Filling a very distressing void in Sinatra fans' CD collection, Sinatra: Vegas is the first multidisc assemblage of Vegas performances by the Chairman of the Board, comprising four entire shows from four different eras of Frank's career, and tossing in a rare DVD-only 1978 concert that never aired in its entirety. A must for fans of Sinatra AND the town in question, consisting entirely of previously unreleased Frank material.
About this CD
- Recording: November 1961 (Disc One), January and February 1966 (Disc Two), March 1982 (Disc Three), April 1987 (Disc Four), May 5, 1978 (DVD), Las Vegas, NV
- Release date: November 7, 2006
- Label: Reprise/WEA
- Catalog number: 74075
- Produced by Jimmy Edwards and Charles Pignone
- Engineered by Larry Walsh
- Mastered by Bill Inglot and Dave Schultz
- Musicians: Quincy Jones (conductor, arranger), Count Basie (piano), Lou Levy (piano), Bill Miller (piano, conductor), Vincent Falcone Jr. (piano), Al Viola (guitar), Tony Mottola (guitar), Ron Anthony (guitar), Gene Cherico (bass), Jim Hughart (bass), Irving Cottler (drums), Gordon Jenkins (arranger), Billy May (arranger), Neal Hefti (arranger), Sy Oliver (arranger), Billy Byers (arranger), Don Costa (arranger), Frank Foster (arranger), Johnny Mandel (arranger), Nelson Riddle (arranger)
- Executive Producers: Danny Bennett, Robert Finkelstein, Jimmy Edwards
Pros
- There's never been so much live Sinatra in one place, much less his legendary Vegas stints.
- The shows featured show Frank largely at his best, and also offer different glimpses from four different eras of his career
- The packaging and remastering are first-rate all the way.
- The accompanying DVD is a Holy Grail for Sinatra collectors.
Cons
- Sinatra's late-Eighties shows can't help but be a comedown from his Sixties peak, although they're still very entertaining.
- Some of Frank's more outrageous asides have been edited out, especially on the DVD.
My review
Sinatra and Vegas. One is almost impossible to imagine without the other, and yet for decades, the Sinatra at the Sands album was the one official record of Frank's legendary live performances. Rhino, in their capacity as archivists for the vocalist's Reprise label, finally remedies that omission with this four CD / one DVD box set, lavishly packaged and documenting The Chairman Of The Board at four distinct phases of his career: a 1961 set at the Sands, which features Frank at his Rat Pack best; an entire disc of alternate takes from the 1966 set documented on Sands; a 1982 Circus Maximus concert which captures the singer in fine fettle following his renaissance with "New York, New York"; and a Golden Nugget show from 1987, just before his health problems began to take their toll on Sinatra's performance. The accompanying DVD is really something special, however: a 1978 performance for a convention of liquor distributors, partially filmed for a never-aired CBS special and capturing the master during a supposed period of retirement. This is Frank warts and all, including quite a bit (but not all) of his notorious politically incorrect asides, a chance to hear his "jazz combo" arrangements of the early Eighties, and two spotty-at-best duets with daughter Nancy.
