Customer Reviews

Summit: In Concert

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sure we've all heard the "packaged" stage appearances in Las Vegas by Frank, Sammy, and Dean. What you get here is the guys just having fun performing in Sam Giancana's club (Mob boss) outside of Chicago. The guys are very loose and the sounds of the glasses clinking in the audience are priceless. This CD let's you in what was probably something of an exclusive performance given by the biggest entertainers of that time. Sammy really belts it out while Dean and Frank give him the business. It's great and very, VERY high quality recording.

Firstly unless I'm mistaken (which of course has
never happened before ;) ) this title is also
the live at the villa in chicago 1962 two disc
collection.

This collection made me a fan of Sammy Davis Jr.
I have been a longtime Sinatra fan and knew Sammy
could dance and sing but until hearing this I
never realized just how talented the man was.
Sammy really is the star of the show on these discs.
Frank, of course, is Frank and Dean was his usual suave
self..but Sammy was the star with his wonderful singing
voice and impressions. By all means stop everything and
get this set, it's more than worth it.

I am a fan of the Rat Pack, I was before and will be always. I never had a recording of the three together before so I looked on Napster (yes I use that hated word) and searched and searched. I could find little, and what I did find was incomplete and of poor quality. I was depressed. Then I stumbled across this album in a store. Sure 30 bucks is a bit high, and who cares if it is printed on gold. I was skeptical but bought it anyway (i guess from a guilty napster user concience). All I have to say is that it was well worth every penny. The music is wonderful and the powerful magic that happened between these three comes out in this recording. I now understand why they became the best. I learned new things, like the fact that the older generations could be just as outlandish and crude. Lets just say pieces of this album can't be aired on radio. This is an album I would nominate for the Smithsonian. It needs to be kept and cherished to show a generation past. It also has the added benifit of being one of the most entertaining albums I own.

Forget the nit-picky comments you may read here, if you are a fan of any of the artists on this album, buy it! The recording is of very high quality, and I agree with another review, vacuum tube amplification makes the vocals even better. The banter between the artists in between the musical numbers is a real treat for fans too young to experience these shows live. One other observation, if you buy this not having a HUGE appreciation for Sammy already, you will be blown away by his talent. ..thanks to Sinatra family for releasing this disc. Hopefully many more are forthcoming.

This is a must have for any die hard fans of the Rat Pack--particularly those of us who weren't fortunate enough to be around during their glory years. As Dino said "if you want singing by an album", but if you want to experience the swagger and charisma that was the rat pack at the height of their powers buy The Summit:In Concert.There's some quality vocalizing from all three--but what predominates is the silly, self-amused shtick for which these guys were known.Turn the lights down, mix a martini, and go back to a time when men were men, and these guys ruled!

The performance captured here is a watered-down, edited performance of one of the Villa Venice shows. The Rat Pack performed there in late 1962 for two weeks, and their performances were captured by noted recording engineer Wally Heider. As can be expected, in some shows they would hit the nail, and in other shows they would miss. This is a show wherein they missed. Sinatra's monologue was cut short, sounded weary and lacked punch. What's worse is: Dino's monologue was completely edited out. The listener who is fortunate enough to have listened to the out-of-print two-volume set "Villa Venice Chicago, 1962" put out by Jazz Hour would know what I mean. To add insult to disappointment, the CD itself was poorly manufactured by careless workers. After removing the tightly sealed cellophane wrapper and opening the elaborate jewel case, I noticed conspicuous finger print smudges on the top of my brand new CD! I turned it over to inspect the exquisite gold and found, to my horror, either foreign particles or air bubbles encased in the plastic in various locations! I asked the maker, DCCCompact, at their website to address this issue and have not heard from them. This CD may be slightly better mixed/restored but buy at your own risk. (A word of caution for the person trying to find a copy of the Jazz Hour classic: There are a lot of illegal CD-R copies floating around, especially through the Internet auction houses.)

I was first inspired to purchase this album after I read the 'Unofficial Rat Pack' biography and seeing the HBO special a year or so back, and I was very intrigued on how this group of crooner's first got together....

It's easy to see why. Though this album only features Dean, Sammy, and Frank, it's a knock out and their chemistry is great. Not only are the songs timeless, but the in-between hijinks, comedy, and bantering between these three open a window back into time and give us a 'real' taste of the lunge acts in the Vegas hey-day.

Summit opens with Dean Martin's smooth voice and a few comedic lines, followed by a powerful Frank, and concludes with a more playful and just as powerful Sammy.

There are some funny antedotes and stories along the way, and even some impromtu impersonations. The 'only' thing that you may find uncomfortable, but you need to realize it was the sign of the times, is the contstant ribbing of Sammy being black. Remember, the 50's was a different time for black entertainers in a white world, but Dean and Frank, even in their jesting do it out of love and make Sammy 'one of the boys'.

I only wish it could have been longer, or another album featuring more dialouge and songs!

I agree with the San Francisco fan. This version of one of the Villa Venice concerts has absolutely no punch to it. The pack wasn't having as much fun and the orchestra was not as lively as the Jazz Hour version. Major disappointment! Forget this one pallies.

A must have for fans of the "Rat Pack". The "Summit" CD does a great job at capturing the fun that Frank, Dino, and Sammy must have had during their heyday in the 60's. This "live" CD makes you feel like you are sitting in the audience of the Villa Venice listening to the great crooning, the jokes and impersonations. It is also refreshing to see the "three" making fun of themselves, each other, and society as a whole. (Political correctness did not apply to their routine and before one judges the content too critically, one needs to appreciate and understand the turbulent atmosphere of the 60's). Thank you Tina Sinatra for releasing this quality sounding gem...

As said in some reviews People rated it low because they were off the night this was recorded. That WAS THE RAT PACK! They can't be perfect all the time especially the amount the partied. This performance was great and I was very happy to have this collector's item. Definately worth buying and listening to over and over again. Not only for the older folks that were around those days but also for us Rat Pack fans in our mid twenties.