Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Because Of You
2. Cold, Cold Heart
3. Blue Velvet
4. Rags To Riches
5. Stranger In Paradise
6. Sing You Sinners
7. The Boulevard Of Broken Dreams (Gigolo And Gigolette)
8. Just In Time
9. It Amazes Me
10. Love Look Away
11. Firefly
12. Put On A Happy Face
13. The Best Is Yet To Come
14. Tender Is The Night
15. Once Upon A Time
16. I Left My Heart In San Francisco
17. I Wanna Be Around
18. The Good Life
19. This Is All I Ask
20. When Joanna Loved Me
21. The Rules Of The Road

Disc 2:

1. Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)
2. If I Ruled The World
3. Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)
4. The Shadow Of Your Smile
5. Smile
6. The Very Thought Of You
7. For Once In My Life
8. Yesterday I Heard The Rain (Esta Tarde Vi Llover)
9. My Favorite Things
10. I Do Not Know A Day I Did Not Love You
11. How Do You Keep The Music Playing
12. When Do The Bells Ring For Me?
13. Night And Day
14. Last Night When We Were Young
15. Steppin' Out With My Baby
16. It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing (Live)
17. Mood Indigo
18. Keep the Faith, Baby (w/ K.D. Lang)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12492 in Music
• Released on: 2002-07-23
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Limited Edition, Original recording remastered

Amazon.com
Tony Bennett has a typical lack of effusiveness about the kudos of his seven-decade career, but he does reportedly display an inscribed picture from a longtime colleague and fellow saloon singer in his Manhattan apartment. It reads: "To the best goddamned pop singer I've ever heard." It's signed "Frank Sinatra." But don't take the Chairman's word for it. Just listen as these two discs bound from one masterly performance to the next, documenting a career whose ups and downs--Bennett actually went long years without a record contract--belie a robust evolution of vocal strength and subtlety of phrasing. The arc of Bennett's art in the decade from "Cold Cold Heart" and "Rags to Riches" to "The Best Is Yet To Come" and his signature "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" is remarkable enough, but it just keeps getting better. When the singer's management shrewdly orchestrated his MTV-powered "comeback" in the late 1980s and '90s, Bennett delivered considerably more than mere hype. Indeed, the highlights of those efforts (a warm, semi-autobiographical collection of ballads; tributes to Sinatra, Astaire, Ellington, and the blues; the obligatory MTV Unplugged set) included here barely skim the surface and arguably warrant a double-disc collection all their own. Still, the 39 tracks here represent the best kind of anthology: one that leaves you craving more. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

A Staggering Singer
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.

Croon, Baby, Croon!
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.

This is truly the essence of a great singer
My musical tastes range from old standards to Steve Miller Band, The Moody Blues, Alan Parsons Project, and Blue Oyster Cult. Tony Bennet is one of my perrenial favorites, and when I listened to this remastered album I really understood why. Firstly, Tony is happy and loves to sing. He has a fine voice, has great backing musicians, and all his songs are carefully arranged. You may grumble about some aspects of his phrasing, tempo, or delivery, but it all fits together just right - maybe due to Mitch Miller havign produced his early works. What I noticed for the first time was the driving power of many of his songs - like Grace Slick's "White Rabbit", you better hold on to your seat because Tony is going to knock you over. But when you get up you always feel better - his happiness and love of music is contagious. My personal favorite is "Firely" - short, full of energy, and perfectly packaged.