Pickleloaf.com : Music : Sinatra at the Sands


Music : Sinatra at the Sands In association with Amazon.com Rating: - As good as music gets You can't get better than this, originally a double LP, now released on a single CD. There is is no recording date on the CD but the LP was released in September 1966, and Sinatra references his own 50th year during the concert ("I think I better sing before I turn 51"), so it was undoubtably recorded in 1966. This means Sinatra was still in peak form at the time. The great Count Basie Orchestra launches the show and then Sinatra enters saying "How did all these people get in my room"! The Basie Orchestra is fabulous providing the sort of backing that Sinatra should have used more in his career. They do a couple of instrumentals the best of which is "All of me" where I imagine most of the room jumped out of its skin when after a typical minimilist Piano statement of the tune the band enters unexpectedly with a fantastic crescendo chord. Sinatra is amazing, and there are so many great moments on this disc that its hard to pick out favourites in a short review. However I'll pick two, the swinging version of "Get me to the church on time" and "You make me feel so young". These two tracks alone demonstrate that the man had everything you could wish from a great singer. Beautiful phrasing, immaculate timing and an ability to hold an audience that few others have matched. There are 21 tracks on the CD, including a couple of monologues from Sinatra which are the two weakest tracks. The arranger and conducter is Quincy Jones, so no loss of quality on that front. This is an absolutely essential purchase for anybody interested in good music regardless of genre. Rating: - An Indescribably Brilliant Album. There are always certain movies, books and in this case albums whose ecellence is hard to describe in words. Such is the case for me with "Sinatra At The Sands". Many times have I tried to write a concise, detailed review of how wonderful this 1966 concert album is, but I always wind up with a stinging case of writer's block. For "Sinatra: At The Sands" is quite simply, the best live album I've ever heard, as well as one of the best in general. The energy, the performances, the audience - everything clicks so perfectly here that it's almost scary. Recorded during his early 1966 engagement at the famed Sands Hotel & Casino with Count Basie and his orchestra, this is Sinatra in top form. He is loose, relaxed and clearly having fun, but at the same time he is focused, professional and dangerous. His voice is still close to the condition it was at his peak, so he sounds fantastic on each song, his trademark breath control and diction skills in pristine condition. As I said earlier, the energy level on this album is quite high. Becasue Count Basie and his orchestra were accustomed to the Big Band, swing-style music, most of the crooner-type songs Frank is associated is tossed aside for rougher, heavier, more uptempo numbers. This means typically faster numbers such as "I've Got You Under My Skin" (arguably the definitive version), "Luck Be A Lady", "My Kind Of Town" and "Fly Me To The Moon" more pumped up and lively than originally conceived in the studio, while typically reserved numbers such as "Come Fly With Me", "You Make Me Feel So Young" and "Where Or When" are reworked (with excellent results) to work within the swingin' mood of the rest of the set. The rare times Frank cools things down a bit for a slower tune is welcome. "I've Got A Crush On You" is playful and sincere, his cover of Tony Bennett's "The Shadow Of Your Smile" is lovely, while "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) and "Angel Eyes" are typically heartwrenching, and "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" also works quite well. "The September Of My Years" and "It Was A Very Good Year" don't quite succeed at recapturing the emotion poignancy of their studio precursors, but go over well enough. Basie also takes on a few instrumentals while Frank catches his breath, and they are great to hear. Basie ranks right up there with Ellington and Satchmo as one of the premiere jazz bandleaders of his time. The great Quincy Jones, still fairly young and new here, does a greayt job conducting Basie's fabulous band. Frank's monologues are hilarious, if a bit off color and sometimes just plain cruel. The sound quality on this remastered edition is excellent, as is the liner notes by Stan Cornyn, which perfectly detail the magic of seeing Sinatra in concert (something I never had the chance to do). This is a classic recording that I all Sinatra fans, as well as music fans in general, should not go without. Rating: - Now I get it Maybe you're like me, a little younger, you grew up on stuff like Rush and Black Sabbath. Frank Sinatra was that old guy on the Jerry Lewis telethon. He was joke fodder on SNL. But you're getting a little older and you're tastes are branching out a bit. If so, buy this album. It will explain in no uncertain way why Sinatra is the icon he still is, and deserves to be. Backed by the amazing Count Basie and his orchestra Sinatra never misses a beat. He works the crowd, sings flawlessly, and takes you through every emotion from laughter (his monologue is a riot) to sadness (One For My Baby) and hits every point in between. Unlike so many of todays prepackaged and self proclamed celebrities, Sinatra got where he was through sheer force of talent and personality. He didn't just show up for the gig, he delivered a master performance. It's just lucky for us the tape was rolling. Rating: - Wish I was there!! I have alot of music by Frank Sinatra and this is my favorite CD... Rating: - A Classic Live Album I never had the pleasure of hearing Frank Sinatra live although I passed up some chances that I wished I had taken advantage of. I grew up hearing Frank Sinatra in movies and seeing him on numerous TV specials, I think not quite realizing how truly special a performer he was. It's true as it is with many singers, that his voice and music styling's changed over the years. This album I think is a audio snapshot in time of a world and a place(Vegas), that will never be the same. It is a world that was sophisticated and cool, but with a raw edge and political correctness wasn't even on the horizon. And if anyone would have suggested such a thing they would have been laughed down or thrown out on their ear. This is a great listen,but don't buy it if your looking for easy listening, it is a high energy live concert that should be listened to with the volume cranked up! Franks voice is a little smoky and he is clearly relaxed and is having fun. It isn't like some of his early studio recordings or later for that matter where his voice is a purer instrument. But it is well worth it, I would definately recommend it to have and enjoy.