Customer Reviews

Sammy Davis, Jr. - Greatest Hits, Vol. 1

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Back in 1988, the CD revolution was just heating up, and Sammy was asked by Decca to assemble a selection of songs for a greatest hits collection. Ever the musical genius and visionary, Sammy chose these songs from among his biggest hits with an eye toward testing the new technological medium and really showing what it could do. The fact that Sammy chose these songs himself makes this a very important CD for me. The variety of these songs highlights Sammy's amazing versatility and even more amazing voice, leaving little doubt as to why he has been called the greatest entertainer in the world.

These songs cover 19 years of Sammy's Decca career, from Hey There in 1954 to All the Good Things in Life in 1973. This CD features staples such as The Candy Man, That Old Black Magic, and I've Gotta Be Me, slow jazzy numbers like New York City Blues (with Count Basie) and I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (with Laurindo Almeida), invigorating showstoppers like Lonely is the Name and At the Crossroads, and a live recording (with Buddy Rich at the Sands) of the energetic Come Back To Me/The Birth of the Blues which really captures the magic Sammy exerted over a crowd. All the Good Things in Life inspires a really nostalgic feeling, especially in the context of Sammy's untimely death not long after this CD was released. This greatest hits album really captures the free spirit that was the one and only Sammy Davis, Jr.

This is a terrific introduction to the music of a legendary superstar. Not only did Sammy possess a one-of-a-kind voice, he was a born crowd pleaser who loved what he did and spread joy lavishly among his many fans. Boasting over one hour of music handpicked by Sammy himself, this CD is one to be treasured and, above all, listened to-often.

This is a truly great collection. If you're the least bit interested in Sammy Davis Jr., then this is the collection to buy. It's true that there quite a few great songs that don't appear here but this is the place to start. It's no mistake that this is such a fantastic album since all of the songs were hand picked by the man himself.

This album brings back memories of a golden age, Sammy was like Frank Sinatra, in that you can hear how he "feels" what he is singing;as though He is reminiscing events in his own life. I would highly reccomend this album to anyone who wants to set the stage for your memories-and "Raise your glass to the good things in life"

Sammy Davis,Jr. was undoubtedly a bundle of talent in that tiny body. No one even comes close today. If you don't have any of Sammy's music, this collection is a great way to get started. Brings back wonderful memories of a warm, funny and classy gentleman.

As the same as Frank Sinatra,these are the best. These are legends

Hands down, Sammy Davis Jr's best CD. Beautiful voice and a great variety of his songs.

The CD speaks for itself. Sammy Davis is awesome and this is a great CD.

Any compilation of the music of Sammy Davis, Jr., one of the premier showmen of the 20th Century, is a compilation worth having. And there can be now doubt that the 19 songs included here were among his personal favourites. Indeed, he says so himself in the one page of liner notes: "These are my best. There's not one on this disc that I would say, "Gee, I wish we hadn't put that in." I'm very proud of these."

And proud he should be because you would be hard-pressed to find better renditions anywhere. However, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, when something is advertised as someone's "Greatest Hits" most expect to see the songs that earned hit status on one of the national charts. And, from 1954 to 1976, Sammy chalked up some 26 such hits while recording for Decca, Reprise, MGM, and 20th Century.

In this volume, none among tracks 1,2,6, 8 to 10, 12, and 14 to 17 were hits for Sammy. So, in retrospect, perhaps a better title for the album would have been Sammy Davis, Jr. Personal Favorites.

As for the 8 legitimate hits that are here, there is no doubt that these were the best of those 26 in terms of commercial popularity (record sales, juke box and air play), starting off with his first, Hey There, from the Broadway musical Pajama Game. In late summer 1954, accompanied by Sy Oliver's orchestra, it rose to # 16 Pop on Decca 29199, finishing well back of the # 1 by Rosemary Clooney. That December he returned to the charts with The Red Grapes, again accompanied by Oliver, reaching # 28 on Decca 29310, but that's missing here and remains one of the hardest to find of Sammy's hits.

Then, in the summer of 1955, he went head to head with The McGuire Sisters on Something's Gotta Give from the film Daddy Long Legs, settling for a # 9 Billboard Pop Top 100 on Decca 29484 to The McGuire Sisters' # 5. The thing is, the flip of Sammy's record, Love Me Or Leave Me, also reached # 12 - but that's missing here. Both were backed by the Oliver orchestra. Later that summer, this time with the Morty Stevens orchestra, he took That Old Black Magic to # 13 on Decca 29541. From there to the end of 1956 he would add four more Decca hits (I'll Know - # 87, Five - # 71, Earthbound - # 46, and New York's My Home - # 59), but none are included and remain very difficult to find.

He would not return to the charts until late summer 1962, now with pal Frank Sinatra's Reprise label, when What Kind Of Fool Am I? from the Broadway musical Stop The World I Want To Get Off made it to # 6 on the new Adult Contemporary (AC) charts and # 17 on what now had become the Billboard Pop Hot 100 on Reprise 20,048, backed by the Marty Paich orchestra. That December he had a two-sided hit with Me And My Shadow (# 18 AC/# 64 Hot 100 in a pairing with Frank) and Sam's Song (# 84 Hot 100 in a duet with Dean Martin), both backed by the Billy May band. Neither is here.

In fact, they skip over another five Reprise hits, including the # 37 Hot 100 Don't Blame The Children in 1967, while including the uncharted B-side She Believes In Me, before presenting I've Gotta Be Me from the Broadway musical Golden Rainbow. With the Richard Wess orchestra backing, it peaked at # 1 AC (and stayed there for 7 weeks) and # 11 Hot 100 in early 1969 on Reprise 0779.

After being off the charts for a couple of years, and now with MGM, he returned with The Candy Man in early 1972, from the film Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory. With Don Costa's orchestra backing, and billed to Sammy Davis, Jr. with The Mike Curb Congregation, it rose to # 1 Hot 100 and # 1 AC on MGM 14320. The same billing appeared on The People Tree, which topped out at # 16 AC and # 92 Hot 100 that November on MGM 14426.

That would be his last Hot 100 entry, although he would go on to post another six AC hits to 1976, few if any of which seem to be available on CD.

The sound quality in this 1988 Garland release, a mix of AAD and ADD, is excellent and, despite what it suggests above, there was never a follow-up volume. It's high time someone like Ace, Jasmine or Acrobat of the U.K. gives us a proper anthology of his hits.

hi, years ago i had a cassette of sammy davis jr greatest hits vol 1 & not relizing the cd would be different from the cassette ,as i only had the pic of the cassette to go by ,& was so excited to discover the cd ,but soon found out it was not the same songs from the cassette,i would love to get a cd with the same songs from the cassette if possible?

thank you
carmen

You will dig this..Sammy is hip babe!