Customer Reviews

The Essential Tony Bennett (Rm) (2CD)

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He's "the best goddamned pop singer I've ever heard" too, and I'm in my early thirties. This is great music.

when i was a little kid, dad brought home a 78 record of tony singing "stranger in paradise" (which as i understand it, the melody is from rocmoninoff (sp) it was his favorite. tony was a staple in our home. as i grow older, well, it seemed he was talking to me. after being "dumped", there was the perfect "i wanna be around", and who amoung us men wouldn't like to be there when your ex lover gets what you got. (not really enought of those kinds of songs around) and the reason i bought this title "when joanna loved me" (just put in the woman's you loved once)....if your not moved by this one......buy this one, you need to....

Having been Tony Bennett fans since were "kids" (for over 50 years), my husband and I agree that this is a great representation of Tony's musical career. Also, what a wonderful experience it is to hear excerpts from this album played on radio. Not only does this compilation please & delight the long-time fans, but it also introduces the younger generation to what good music really means. The tone & timbre of his voice, selection of the best tunes and superb delivery make this man a legend and an American Treasure.

I am a huge Tony Bennett fan. I especially like his jazz albums and backup groups. Pianist Ralph Sharon so often sets the tone, I cannot imagine Tony without him. There are so many Greatest Hits anthologies out there. Columbia first issued the superb "Jazz" compilation, and the "Forty Years" 4-CD collection. All other anthologies are pointless, especially since his newer material is still widely available. Next, in rapid succession, have come "The Ultimate" and now "The Essential", replicating many tracks. Some of Tony's best albums have yet to be released in their entirety. What about "When Lights are Low," named by biographer Will Friedwald as one of the best jazz vocal albums ever recorded, and "My Heart Sings?" I did manage to find on EBay a Japanese version of "Tony Sings for Two," a duet with Sharon. This superb album has yet to be released stateside. We've only heard bits and pieces on compilation albums.

Come on, Columbia! Why hold out on us?

Growing up in the 60s, Sinatra and Bennett were the kings of sophisticated pop songs with Mathis and Andy Williams nipping at their heels. Sinatra was the most emotional. Mathis and Williams always seemed to be skimming the surface, and for much of the time, so did Tony Bennett. But of the group, he was the best singer, and Frank Sinatra acknowledged that in a personally signed photo he gave Bennett. Growing up in San Francisco, his monster hit--I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO--was played in practically every saloon in town and it still is. LOVE LOOK AWAY, RAGS TO RICHES, BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS, BECAUSE OF YOU, FLY ME TO THE MOON, THE BEST IS YET TO COME, FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE(Bennett's effortless top G always tore my own larynx to shreds attempting to imitate him), are bonafide classics. While I always admired the beautiful timbre, the range, and the sheer showbiz pizzaz of his delivery, much of his work was superficial. Or so it seemed.

But this new ESSENTIAL TONY BENNETT has some gems I ignored. Anyone who wants to question Bennett's skills as an intepreter should listen to his performances here of IT AMAZES ME and most importantly, I DO NOT KNOW A DAY I DID NOT LOVE YOU. This Richard Rodgers gem was new to me, and it just knocked me out. I had to play the song four times in a row. Bennett sings both with depth and a world-weary sense of inevitability. Here you'll find outstanding examples of his extraordinary breath control (only Streisand is his equal here). His tuning on the latter song is utterly impeccable and his legato exemplary. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Two CDs are crammed with great cuts and if you listen really carefully, you'll be staggered too.

Like Sinatra I came to appreciate Bennett's skills a bit late in the day. Bennett spent a lot of years without a recording contract and much of the 70s and 80s he was forgotten. When he was finally rediscovered in the 90s, I took notice. Columbia seems to be creating a series here. I passed on THE ESSENTIAL BARBRA STREISAND because the material is readily available on a number of other sources, but the convenience and the selection are the thing here and THE ESSENTIAL TONY BENNETT is on that same excellent level. More please.

Of course, Tony Bennett is one of the greatest singers this country has ever produced, and there's not a bad song on the album.

For those of who new to Bennett's work, this is a good choice; but...

I am getting frustrated with the constant reissuing of this material. Some songs on this set have been released over 20 times on different albums and compilations. Didn't Tony just put out an "Ultimate" album just two years ago? It's to the point that all you see from Bennett's Columbia catalog are best of and greatest hits compilations, all with the same stuff.

Columbia needs to prepare different types of Bennett releases; perhaps unreleased tracks or long out of print albums.

Other than this gripe, enjoy one of the greatest singers of all time.

I have always dug His Material from the time I was a Kid to now.His Voice just struck a chord with my ears.this Double CD Set Captures so much of Him as a Artist."I Left My Heart in San Francisco" is my Song By Him.His Voice still has a Cool Richness about it to me.

Tony Bennett is one smooth singer. Having been a star, a has been, and a retro-icon, he has known every degree of fame, and deserves all the kudos his recent renaissance has afforded him.
This career review is rightly called "essential". It covers 50 years of Bennett recordings, from Because of You (1951) through his wonderful duet with KD Lang of "Keep The Faith, Baby" (2001). In between these bookmarks are some of the most well-orchestrated songs recorded over the last 50 years.
Tony isn't one to blow you away. He's more quiet ocean breeze than tsunami, and is a master of underdelivery. You don't realize how good he is until you hear a certain phrase or note that simply demands attention.
Disc 2 is incredible,mainly because the standards recorded here are perfect matches for the Bennett voice. "Stepping Out" and "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing") are two prime examples of what happens when the perfect singer meets the perfect song with the perfect arrangement. It's rare that this happens more than once in a lifetime for a singer. Toss in "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" and Tony hits this benchmark at least three times on this set.
This is sheer enjoyment from start to finish. Buy this recording, and indulge yourself.