment as it is so familiar, but it does encapsulate the mood of the film very well. Even the two instrumentals, Tiller Girls and Sitting Pretty are memorable and charming. The Cabaret soundtrack is a masterpiece, as is the movie, a true work of art.

Legendary....
This movie picked up 8 Academy awards, including a best actress award for Liza Minnelli and a best supporting actor for Joel Grey. We follow a night club singer called Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli) who struggles to make a living as a performer in the 1930's Berlin under world war two. Sally seems happy and unsually bored until one day a man walks into her life...little did she know that the man would change her life forever as it seems...Life is a cabaret, old chum...come to the cabaret.

Willkommen 5/5
The opening act brilliantly performed by the master of command, Joel Grey's performance is strange, gothic and weird but it always comes off strong and vital as Joel himself.

Mein Herr 5/5
Liza Minnelli's first song, it's ferious, fearless groundbreaking and stunning, it has a great beat and Liza shines both with voice and with her dancing act, the song perfectly represents what Sally Bowles is all about.

Maybe This Time 4.5/5
What many people didn't know is that Liza has actually been singing this song since 1964, nonthelss it's melancholic and Liza Minnelli's performance is vital, strong and it remains a Liza Minnelli classic...Maybe this time....who knows?........

Money, Money 5/5
A fine duet between Joel Grey and Liza Minnelli, the song is fun, quirky and sataric, both Joel and Liza are perfect, Joel's growling vocal perfectly suits Liza's crystal clear multi-faceted singing, one of the best songs on the album.

Two Ladies 4.5/5
Another song performed solo by the ecclectric master of command, the fantastic Joel Grey. The song itself is fun, loving and very vulgar, but in a fun way. Joel Grey is outstanding and is obviously one of the biggest Broadway performers of out time...Two ladies...what a fantasy...??...

Sitting Pretty 4/5
A fine instrumental number, but what I don't understand is why Bob Fosse chose to leave out so many songs that is vital for the shows total running time...So What was a song that needed to be executed, Lotta Lenya's performance were ecclectric.

Tomorrow Belong To Me 2.5/5
This song gives me the shivers...it's strangely nationalized and it has a very scary mood and feeling about it, the one song that don't fit in with "Cabaret", it's strange and give me the shivers every time I hear it...how strange!!!...maybe not?..

Tiller Girls 4/5
Another instrumental song (the second and last) instrumental tune, again I still can't comprehend why there were so many vital songs cut out from this movie, but for anyone who hasn't seen the Lotta Lenya original Broadway production of Cabaret they won't miss a thing, I'm confounded. Still good though.

Heiraten (Married) 4.5/5
A great German song about the struggles of the married life, the song is beautifully performed, I can just imagine Marlene Dietrich, Zara Leander or Lenya performing this tune, it's simply great...same year Liza performed this song in english in her Tony award winning show called "Liza With A Z".

If You Could See Her 5/5
WoW this song really sturred something deep inside me, Joel is allegedly singing about his love for a jew and not the Orangutang his performing with, listen carefully and You'll the deeper message within the meaning of the song. Legendary.

Cabaret 5/5
WOW Liza Minnelli's classic act, her performance is forceful, prowess, ravingly stunning, legendary, shadowing, and one of the most memorable tunes ever performed by anyone, no wonder why Liza won a Academy award for best actress. Liza Minnelli is a legend and she truly deserves the title of one.

Finale 5/5
The ending song summons up the whole show, it's emotional and it will promtly remind You just how great Cabaret was, Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey, Michael York all performed with such a powerful and forceful energy that it will be remembered for a very long time, Cabaret was the last succesful musical movie, up until the release of the wonderful "Mounlin Rouge" and some years later "Chicago". A lost genre, it's truly sad.

Excellent CD but not Cabaret
The vocals on this CD are amazing. Liza Minnelli has a wonderfull voice but she is not Sally bowles. Liza sings the final and greatest number, Cabaret, belting and it leaves a good feeling with you. But, that is not how it's supposed to sound. Sally is not supposed to sound happy she is supposed to be upset that she left her love and is stuck in this awful place. This musical is not Cabaret it is something else with Liza Minnlli.
That is not the only problem with this CD. They toatally do away with the lnadlord's and her boyfriend's role. In the original the incriddible Lotta Lenya played the landlord and had to unbelievible songs. the movie also cut's out over eight of the fabulous songs in the origimnal. Including Cliff's only solo "Why Should I Wake Up." Overall the movie recording is not the dark and haunting cabaret it should be. The best on this rrecording is Joel Grey becuase he is the only one who keeps his true collor.
If you want a full and excellent recording of cabaret get the originall with Joel Grey also.

Beedly Deedly Dee-Two Thumbs Up
Cabaret is a musical filled with silly songs, but it is a serious musical as well. The soundtrack is well worth owning. There's parts of Cabaret that are about the Nazi era. If you've never seen the movie(which I have), you'd think that "Tomorrow Belongs to Me," is a comforting song. But in fact is a very synical song, sung quietly. I'd have to say that my favorite song in the musical is "Two Ladies." ... Read more

Reviews (14)

The greaatst collection of songs in the world.
I am 14 years old and most 14 year olds like heavy metal and rap, but I like people like Jimmy Durante, Louis Armstrong, Johnnie Ray, The Platters, etc. But this is the best collection of songs I have ever heard. I listen to it about six times a day.

"The Best" really is the best!
As a kid growing up, I found Jimmy Durante to have a style that was somewhat comic--and my reaction was exactly what he cultivated as part of his public persona. For those of us who were young during the waning years of his career, Jimmy was a clown.

Even now, no one ever could call his voice beautiful, yet I can think of no more fitting a talent to sing the songs on this CD. His raspy style perfectly fits the original moods of classics such as "As Time Goes By," "I'll Be Seeing You," and "Try A Little Tenderness." Every melody on this CD is a gem, and the way Jimmy styles them simultaneously makes the listener want to weep and to dance. Can there be a higher compliment for a crooner?

Nobody knows Jimmy Durante anymore
I've started an unscientific questionaire to determine a person's age. If someone has no idea who Jimmy Durante is, they are younger than 40 years old. It's a shame really. As this collection shows, you don't have to be beautiful, glitzy, or have multi-million dollar studio remixing to be a truly talented entertainer. Jimmy Durante had talent and ability in spades! I keep introducing this music to people under 40 whenever I get the chance. Every once in a while, they listen.

Will melt your heart!
Someone mentioned hearing this in a little shop in Northern California. Perhaps that is the same store I heard it in. The store was in Sonoma. The store ownere there said that it was the best selling item. She said that EVERYONE was buying this CD. Many brides who were planning their wedding receptions bought it for their first dance or the dance with their father. I used it during a conference for music during one of the dinners. It sets such a magical tone. Even if you grew up long after Jimmy Durante, you'll love this CD.

What Can One Say? . . .
. . . It's Jimmy Durante. That just about says it all. He brings is own, unique persoanlity and charm to these song renditions. And he does it in a way that no one else in the world can duplicate.Durante's one-of-a-kind, and what a pleasure to hear his distinctive voice rendering these beautiful ballads. Yes, everybody adores him, yet cannot exactly figure out what it is he does. Well, whatever it is, Durante's got my vote. Luv it. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Good collection
from one of the smoothed Vocalist Ever.Johnny Mathis has a timeless Quality when it comes to His range&stylings as a Singer.these songs have been on other packages but still are cool."Chances are" is the kind of song that still sounds fresh as it did when it first was released to radio.

So Much To Choose From, But There Are Songs Missing......
Johnny's recorded 100 plus albums in his career, a two disc set just can't summarize that much material; still, there are a few signature tunes missing. "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" which warrented inclusion on the soundtrack but not the soundtrack album of "To Wong Foo" is rather a sore spot for me, I really want that song and the album is out of print. "You Who Brought Me Love" performed with Patti Austin and featured on the t.v. soap "General Hospital" was a huge A/C hit and by all rights should be here. It is nice that this collection is updated to include tracks from Johnny's career of late, all the way up to his Broadway album released in 2000. "Sleigh Ride" from one of the most successful Christmas albums ever, is included so a cut from his very last album, a Christmas album, was understandably skipped. Overall this isn't a bad collection, just not comprehensive enough.

Why all the mono?
Nice selection of songs, but why are almost all of the early hits in mono? Some of these have been available in stereo before and for the remaining few, I hoped that they might remix them to stereo if the 2-track tapes still existed. Oh well... ... Read more

Reviews (17)

The definite Streisand album!
Of all of the many Streisand collections, GREATEST HITS Vol. 2 is the absolute best. If you only wanted to buy one Streisand album, this is the one to get. Streisand had more success (as a recording star) in the seventies than any other decade. With this album, you can see why.

The album opens with the Oscar-winning, #1 smash "Evergreen," which has a beautiful melody (written by Barbra herself) and a almost haunting delivery. The love theme from the EYES OF LAURA MARS, "Prisoner," features an amazing arrangement and gives Barbra the chance to perform a rock ballad. Two more #1 singles, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" (with Neil Diamond) and "The Way We Were," are also included, as well as the oddly beautiful "Superman" and the tear-jearking "Songbird."

In the live melody version of "Sweet Inspiration/Where You Lead," Barbra proves she can sing other artists' work (in this case Carole King) as they never could themselves. The rocker "Stoney End," her first top 10 of the 70's, brings the album to a nice end.

Simply wonderful, the entire album is full of highlights.

Greatest Hits truly is GREATEST!
Barbra's Greatest Hits Album Vol.2 is one of the best if not the best album Barbra has ever recorded. She is at her peak in the recording industry and songs like "Evergreen" and "The Way We Were" are with "People" (from her first Greatest Hits") are the songs for which she is most remembered today. Her voice in the underrated "Songbird" is just that and her duet with Neil Diamond in the immortal "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" is perfect. Don't forget "Stoney End" and "Superman". Even the forgotten "Prisoner" is a terrific tune by La Streisand! Every song on this album is special and is a very accurate summary of that point in her career just like her first greatest hits displays her talent of the 1960s and her Greatest Hits and more album summarizes her work in the 1980s.

I like the music, but this cd is terrible
Why only 1 star and why do I say this cd is terrible? The mastering, that's why. This cd is so thin and shrill sounding that it's difficult to listen to. The original edition of this disc (before it got labeled with "digitally remastered from the original tapes" or something like that) was no sonic masterpiece, but it definitely sounded better than this. I would really, really discourage anyone thinking about this disc.

For a good hits collection, the newer 2-disc "Essential Barbra Streisand" disc is good. It sounds SO much better than this disc and contains most of the tracks available on this disc (and many, any others).

Streisand's best compilation.
As far as simply collecting the big hits of the time, GREATEST HITS, VOLUME TWO is still the best compilation album of Streisand's career. Covering the years 1970-1978, the ten-track sampler covers most of Barbra's biggest and best-known singles. The record hit #1 when originally released and sold well over five million copies in the US alone.

This kind of success is unusual for a compilation, but Volume Two's sales skyrocketed due to the enormous success of the sole new track: the #1 Platinum single "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," a classy and moving thematic duet with Neil Diamond. The disc also contains the huge hits "Stoney End" (#6 Pop, #2 Adult Contemporary) and "The Way We Were" (#1 Pop, #1 Adult Contemporary) as well as the then-recent smashes "Evergreen" (#1 Pop, #1 Adult Contemporary) and "My Heart Belongs To Me" (#4 Pop, #1 Adult Contemporary).

The track sequencing is non-chronological (which I find irritating), however this is easy to forgive since there is only ten tracks, and since most of the songs were recorded and released within a few years time span. VOLUME TWO also contains several lower-charting singles that aren't as well known as the big hits, but are equally splendid. This includes the lovely "Songbird" (#25 Pop, #1 Adult Contemporary) the overwrought-but-fun Laura Mars theme "Prisoner" (#21 Pop), Streisand's amazing cover of Stevie Wonder's "All In Love Is Fair" (#63 Pop) and the stunning live medley "Sweet Inspiration/Where You Lead" (#37 Pop). The runtime is fairly short and there are a few noteworthy tracks missing (nothing from 1971's BARBRA JOAN STREISAND or 1975's LAZY AFTERNOON?), but listeners looking for a compilation that contains many of Barbra Streisand's biggest hits will not be able to find anything better.

Evergreen, it grows on you-Marilyn Monroe(Garry Hixon)
This is a pretty decent album. When people first heard evergreen in 1977, I think it was basically for adults, but through the years it is obviously a classic. This is the title song on this short album, a short song but a cute one. The way we were doesnt get the airplay that evergreen does but it is an Americana song, and people think of the movie. My heart belongs to me is a good song, which gets a lot of am radio airplay. Barbara Streisand is supposedly retiring in one way or another, but her best stuff has not even been realized yet. When you realize that only a few of her songs are really hits, you see what I mean. She doesnt even listen to her own stuff. I hope she retires gracefully, shes earned a long rest.-To Barbara and Paul Williams-love-GAR ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The elegant and dramatic vocal phrasings of Rosemary Clooney
"16 Biggest Hits" is a misnomer as a title because these are not, literally, the 16 biggest hits in the music career of Rosemary Clooney. Two of her Top 10 hits, "Beautiful Brown Eyes" and "The Night Before Christmas Song," are not included, which proves the point. But it is still a solid collection with a couple of tracks you might not have in your music library that would well be worth the adding. My top choice would be the duet "Sisters," the Irving Berlin song from the classical holiday film "White Christmas," which Rosemary sings with her sister Betty Clooney.

These songs are taken from her successful years recording for Columbia in teh 1950s after leaving the Tony Pastor Orchestra (and her sister) but before switching to RCA Victor in 1957. Included on the play list are all four of her Number 1 singles, "Come on-a My House," "Half as Much," "Hey There," and "This Ole House." There is also the Oscar winning song "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," recorded with Harry James and His Orchestra as well as "Sophisticated Lady," done with Duke Ellington and His Orchestra.

The main thing here is that these are all songs that show the strengths of Rosemary Clooney as a lyric interpreter of song. With her it is the phrasing more than the singing. For that reason I have always enjoyed listening to Clooney sing rather than watching her in a film, because the drama was always in the singing and not the way she looked (invariably cool, calm, and collected). This is one of the reasons why, like Frank Sinatra, she could continue to sing effectively for audiences even after her voice started to decline.

Original Rosemary Songs
Great original recordings by the GRAND LADY of the 50's. Highly Recommended.

Great hit collection by a zesty singer
This a GREAT CD for both young people just interested in great American singing and Clooney as well as for Clooney's longtime fans. Anyone who has liked or just discovered that he/she likes Rosemary Clooney will play a lot of it over and over. It is not a mere nostalgia piece. Most of it holds up quite well. In fact, you could call it The Good, the Bad (in the modern sense as "GREAT") and the ugly (as in "UGLY.").

The CD, comprised of 16-pristine 1950s recordings, contains Clooney's biggest commercial hits from Columbia and a few bonuses. It artfully displays not only the commercial Clooney who could take a silly song shoved down her talented throat and turn it into a hit -- but foreshadows the later critically acclaimed Comeback Clooney, whose career was tragically cut short by her death from cancer. Here are a few of the songs that fall into categories such as:

--The GOOD: "This Ole House" still holds up as a lively FUN novelty number. 'Come On-A-My-House'' is the silly 1951 song Clooney balked at recording until Columbia honcho Mitch Miller threatened to fire her. So she recorded it, it was a huge hit and made her a star. She makes it good with her verve and humor punching every silly word.
--The GREAT: 'Mangos', a wonderful, beautiful tune where each word and note is given pizzazz, sensuality and humor. In "Tenderly" and "Hey There" she displayed her respect for lyrics and notes. In "Mambo Italiano' Clooney's zest, turns a zippy song into a throatily erotic and good humored classic worth several listenings. When she ends it with a
"That's-a-nice!" and the all-male chorus gives a final "UHHH!" we agree. In "Sophisticated Lady' With the Duke Ellington orchestra she shows the potential realized in later years. Special treat: a super show-biz sounding version of Cole Porter's
"From This Moment On," previously unreleased in the US -- with a great smash ending.
--The UGLY: No question. " Botch-A-Me'. Clooney is very enthusiastic doing this entry in her best-selling Italian novelty song series forced on her by Columbia's Miller. But the song's truly excruciating lyrics (and tune) make you suspect she's really thinking: "I can't believe I'm singing this
..."

This CD deserves five stars due to its great variety (literally something for everyone), orchestrations, production quality...and ALMOST deserves a star (or two!) taken off for the pain inflicted on listeners by Botch-A-Me...but let's not blame that on Rosey! If you're just discovering Clooney due to news stories about her recent death (and her relation to a certain popular actor) this CD will delight you enough so that you'll want to order her more recent, critically acclaimed CDs.

Never Less Than Five Stars For Rosie
I have yet to come across a Rosemary Clooney LP, single or CD that fails to please. Hers is one of the most distinctive, pleasant voices of the 20th Century.

From 1951 to 1960 she chalked up 28 hit singles as a solo artist or in conjunction with other artists like Guy Mitchell [her first hit in 1951 - You're Just In Love], Marlene Dietrich [Too Old To Cut The Mustard in 1952]; and Gene Autry [The Night Before Chrismas Song in 1952]. Before that she sang with Tony Pastor & His Orchestra. along with her sister Betty, and appeared on several of his big hits.

Although this CD contains several of her hits, including the wonderful You'll Never Know done in 1953 with the late, great Harry James, I bought it for one item: Memories Of You. Billed to The Benny Goodman Trio with Rosemary Clooney, and from the hit movie The Benny Goodman Story, this made it to # 20 early in 1956 and is one of the hardest to find of all her hits. In fact, try and find it anywhere else!

Normally I wouldn't assign 5 stars to any CD without liner notes, nor one that states "16 Biggest Hits" and then includes several songs that failed to chart [In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening, The House Of Singing Bamboo, Sophisticated Lady, and From This Moment On]. But hey, this is Rosie. Besides, the afore-mentioned songs SHOULD have charted, and as far as liner notes go, the track listings inside are comprehensive enough to compensate.

Get it while you can.

The one and only voice
Her voice, smooth as satin or tender as velvet, wow, this lady knows how to sing and I love to listen to her. ... Read more

Album Description

UK box-set featuring 99 tracks that highlight the late jazz icon's career between 1935-49. Backed by small All Starbands under Teddy Wilson's & her own leadership & the moreformal studio bands during her Decca days, Billie turnsevery song into poetry. Includes 56 page booklet with rarepictures, discography & story. Four standard jewel cases housed in a box. 2001. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Better appreciated now than in her lifetime
Nobody sings the blues quite like Billie Holiday. This boxed set represents the best value for money, not only for the quantity of music and the extensive liner notes, but also for the sound quality and the fact that this contains music recorded for several different record labels (Brunswick, Vocalion, Commodore, Okeh, Columbia, Capitol, Decca) between 1935 and 1949. Billie continued to record great music in the fifties (for Verve, Clef and Norgran) but that music is not represented here.

Billie had plenty of hits on the American pop charts between 1935 and 1938 (when she was with Teddy Wilson), after which she had just four more hits, none of them reaching the top ten. However, the passage of time has added substantially to her credibility as many blues, jazz and R+B singers cite Billie as one of their influences. Her first hit was What a little moonlight can do, a song I first came across via a Crystal Gayle cover. I didn't realize the song's origin at the time but I've heard several versions since. I love them all but Billie's is the definitive version.

Billie's other classic hits included here are These foolish things, A fine romance, The way you look tonight, I can't give you anything but love, I've got my love to keep you warm, This year's kisses, Carelessly (her only number one hit), How could you, Moaning low. Mean to me, Easy living, Me myself and I, Sailboat in the moonlight, Nice work if you can get it, My man, You go to my head, I'm gonna lock my heart, Strange fruit, God bless the child and Trav'lin' light. Some big hits are omitted including Twenty-four hours a day, Who loves you and Pennies from heaven, but I'm not complaining. Some of the songs that Billie is best remembered for didn't chart at all.

Although the hits became rare after 1938, this was not due to the quality of the music. Listen to Billie's versions of such classic standards as I gotta right to sing the blues, Night and day, Body and soul, Let's do it, All of me, Love me or leave me, It's a sin to tell a lie, As time goes by and You're my thrill (to name a few). And, of course, there's the classic That old devil called love, revived by Alison Moyet in the eighties, when it became a UK number two hit for Alison.

If you only buy one collection of Billie's music, make it this one. You might begin by asking yourself if you really want five hours worth of Billie's music - but eventually, you are likely to ask yourself if it's enough.

Ditto!
Great sound quality, great packaging, great liner notes and booklet. 4 discs, 99 songs, 21 bucks. How can you beat the value?

It sure beats any other "best of" out there. Why save $6 to get one disc with 10 to 20 songs. (And unlike the Ken Burns collection, the songs on this box set sound great).

Most, if not every, Holliday song on every label released between 1935 to 1949. Now you've got the early to mid (and in many people's minds, the best) recording eras of Holliday covered.

Buy it as an introduction to Lady Day. Keep it as a collector.

PROPER does it again...
For the price, this is as good a collection of Billie Holiday's early material (for some, the ONLY Billie) as there is out there. Almost all of the essential recordings are included - Brunswick, Vocalition, Decca, Columbia, and Commodore - and the presentation includes a great booklet with photos and information. Proper is in the process of putting together and releasing some of the best American music - both jazz and other-wise - in stunning compilations with great presentations. Look for more of them.

THE LEGACY IS THERE
Maybe for today's crowd,four cds of BILLIE HOLIDAY in her greatest years can be hard to digest.Don't feel sorry for yourself,because sooner or later,if you have any interest in jazz singing,this PROPER box set will do the trick.Don't listen to this only once,repeating listenings are recommended to have you hooked on BILLIE.The musicians who played on these famous sessions are among the finest of the era.Even if you don't look at the credits,one can easily know when LESTER YOUNG is soloing,his economical solos always hit home.Be aware that this is the thirties and the forties, when conductors were not stars the way they will be in the fifties.Many will find that all the songs sounds the same.While there is some truth to that,you've got to figure out the contect of these recordings to fully appreciate them.Maybe i seem to act like an history teacher reviewing this,if so i am sorry.BILLIE HOLIDAY has inspired countless singers that came after her who often recorded tribute albums.

One of the Best Kept Secrets in Recorded Jazz
If you haven't purchased one of Proper Record Company's extraordinary jazz boxes, you don't know what you're missing; and this release, THE LADY SINGS, is the best of the bunch. For the past few years, Proper has researched and assembled the most critical recordings by leading jazz performers from the first half of the last century, and packaged them in four-disk sets with extensive booklets that actually have something new to say -- all for a super, super budget price. Their remastering is so skillful, recordings such as Billie Holiday's here --stand up to the best remastering efforts of Decca and Sony. The richness and value of this collection -- as with other Proper Boxes from the UK -- are simply extraordinary. From her affecting Brunswick recordings of the early 1950's with Teddy Wilson and his Orchestra to her sides with Decca, Commodore, Columbia and Vocalion, Holliday's accompanists read like a Who's Who of classic jazz. Lester Young. Ben Webster. Roy Eldridge. Kenny Clarke. Benny Goodman. Milt Hinton. And some of her most celebrated material is here. God Bless the Child. My Old Flame. Gimme a Pigfoot. Lover Man. As Time Goes By. I Hear Music. I Can't Get Started. Almost 100 songs, flawlessly restored and a far better value than expensive sets such as the new Sony compilation, Proper's BILLIE HOLIDAY: THE LADY SINGS is simply a pleasure. It's great music to listen to by a roaring fire. Wonderful to play after a long, hard day.
Good anytime you need a lift. Strongly recommended. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Creme De La Creme
There are not enough adjectives for the tremendous impact of this recording - all it takes is one play - one memory - cascades! These ladies are to "Die For".

Billie, Ella, Lena, Sarah - their best was yet to come.
This collection was first issued in the mid '50s as "Ella, Lena and Billie" - Sarah was added later - and if you don't know these great vocalists by their first names, you must be from the Moon. The sessions by Billie and Ella are from the '30s, and Lena's sessions are from 1941. Most of these numbers were recorded with a Teddy Wilson-led band which included several of Basie's sidemen. The Sarah Vaughn numbers were recorded in 1950 with a lineup that included Miles Davis on trumpet. It's wonderful to hear these singers in the early stages of their careers. The sound quality is better than one might expect.

A great sample of early jazz queens !!
This album introduced me to jazz a couple of years ago. Now, I'm a big fan. I know the work of Amstrong, Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Nina Simone and others. Still, this is the best I have.The lyrics, instrumental richness and even the imperfect recording quality makes it really charming and beautiful. Horne's emotion in "Prisioner of Love" and all Sarah's performances give it an extra star. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Guilty may well be Barbra Streisand's best pop album. At the peak of her late-'70s popularity, she hooked up with the Bee Gees' Barry Gibb, who himself was basking in his Saturday Night Fever glow. Gibb wrote and produced most of the material on 1980's Guilty, and he supplied background vocals as well as co-leads on two tracks. The results are still completely bewitching. "Promises," for instance, is a lounge-like dance number and Babs sounds simply fabulous--sexy, lighthearted, passionate, playful--all at once. "Life Story" is a wild epic, and "Make It Like a Memory" keeps soaring up and up into a stratosphere of shag-carpeted luxury. Even Gibb's wavering vocals are great--and not a little like a disco version of Mandy Patinkin. And of course, the hits are out of this world: "Woman in Love" and "What Kind of Fool" are titanium-plated classics the likes of which Streisand has not topped since. A guilty pleasure, sure--just indulge. --Elisabeth Vincentelli ... Read more

Reviews (48)

Everything a contemporary pop album should be.
Her biggest selling album, GUILTY is easily Barbra Streisand's best contemporary pop effort to date. Barry Gibb's skilled production hand gives GUILTY an added sense of cohesiveness, something that was sorely lacking from many of Streisand's late-seventies pop efforts. Gibb (along with Albhy Galuten and brothers Robin and Maurice) also had a hand in writing every one of the nine melodic songs and even duets on two of them.

Their pairing produced a monster hit with the riveting title track (#3 Pop, #5 Adult Contemporary), however it's actually the other Streisand-Gibb smash duet "What Kind Of Fool" (#10 Pop, #1 Adult Contemporary) that proves to be the disc's show-stopper. Gibb's production and voice are an inarguable key to GUILTY's success, but it is Streisand's magnificent vocals that provide the album with it's soul, that's right soul. The chart-topping smash "Woman In Love" (#1 Pop, #1 Adult Contemporary) was the leadoff single and stands a slice of pure pop perfection, with Streisand's performance as thrilling as any ever captured on record.

Amazingly enough for a pop record, the remaining six tracks more than hold up to the three big hits. The restrained ballads "Run Wild" and "The Love Inside" are absolutely gorgeous, while the seven minute-plus "Make It Like A Memory" plays out like mini-pop symphony. Barbra even ventures into dance territory with "Life Story" and the international hit "Promises" and really brings these tracks to life with a sexy exuberance. Even the slightly dated light funk of "Never Give Up" is a slinky delight. GUILTY was a massive hit upon release, hitting #1 on the Hot 200 and achieving Quintuple Platinum status in US sales and selling nearly 20 million copies worldwide. This success is hardly surprising as GUILTY is simply everything a pop album should be.

"Guilty" is Barbra's best Pop Album...
-------------------------------------------------> In 1980, following her #1 duet with Donna Summer ("No More Tears/Enough Is Enough"), Barbra released the first single from her new album... "Woman In Love". It quickly rose to #1 and was certified gold. Shortly thereafter, the title track "Guilty", a duet with Barry Gibb, was released and rose to #3. It also went gold and won a grammy for best pop vocal duet. Then came the #10 follow-up duet with Barry Gibb "What Kind of Fool", and then the #48 single "Promises".

"Promises" was remixed as a 12" single. It was released again in the late 80's as a part of Columbia Records "Mixed Masters" series and was backed with Barbra's 12" version of "The Main Event". It's a great track and I only wish Barbra would have it re-mixed for the 90's!

What is so special about "Guilty" is not only Barbra's voice being in peak form, but that these songs are a departure for her. The lyrics break from her self-stated style of being... "a story - with a beginning, middle and an end". The lyrics are often vague and esoteric and open to all sorts of interpretations.

On the plus side: To date, this is Barbra's best selling album. Barbra is cosidered by many to be the greatest female vocalist of the the 20th century...this album shows you why.

On the minus side: One reviewer likened Barbra's "Guilty' duet with Barry Gibb as sounding like a duet between Mae West and Don Knotts. "What Kind of Fool" was originally planned as a solo, and should have been. "Never Give Up" is pure forgettable bubble-gum.

Sadly, "Guilty" was Barbra's last hurrah at main stream Top 40 radio. Aside from her very next single, the #11 "Comin' In & Out of Your Life", Barbra has never had another Top 30 solo-single. Maybe her last album of the 90's, the forthcoming "A Love Like Ours" will change that!

Best cuts: Woman In Love, Run Wild, Promises, The Love Inside, Life Story and Make It Like A Memory.

"Guilty" Pleasure!
Admittedly I am much more of a Barry Gibb/Bee Gees fan than a Streisand one, so much of the appeal of this album is based on Barry Gibb's instantly recognizable songwriting and production style. However, this is a rare instance where a truly first-rate vocalist takes her shot at pure pop music. The results, to put is simply, are spectacular, and a once-in-a-lifetime classic.

Streisand found Barry Gibb at the absolute top of his game as a writer and producer, and added a strong and sure voice to the laid-back, butter-smooth melodies and harmonies of the Brothers Gibb. How he was able to reign in some of Barbra's occasional vocal excesses remains a mystery, but it is not just Streisand's best album, it is arguably the best one Barry Gibb ever produced, too.

Although "Guilty" and "Woman in Love" are the most-well known tracks on the album (the latter being of the absolute best pop songs of the late 70s/early 80s), most of the tracks are strong performers. Except for perhaps "The Love Inside" which drags somewhat and "Run Wild", which isn't sure where it wants to go, that is.

The real sleeper here is "Promises". It was released as a single, and was little-noticed, but in its own way, it is the pinnacle of the album. The easy-going groove is easy to get lost in, and one of the handful of tunes I can play endlessly without tiring of it.

"What Kind of Fool" is an exercise in meloncholy, but is a vocal gem.

"Make It Like a Memory" is the last, and longest track. Starting off slowly and gently, it builds in both drama an momentum until it explodes in a classic Bee Gees-style stomp, leaving the listener feeling like he or she just had a whole pan of double-fudge brownies. A completely "Guilty" pleasure!

MOR FM Pop Gloria In Excelsis
The late 70s/early 80s white-hot streak of pop heaven the Bee Gees were associated with was already mentioned by a previous reviewer. I suppose radio listeners probably grew tired of that fluffy, warm cotton swab soundscape, but listening to "Guilty" after all these years is still so much of a rapture i can't manage to escape the thrill!
I have no patience for Barbra and her "classy popular performer" appeal. I like her when she is the vessel to someone else's thoughts and ideas: she is far 2 conventional 2 be truly appealing on a deep level. But her voice soaring above the celestial lounge-funk of these tracks is like a polished operatic blues singer engraving gold on every word and clearing ambiguities with her special kind of hypnotic subtlety.
There's gorgeous funky pop - "Guilty", "Promises" - and amazing slow burners - "Life Story", "Run Wild". "Life Story" is an amazing paranoid accusation of jealousy: everytime i hear it i immediately long for the bridge - "Deeper than your valleys, longer than your memory, I go to your story's end" - and tremble at the recognition that it hits the spot everytime! I'd call "Run Wild" cosmic, but i suppose it translates into something laughable. Yet cosmic is exactly what it is. "Make it like a Memory" is simply blues meets opera with a somewhat complex structure - ok, it's not Stravinsky, but it's way above most pop/rock. Her duets with Gibb - "Guilty" and "What kind of Fool" - are perfect vocal marriages; "Love Inside" is heavenly and nostalgic with almost Platonic tinges.
Finally: the number one single, "Woman in Love", is like a carousel you get trapped in notwithstanding attempts to avoid getting caught in the dizzy giddiness of it. Barbra pushes the song to higher and higher levels and it seems to extend itself beyond the material and into the metaphysical.
This is really a rare album, one i started listening to during my childhood thanks to my cousin, and has never exhausted itself throughout repeated listenings...

Pop Perfection
For anyone who enjoys popular music, this collaboration between Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb is sheer perfection. For the type of music it is, it couldn't possibly be any better. It is thoroughly enjoyable, supplying ballads, athems, and dance music. Barbra's voice is alternately delicate and strong, sexy and angry, gentle and powerful. Her voice is, in a word, sensational. The compositions sound as if they were written specifically for her (and all but "The Love Inside" were). Her duets with Barry Gibb, though perhaps unexpected by some, are pitch perfect. This is pop perfection. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

THIS is how Cole Porter 's music SHOULD be sung
Well - I listened to the recently released "De-Lovely" soundtrack a couple of times and it left me empty so I went looking to fill my cup and found what I was looking for in my stack of cd's. If you REALLY want to hear Cole Porter's stunning music at it's very best get this cd. There is a reason why Frank Sinatra has 550 available items here in music at Amazon.com. You won't feel so empty after seeing the movie if you fill your soul with music from these tracks.
Sinatra sings:

"Night and Day;"
and my favorite Cole Porter tune: "Begin the Beguine;"
"I Get a Kick Out of You with" a kick;
the most loveliest of lovely -"I Love You;"
Medley: "Easy to Love/I've Got You Under My Skin;"
"Don't Fence Me In;"
"I Concentrate on You;"
"Why Shouldn't I;"
"Just One of Those Things;"
"Why Can't You Behave?" - Phil Moore Four;
"So in Love;"
"You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" - June Hutton;
"Cherry Pies Ought to Be You" - Rosemary Clooney;
"You Do Something to Me;"
"I Am Loved"
"You Don't Remind Me"

These beautiful songs deserve this special treatment.

YOU'LL BE ASKING FOR MORE
After all the collections,bests of and others pieces of nostalgia available under the name of FRANK SINATRA,we could ask ourselves is their anything left worth buying?Buy judging with this cd,it seems that the COLUMBIA vaults are still full of hidden treasures.These are not leftovers,they are worthwhile recordings that will pleased both FRANK SINATRA and COLE PORTER fans.Those radio era recordings have a spontaniety that make them special.The duet with ROSEMARY CLOONEY:CHERRY PIES OUT TO BE YOU is certainly the highlight because all the other songs if you except YOU DON'T REMIND ME are of course well known by PORTER devotees.Don't be ashamed to buy this,you should not regret it.My little finger tells me that the collection won't stop with PORTER and GERSHWIN...

"classic sounds of radio recordings ~ Sinatra"
Another winner from an ongoing series from Columbia/Legacy "Sinatra Sings Cole Porter", all the brilliant songs from Porter done in the Sinatra style. Listen to the swooning and screaming girls in the audience when Frank sings the tune "I Love You", you can relive all those wonderful moments through the magic of digitally remastered original recording sessions.

Stand outs are "I CONCENTRATE ON YOU", as Sinatra's lyric interpretation grabs you and your heartstrings are being tugged ~ "WHY CAN'T YOU BEHAVE", featuring the Phil Moore Four and Frank's laid back style with a hint of Johnny Mercer coming to the surface ~ "SO IN LOVE", haunting arrangement by Axel Stordahl as the power of the vocalist is right on.

Highlight has to be "CHERRY PIES OUGHT TO BE YOU", featuring a singing duet of Rosie Clooney and Frank give out a super-duper performance, sounds as if they enjoyed themselves...I know we did.

And Sinatra fans, when Frank sings "I AM LOVED", we know what he's trying to say...we loved you Frank, and still do and always will...you have left us a legacy that will go on forever ~ great job Didier C. Deutsch, Charles L. Granata and Andreas Meyer are the folks who compiled this wonderful selection of tunes that we are enjoying ~ a must have collectible collection for all Sinatra and Porter Fans!

Total Time: 53:17 on 18 Tracks ~ Columbia/Legacy 61058 ~ (7/22/2003) ... Read more

Amazon.com

Harry Connick Jr. has a rare gift for summoning the style of classic 1940s saloon singing, hinting at Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and especially Dick Haymes, without engaging in actual impersonation. What's more uncanny still is his songwriting, an idiomatic command of the standards that often summons some of the rhythmic ease of Gershwin, the tunefulness of Jerome Kern, and the wit of Cole Porter. Both his singing and songwriting talents are evident on this CD, recorded in 1990 when Connick was just 22. Its emphasis is squarely on the subject of love, both on the ballads and some harder swinging tunes, and Connick's voice shines on original songs and the standards "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" and Porter's "It's All Right with Me." Connick's voice and piano are ably supported by bassist Ben Wolfe, drummer Shannon Powell, and a string section, while there are some good jazz solos by regular associate Russell Malone on guitar and guest Branford Marsalis on tenor and soprano saxophones. --Adam Rains ... Read more

Reviews (16)

One of the Best!
This was the very first CD I ever bought. Not just Harry CD, CD in general. I love this man. And this is the CD that started it all for me. It is fabulous. Every single track is golden. His voice, his style, they are just wonderful. I bought this CD about 10 years ago and I haven't stopped listening to it since. It is a timeless classic. All of his CDs are good, but this is a good one to start with if you are new to Harry. Recipe For Love, A Nightingale Sang, I've Got a Great Idea are my favorites. This is one of those VERY RARE CDs that you can put on a listen to all the way through. Great backgroup music for a cozy dinner party. Buy it. Buy it right now.

Good Old Harry!
I think this is my favorite because it was my first HCJ purchase. I played it so much it fell apart. A modern but smooth voice manages to escape those somewhat over-sized and clumsy lips, and still, he remains enchantlingly charming and reachable! And then there's his piano playing, and what he can act too?
I love the songs on this CD, my favorites being A Nightingale Sang In Berkely Square and We Are in Love. His voice and demeanor never fail to cheer me. For anyone who likes standards and jazz, this is a great CD.

The New Standard: Harry Connick Jr.
I have been enjoying this CD for several months now and I have truly grown to love every track on it. His unique style and interpretations harkens back to a time when the songs were beautifully written and the performers were masters of there craft. Almost single-handedly Harry Connick Jr. has managed to create a new fresh awareness to jazz music as a whole, and even now in 2004 he continues to reacquaint the world to the beautiful songs from the past.

If you LOVE listening to GREAT CROONERS and are in the mood for some Bigger, Brassier, Swingin' versions of tunes from the Great American Songbook, I would also recommend MONTE PROCOPIO "SWINGIN' WITH STYLE" CD. He is also a Great Crooner that can really SWING and deserves a listen. Buy both these CDs, you can't go wrong!

the king of jazz
buy it.......
sit back and listen.............
appluade the genius of harry connick jr!!!!!!!!,.......
......enough said

the jazz god
this album is the greatest album by harry, and thats going some
it is unfortunate that this music genius is not more well known,you can listen to his music for any number of reasons because it is all so varyed,and we are in love(the single)is prob the best song i have ever heard
i want you all to buy this album now and applaud the genius that is harry connick jr!!! ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Fantastic Sountrack to a great movie
In Yentl Barbra returns to her roots to record songs with a more traditional broadway sound and the results are astounding. It is clear barbra feels passionate about the story she is singing/narrating and one can't help getting caught up in that emotion. Admittedly the material isnt all first rate, the lyrics on some of the songs(Piece of Sky, One of Those Moments etc..) are just rediculous, but Barbra's delivery is so fantastic it's easy to ignore it. On this album you also see Barbra incorporating her ability to belt as well as her ability to sing soft tender music, it's just one of those albums a Streisand fan lives for. get it!

Barbra's Masterpiece Marred By Poor Remastering!
The Michel Legrand melodies are lovely & the lyrics by Alan & Marilyn Bergman are perfect. Barbra delivers the songs with passion & perfect pitch BUT the CD sounds terrible.

Barbra's voice is too sharp & the music accompaniment sounds very far away. There is no musicality. The CD sounds very clinical & antiseptic!

A piece of brilliance.
Like the film of the same name, the YENTL soundtrack is a massive success for Barbra Streisand, both personally and professionally. This was her dream project, and she was determined to make every aspect of YENTL come alive with class and brilliance. Composer Michael Legrand is an unrecognized genius, and his score is both complex and inviting. Alan and Marilyn Bergman have penned the lyrics to many of Streisand's best-loved recordings, but they really outdo themselves here. Their words and Legrand's music complement each other perfectly, and their collaboration is largely the reason the album is as consistent and as cohesive as it is.

However, the main factor to YENTL'S artistic success is the phenomenal vocal performance of Barbra Streisand. This album was recorded twenty years after her official studio debut, and she has never sounded better than she does here. Whether the tone of the song is anguished ("Where Is It Written," "Tomorrow Night"), euphoric ("This Is One Of Those Moments"), or incredibly sensual ("The Way He Makes Me Feel"), Streisand's hushed restraint and dramatic range are nothing short of incredible. Her phrasing is put to excellent use in "Will Someone Ever Look At Me That Way" and the three renditions of "No Wonder" (each with different lyrics and a different meaning), while both "No Matter What Happens" and "A Piece Of Sky" are terrific showcases for Streisand's astonishing vocal prowess.

YENTL also marks the first appearance a "Papa, Can You Hear Me," which instantly became one of Streisand's signature songs due largely to her intensely soulful performance. A Top Ten, Platinum-selling album, YENTL is a recording that is very close to the heart of many Streisand fans. It is a project that Streisand believed in with all her soul, and both the film and it's soundtrack remain near the top of the list of the best things she's ever done.

SAM FORD, You're Deaf
Only Barbara can sing these songs with the exact right emotion and timbre. She is the muse for this piece, it's her heart and soul. I'm sorry, but Charlotte Church can't shine Barbara Streisand's shoes.

Nice music, but it lacks something...
Barbra Streisand does have a great voice, but it sounds much too mature for Yentl, who is supposed to be a younger woman(sorry about that Barbra!), but she really packs the emotion for Yentl. Papa, can you hear me? is the reason why I picked this out. Babs does a good job, but I think Charlotte Church does a better job; she has a younger, more vulnerable voice. Most of the other tracks sound like voice exercises instead of songs. I know this is supposed to be a more uplifting film, but part of me feels it should be more on the melancholy side(especially with moments like Papa, can you hear me? And with titles like A piece of sky)
but I like it anyway. When it come to A piece of sky, that is the most touching, emotional moment on this thing. The lyrics mean so much to me spiritually, and towards the end of the song I see a young woman in broad fields, looking up at the sky(that shows what a visual person I am!). Just magnificent! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The years 1975-1988 contained big successes for Barbra Streisand, though she ran through an unsteady gauntlet of disco-fied pop and pseudo-Broadway show stoppers. This collection, originally released in 1989, brings together the hits of those years--like the two Barry Gibb duets, "What Kind of Fool" and "Guilty"--in a range of production scenarios utilizing the talents of Rupert Holmes, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Phil Ramone, Dave Gruisin, and others. The two new recordings added to begin and end the package, "We're Not Makin' Love Anymore" and "Somewhere," serve as bookends of the dance and ballad style Streisand revolved around throughout her later career. --Stephen M.H. Braitman ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Collection
Barbra Streisand's 1989 Collection titled A Collection Greatest Hits And More, contains some of her best songs:

Were Not Making Love Anymore - This is my favorite song on the album, it is the first of two new songs. It disapoints me that she doesn't include this one in her tours, because it is truly a classic.

Woman In Love - Remember when this song came out, it was a hit. Still as good as when it first came out in 1980.

All I Ask Of You - One would argue, but I think she does the broadway songs great. This is an example, she sings with such passion and emotion.

Comin in and Out of Your Life - Great song, catchy.

What Kind Of Fool - One of two duets with Barry Gibb on here, this would be the slower ballad type one. Their voices work so well together, definately one of my favorites from the Guilty album.

The Main Event/Fight - This is another favorite, great disco song. I wish she would include this one in a tour.

Someone That I Used To Love - The other new song on the collection, just as good as Were Not Making Love Anymore. She should sing this one on tour.

By The Way - The only song from her Lazy Afternoon album that made it on here, still as timeless as when it was first released.

Guilty - The other duet with Barry Gibb, this is a more fun uptempo song, really great song.

Memory - She does this one fantastically! Theres so much emotion, brings me to tears this song does.

The Way He Makes Me Feel - From the Broadway Album, very nice song.

Somewhere - Good choice to end the album, very powerful words and overall a great song.

Excellent, though not thorough, collection
Streisand's Greatest hits of the late seventies and early 80's is a great album indeed. The set opens with the dynamic "We're Not Makin' Love Anymore" which was recorded especially for this album and is worth the price alone. But there is much more to be enjoyed. The album also contains three top 10 singles from her biggest selling album. "Gulity" and "What Kind of Fool" are duets with Barry Gibb and serve as proof that the two were born to sing together, while the #1 "A Woman in Love" proves there's no one like Streisand.

Other highlights include the beautiful "All I Ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera, the diso ditty "The Main Event/Fight," and the studio version of "The Way He Makes Me Feel." Bringing the album to a close is the stunning "Somewhere," which ranks as one of her best.

The only problem with the album is it left me wanting more. I would have liked to have heard more from THE BROADWAY ALBUM or the YENTL soundtrack (where's "Papa Can You Hear Me" or "Piece of Sky?"). But this still a stunning collection that will please both casual and fanatical (like me) Streisand fans.

ERROR IN YOUR SAMPLE RECORDING
NOT SURE HOW IT HAPPENED BUT YOU HAVE BILLY JOEL SINGING IN BARB'S SPOTLLIGHT. WHEN I TRY TO LISTEN TO IT, ALL I GET IS BILLY JOEL.

Too many omissions.
Not counting 1981's MEMORIES (which was a love song compilation), this is supposed to be volume 3 of Barbra's greatest hits and should have covered the years 1979-1989. Barbra returned to making high quality albums (GUILTY, YENTL, THE BROADWAY ALBUM) in the eighties, however she did also score enough hit singles during this period to merit this collection. Unfortunately, many of those hits are missing.

True, COLLECTION does contain some great hits and singles like "The Main Event/Fight" (#3 Pop, #5 Adult Contemporary), "A Woman In Love" (#1 Pop, #1 Adult Contemporary), "Guilty" (#3 Pop, #5 Adult Contemporary), "What Kind Of Fool" (#10 Pop, #1 Adult Contemporary), "Comin' In And Out Of Your Life" (#11 Pop, #2 Adult Contemporary), "Memory" (#52 Pop, #9 Adult Contemporary), "The Way He Makes Me Feel" (#40 Pop, #1 Adult Contemporary), "Somewhere" (#43 Pop, #5 Adult Contemporary), and "All I Ask Of You" (#15 Adult Contemporary). These tracks deserve to be present, but there are several annoying omissions that prevent this from being the definite collection of this time span.

Missing hits and singles that fall between 1979 and 1989 include: "No More Tears" (#1 Pop, #7 Adult Contemporary, #20 R&B), "Kiss Me In The Rain" (#37 Pop), "Promises" (#48 Pop), "Papa, Can You Hear Me" (#26 Adult Contemporary), "Left In The Dark" (#50 Pop, #4 Adult Contemporary), "Make No Mistake, He's Mine" (#51 Pop, #8 Adult Contemporary), "Emotion" (#79 Pop, #14 Adult Contemporary), "Send In The Clowns" (#25 Adult Contemporary), and "Till I Loved You" (#25 Pop, #3 Adult Contemporary). While these tracks vary in quality, I think most fans can agree that some of them have a place here.

These omissions are especially frustrating when you take into account that the remainder of the track listing. "By The Way" is a gorgeous song and one of my favorites, but it was released in 1975 and is out of place here ("By The Way" belonged on the MEMORIES compilation, if anywhere else). The two new songs are also a problem. "Someone That I Used To Love" is merely adequate, while the Michael Bolton/Diane Warren-penned "We're Not Making Love Anymore" is bombastic and banal. Giving the missing tracks and inferior new material, A COLLECTION stands as little more than a wasted opportunity.

An amazing collection
I am a huge Streisand fan, and I think trhis is an amazing collection. Of course it misses a lot of amazing songs(like papa can you hear me, not while I'm around, send in the clowns, a piece of sky...), but this collection is just wonderfull
The opening song, we're not makin' love anymore, is incredible. Guilty, what kind of fool,somewhwere, the main event/fight and by the way are amazing song, and all I ask of you is nothing short of spectacular. But, the best song in there, is my favorite song of all time: Memory. Wow! It is sung so beautifully, it makes me cry every time I hear it. It is abseolutely incredible
Overall, this is a great album which is essential; for any person. It contains everything, and leaves you wanting more. Wonderfull! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Getting the two most personable voices in jazz to sing an hour's worth of George Gershwin's opera Porgy & Bess (Ella doing all the female parts, Satchmo all the male) was a good idea, but not quite as great as it sounded. Armstrong savors the down-and-dirty Charlestonisms that inspired the cadences of the music and lyrics, and they fit his happy rasp like an old shoe; Fitzgerald, conversely, sounds almost prissy every time she has to sing the word "ain't," though her melodic genius gets Gershwin's bold, supple tunes over. The arrangements are full-throttle Broadway, with a few leaps into Dixieland (including some fine Armstrong trumpet solos), but the disc works best when the vocalists break character and let their jazz side out. --Douglas Wolk ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A Jazz Masterpiece!
No matter what your musical taste, it's hard to imagine that you won't love this combination. Ella & Louis are, of course, the standards by which all other jazz vocalists learn and are judged; the music is Gershwin's great masterpiece (and one of the masterpieces of American music in general); ravishingly orchestrated, lovingly sung, and oh by the way, swingin' like Tiger Woods. Just the best in the biz, that's all. If you're a jazz aficionado or a Gershwin fan, you'll find a wealth to love and appreciate; if you're a casual listener, count on it!...This is music that'll just make you happy. Get it and enjoy it for the rest of your life.

Best Ella c.d. ever!
This is my favorite Ella Fitzgerald cd! While Louis Armstrong's singing is gravelly and rough, Ella is smooth as silk-- they make a perfect combo. Although nearly every song is absolutely gorgeous, Ella's renditions of "Bess, You is My Woman Now", "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'" and "I Wants to Stay Here" are to die for.

A masterpiece
This is one of the 10 greatest jazz records made. As mentioned in the liner notes, for trumpet music of this style, Louis Armstrong had no peer. The contrast between the gravelly voice of Armstrong and the super sweet voice of Ella wears very well. The production was excellent, and frankly the famous opera stars on other records than often blast out Porgy and Bess don't do much for me. This is by far my favorite version of some really fantastic music by Gershwin, who is one of the greatest American composers.

Young people will find this music as corny as Frank Sinatra, but it really is tremendous music and will stand the test of time.

ELLA AND LOUIS
The chemistry between ELLA and LOUIS was great.It was not evident to do PORGY and BESS with them,but it works splendidly.There is a minor setback for me:ELLA can't do MY MAN's GONE NOW the way SARAH VAUGHAN used to sing it,but the rest of the disc is so enjoyable that one can easily pass that over.I am happy that NORMAN GRANZ the producer succeeded in convincing LOUIS to tackle that project.It is really moving to hear him sing and play his instrument on those tracks,especially I GOT PLENTY OF NOTHIN' and THERE'S A BOAT LEAVING SOON FOR NEW YORK.If you have to choose among the many recordings of PORGY and BESS available,you have to go for that one,even if of course,this is not the complete work.

Ella + Louis + Gershwin? You do the math
They may have been the most unlikely pair of entertainers to sing songs from an operatic production. Ella, while supremely talented, was not operatic in her style. Louis was far from that genre also. However, they took those songs and, as they always had, made them their own. That's why this is a successful musical equation. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Including Sinatra's finest recordings from the most consistently accomplished era of his career, The Capitol Years includes three discs and 75 songs worth of swinging standards and bittersweet saloon pop, the music Sinatra made after his career and personal life had crashed and singing was all he had left. His masterful baritone and remarkable phrasing here work in perfect combination with arrangements that swing and swell to the heartbeat of loves lost and found. It is these performances for which Sinatra will be forever remembered, for surely, no one has ever created music more beautiful than this. --David Cantwell ... Read more

Reviews (25)

For the Frank fan who owns all the albums
The problem with compilations is that they aim to please two different crowds: 1) the listener who wants a good introduction to the artist, including the big hits, and 2) the listener who owns just about everything the artist recorded, but is still searching for rare takes or unreleased items. This set is better suited to the second of the two. If you're just beginning to get into Sinatra's music, I suggest that you buy the great albums--"Songs for Swingin' Lovers" and "Only the Lonely" are a good start. Some of the songs from those albums are included here, but not always the best ones, and certainly not enough of them. The great singles like "Young at Heart" and "All the Way" are also here. But less essential tunes like "Our Town" and "Don't Like Goodbyes" might turn off a new Frank fan--and that's the last thing we want! There are some great rarities in this set--the first take of "One For My Baby" (with piano only, and probably the best version), "Here Goes" (a real swinger), and "I Couldn't Care Less." This set was released before Capitol got around to re-issuing all of the albums in the "Concepts" box set. So the albums which hadn't been re-released are given more consideration--there are so many tracks from the great "A Swingin' Affair" album, you might as well just buy the whole thing. Unless you're a big-time Sinatra collector, I would buy the original albums, and experience the thrill which people had when they first came out in the '50s.

GREAT INTRO TO THE UNTOUCHABLE MR SINATRA!!!!
First things first.No one can touch the incredible artistry of Mr. Sinatra performing the greatest 20th century popular songs with the greatest arrangers.This 3-CD set is a fine intro,but just that,an intro.Believe it,there is something here for everyone.If you know just a few of Frank's later (late 60's on) recordings,after hearing this compilation,you will get a great music/song education.True a handful here,I don't care for.But..."Young at Heart","Put Your Dreams Away","Only the Lonely",and "One for My Baby (a new version here) are among the most exquisite ballads ever recorded. Even better are "I'm a Fool To Want You","Here's that Rainy Day",and "Angel Eyes",which become even more mind-blowing over the years.(There are many others which are not even on this set!). On the super charged swinging side "I've Got You Under My Skin" (obviously),the original incredible,and to me,only real Frank (or anyone else!) version.The blaring trumpet chorus of "The Song is You" is necessary for late night driving,"Just in Time",and "Come Fly with Me" Ditto!!!Check out "Here Goes",another thunping rouser,never even released before this set was issued! The swing version of "Night and Day","Lonesome Road",and "If I Had You" are also true classics.Given that the Chairman must have at least 500 classic individual recordings over 55 years,to get several dozen in one small collection is a treat.Even more amazing is the phenomenal amount on other Frank albums...Truly,his period between 1953-1967 is his best,and this CD covers some of the best of the 1953-1960 period.One more thing.These songs never get dated!!!

The Capitol Years
Frank Sinatra is one of the finest vocalists of the 20th century. In fact one could put him in a very selct company, e.g., David Gahan, Elvis Presley and possible Pat Boone. The melodies are amazing in theitr complexity and the lyrics are witty and smart; and not meaningless like many song seem as of late. Highly Recommended.

Hard To Be Critical, But ....
In a span of five years [1990-1995] Capitol/EMI chose to honour their most illustrious male singer with not one, but two multi-CD sets. Unfortunately, both of them ]the other is the 2-CD set Sinatra 80th - All The Best] contain essentially the same selections. In fact, not counting the very expensive box set, nothing released by Capitol has contained some 12 bona fide hit singles.

These are: Fairy Tale [the flip of Same Old Saturday Night and a # 13 on its own]; the double-sided 1956 hit Flowers Mean Forgiveness [# 21] and You'll Get Yours [# 67]; Five Hundred Guys [the flip of (How Little It Matters) How Little we Know and a # 73 on its own]; Johnny Concho Theme (Wait For Me) b/o You're Sensational and a # 75 in 1956; Your Love For Me [which backed Can I Steal A Little Love and reached # 60 early in 1957]; the 1957 double-sided hit Crazy Love [# 60] and So Long, My Love [# 74]; You're Cheatin' Yourself (If You're Cheatin' On Me), which reached # 25 in 1957; Mr. Success [# 41 in 1958]; Talk To Me [# 38 in 1959]; River, Stay 'Way From My Door [# 82 in 1960]; and Ol' MacDonald [# 25 in 1960].

Trying to find them in a quality CD is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. So, with an added six tracks [perhaps some of the B-sides], wouldn't these make a dandy CD under the title "Long Lost Hits Of ...?"

In the meantime, this is the one you want in order to get most of the other Capitol hits, complete with a 68-page booklet containing liner notes by daughter Nancy [The Legacy - 8 pages], Pete Kline [The Capitol Years - 15 pages], and Will Friedwald [The Legend - 4 pages], a complete discography of the contents, a listing of his albums by Nancy, and track-by-track notes by Pete Kline and Ric Ross [12 pages], in addition to numerous photographs.

The AAD sound quality is excellent.

An almost perfect introduction to Sinatra
Although the casual fan may be disappointed to find Sinatra's familiar hits from the 1960s missing from this marvelous set, this actually represents Sinatra at his very best. Although Frank had become a huge popular success in the 1940s, very little of his work from that period remains especially listenable. Although he possessed a marvelous tenor voice, the arrangements and the songs themselves frequently left more than a little to be desired. In the 1950s, however, a number of factors coalesced to bring about a string of the finest popular vocal albums in American history. First, record technology developed to where the LP became the new standard for musical distribution. This allowed the grouping of a number of songs on a single disc, and Sinatra responded with a succession of superb songs grouped loosely around a theme. Second, Sinatra signed with Capitol records where he worked with a number of superb producers, especially Nelson Riddle. Bringing Sinatra's voice fully to the front of the production, the arrangements kept the orchestra completely in the background, supporting and enhancing Sinatra's singing in spectacular fashion. Third, Sinatra finally overcame some serious vocal problems that perhaps could have threatened his singing career. After healing, he lost a bit off the top of his range, but his voice became much darker and more expressive, more of a tenor with baritone overtones instead of a pure tenor. The result was one of the great periods, if not the greatest, that any popular singer has ever known.

Anyone interested in popular music ought to own some portion of these great Capitol recordings. One way--and the best way--is simply to buy every one of the Capitol albums that Sinatra did. They are all superb, but getting them all can become a tad expensive. The other way would be to get this utterly superb excellent anthology of Sinatra's Capitol recordings. It isn't perfect. Some songs are inexplicably missing. For instance, one of my favorite Sinatra songs, his extraordinary version of Cole Porter's "Just One of Those Things" (with one of the best arrangements of the period), somehow didn't make it into this collection. But as a healthy sampling of the period, this set is really hard to beat: enough selections to give you a truly representative overview of Sinatra's greatest period, but not so much as to overwhelm someone who is only wanting to get just one Sinatra album.

The album is also fascinating for being able to track the development in studio technology in the 1950s. By the end of the fifties, sonically recording came up to a level that isn't appreciably behind where it stands today. Any good recording from 1958 sounds pretty much as good as any recording from 2003. But the same wasn't true of 1952, and the earliest songs in this collection aren't quite as sharp and vivid as the later cuts. Also, on some of Sinatra's high notes, some of the treble gets cut out on the earlier recordings. I wasn't alive at the time, but having heard my grandfather's records from the thirties and forties and my father's from the fifties reveals that it had to be an exhilarating period for the lover of recorded music. Sinatra clearly was one of the first to benefit from these dramatic improvements in technology.

In short, this is glorious music produced by the finest vocal stylist the United States has ever produced. I would especially recommend it to anyone who finds Sinatra's Rat Pack and post-Rat Pack years to be somewhat off-putting. By the end of the sixties his voice started losing more and more of its range and timbre, but here we have Sinatra at the top of his vocal prowess working with producers and arrangers perfectly attune to his skills. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Just as irony is being pronounced dead, along comes this boozy holiday compilation to suggest that rumors of its demise may be premature. Given the culture's simmering lounge mania, this collection (with its cheesy homage/rip-off Oceans 11 art direction) may be belated--but hey, punctuality was never these swingin' cats' bag, Jack. The novelty of having three of the 20th century's most notorious sinners belt, whoop, and sing the praises of sleigh bells, roasting chestnuts, and the virgin birth would be enough to recommend this dizzy, 21-track delight, but there's actually some rewarding pop archaeology here as well. Two of the best tracks--Sammy Davis's ring-a-ding-ding romp through "Jingle Bells" and Dino's dreamy "Peace on Earth/Silent Night"--hail from a vintage, ultra-rare Reprise sampler. Sammy's typically over-the-top "Christmastime All Over the World" and Nat Cole tribute, "The Christmas Song," also make their CD debut. Dino's holiday TV specials yield more unreleased rarities: Sinatra-Martin duets of the loopy "Marshmallow World" and a touchingly tipsy take on "Auld Lang Syne" that suggests the boys have shared more than one cup of kindness. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (28)

One Of My Christmas Favourites
When this came out last year I grabbed a copy from a fast-diminishing pile at my local record store. And I now regard it as one of my all-time seasonal favourites.

The opening lines from the insert tells it all: "Forget about ho-ho-ho and bells that jingle. This Christmas will be strictly ... Ring-A-Ding Ding. Yep, Frank, Dean & Sammy are serving a heaping helping of yuletide cheer featuring classic versions of holiday standards, rare first-time CD performances and hitherto unreleased bonus tracks."

This is followed by two pages of brief anecdotes from each of the stars, some of it related to the origins of the nickname The Rat Pack, as well as a note from Frank's long-time pianist Bill Miller relating their appearance in Las vegas while filming Ocean's Eleven.

A picture spread in the middle shows the three in action on stage, followed by three pages showing the contents and when the song first appeared on record. The earliest [track 11] dates to 1954 and the Capitol LP Merry Christmas To You while most of the remainder are culled from albums originally reeased in the late 1950s to early 1960s. Track 20 is from Dean's TV special on December 21, 1967 and track 21 is from his December 31, 1970 show. The only one previously unreleased is track 3, Christmas Time All Over The World by Sammy, and when you hear it you'll wonder why it was held back at the time.

Thank you Capitol for what is now surely an essential addition to any Christmas collection.

Christmas cocktails with Frank, Dino and Sammy!
Capitol has followed up their "Eee-O Eleven: The Best Of The Rat Pack" disc (one of the few excellent 'Rat Pack' compilations around; most others recycle the trio's bargain-basement material) with this brilliant Christmas-themed CD. While all of the songs Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin sing on their own have been released before on CD, this is a pretty good selection from that material.

From Frank, we get a few timeless carols, "The First Noel", "Hark! The Herald Angels", etc (backed with a choir), plus the beautiful "Christmas Waltz", and "I'll Be Home For Christmas". We even get treated to "I Believe", which is a somewhat rare single, and wouldn't really even be on this CD if not for a throw-away reference to Santa Claus!

From Dean, we get a few tracks from his "A Winter Romance" album (a priceless collection of frosty not-so-politically-correct charmers), as well as a few traditional by-the-numbers Christmas anthems: "Silver Bells", "White Christmas", "Rudolph The Red-Nose Reindeer" and "Winter Wonderland", all of which see Dean impeccably slurring his way along as only he can! A highlight is the stunning "Peace on Earth / Silent Night", which is taken from a ultra-rare Reprise Christmas promo album.

Another track from this album is the incomparable Sammy Davis, Jr.'s take on "Jingle Bells", which is given a Vegas arrangement that swings something fierce! Sammy's tracks really make you wish he'd recorded his own Christmas album. I suppose he was too busy wowing the world onstage as The Greatest Entertainer Who Ever Lived, to consistently blow the socks off everyone from the studio.

The only (minor) gripes are in the small print... For those who care, Capitol's telling a few badly-researched fibs in the liner notes. Dean's "White Christmas" is his '59 version, not the '66 as claimed; Sammy's "It's Christmas Time All Over The World" has in fact been released, and on so many budget Christmas LPs it's not funny, while Davis, Jr.'s sensational version of "The Christmas Song" was not originally from his "The Nat King Cole Songbook" LP, but from a 1963 album, "California Suite", devoted to songs written by Mel Tormé.

The two finishing tracks, Frank/Dean duets from Dean Martin's TV shows cap off a sensational album - the talent of these three guys will short circuit your CD-player if you're not careful, so pour yourself something stiff, and sit down to a nostalgically cool Yule! This CD is even enough to make this Australian reviewer forget that it's the middle of summer and as hot as blazes outside, and cry insanely into the bushfire smoke "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"

Coolest X-Mas CD ever
I was under the impression that I was cool BEFORE I got this CD. Now I just can't stand myself. Frank and Sammy tear it up, but Dean is my boy. What a pimp. This CD rocks.

Solid!
Overall I found the CD to be great - I was expecting a few more Christmas tunes but am very pleased with the selection the chose for this CD anyway. The recording quality is great and overall this inspires me to get more of the Rat Pack CD and DVD collections. What a blast it must have been to watch these guys live!

These hip cats set a swinging, partying mood!
I brought this CD home as a Christmas present for a coworker, but my husband claimed it before I could gift-wrap it. After he played it once, I realized it was the perfect gift for just about everyone on my list. I bought six more to give as gifts -- all to thrilled recipients. We took our own CD along to 2 holiday parties where the hosts played it nonstop and all the guests loved it. This is the perfect Christmas CD. The choir and orchestra are quintessential 1960s. The sacred songs get the respect they deserve, and the silly songs have never been more fun. Do what I did: get one for yourself and one for every music lover on your gift list. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Good enough, but easily could have been GREAT...
Your assignment: Review the singles and album tracks Harry laid down for RCA between 1952 and 1970. Pick 22 selections which represent his Calypso energy, his ballad sensitivity, his race, his beliefs, his pop market hits during the height of his career (1956-62, in my opinion.) Throw in an early side or two, a novelty song or two. The people with that assignment ended up with this CD. I would have created one with at least six different songs. So would anybody. As some other reviewers have noted, it is inexplicable that "Matilda" and "Turn Around" and "Kingston Market" and maybe "Abraham, Martin and John" are not here. They would have been wiser choices, for my tastes, than "Done Laid Around" and "I'm Just a Country Boy" and "Hold 'em Joe" and "Two Brothers" and perhaps even "Bam Bam Bamba" which is Harry's version of "La Bamba", made famous in 1958 (two years later) by the late Ritchie Valens. However, there are many fine performances here: "Day-O" and "Angelina" and "Jump Down Spin Around" and "Jump in the Line" and "Jamaica Farewell" and "Island in the Sun" and "Man Smart" make the CD worth owning if you lack them on other Harry discs. "Scarlet Ribbons" from 1952 and "Mary's Boy Child" from '56 close the album on a solemn note. Was it a good choice to have the slow songs outnumber the catchy ones? Personal taste rules. Was it wise to lay out the songs in this order, which is not strictly chronological, and in fact, to me, has no obvious sense to it? Personal taste again. I found my CD at a bargain price, about half the current retail amount, so I am content. But this isn't the complete and total one-disc best of Belafonte it should have been. And since he didn't end his RCA contract until 1970, but the disc has no song younger than 1961 on it, it appears the compilers are telling us that HB produced not a single song in nine years worthy of inclusion. I find that hard to believe. Still, this looks like the best overall Harry CD on the market right now.

What I was looking for
Like another reviewer, I thought of buying the Beetlejuice soundtrack to hear his two famous songs, Day-O and Jump in the Line. I'm so glad I bought this CD instead. I enjoy most of the songs, and there is only one that I really don't like (Angelique-O, sounds like he's preaching about the old-school idea of the enslaved-housewife, but a catchy tune). He seems to come back around with his Man Smart, Woman Smarter song. One song women-bashes, then the next man-bashes, go figure. My favorite song is Angelina and so many of the songs make ya wanna get up and dance around and sing along. Most of the slow songs give insight to the sensitivity of Mr. Belfonte. Definately a fun CD that is sure to be a party hit.

Love Harry...
Please don't buy this if you are only going to listen and appreciate the "Beetlejuice Songs". It's not right nor is it fair to give this album a measly star. Harry has a soothing voice that produces fabulous songs. However, I do agree that this album is lacking quite a few great songs, such as "Matilda", "Sweetheart from Venezuela", and "Kingston's Market". I am giving this album 4 stars because of this. It's a great album for any collection...

Not the Very Best CD
I took a chance and was thoroughly disappointed with this CD. There are a few good songs ("Day-O", "Jump In the Line")but otherwise this CD is pretty listless and repetitive. There are a LOT of slower songs that will put you to sleep (if this is what you're looking for, then I guess you'll like this CD). In all fairness, Mr. Bellafonte almost falls into the category of "one hit wonder." Save your money.

Excellent BUT...
A well-packed CD with sound much improved from the old RCA Greatest Hits volumes, but two glaring omissions cost this compilation a five-star rating : where is "Matilda" and "Turn Around"? The search for the definitive one-disk Belafonte anthology goes on... ... Read more

Amazon.com

When Harry Belafonte released Calypso, with its memorable songs "Day-O", "I Do Adore Her", and "Jamaica Farewell" sung in his personable, warm voice, it quickly became a bestseller. Like any good folk music, the songs are accessible, yet they also bear the exotic lure of the Caribbean. From the songs of hard work, such as "Day-O" and "Hosanna," to the sly good humor of "Man Smart (Woman Smarter)" and "The Jackass Song," Belafonte's voice helped bring the richness of Caribbean culture to the North American consciousness. While a couple of the songs here are featured in arrangements that may sound a bit corny to modern ears, most sound delightfully fresh and have definitely stood the test of time. --Jeff Grubb ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Island Life!
This is probably our most played c.d. Living in South Florida, this recording just seems to go with our pool, palmetto bugs, and the palm tree lifestyle that we love so much! This album popularized island music, and was played at more tiki parties than any other. I grew up watching white people dance badly to all these songs, all of which are wonderful and have lost none of their appeal. "Day-O"("Banana Boat Song") is a universal classic that just about everyone has heard, but there are some lovely others here also. I especially enjoy the hauntingly sweet "Jamaica Farewell". Just simple little traditional West Indian songs that Belafonte beautifully brought to the masses, who otherwise may never have heard them. Nowadays, if you've ever taken a Caribbean cruise, you may be as sick of these songs as the bands catering to the tourists are of singing them. Be that as it may..., we start all our pool parties with this recording, it has become tradition, and, no one complains (they'd better not!) Belafonte's distinctive, smooth voice is accompanied by authentic island drums and the tin penny whistle on most of the songs, only enhancing their authenticity and charm. A wonderful, classic collection. So, throw on a moo-moo, break out the pina coladas, whip up that jello-fruit mold, plantain chips, salsa, and Spam-pineapple kabobs, and play this recording while you do the Limbo (DON'T hurt yourself!)

One of my family's favorite CD's
It's not true that only baby-boomers like Harry Belafonte. We are in our 20's and have loved his music and his magical voice ever since we first heard a song of his, 5 years ago. We have since purchased every CD of his we could get our hands on and find the music not only great to listen to but also highly singable. Belafonte is also a dynamite performer as evidenced by a concert we attended a week ago. In a one sentence: "it's hard not to absolutely love his music".

A Good Belafonte Sampler
If you don't want to spring for the definitive box-set also offered by Amazon, and wish only to sample the King of Calypso, this CD release of a best-selling RCA Camden vinyl LP will do nicely.

The digitally remastered sound quality is excellent but there are, however, no liner notes included and, in terms of his hit singles, the only ones included from among the 10 he charted between 1953 and 1957 are: Jamaica Farewell [# 14 in late 1956]; and Banana Boat (Day-O) [# 5 early in 1957], along with its flipside, the very similar Star-O.

Some labels have long since re-released CDs that originally offered up 10- or 12-track vinyl LPs, inserting additional tracks to make them more palatable to the consumer. Some examples include Sarah Vaughan, several Elvis Presley albums, and Donovan.

This one would go to 5 stars at once with the addition of: Hold 'Em Joe [# 84 in 1957] and its follow-along B-side, I'm Just A Country Boy; Mama Look At Bubu [# 11 in 1957] and its flipside, Don't Ever Love Me [# 90]; and Cocoanut Woman [# 25 in 1957] and its B-side Island In The Sun [# 30].

That would bring it to a more acceptable [by today's standards]17 tracks, and if they wanted to even it out they could add the other side of Jamaica Farewell, Once Was. And if they REALLY wanted to do us all a favour, they could go to 20 tracks and add his 1956 Christmas hit, Mary's Boy Child [# 12] and its B-side, Venezuela.

But I'm not holding my breath.

Cool music for the summer
This Cd is Excellent! Pop it in the stereo, grab a Pina Colada, sit on the porch, and watch the sunset! This is essential to the collector of rare, talented musicians of the ages.

True quality will always win out over marketing hype
I have an 11 year old daughter and an 8 year old daughter. When I first played Calypso for them they gave me the usual grief but soon I heard them starting to sing along. They now know ALL the words to ALL the songs. My oldest is wanting the $50 three CD collection for her birthday. Sure beats Back Street Boys, Vitamin C and bad rap. ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's a given that Barbra Streisand loves being a movie star. But this collection of pop songs culled from 60+ years of Hollywood history displays a love and understanding of movie songcraft whose depth is surprising, even coming from the legendary diva. Few are likely even familiar with Andre Previn's evocative main theme for The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse; fewer still would cajole veteran songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman to give it lyrics, then make it their wedding song, but that's the unlikely genesis of "More in Love With You" here. If its overwrought classicism represents Streisand at her most cryptically opaque, her playful recasting of the chestnut "I'm in the Mood For Love" as jazzy bossa-nova showcases the low-key sense of adventure she brings to many of the performances here. Her veteran dramatic sense effortlessly drives Chaplin's "Smile" beyond schmaltz and elevates Inside Daisy Clover's "You're Gonna Hear From Me" to nothing less than theatrical showstopper. But it's in the album's smaller, more unexpected surprises (an exotica-tinged "Wild is the Wind," the slinky, electro production of Bagdad Café's "Calling You," "Moon River"'s faithful evocation of Hepburn strumming her guitar in the film) that it reveals its true heart and soul--and that of Barbra Streisand, unabashed Hollywood movie lover. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (187)

WONDERFUL, WARM BABS
I've read some of these reviews, and frankly I
am mystified by some of the stinging criticisms.
Some people seem to be disappointed, even personally
offended that Barbra hasn't done a re-hash of the
Broadway Album. Hey, that was almost 20 years ago,
folks! It was a masterpiece of popular singing, and
what would be the point of trying to do another? Yes,
this album is very mellow, and yes, there could have
been one or two more uptempo songs. But look at what
IS there. At age 61, Miz Babs sounds amazing. No, not
like she did at 20, 30 or even 45. But the pipes are
in absolutely splendid condition and she sings with
the same amount of conviction and emotion that she
ever did. The song selection is wonderful, the string
arrangements are gorgeous, the mood is sublime. This
is not really a "sing-along" CD. This music is meant
to be listened to and enjoyed for what it is--a softer,
more romantic, more mature work than you'll find
anywhere else. I think most of you reading this will
love it if you like Barbra. Period.

Somewhere in the middle
I read through the reviews and was interested at how lifetime Barbra Streisand fans dissagreed. I am a "junior" Streisand fan (I am only 15) but I love her and have done so ever since my mother introduced me to "The Broadway Album" two and half years ago. I was swept away by it. But not so here. Barbra has an excellent voice and is one of the few truly memorable voices of this or a half dozen other decades, but the focus of this album isn't the technical and vocal power. I think once in a while she wants to do what she does best (not that she's a bad actress; Au contrair, I love her movies) but singing just to sing is what this album is about.

Its not going to be one of her memorable release like the "braoway album" of the first "Christmas Album (1966)" but its just a little pleasantry Barbra has given us and I liked it for its soul. Now, for those enamoured with her sheer musical genious and vocal purity and prowess will be sorely dissapointed with this album.

I like her as an artist and a person (though I don't agree with her politically) so I am left somwhere in the middle.

Fair Warning
I think it's funny how this CD is most popular in Massachusetts and California...hmm...now why can that be?

My one star is for men only. Men, if you are considering buying this album, it is tantamount to you wearing a pink polo shirt and hot pants, if you gather my meaning.

I suppose if you are a woman and into this sort of singing, that's fine. But chances are more of you than not donate to the DNC. Perhaps you should ask yourselves, is this woman's voice great, or just good and I agree with her politics?

Personally, ever since my wife made me watch Yentl (which had the poor distinction of being neither humorous or moving, just creepy), I have been waiting for Babs to start aging rapidly. This is my hope, this is my prayer.

.............Barbra's Movie Magic..........
Where do I begin to tell the story of how great a singer of song can be? Every superlative that comes to mind just doesnt seem to measure up to this magnificent work of art...
I wonder from time to time, if Barbra had never become a recording artist , how our lives would be different... (can you even imagine?) The beauty presented here on The Movie Album is simply unexplainable.(and as we know, ("Beauty is healing") ... Listen and after the hairs settle down on the back of your spine ,can you then gradually absorb these beyond spectacular tracks... Musically speaking this cd has to be the finest recording in decades...or maybe ever!
The Movie Ablum is a day by day guide to what feels right in our world today. The magic here happens on your first listen when all is forgotten and one continues to still be amazed with Barbra's unmeasureable talent and inborn musical genuis.
To evaluate one track over another would be like trying to comment on what part of nature is not a miracle.. The arrangements, musicians etc..etc...all of whom came together on this record are to be commended. Absolute Music magicial!!!!!!!!

Her Voice is freak gift in the best way
I saw Barbara at her farewell tour at Staples Center a few years ago. Wow was she amazing. The woman can sing on a level that is unhuman. Just when you think it would be too high or to hard, she glides through every note, again and again. Her diction is also amazing. This was so inspiring to me that I bought a singing lesson CD off Amazon, Voice Lessons To Go by Vaccarino, just so that I could keep up with singing together with Barbara in my car! I also watched her interview on the actors studio. She really deserves all the fame and success she's had. No one handed this career to her. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Timed to the release of the 2001 remake of the Sinatra-Martin-Davis anti-classic Ocean's 11, this 18-track compendium serves as less a best-of than an introduction to the high-living nightclub ethos the Rat Pack embodied. Along with some true knockouts, mostly from Frank's catalog, Eee-O 11's mostly beltingly upbeat tracks also include the impossibly corny (a "When You're Smiling" that seems to be putting Dino himself to sleep) and a couple of straitjacketed studio takes on the Pack's onstage antics (both Sammy duets). Handily, 11 culls one of the original movie's few high points--the rousing Davis blues that provides this disc's title--for a closer. Those drawn in by the newer flick will find this a welcome package, as will swingin' initiates looking for a road-trip CD soundtrack. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Ain't That A Kick In The Head!
This a very cool CD that any Rat Pack fan should love to have in their Rat Pack collection but I have to say that the main reason I got this CD was because I loved the songs Ain't That A Kick In The Head, and EEE-O 11 when they were used in Frank, Sammy and Dean's movie Ocean's 11 and I love those songs but the rest of the songs are great too. I have noticed though that the recordings on this CD of EEE-O 11 and Ain't that a Kick in the Head seem to sound a little different then how they sounded in the movie Ocean's 11 and I'm wondering if there is a soundtrack for the movie. I would buy the soundtrack if it was available but anyway I do like this CD and I recommend it.

Sitting on Top of the World
This album is not live album. It's just a collection of their songs. Released when remake of Ocean's Eleven is released. Sinatra is singin' "I'm Gonna Live Till I Die", "(Love Is) The Tender Trap", "Mr.Sucsess", "You Make Me Feel Son Young", "The Lady Is A Tramp", Chicago" and Witchcraft". You can also hear him dueting with Sammy Davis Jr. on "Me And My Shadow".
Dean Martin is singin' "Ain't That A Kick in A Head", "Volare", "When You're Smiling", "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You", "Sittin' On Top Of The World" and helping Sammy on "Sam's Song".
Sammy Davis Jr. is singin' "Too Close For Comfort", "A Lot Of Livin' To Do", "The Birth Of The Blues" and "Eee-O Eleven" and two previously mentioned duets.
The collection is great, sound too. So, Swing This, Baby!

A Masterpiece!
A brilliantly compiled array of tunes from "The Kings of Entertainment". Each Artist is individually showcased, and there are even a few duets. These guys were not only talented friends, but they always seemed to have fun working together. I'd recommend this CD to any Rat Pack fan!

AWESOME!
This is a definite "MUST" for those who love Sammy, Dean or Frank. If you love them individually, you're gonna REALLY love them together. Every song is jumpin'. Feels like you're right there listening to them on stage! Feeling gloomy? Just put on this CD! The liveliest music I've ever listened to!!

Clydes should stay away. This CD is for swingers, pally!
This is one CD that I can truly say has some of my most favorite songs of all time. The duets with Sammy and Dean, and Sammy and Frank are great! Frank, Dean, and Sammy solo are just as mind blowing. If you're some Clyde who likes N'Sync and Brittney Spears, this gasser of a CD won't be your style. This is martini and cigarette music. The music comes from a time when swingers swung, and music meant more than it does today. If you like swinging beats and classic voices, this CD is a must have. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Tony Bennett has a typical lack of effusiveness about the kudos of his seven-decade career, but he does reportedly display an inscribed picture from a longtime colleague and fellow saloon singer in his Manhattan apartment. It reads: "To the best goddamned pop singer I've ever heard." It's signed "Frank Sinatra." But don't take the Chairman's word for it. Just listen as these two discs bound from one masterly performance to the next, documenting a career whose ups and downs--Bennett actually went long years without a record contract--belie a robust evolution of vocal strength and subtlety of phrasing. The arc of Bennett's art in the decade from "Cold Cold Heart" and "Rags to Riches" to "The Best Is Yet To Come" and his signature "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" is remarkable enough, but it just keeps getting better. When the singer's management shrewdly orchestrated his MTV-powered "comeback" in the late 1980s and '90s, Bennett delivered considerably more than mere hype. Indeed, the highlights of those efforts (a warm, semi-autobiographical collection of ballads; tributes to Sinatra, Astaire, Ellington, and the blues; the obligatory MTV Unplugged set) included here barely skim the surface and arguably warrant a double-disc collection all their own. Still, the 39 tracks here represent the best kind of anthology: one that leaves you craving more. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (8)

C'mon kids, try something new, er, maybe old......
He's "the best goddamned pop singer I've ever heard" too, and I'm in my early thirties. This is great music.

i wanna be around
when i was a little kid, dad brought home a 78 record of tony singing "stranger in paradise" (which as i understand it, the melody is from rocmoninoff (sp) it was his favorite. tony was a staple in our home. as i grow older, well, it seemed he was talking to me. after being "dumped", there was the perfect "i wanna be around", and who amoung us men wouldn't like to be there when your ex lover gets what you got. (not really enought of those kinds of songs around) and the reason i bought this title "when joanna loved me" (just put in the woman's you loved once)....if your not moved by this one......buy this one, you need to....

5 Stars, Plus!
Having been Tony Bennett fans since were "kids" (for over 50 years), my husband and I agree that this is a great representation of Tony's musical career. Also, what a wonderful experience it is to hear excerpts from this album played on radio. Not only does this compilation please & delight the long-time fans, but it also introduces the younger generation to what good music really means. The tone & timbre of his voice, selection of the best tunes and superb delivery make this man a legend and an American Treasure.

Another anthology???
I am a huge Tony Bennett fan. I especially like his jazz albums and backup groups. Pianist Ralph Sharon so often sets the tone, I cannot imagine Tony without him. There are so many Greatest Hits anthologies out there. Columbia first issued the superb "Jazz" compilation, and the "Forty Years" 4-CD collection. All other anthologies are pointless, especially since his newer material is still widely available. Next, in rapid succession, have come "The Ultimate" and now "The Essential", replicating many tracks. Some of Tony's best albums have yet to be released in their entirety. What about "When Lights are Low," named by biographer Will Friedwald as one of the best jazz vocal albums ever recorded, and "My Heart Sings?" I did manage to find on EBay a Japanese version of "Tony Sings for Two," a duet with Sharon. This superb album has yet to be released stateside. We've only heard bits and pieces on compilation albums.

Come on, Columbia! Why hold out on us?

A Staggering Singer
Growing up in the 60s, Sinatra and Bennett were the kings of sophisticated pop songs with Mathis and Andy Williams nipping at their heels. Sinatra was the most emotional. Mathis and Williams always seemed to be skimming the surface, and for much of the time, so did Tony Bennett. But of the group, he was the best singer, and Frank Sinatra acknowledged that in a personally signed photo he gave Bennett. Growing up in San Francisco, his monster hit--I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO--was played in practically every saloon in town and it still is. LOVE LOOK AWAY, RAGS TO RICHES, BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS, BECAUSE OF YOU, FLY ME TO THE MOON, THE BEST IS YET TO COME, FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE(Bennett's effortless top G always tore my own larynx to shreds attempting to imitate him), are bonafide classics. While I always admired the beautiful timbre, the range, and the sheer showbiz pizzaz of his delivery, much of his work was superficial. Or so it seemed.

But this new ESSENTIAL TONY BENNETT has some gems I ignored. Anyone who wants to question Bennett's skills as an intepreter should listen to his performances here of IT AMAZES ME and most importantly, I DO NOT KNOW A DAY I DID NOT LOVE YOU. This Richard Rodgers gem was new to me, and it just knocked me out. I had to play the song four times in a row. Bennett sings both with depth and a world-weary sense of inevitability. Here you'll find outstanding examples of his extraordinary breath control (only Streisand is his equal here). His tuning on the latter song is utterly impeccable and his legato exemplary. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Two CDs are crammed with great cuts and if you listen really carefully, you'll be staggered too.

Like Sinatra I came to appreciate Bennett's skills a bit late in the day. Bennett spent a lot of years without a recording contract and much of the 70s and 80s he was forgotten. When he was finally rediscovered in the 90s, I took notice. Columbia seems to be creating a series here. I passed on THE ESSENTIAL BARBRA STREISAND because the material is readily available on a number of other sources, but the convenience and the selection are the thing here and THE ESSENTIAL TONY BENNETT is on that same excellent level. More please. ... Read more