Sammy Davis Jr - Sammy Friends (20 tracks) +Album Reviews

Some rare cuts on this CD unavailable elsewhere

Mack_T_Knife | USA | 05/17/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"EEE-O Eleven will not be found on any other album. There are some excellent selections on this album from Sammy's best years as a rat-packer. This album does not contain any of the schlock he recorded in the 70's...it's all 60's stuff from when he was at the top of his game and before he got to be something of a parody. This is all before his "love child" phase. Here he's a true swinger. Under Frank's critical eye, Sam seemed to stick to material that would meet his approval. This was probably a good thing considering some of his recordings after Frank began ignoring him when he got into the drug scene. Several tunes like "Bang Bang" "Eee-O-Eleven" "Salt-n-pepper" are directly from Rat Pack movies. I haven't been able to find them anywhere else. If you dig Sammy already, buy this CD. If you don't, buy this CD and be converted."

Wow-ee-, ee-o eleven!

Katherine Kovins | Dix Hills, Long Island, New York | 01/23/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the best Sammy album yet! I am a lifelong Davis/Sinatra fan, my only regret is that I never saw Sammy live, as I did Frank several times. Last summer, after seeing "Ocean's 11" again, I longed for a recording of "Ee-o Eleven." I searched everywhere, hoping to find a soundtrack of the movie, which I think was never recorded. I gave up, but much later in searching for "Me and My Shadow" (which I had had on the original 45!)amazon came up with this new album which you could pre-order. Of course I did, and couldn't wait until it was released. This is the best of Sammy along with the two gem duets with Frank and Dean. If you're a Sammy fan, order this now! Now I'm only waiting for the release of "Porgy and Bess" on DVD."

"Hey Frank,"......"Yes, Sam?"

Charles Dobbs | Louisville, Ky | 01/21/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Delicious! Thank you, Rhino! Well, we sure waited for this one. I'd always considered Reprise's "I Gotta Be Me" and "The Wham of Sam" to be the Davis Jr. Bible, but I just got revelations in the mail. I love every minute of this gem. Like the review above, I was aching for the hard-to-find cuts from the movies, and "Bang, Bang, Bang" sounds incredibly crisp and makes you wanna tap across the living room floor. "Eee-O Eleven" is legend for us Rat Pack officianados (Now, If I could only get my hands on "Style" from Robin and the Seven Hoods!) "Straighten Up and Fly Right" would make ole Nat smile. "Johnny Cool" was well worth the wait--and worth its weight--in nonchalant cavalier smoothness. And this is the clearest version of "Me and My Shadow" with the Leader, pure brotherhood--the epitome of their loving friendship. I could go on and on. Love it. A must for Pallies everywhere."

EEE-O-ELEVEN!

Giovanni Marra | Chicago Illinois | 01/20/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lucky us! The best jackpot of the year has hit the shelves! This fine collection from our friends at Rhino Records had at long last made the ultimate Rat Pack song "EEE-O-ELEVEN" available on CD, as well as a handful of other great gems, like "BANG!BANG!" (From ROBIN AND THE SEVEN HOODS) and Sammy's own version of the Dean Martin classic "AIN'T THAT A KICK IN THE HEAD?" This long-anticipated release also gives us a track from Sammy's meeting in Vegas with the "other" swingin' Sammy, Sam Butera ("I SHOULD CARE") and a nice version of the Cole Porter classic, "TOO DARN HOT". Even one of Sammy's few collaborations with Billy May is included, the very hard to find track "THE BALLAD OF JOHNNY COOL", from the movie in which Sammy played, and May scored. This is a perfect companion to the EXCELLENT Rhino box set released late last year (YES I CAN! THE SAMMY DAVIS JR STORY). Our good friends at Rhino worked on both directly with Sammy's widow, Altovise and have really outdone themselves once again. Here's hoping we get more Sammy stuff in the near future, its long overdue! (HINT! HINT! to Rhino Records!) In the meantime.....Eee-o Eleven!"

An incredible CD with many rare Sammy tracks

Daniel Jolley | Shelby, North Carolina USA | 03/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sammy and Friends is a CD more than capable of making a Sammy Davis, Jr., fan jump up and down with glee. Rat Pack fans in general will love the collaborative efforts with Frank and Dean featured here. This is Sammy at his coolest and hippest, swinging as only he could swing. Some of these titles will be familiar to Sammy enthusiasts, but the versions included here are much different from those included on the great number of Sammy CDs I own; notwithstanding this, the real riches among this bounty are the rare, long-unavailable tracks from some of Sammy's movies, the most significant of which is the song Ee-O Eleven from the Rat Pack classic film Ocean's Eleven. You also get two versions of Ain't That a Kick in the Head? from the same film, one from Sammy and one from Dean Martin. Other songs from classic Sammy films include The Ballad of Johnny Cool from Johnny Cool, Salt and Pepper from Salt & Pepper, I Want to Be Wanted (the only slow song on this album) from A Man Called Adam, and the rare and amazing song Bang! Bang! from Robin and the 7 Hoods. Frank Sinatra makes an appearance here with Sammy in the amazingly crystal-clear, fun-filled duet Me and My Shadow. Frank, Dean Martin, and Bing Crosby join Sammy for Don't Be a Do-Badder (Finale). As a big fan of both Sammy and Dino, my favorite track is easily Sam's Song, which features a lot of friendly banter between the two kings of cool. I was delighted with the live version of What Kind of Fool Am I? found on this album; this collaboration with Buddy Rich features an up-tempo performance quite unlike any version of the song I have heard Sammy sing elsewhere. Most of these songs are just plain fun, songs such as Too Darn Hot, Bee-Bom, and I Should Care (from Sammy's still frustratingly obscure collaboration with Sam Butera and The Witnesses). I just can't convey how truly amazing this album is. Even the packaging of the whole CD case is impressive. The cover leaves something to be desired, but the back of the liner notes sports a vintage picture of The Sands with a billboard prominently advertising Sammy's headlining appearance in the Copa Room, the back of the case features a shot of a young, patch-wearing Sammy dancing, and the area underneath the CD has a great picture of Sammy performing at The Hollywood Palace. Rhino has really outdone themselves with this collection. I think I speak for all Sammy fans when I express my gratitude to them and to Sammy's widow Altovise, who worked with Rhino to put this CD together, for this incredibly enjoyable and immensely valuable contribution to Sammy's legacy as the greatest entertainer of all time."

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