Customer Reviews

Two Shows Nightly (Deluxe Edition)

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It's so interesting to me that of all the singers of the Big Band Era, Peggy Lee was one of the few who paid attention to the younger generations as she and her contemporaries got older. Yes, some might cover the odd Beatles song or begrudgingly consent to an album of (fake) duets with the younger set (Sinatra), or attempt to rock once in awhile (Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald), but for the most part, the old-timers kept their distance (until recently). Adult contemporary singers making their marks in the fifties and sixties, like Andy Williams, Tony Bennett and Jack Jones tackled contemporary material, but always seemed most comfortable in the standards arena (Bennett has stepped up to the plate with the younger set in more recent times, with often impressive results) Mel Tormé, a great singer, to be sure, made numerous comments in his memoir, My Singing Teachers, putting down and dissing the music of the sixties and beyond, even though he was not above recording material by The Beatles, Donovan and The Turtles. One must conclude he was coerced into covering those tunes! Just as some young people snub their noses at the music of bygone eras, some seniors can't seem to acclimate to the modern.

When Peggy Lee wasn't writing her own hits, she was always looking for good songs, and she not only dipped into contemporary waters, she dove right into the waves. This live collection and its included bonus tracks, is a real find, proving that she truly embraced her younger peers, and was quite comfortable doing just about any kind of music (but then we Peggy Lee fans always knew this). Here, Ms. Lee does, indeed, do it all: she rocks, she swings, she croons and she belts. She does folk tunes (the rousing "Hand On The Plow," Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Until It's Time For You To Go," which has become a standard), she positively makes love to the pop/rock tune "I Didn't Want To Have To Do It" and sings to a unique arrangement of "Reason To Believe." There are big band ravers like "Do I Hear A Waltz?" and "Come Back To Me." Whether Peggy was covering the Lovin' Spoonful or Kern & Hammerstein, she seemed to be equally at home. There's barely a misstep here (I'm not sure I needed "Something Stupid" yet again), and yet the extra studio singles and previously unreleased bonus tracks add even more luster to one delightful and unexpected CD. Some of the songs done live on TWO SHOWS NIGHTLY are repeated here in studio single versions. There are also some fine Lee originals.

The instrumental backup and arrangements are solid, there is an informative booklet about the sessions that produced the album, and the sound is clear and sharp; the "Live at The Copa" portion has been remastered, and I think Ms. Lee might approve this time around (it was Peggy herself, as noted elsewhere on these pages, who blocked the album's release, originally). I'm glad we get to hear it now, as it was well worth the wait!

Being aware that this album was withdrawn from production back in 1968, I had serious questions about the desirablity of acquiring this CD. I'm glad I ordered it, because it turned out to be a truly fine collection. Peggy Lee is in her prime and is backed up by a group of exceptionally talented musicians. The upbeat numbers really cook, and the ballads are sensitively and tastefully arranged. It seems that performing before a live audience brings out a lot more energy and commitment than doing the same material in a recording studio. Overall I found this disc downright enjoyable. There's some good bonus material retrieved "from the vaults;" although half of these extras should be classified as cute "novelty tunes" rather than songs for the ages. If you are a Peggy Lee fan, you will be glad you purchased this CD.

My treasured copy of Two Shows Nightly arrived promptly from Amazon a few days within its advertised release date. The recording has occupied most of my musical listening for the past month. The uniformly excellent reviews are in and once again Miss Lee is burning up the charts.

The first half of the disc, the long-awaited Copacabana concert, is a lovely confection of Peggy's nightclub act circa 1968. The vocals are sublime, the instrumental mix crystalline and it's fascinating to hear the actual musical arrangements she used in live shows. The robotic audience applause remains, although toned down considerably. Most of the time I listen through the phony applause, thrilling to the newness of these sounds and the virtuosity of Peggy's stylized performances.

The rarely heard and previously unreleased Peggy-in-her-prime comprises the second half of the disk. If you long to hear more of Peg as she sounded in the swinging '60s, these songs alone are worth the price of admission. "Money" immediately strikes as a minor Lee classic worthy of a single release. The bewitching "Stay with Me" conjures up images of Tequila Sunsets for two and I am absolutely crazy about the Zen-like humor of her jazz waltz, "I Wound It Up."

Ivan Santiago's comprehensive liner notes are a joy to read and there is a lovely picture of Peggy floating around the nightclub floor like a high priestess of pop, borrowing from Gene Lees.

Congratulations to all involved for seeing this project through to fruition!

Peggy Lee could invariably make anything she ever sang sound sublime; and it's great that we do indeed have this album on CD with all those bonus tracks! Peggy is in her natural element as a superlative songbird and entertainer; she tackles songs that were big in the sixties and she clearly maintains a tremendous command of what was then a relatively new part of her repertoire. I notice that there does seem to be one disagreement: One reviewer so far states that these songs were probably entirely recorded in a studio while two others write that the first twelve tracks are from a live album recorded with the audience at The Copacabana. Well, these tracks may be live or they may be from a studio recording with audience applause added; but any way you slice it this remains a brilliant album by Peggy Lee. In addition, there are informative liner notes by Ivan Santiago and the quality of the sound is excellent.

"Do I Hear a Waltz?" starts the album off with Peggy handling complex tempo and key changes like the pro she always was! It's a good number to open with, too, because it sets the mood for the rest of the album, inviting the listener to come along with Peggy as she sings songs with panache. For example, Peggy's cover of "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" gets the royal treatment from Peggy who delivers this with great sensitivity. "Reason to Believe" is very well done; Peggy aces this as effortlessly as if it were mere breathing--but of course we know it really wasn't all that easy--Peggy's talent carried her through every time, even when she was performing more modern songs. "Didn't Want to Have to Do It" again has Peggy squarely in the spotlight on this pop tune; and that's grand. "Personal Property" is quite upbeat and it sounds terrific in Peggy's more than capable hands!

Peggy's rendition of the folk song "Hand on the Plow" has Peggy rocking and more--she certainly does a great job on "Hand on the Plow!" "Until It's Time for You to Go" switches gears to a much slower ballad; but Peggy makes this every bit as memorable with her excellent diction, sense of timing and singing straight from the heart! Peggy was truly born to sing songs like these. "Something Stupid" is very well done, to say the least; and there's yet another gem in "What Is a Woman." "Alright, Okay, You Win" is a song Peggy performed on many previous occasions, yet she makes it sound so fresh and new with her energetic performance! I'm very impressed. There's a backup chorus on "Alright, Okay, You Win" even though Peggy never really needed backup; but they do sound good anyway. "Here's to You" has Peggy singing this to perfection; and I also really like "Come Back to Me."

Then we come to the bonus tracks--and wow, how fine they are! "Make Believe" has a solid arrangement and Peggy never lets go of a single superfluous note! "Stay With Me" is very easy on the ear; and Peggy does great justice to "Happy Feet." "That Man" is another tune with a sixties flavor; and thus we get even more proof of Peggy's natural ability to adapt and perform the music of changing times at a very sophisticated level. "I Feel It" is strong; and there are other gems including "Lonesome Road" with Peggy putting so much energy into it; "I Wound It Up" that has Peggy Lee front and center as she does this flawlessly; "Money" with Peggy yet again singing so well; "Misty Roses" that makes good use of the piano, guitar and percussion while Peggy again handles tempo and key changes the way the best of the best songbirds ever could; the poignant, melancholy "It'll Never Happen Again" that features Peggy singing with all her heart and soul; "Reason to Believe" which Peggy performs seemingly effortlessly; and the CD closes with Peggy Lee doing her usual best on another recording of "Didn't Want to Have to Do It." Excellent!

Peggy Lee fans will treasure this fine CD with all these bonus tracks; this is cloud nine for any Peggy Lee fan!

Thank you, Peggy Lee!

I am glad that this wonderful album has been released with such astonishing sound quality.
I loved "By the Time I Get to Phonix," "Something Stupid, and especially "What is a Woman."
The bonus track are superb. I recommend this CD highly.

Two previous reviewers have called Two Shows Nightly a live album. There may be some live tracks here, but all of Peggy Lee's comments to the audience were obviously recorded in the studio, as I believe many of the songs were as well. In a live Peggy Lee performance, she interacted with her audience with asides during the songs. That doesn't happen in this recording ever. To be fair, many live albums from this period were actually recorded in the studio, with the audience applause added, so Lee is just doing what many others did as well.

this disc is great in every way. Not only is Miss Peggy Lee in great voice but the musicians who back her up are equal to the occasion. I can't stop playing the disc and wishing for more. I know that there are other unreleased discs and I hope they will be available soon.

For years and years this beautiful album has been lost to us. Now, it's like a dream come true! First "Mirrors", then the "Lieber & Stoller". Peggy Lee was undoubtably the finest female singer to come out of America, and this wonderful album should have pride of place in everyone's collection!