Customer Reviews

Eee-O-11: The Best Of The Rat Pack

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I had bought a Rat Pack collaboration before this one and quite frankly, it was bombsville. An 18-karat dud. So when I bought Ee-O-11...I was hoping for something with more songs, better quality, and more of a kick. My hopes were high. Thankfully, I was not let down.

This album more than made up for the previous. The songs are a real testament for the talent these guys had. Some of the highlights are "Ain't That A Kick In The Head", "Eee-O-11", "I'm Gonna Live Til I Die"(I've adopted that one as my theme song...). The whole mix is of such great quality of sound that I can picture myself sitting in the front row at the Sands. The upbeat tunes are equally spaced between the soulful croones so it's impossible to get bored.

I suggest that anyone who likes to swing and have a good time buy this album. It'll liven up any clam-bake and will defintely make you look like a big-leaguer instead of a harvey.

Unlike other Rat Pack "Best of" compilations out there, which tend to be a collection of Frank Sinatra standards with a little Dean and even less of Sammy thrown in, this is a true, balanced package highlighting all three entertainers' talents equally.

Even more fun are two duets, "Sam's Song," and "Me and My Shadow" on the CD featuring Sammy and Dean and Frank and Sammy. These are a lot of fun to listen to. The musical repoire between these guys is pure magic.

This isn't one of the live discs - for one of those, check out "Rat Pack Live at the Sands" - but rather, a collection of studio material. But they're nice selections, 18 songs in all, and the CD flows. In fact, the ones they've chosen are particularly appropriate, as most of the songs are favorites of the Rat Pack - the ones they performed in their legendary shows.

Even if you already own a lot of Dean, Frank, and Sammy music, this is a nice collection to have.

This is a great cd of all the best of the Rat Pack, in my opinion. You can never go wrong with Frank, Dean and Sammy.

The best part about this CD you ask? It is track 18- the EE-OO-11 song that was sprinkled throughout the original Ocean's 11 Movie.

The new Ocean's 11 movie may be as good as the 41 year old original. But the question is," Can any of the fellows in the new rendition compare to these originals"? Notably, there are no big actors around today with the musical/performing heft of the originals!! Frank,Dean, and Sam were simply one a kind ,the Beatles for grownups, something seemingly unimaginable today. This CD just proves the point,as if it needed any more proof. Two of Frank's semi-rare 1950's singles, "I'm Gonna Live..",and "Mr. Success" are here, and perhaps they steal the show. "Tender Trap" and "You Make Me Feel so Young" have always been in his standard repertoire,but fit the fun and high living mode here to a T. "Me and My Shadow", with Sam and Frank is their only studio recording together, more great fun.Sam's "Lotta Living to Do", "Birth of the Blues" and E-O-ll just add to the fun. And Dean's "Volare" is his best effort,though his singular tipsiness is apparent on all his efforts...All in all,a great show not to be missed,even if there are no live versions.Sam's Song is fine here, but the fun and laughs are way over the top on the live performances! Go for it!!!

Even if you don't have a chauffer, limousine and stacks of folding green you can place this CD in your player, slip off your mary janes and with a little gasoline take yourself back to the time when music was better than today's. This CD features studio tracks from the 3 core Rat Pack members FAS, Dag and Smokie. I personally didn't have any of these studio tracks so I found it to a real barn burner. So buy it and let's start the action!

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.

If you remember these guys, their talent and charisma - it's all in this album. Not to be missed by Rat Pack fans who just won't let go - Dean's "A kick in the Head" is a stand out, as is "Me and my Shadow" by Frank & Sammy.

No doubt Capitol intended this album to be the proverbial bucket of cold water in the listener's face. It is, and it works. From the rousing Sinatra opener, through Dean Martin's ultimate lounge hit to a grin-inducing 'Sam's Song' by Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., Eee-O-11 is a selection of pure fun. Probably the best 1960s party album in recent memory.

Is this essential Sinatra? All of these songs are available elsewhere, and Dean must have performed 'Volare' hundreds of times. It is a great set for those who want to sample the less serious side of all three singers in one easy package, and each was a talent in his own right. If the bombast gets a bit out of hand ('I'm Gonna Live 'til I Die' must be the loudest thing Sinatra ever recorded, even if it is riveting), there are some real treasures here as well -- especially among the Sinatra numbers. 'Witchcraft' and 'The Lady is a Tramp' have been released at least five or six times in the past decade, but somehow when you're listening to these guys having a ball with a string of uptempo tunes, the ice melting in your glass, you don't mind paying for the privilege of owning maybe just one more CD with a few familiar songs.

Dean, Frank, and Sammy. What else is there to say. The first three songs you may recognize from the HBO movie The Rat Pack (which is in itself a terrific film). The CD has no dialogue from the Summit's, just some great songs from these three talented guys. Truly the BEST of the Rat Pack as the title says!!

I mostly bought this because I was having trouble finding E-O-11 on another album. Glad I did -- lots of great recordings here. A nice addition to my collection.