A Guide to The
Wonderful Music of Vegas
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(Click a Link to go to the required section)
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Frankie Sumatra’s Top Ten Club Copa Classic
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| Hey there Vegas swingers, Frankie Sumatra on the line. This is one call you just gotta take,baby and don't try reversin' the charges on me, you hear. Last guy did that ended up hangin' with Elvis in the great casino in the sky. Anyway here's the lowdown on the super smooth sounds coming out of my speakers this month.: | |||||
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1. |
Sammy Davis Jnr. | Live at the Coconut Grove | Reprise LP | 1962 | |
| My buddy Sammy brings the casa down at the Cocoanut Grove with one of the best live performances of his career.Not as good as "Frank Sinatra Live at The Sands" but not far behind. | |||||
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2. |
Sarah Vaughan | Brazilian Romance (LP) | CBS LP | 1987 | |
| One of Sassy’s last and best LP’s . A sensational bossa influenced set of originals (plus a great cover of Mendes’s So Many Stars) written largely by LP collaborators Milton Nascimento and Brazilian musical legend Dori Caymmi. Featured musicians include the likes of George Duke, Hubert Laws, Sergio Mendes, Paulinho De Costa, Ernie Watts, Caymmi & Nascimento. This LP is sighted about as often as Dino at a Temperance Society meeting so get scouring those bargain bins! | |||||
| 3. | Sergio Mendes | Sergio Mendes & the New Brasil ‘77 (LP) | WEA LP | 1977 | |
| Not the classic Mendes & Brasil ‘66 lineup but a later incarnation of the sensational Mendes sound. It’s a mixed bag with a more funky/jazzy/rare groove feel than his earlier super smooth easy listening stuff and it’s not all vintage Mendes. However the album does feature the one and only Stevie Wonder. Two of the maestro’s compositions ("Love City" and "The Real Thing" ) are given the inimitable Mendes treatment and are far and away the standout tracks. Truly a summit meeting of gangsters of the groove! | |||||
| 4. | Peter Allen | I Go To Rio | A&M 45 | 1978 | |
| Quintessential Club Copacabana classic from the Antipodean Manilow. This is the Nirvana (or the nadir) of Kitsch. Peter never again scaled the heights of inspiration displayed on this homage to Copa country. Perhaps the most inspired rhyming couplet of all time with the audacious juxtaposing of "Tarzan of the Jungle" and "Bungalow." Other career highlights include penning "I Honestly Love You" for Olivia Newton-John and marrying Liza Minelli. Sadly died of Aids while still at "peak" of his powers. Still "Rio" stands as a fitting epitath to a rare talent, although "Peter Allen : Not quite the full enchilada. A couple of burritos short of a picnic Mexican style" might have served the purpose equally well. | |||||
| 5. | Michael Nesmith | Rio | Island 45 | 1976 | |
| Another inspired bit of latin lunacy from former Monkee Mike Nesmith. This is good ol’ latino country rock at it’s pioneering best. Clearly the product of a deeply deranged mind this is an excellent example of sophisticated postmodern kitsch as contrasted with niave (premodern?) kitsch ( see Sammy Davis Jnr.’s entry at No.9 ) . " Reno ? Why Reno? " " Not Reno dummy, Rio!, Rio de Jennero!" style conversational interludes provide solid back up to it’s postmodern credentials. Most club d.j.’s would find this track about as useful as a Hungarian phrasebook in Bogota but it’s perfect for breaking the ice at Vegas style parties. | |||||
| 6. | Buster Poindexter | Hot Hot Hot | RCA LP | 1987 | |
| David Johansen of the New York Dolls reinvents himself as latin lounge lothario Buster Poindexter. David’s (sorry Buster’s) version of Arrow’s party favourite is a legally required item on the playlist of all federally licensed latino lounge d.j.s | |||||
| 7. | Mel Torme |
Lima Lady |
Columbia 45 | 1967 | |
| "Velvet Fog"’s (overdue) homage to groovy Peruvians hits the spot. Mel’s got a girl up in Lima and another down in Ipanema, or so I’ve heard. Mel sure doesn’t need to go to Peru to get his groove back ‘cos he never lost it in the first place. Dino’s definitely starting to worry me. He’s spending far too much time poolside at Senor Love Daddy’s cabana for my liking. Don’t get me wrong Senor Love Daddy is one cool compadre but word is Dino’s started calling himself Meester Martinez and is swapping tanning tips with George Hamilton. | |||||
| 8. | Kenny Rogers |
Ruby Don’t Take Your Love to Town |
Capitol 45 | 1977 | |
| Bronco Billy told me this one went down a storm at Bucky Goldstein’s boy’s barmitzvah. I figure if it works at Jewish cowboy get togethers it’ll work anywhere. | |||||
| 9. | Sammy Davis Jnr | John Shaft & In the Ghetto | ("Golden Throats") | Rhino LP | 1991 |
| Sammy takes on the King and Mr.Superbaad Isaac Hayes in a no holds barred tag team tussle. Sammy wins by reducing his opponents to a helpless hyterical pulp of humanity with his uniquely cavalier approach to their material.Originally recorded for Motown in the early 70’s before Berry Gordy foolishly cut Sammy loose just as his creative juices were gushing forth like a red hot volcano of love. | |||||
| 10. | Jack Jones |
The Loveboat Theme |
Polydor 45 | 1977 | |
| Come on board we’re expecting you! Come to think of it I overheard Dino asking Senor Love Daddy if he’d like to go cruising with him. Perhaps a trip on the Loveboat is what he had in mind! | |||||
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