Pop this on, close your eyes, and you'll be instantly transported back to the Vegas of 1966. The Sands Hotel was still the "class joint" where Sinatra and his Rat Pack buddies partied, held court, and occasionally even performed. This priceless document (Sinatra's first official live album) captures the Chairman of the Board in performance mode, ably supported by conductor-arranger Quincy Jones and Count Basie and his Orchestra. The set list comprises 16 Sinatra classics--including "Come Fly with Me," "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)," "It Was a Very Good Year," and "Angel Eyes"--along with two Basie instrumentals and some seriously un-P.C. stage banter. Essential. --Dan Epstein

2008-06-16 -- 5/5:: One of the best if not the best Sinatra album
Not much to say other than classic mid-career Sinatra. If you love the guy's work you buy this.

2008-05-22 -- 5/5:: one of the best..if not the best Sinatra CD ever!
THis is an outstanding CD. From "Cannon" introducing Frank to the selection of songs to the digitally re mastered versions.... a perfect compilation....

J

2008-05-16 -- 5/5:: You feel like you're there!
I listen to this CD almost every day, especially when I need to escape from my current reality. That says a lot because I HATE it when things are overplayed, even if I love them in the beginning.

This CD, for me, can be summed up in one word: FUN.

Just pop this in the player, sit down with a Jack Daniel's on the rocks (or whatever your poision of choice is) close your eyes, and picture Sinatra on stage, right in front of you. You can hear glasses tinkling, people murmuring, but above all you hear the clash of cymbals, the pounding of the piano, and most importantly, you hear The Voice.

You can tell that Sinatra had a ton of fun throughout this taping, especially during the second track, "I've Got A Crush On You," where he's flirting and interacting with the audience. The "Tea Break Monologue" alone is worth the price of the CD for me. Sinatra is in his natural element, being charming and funny with his stories and jokes. Everytime I hear it, I stop and grin and wish I could have been there that night.

The instrumental on "Makin' Whoopee!" is beyond excellent and "Luck Be A Lady" is probably one of my favorite tracks. I can practically see Sinatra rolling a pair of dice across the table and praying that Lady Luck is still with him.

I highly recommend this CD and I know you won't regret it!

2007-10-15 -- 5/5:: MAKE IT ONE FOR MY BABY AND ANOTHER ONE FOR THE ROAD
JUST IMAGHINE IT'S 1966, YOU'RE IN VEGAS, AT THE SANDS HOTEL (THE HIPPEST CASINO IN TOWN), SEEING FRANK SINATRA IN CONCERT WITH THE COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA, WITH ARRANGEMENTS BY QUINCY JONES. YOU'D FEEL LIKE YOU DIED AND WENT TO HEAVEN, RIGHT? WELL, THIS CD WILL TAKE YOU RIGHT THERE......'NUFF SAID.

2007-09-29 -- 5/5:: 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.