The Definitive Collection

by Sammy Davis, Jr.

Overview

Sammy Davis, Jr. was an outsized talent. Whether dancing or singing or acting (or drumming, or doing impersonations), he spent more energy, carried more emotion, and involved himself more deeply in his performances than any other artist of his caliber. His earliest hit material -- "Something's Gotta Give," "Love Me or Leave Me," "That Old Black Magic" -- signalled the advent of a show-biz vocalist who could blow the roof off the joint like a blues shouter, and though Davis was impeccably refined, he was obviously channeling Broadway figures like Ethel Merman or Al Jolson rather than the mellowed, mellifluous sound of swing-influenced vocalists. (As such, he earned more fans in the showrooms of Las Vegas than the nightclubs of New York.) Hip-O's Definitive Collection is not only a fine compilation of Sammy Davis, Jr. highlights, it's the best single-disc overview of his career, beginning with his '50s Decca material and ending in the mid-'70s, when his hits petered out after a late chart-topper ("The Candy Man"). It features all of his hits and it's the first single-disc compilation to include songs from every one of his movie or Broadway hits -- "Too Close for Comfort" (Mr. Wonderful), "There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon for New York" (Porgy and Bess), "Night Song" (Golden Boy), "The Rhythm of Life" (Sweet Charity), "The Candy Man" (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory), even "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow (Baretta's Theme)." It also includes a pair of well-chosen album tracks, "My Shining Hour" from his collaboration with the Count Basie Orchestra, and "Lonely Is the Name," the title song from a very good mid-'60s LP. ~ John Bush

Product Details

Release Date:	08/22/2006
Label:	Hip-O / Universal
UPC:	0602498848982
Rank:	44569

Tracks

1. Hey There
2. The Birth of the Blues
3. Something's Gotta Give
4. Love Me or Leave Me
5. That Old Black Magic
6. Too Close for Comfort
7. There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon for New York
8. The Lady Is a Tramp
9. What Kind of Fool Am I?
10. Gonna Build a Mountain
11. The Shelter of Your Arms
12. Night Song
13. My Shining Hour
14. Lonely Is the Name
15. I've Gotta Be Me
16. The Rhythm of Life
17. The Candy Man
18. Mr. Bojangles
19. The People Tree
20. Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow (Baretta's Theme)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Sammy Davis, Jr.   Primary Artist
Mike Curb   Primary Artist
Count Basie   Primary Artist
Joseph Gershenson   Conductor

Technical Credits

Walter Donaldson   Composer
George Gershwin   Composer
Ira Gershwin   Composer
DuBose Heyward   Composer
Lorenz Hart   Composer
Lew Brown   Composer
Walter Marks   Composer
Johnny Mercer   Composer
Leslie Bricusse   Composer
Perry Botkin, Jr.   Arranger
Ralph Burns   Orchestration
Jimmy Bowen   Producer
Quincy Jones   Arranger
Ray Henderson   Composer
Michele Horie   Production Coordination
Morgan Ames   Composer
Charles Bud Dant   Producer
Mort Stevens   Arranger
Buddy DeSylva   Composer
Gus Kahn   Composer
Harry Weinger   Compilation Producer
Dave Grusin   Arranger,Composer
Carl Sigman   Composer
Bert Kaempfert   Composer
Anthony Newley   Composer
Sy Oliver   Arranger
Jimmy Rowles   Arranger
Don Costa   Arranger,Producer
Ellen Fitton   Digital Remastering
Dorothy Fields   Composer
Charles Strouse   Composer
David Ritz   Liner Notes
Richard Rodgers   Composer
Jerry Bock   Composer
Jerry Jeff Walker   Composer
Jim Davis   Producer
Jerry Ross   Composer
Marty Paich   Arranger
Michael Viner   Producer
Mike Curb   Producer
Herbert Rehbein   Composer
Richard Wess   Arranger
J.J. Walker   Composer
Lee Tanner   Photography
David Redfern   Photography
Ute Friesleben   Production Coordination
Donna Ranieri   Photo Research
George Weiss   Composer
Dick Jones   Producer
Herb Snitzer   Photography
Mathieu Bitton   Design
Govert de Roos   Photography
Lee Adams   Composer
Ryan Null   Photo Coordination
Cy Coleman   Composer
Larry Holofcener   Composer
Harold Arlen   Composer
Richard Adler   Composer