Jackpot! the Las Vegas Story

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Remember the sequence in Casino in which De Niro's character becomes the star of a nightly talk show/pro-Mob harangue in order to keep hanging around the joint after he gets in Dutch with Nevada state authorities? Not much of that freewheeling spirit is captured on this gorgeously garish package. (It comes complete with a tiny pair of dice slipped inside the jewel box.) With main-room kings Sinatra and Presley absent from the proceedings here, the tic-ridden 1960 rendition of "The Lady Is a Tramp" offered by Buddy Greco is the kind of thing that too often passes for vocal sty-li-za-tion here. That insult to Frank--and Paul Anka's nonmythic rendition of "My Way"--aside, the Rat Pack does get props with the inclusion of the Dino and Sammy signatures "That's Amore" and "I've Gotta Be Me." In fact, the former's ur-Italian mischief keys into one of Jackpot!'s essential subtexts: the celebration of all things Mediterranean that was once a major part of the Vegas experience--Mel Tormé, Vic Damone, "Al Di La," even the bloodthirsty angst of Tom Jones's "Delilah," the best thing here and a murder ballad that Nick Cave shouldn't have missed. To think that this stuff was preferred by many parents as superior to rock & roll: "She saw the knife in my hand and she laughed no more," indeed. Too bad that so much of what surrounds Jones on this disc sounds foolish, even for those on a happy kitsch trip. --Rickey Wright --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Tracks:

Something's Coming - Vic Demone
Danke Schoen - Wayne Newton
That Old Black Magic - Louis Prima/Keely Smith
The Lady Is A Tramp - Buddy Greco
I've Gotta Be Me - Sammy Davis, Jr.
That's Amore - Dean Martin
Wives And Lovers - Jack Jones
Lazy River - Bobby Darin
C'est Si Bon (It's So Good) - Eartha Kitt
Release Me (And Let Me Love Again) - Engelbert Humperdinck
Delilah - Tom Jones
Spanish Eyes - Al Martino
It's Delovely - Mel Torme
Al Di La - Jerry Vale
Begin The Beguine - Miss Ann-Margret
What Kind Of Fool Am I? - Robert Goulet
Parks & Recreation: Cherry Hill Park/MacArthur Park/Echo Park - Liberace
My Way (Live Version) - Paul Anka

Amazon.com

Remember the sequence in Casino in which De Niro's character becomes the star of a nightly talk show/pro-Mob harangue in order to keep hanging around the joint after he gets in Dutch with Nevada state authorities? Not much of that freewheeling spirit is captured on this gorgeously garish package. (It comes complete with a tiny pair of dice slipped inside the jewel box.) With main-room kings Sinatra and Presley absent from the proceedings here, the tic-ridden 1960 rendition of "The Lady Is a Tramp" offered by Buddy Greco is the kind of thing that too often passes for vocal sty-li-za-tion here. That insult to Frank--and Paul Anka's nonmythic rendition of "My Way"--aside, the Rat Pack does get props with the inclusion of the Dino and Sammy signatures "That's Amore" and "I've Gotta Be Me." In fact, the former's ur-Italian mischief keys into one of Jackpot!'s essential subtexts: the celebration of all things Mediterranean that was once a major part of the Vegas experience--Mel Tormé, Vic Damone, "Al Di La," even the bloodthirsty angst of Tom Jones's "Delilah," the best thing here and a murder ballad that Nick Cave shouldn't have missed. To think that this stuff was preferred by many parents as superior to rock & roll: "She saw the knife in my hand and she laughed no more," indeed. Too bad that so much of what surrounds Jones on this disc sounds foolish, even for those on a happy kitsch trip. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

Essential for any Lounge Lizard.......2002-05-17

Or a lover of the sounds that we associate with Vegas. Perfect background for that cocktail party or when you just want to pretend you're leading the show at the casino. The album is a sampler of the greats who made Vegas the town it is today. Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Tom Jones, and Mr. Vegas himself Wayne Newton. Pop in the disc and take a walk down memory lane.

Fab Baby, Fab!.......1998-11-23

This has got to be pure shwank! You can't help but make a martini and lounge on the couch in your finest clothes. Try it, and you'll never be able to take it out of your cd player. Enjoy baby, enjoy!

A staple for any get-together........1998-07-12

My friends request this CD when they come over because it brings back memories of every party we've had. It's a great way to relate to our parents' generation and appreciate the quality of the music that has become timeless.

Music:

Music

Music