The Ultimate Tony Bennett

( 9 )

Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - William Pearl
Tony Bennett, our premier popular vocalist, knows a good song when he comes upon it. This single-disc collection, culled from Bennett's 40-plus-year career at Columbia Records, is stocked with first-rate tunes, many of which Bennett helped make standards: "The Good Life," "I Wanna Be Around," "The Shadow of Your Smile," "Stranger in Paradise," and, of course, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." Yet hear how he puts his own mark on all manner of preexisting material including "Smile," "Night and Day," "Blue Velvet," and "Put on a Happy Face," even daring to venture into Sinatra territory with "The Best Is Yet to Come." What Bennett brings to it all is an irrepressible, ...
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Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - William Pearl
Tony Bennett, our premier popular vocalist, knows a good song when he comes upon it. This single-disc collection, culled from Bennett's 40-plus-year career at Columbia Records, is stocked with first-rate tunes, many of which Bennett helped make standards: "The Good Life," "I Wanna Be Around," "The Shadow of Your Smile," "Stranger in Paradise," and, of course, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." Yet hear how he puts his own mark on all manner of preexisting material including "Smile," "Night and Day," "Blue Velvet," and "Put on a Happy Face," even daring to venture into Sinatra territory with "The Best Is Yet to Come." What Bennett brings to it all is an irrepressible, optimistic spirit; a warming glow that's impossible not to respond to. His voice has mellowed beautifully over the years. Today Bennett brings a lifetime of experience to a song, for a heartening effect. (His 1999 rendition of Ellington's "Mood Indigo" is exceptional proof of his maturing artistry.) In short, this collection helps to support the claim that Bennett is the best we've got and has been a major artist for decades.
All Music Guide - Richie Unterberger
The 20 tracks on this anthology cover Bennett's entire career at Columbia, from his 1951 number one single "Because of You" to "Mood Indigo" from 1999's Hot and Cool: Bennett Sings Ellington. Note, however, that "entire career at Columbia" is not synonymous with Bennett's entire career, as there's nothing representing the span between the mid-'60s and the mid-'80s. Since the best Bennett is from the 1950s and early '60s, anyway, that doesn't signify any great loss, particularly as the track selection is considerably weighted toward that era, with 15 of the 20 songs dating from 1951-1965. A 20-song compilation isn't an adequate overview of a singer who has recorded so much material, even in commercial terms; not one of his eight Top 40 singles from 1956 is here, for instance. For those who really want to dig deep into his repertoire, some other compilations, such as the box set 40 Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett and Jazz, might serve some fans better. For the casual fan, though, this might be the best choice, as it does include the songs listeners are most likely to be familiar with: "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," "Because of You," "Rags to Riches," "I Wanna Be Around," and well-selected non-hits like "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams Gigolo and Gigolette" and "Put on a Happy Face."
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 10/3/2000
  • Label: Sony
  • UPC: 074646357026
  • Catalog Number: 63570
  • Sales rank: 3,777

Album Credits

Performance Credits
Tony Bennett Primary Artist, Vocals
Ray Conniff Conductor
Percy Faith Conductor
Cy Coleman Conductor
Tommy Flanagan Piano
Jimmy Rowles Piano
Frank deVol Conductor
Jorge Calandrelli Conductor
Don Costa Conductor
Johnny Mandel Conductor
Marty Manning Conductor
Technical Credits
Alexander Borodin Composer
Ray Conniff Arranger
Percy Faith Arranger
Frank Sinatra Liner Notes
Tony Bennett Producer, Liner Notes
Sacha Distel Composer
Irving Mills Composer
Mitch Miller Producer
Frank deVol Arranger
Ettore Stratta Producer
Steven Berkowitz Executive Producer
Jerry Ross Composer
Richard Adler Composer
Al Cohn Arranger
Ernie Altschuler Producer
Danny Bennett Producer, Executive Producer
Barney Bigard Composer
Leslie Bricusse Composer
Charlie Chaplin Composer
Betty Comden Composer
Don Costa Arranger
Duke Ellington Composer
André Fischer Producer
Adolph Green Composer
David Kahne Producer
Johnny Mandel Arranger, Composer
Marty Manning Arranger
Johnny Mercer Composer
Jack Reardon Composer
Allen Stanton Producer
Charles Strouse Composer
Jule Styne Composer
Sadie Vimmerstadt Composer
Bernie Wayne Composer
Paul Francis Webster Composer
Robert Wells Composer
Al Ham Producer
Lee Morris Composer
Geoff Parsons Composer
John Turner Composer
Herman Leonard Tray Card
Arnold Levine Art Direction
Darcy Proper Mastering
Mark Seliger Cover Photo
George Forrest Composer
Jack Segal Composer
George Cory Composer
Douglass Cross Composer
Charles DeForest Composer
Stacey Boyle Tape Research
Lauren Atlas Packaging Manager
Al Harn Producer
Lee Adams Composer
Robert Wright Composer
Cyril Ornadel Composer
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
( 9 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(8)

4 Star

(1)

3 Star

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Sort by: Showing all of 9 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    A Gift for my 93 year old Mom

    I bought this for my mother and she has played it every day since. She loves Tony Bennett and says this CD is the best!!

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  • Posted October 1, 2010

    He is not the best he is the only one

    It might be far fetched to use a Grateful Dead comparison to Tony Bennett but he is not the best at what he does, he is the only one at what he does. The man is simply in a class all of his own. No in his eighties his voice has not weakened at all over the ages. I recently saw him concert and he sang "Fly me to the Moon" with no mic and you could hear him in the last row of the venue. It was amazing. These songs feature arrangements that take you back to the Count Basie days that compliment Mr. Bennett's voice perfectly.He is truly a taolent that has transcended the ages.
    Whether you are a new found fan or a life long follower, I am sure that you be happy that you've added this album to your collection.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Bennett in Sublime Mode.

    Rich and melodious. One of the best. Songs remastered are as good as if recorded today. A must for any music lover.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Finding a new side of me!

    I have not heard this album, but I have heard most, if not all, of these songs on other Tony Bennett albums over the years. I'm so happy that I can now own this compilation of great-sounding music sung by a multi-talented gentleman. When I was 19 years old, I was dating someone, and the two of would go to a very small, dark, intimate place called The Paddock. It was in Cheltenham, Pa., right outside Philadelphia. It was nothing fancy, but they had the most fantastic records on the jukebox. This was where I was introduced to the romantic sounds of Tony Bennett. ''When Joanna Left Me'', ''If I Ruled the World'', ''Because of You'', and ''Stranger in Paradise'' were some of the songs that we played that I had never heard before (you have to remember that the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys had been my musical diet up until that point). This music was totally different and woke up a part of me that (thankfully) has continued until now--appreciating truly romantic music. My husband and I have birthdays that are less than a week apart and, about two years ago, we celebrated our birthdays by seeing Tony Bennett perform in Atlantic City. We were mesmerized to see his talent in person. Thank you, Tony! (Love you, Gene!!)

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 15, 2012

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    Posted July 11, 2010

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 26, 2008

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 6, 2008

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 24, 2009

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Sort by: Showing all of 9 Customer Reviews