Customer Reviews

Ultimate

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tony Bennett is like an excellent bottle of scotch just waiting to be opened. All of the great crooners (Nat, Bing, Frank, Dino, and Perry) are all gone now. Tony is all that is left from the Your Hit Parade era. This is the definative album where Tony has selected the songs that he cherishes. My children (ages 12 and 16) just love this guy. Nearly every song is memorable although I would have added a few more, such as "Firefly", "Once Upon a Time", "Rules of the Road", as well as some cuts from his now-famous MTV concert, just to name a few. Keep up the GREAT WORK Tony!!!!!! We LOVE you!!!!!!

With the delivery of some of his biggest hits on Columbia, Tony holds his own and then some with croonin' songs. He sings them as if he wrote them which of course he didn't. The only dud on this collection of 20 songs is 'Blue Velvet' which should have been left to Bobby Vinton. I believe Tony left Columbia because they forced him to record material he didn't like. Maybe Blue Velvet was one of them?? Of course San Francisco is on this set plus Rags to Riches, Because of You, etc etc.
Great album to have in your collection.

With 14 songs from the 50's & 60's and 6 from the 80's and 90's, This CD is heavily weighted in favor of Tony Bennet's earlier commercial hits. According to the liner notes, Tony himself carefully handpicked these songs, so if you don't like the selection you'll have to talk to the singer about it.

However you look at it, this is undeniably the essential Tony Bennett hits over some 40 years. Many of them were produced by Mitch Miller. And many come from the classic compsers such as Julie Styne, Cole Porter, Jonny Mercer, Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin and such.

This is basically 50's and 60's nostalgia with a nod at Tony's more recent work, and so is obviously for those who prefer the older and most familiar music. And for those listeners, it's definite four star material.

I am just getting into this singer, but I feel that his approach to singing a song is so unique. When he sings, "The Best Is Yet To Come", he puts his signature on it. One of his best songs on there is "The Shadow of Your Smile". I mean he take his time with it, and Jimmy Rowles on the piano along with the orchestra gives it what it needs to stand out.One of the best versions I ever heard. "Put On A Happy Face", "When Joanna loves me","Rags to Riches", "Just In Time", and "The Good Life" are some more favorites. A fine CD by a fine gentleman.

As you may have noticed I've given this disc four stars out of a possible five. I give it that many stars out of respect for Mr. Bennett who, I am sure had little, if anything, to do with putting together this compilation.

Arguably, Tony Bennett is America's finest saloon singer. I find very little to fault in his approach to music and in the last 8 to 10 years has released, what I feel, to be a number of exceptional discs.Like a fine wine Mr. Bennett has simply gotten better with age,as has his arranger Ralph Sharon. That being said, a compilation of his strongest material would be a task of herculean proportions!Definitely not a job for the weak of heart!Which brings me to this cd.

I , initially, had high hopes upon hearing of Columbia's release called the "Ultimate" Tony Bennett.I thought, here, at last,in a single offering will be something I can put on, again and again.Somthing that would, in one disc,give me the highlights of Mr. Bennett's "superhuman" career. Imagine my disappointment! Whoever was responsible for compiling the songs for this selection must have no idea as to where Tony has been the last ten years.There's very little here from his last six cd'd, including nothing from "Perfectly Frank", "Unplugged","Here's To The Ladies" and one song from "Stepping Out". Instead we are "treated" to, from tracks 15-20,with the exception of "Stepping Out With My Baby", songs that should have been left in the studio. I simply cannot understand the thinking in releasing this cd! My "gut feeling" tells me that this is Columbia, once again, trying to capitalize on Tony's name by releasing material that true fans already have but may still purchase anyway,since it is a Tony Bennett offering!And if the idea was to bring in a new audience wouldn't it had been better to give them a sampling of Tony's best...which, I'm afraid, won't be found here!Who is this being marketed to?

Lastly, I do understand that the incredible task of putting together,on one disc, a career that spans over five decades, would prove to be virtually impossible. Someone will always point of missed opportunities and favorites that were left off but this collection simply misses it's mark.It simply doesn't excuse the shoddy song selection that has been disguised as a "compilation". Wouldn't a "two" cd set had made much more sense? Plus, seeing how all the material has been previoulsy released it might have carried a lower price tag as well. If Columbia truly respected Mr. Bennett and had wished to bring in new fans to his already immense and hugely popular back catalogue, might that had not been the direction to go?

All in all, while the music here speaks for itself,and some of it is truly remarkable, do yourself a favor and pick up Tony Bennett's work individually. In the end it will be much more satisfying and than we can argue about who really is the best "saloon singer" around!

Perfect gift for my Dad who has tried to sing like Tony Bennet all his life, when he was younger he nearly got close. He will be 70 on Sunday and If I could afford to have Tony Bennet come over and sing I would. But this I hope will make him happy. Perfect combination of all his songs

One of the greatest singers of all time and he's still going strong. What makes these recordings so great is the genuine feeling that each embodies. Tony is one of the nicest guys I've had the pleasure to meet and you hear it in his voice. It's that genuine love and feeling for his ART. This is the real thing! The Stuff that talent is made of! If you took all of the Rap CD's and all those of the Divas in their undies and stretched them end to end to the moon and back, they would not be equal in value to this one CD of Tony's!

Tony Bennett is the ultimate saloon singer. Perfect, jazz inspires phrasings that can take a familiar song in interesting new directions. I was looking for that stripped down bar room sound: stand up bass, piano and soft brushes on a snare drum and Tony's unique virtuosity, sometimes whispery, othertimes sharp and loud. This is not that recording. This "greatest hits" album features the lush and elaborate productions of the 50's and 60's, a style that is like a sugar coating on top of Tony's greatness.

Tony Bennett is a singer's singer. This CD is the best compilation disc of greatest hits he's ever put together. It covers his entire career from early hits like Rags To Riches thru "San Francisco", I Wanna Be Around, Just In Time and the heartbreaking When Joanna Left Me, one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. There are excellent liner notes, dates etc. and the sound is clean and exquisite. There are 20 cuts, and every one is a jewel. Tony Bennett is the Rolls Royce of singers. If you're lacking room and can only make room for one Bennett CD, this is the logical choice. Buy It! It will be one of the best CD purchases in your life.

Tony Bennett is a great singer. Like Hank Aaron could hit a baseball. Like New York has a few people around, or Dallas is warm in July.

This may be the best single disc compilation of Tony's work available. It has just about every popular song he has ever recorded. Leaving aside the ubiquitous "San Francisco (a classic of all time, it goes without saying), this disc has so much more to offer. "I Want to be Around (to pick up the pieces)", "Tender is the Night", "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", and on and on and on. Each song here is better than the next. His voice is a treasure. "Steppin' out with my Baby" is as cool as the other side of the pillow.

Thanks to MTV "unplugged", a whole new generation of fans got to hear this marvelous singer. As importantly, millions who had heard him before and somehow forgotten how fine his work were able to re-discovered his brilliance.

Do yourself a favor.