I Fall in Love Too Easily - Tony Bennett, Cahn, Sammy
My Baby Just Cares For Me - Tony Bennett, Donaldson, Walter
My Heart Tells Me (Should I Believe My Heart?) - Tony Bennett, Warren, Harry [Comp
Old Devil Moon - Tony Bennett, Harburg, E.Y. "Yip"
Love Letters - Tony Bennett,
My Reverie - Tony Bennett,
Give Me the Simple Life - Tony Bennett,
While the Music Plays On - Tony Bennett, Mills, Irving
I Can't Believe That You're In Love with Me - Tony Bennett, McHugh, Jimmy
Darn That Dream - Tony Bennett, DeLange, Eddie
Track Listings (17) - Disc #2
Let's Begin - Tony Bennett, Kern, Jerome
Lullaby of Broadway - Tony Bennett, Dubin, Al
Let There Be Love - Tony Bennett,
Love For Sale - Tony Bennett, Porter, Cole
Crazy Rhythm - Tony Bennett, Caesar, Irving
The Beat of My Heart - Tony Bennett, Burke, Johnny [Lyri
So Beats My Heart For You - Tony Bennett,
Blues in the Night - Tony Bennett, Arlen, Harold
Lazy Afternoon - Tony Bennett,
Let's Face the Music and Dance - Tony Bennett, Berlin, Irving
Just One of Those Things - Tony Bennett, Porter, Cole
It's So Peaceful in the Country [*] - Tony Bennett,
In Sandy's Eyes [*] - Tony Bennett,
I Get a Kick Out of You [*] - Tony Bennett, Porter, Cole
You Go to My Head [*] - Tony Bennett, Coots, J. Fred
I Only Have Eyes for You [*] - Tony Bennett, Dubin, Al
Begin the Beguine [*] - Tony Bennett, Porter, Cole
Track Listings (12) - Disc #3
I Didn't Know What Time It Was - Tony Bennett, Hart, Lorenz
Bewitched - Tony Bennett, Hart, Lorenz
Nobody's Heart Belongs to Me - Tony Bennett, Hart, Lorenz
I'm Through with Love - Tony Bennett, Kahn, Gus
My Funny Valentine - Tony Bennett, Hart, Lorenz
The Man That Got Away - Tony Bennett, Arlen, Harold
Where or When - Tony Bennett, Hart, Lorenz
A Sleepin' Bee - Tony Bennett, Arlen, Harold
Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe - Tony Bennett, Arlen, Harold
Mam'selle - Tony Bennett,
Just Friends - Tony Bennett,
Street of Dreams - Tony Bennett,
Track Listings (12) - Disc #4
I Left My Heart in San Francisco - Tony Bennett, Cross, D.
Once Upon a Time - Tony Bennett,
Tender Is the Night - Tony Bennett, Webster, Paul Franc
Smile - Tony Bennett, Chaplin, Charlie [S
Love for Sale - Tony Bennett, Porter, Cole
Taking a Chance on Love - Tony Bennett,
Candy Kisses - Tony Bennett,
Have I Told You Lately? - Tony Bennett,
Rules of the Road - Tony Bennett, Coleman, Cy
Marry Young - Tony Bennett, Coleman, Cy
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows - Tony Bennett,
The Best Is Yet to Come - Tony Bennett, Coleman, Cy
Track Listings (15) - Disc #5
The Good Life - Tony Bennett,
If I Love Again - Tony Bennett,
I Wanna Be Around - Tony Bennett, Mercer, Johnny
I've Got Your Number - Tony Bennett, Coleman, Cy
Until I Met You - Tony Bennett,
Let's Face the Music and Dance - Tony Bennett, Berlin, Irving
Once Upon a Summertime - Tony Bennett, Legrand, Michel
If You Were Mine - Tony Bennett, Mercer, Johnny
I Will Live My Life For You - Tony Bennett,
Someone To Love - Tony Bennett,
It Was Me - Tony Bennett, Gimbel, Norman
Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado) - Tony Bennett, Jobim, Antonio Carl
If I Love Again [Alternate Take][#] - Tony Bennett,
Someone to Love [Alternate Take][#] - Tony Bennett,
Indian Summer [#] - Tony Bennett, Dubin, Al
Track Listings (15) - Disc #6
Nobody Else But Me - Tony Bennett, Hammerstein, Oscar
When Lights Are Low - Tony Bennett,
On Green Dolphin Street - Tony Bennett, Washington, Ned
Ain't Misbehavin' - Tony Bennett, Razaf, Andy
It's a Sin to Tell a Lie - Tony Bennett,
I've Got Just About Everything - Tony Bennett,
Judy - Tony Bennett, Carmichael, Hoagy
Oh! You Crazy Moon - Tony Bennett, Burke, Johnny [Lyri
Speak Low - Tony Bennett, Nash, Ogden [Author
It Had to Be You - Tony Bennett, Kahn, Gus
It Could Happen to You - Tony Bennett, Burke, Johnny [Lyri
The Rules of the Road - Tony Bennett, Coleman, Cy
How Long Has This Been Going On? [#][*] - Tony Bennett, Gershwin, George
All of You [#][*] - Tony Bennett, Porter, Cole
We'll Be Together Again [#][*] - Tony Bennett,
Track Listings (13) - Disc #7
Song of the Jet (Samba Do Aviao) - Tony Bennett, Jobim, Antonio Carl
Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words) - Tony Bennett,
How Insensitive - Tony Bennett, Gimbel, Norman
If I Ruled the World - Tony Bennett,
Love Scene - Tony Bennett, Ellington, Duke
Take the Moment - Tony Bennett, Rodgers, Richard
Then Was Then and Now Is Now - Tony Bennett, Coleman, Cy
Sweet Lorraine - Tony Bennett, Parish, Mitchell
The Right to Love - Tony Bennett,
Watch What Happens - Tony Bennett, Gimbel, Norman
All My Tomorrows - Tony Bennett, Cahn, Sammy
Two by Two - Tony Bennett, Rodgers, Richard
Falling in Love with Love [*] - Tony Bennett, Hart, Lorenz
Track Listings (14) - Disc #8
Maybe September - Tony Bennett, Faith, Percy
Girl Talk - Tony Bennett, Hefti, Neal
The Gentle Rain - Tony Bennett,
Emily - Tony Bennett, Mercer, Johnny
The Pawnbroker - Tony Bennett, Jones, Quincy
Samba de Orfeu - Tony Bennett,
The Shadow of Your Smile - Tony Bennett, Webster, Paul Franc
Smile - Tony Bennett, Chaplin, Charlie [S
The Second Time Around - Tony Bennett, Cahn, Sammy
Days of Wine and Roses - Tony Bennett, Mancini, Henry
Never Too Late - Tony Bennett, Livingston, Jay
The Trolley Song - Tony Bennett,
A Time for Love [*] - Tony Bennett, Webster, Paul Franc
The Shining Sea [*] - Tony Bennett,
Track Listings (9) - Disc #9
Young and Foolish - Tony Bennett,
The Touch of Your Lips - Tony Bennett, Noble, Ray
Some Other Time - Tony Bennett, Bernstein
When in Rome - Tony Bennett, Coleman, Cy
We'll Be Together Again - Tony Bennett,
My Foolish Heart - Tony Bennett, Washington, Ned
Waltz for Debby - Tony Bennett, Evans, Bill [Piano]
But Beautiful - Tony Bennett, Burke, Johnny [Lyri
Days of Wine and Roses - Tony Bennett, Mancini, Henry
Track Listings (12) - Disc #10
Why Do People Fall in Love - Tony Bennett, Styne, Jule
Moments Like This - Tony Bennett, Loesser, Frank
What Are You Afraid of? - Tony Bennett,
When Love Was All We Had - Tony Bennett,
So Many Stars - Tony Bennett,
Everybody Has the Blues - Tony Bennett,
How Do You Keep the Music Playing? - Tony Bennett, Legrand, Michel
City of the Angels - Tony Bennett, Astaire, Fred
Forget the Woman - Tony Bennett,
A Rainy Day - Tony Bennett, Dietz, Howard
I Got Lost in Her Arms - Tony Bennett, Berlin, Irving
The Day You Leave Me - Tony Bennett, Coleman, Cy
Track Listings (24) - Disc #11
Time After Time - Tony Bennett, Cahn, Sammy
I Fall in Love Too Easily - Tony Bennett, Cahn, Sammy
East of the Sun (West of the Moon) - Tony Bennett,
Nancy - Tony Bennett, Heusen, James Van
I Thought About You - Tony Bennett, Heusen, James Van
Night and Day - Tony Bennett, Porter, Cole
I've Got the World on a String - Tony Bennett, Arlen, Harold
I'm Glad There Is You - Tony Bennett,
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square - Tony Bennett,
I Wished on the Moon - Tony Bennett,
You Go to My Head - Tony Bennett, Coots, J. Fred
The Lady Is a Tramp - Tony Bennett, Hart, Lorenz
I See Your Face Before Me - Tony Bennett, Dietz, Howard
Day In, Day Out - Tony Bennett, Mercer, Johnny
Indian Summer - Tony Bennett, Dubin, Al
Call Me Irresponsible - Tony Bennett, Cahn, Sammy
Here's That Rainy Day - Tony Bennett, Burke, Johnny [Lyri
Last Night When We Were Young - Tony Bennett, Arlen, Harold
I Wish I Were in Love Again - Tony Bennett, Hart, Lorenz
A Foggy Day - Tony Bennett, Gershwin, George
Don't Worry 'Bout Me - Tony Bennett, Koehler, Ted
One for My Baby (And One More For the Road) - Tony Bennett, Arlen, Harold
Angel Eyes - Tony Bennett,
I'll Be Seeing You - Tony Bennett, Kahal, I.
Track Listings (22) - Disc #12
Old Devil Moon - Tony Bennett, Harburg, E.Y. "Yip"
Speak Low - Tony Bennett, Nash, Ogden [Author
It Had to Be You - Tony Bennett, Kahn, Gus
I Love a Piano - Tony Bennett, Berlin, Irving
It Amazes Me - Tony Bennett, Coleman, Cy
The Girl I Love - Tony Bennett, Gershwin, George
Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words) - Tony Bennett,
You're All the World to Me - Tony Bennett, Lerner, Alan Jay
Rags to Riches - Tony Bennett,
When Joanna Loved Me - Tony Bennett,
The Good Life/I Wanna Be Around - Tony Bennett, Mercer, Johnny
I Left My Heart in San Francisco - Tony Bennett, Cross, D.
Steppin' Out with My Baby - Tony Bennett, Berlin, Irving
Moonglow - Tony Bennett, DeLange, Eddie
They Can't Take That Away from Me - Tony Bennett, Gershwin, George
A Foggy Day - Tony Bennett, Gershwin, George
All of You - Tony Bennett, Porter, Cole
Body and Soul - Tony Bennett,
It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing - Tony Bennett, Ellington, Duke
Autumn Leaves/Indian Summer - Tony Bennett, Dubin, Al
(Just a) Little Street Where Old Friends Meet [#][*] - Tony Bennett, Kahn, Gus
When Do the Bells Ring for Me [#][*] - Tony Bennett,
Track Listings (26) - Disc #13
The Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Gigolo and Gigolette) - Tony Bennett, Dubin, Al
Because of You - Tony Bennett, Hammerstein, Arthur
Cold, Cold Heart - Tony Bennett,
Blue Velvet - Tony Bennett,
Rags to Riches - Tony Bennett,
Stranger in Paradise - Tony Bennett,
Sing You Sinners - Tony Bennett,
Just in Time - Tony Bennett, Styne, Jule
Firefly - Tony Bennett, Coleman, Cy
The Party's Over - Tony Bennett, Styne, Jule
Lullaby of Broadway - Tony Bennett, Dubin, Al
Smile - Tony Bennett, Chaplin, Charlie [S
Climb Ev'ry Mountain - Tony Bennett, Hammerstein, Oscar
Put on a Happy Face - Tony Bennett,
The Best Is Yet to Come - Tony Bennett, Coleman, Cy
Once Upon a Time - Tony Bennett,
I Left My Heart in San Francisco - Tony Bennett, Cross, D.
I Wanna Be Around - Tony Bennett, Mercer, Johnny
The Good Life - Tony Bennett,
When Joanna Loved Me - Tony Bennett,
Who Can I Turn To? (When Nobody Needs Me) - Tony Bennett, Newley, Anthony
If I Ruled the World - Tony Bennett,
Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words) - Tony Bennett,
The Shadow of Your Smile - Tony Bennett, Webster, Paul Franc
For Once in My Life - Tony Bennett,
Something - Tony Bennett, Harrison, George [1
For the ultimate Tony Bennett fan. See details below: Cloud 7--With new artwork. This version only available in box set. The Beat of My Heart--Remastered, with new artwork. This version only available in box... more » set. Tony Sings for Two--Remastered from original tapes with five previously unreleased bonus tracks. This version only available in box set. I left My Heart in San Francisco--Remastered featuring new artwork. I Wanna Be Around--Remastered with new artwork and three previously unreleased bonus tracks. This version only available in this box set. When Lights Are Low--Remastered from the original tapes with three previously unreleased bonus tracks and exclusively available for the first time on CD only in this box set. If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set--Remastered, with new artwork. This version only available in this box set. The Movie Song Album--Remastered with new artwork and two previously unreleased bonus tracks. This version only available in box set. Tony Bennett & Bill Evans--The exquisite 1975 collaboration between two tremendous musicians. The Art of Excellence--Remastered with new artwork and one previously unreleased bonus tracks. This version only available in this box set. Perfectly Frank--Remastered featuring new artwork. MTV Unplugged--Remastered with two previously unreleased bonus tracks featuring new artwork. Also included: The Singles Collection--Exclusive to this box set.
See track lists for the albums included in this collection.« less
For the ultimate Tony Bennett fan. See details below: Cloud 7--With new artwork. This version only available in box set. The Beat of My Heart--Remastered, with new artwork. This version only available in box set. Tony Sings for Two--Remastered from original tapes with five previously unreleased bonus tracks. This version only available in box set. I left My Heart in San Francisco--Remastered featuring new artwork. I Wanna Be Around--Remastered with new artwork and three previously unreleased bonus tracks. This version only available in this box set. When Lights Are Low--Remastered from the original tapes with three previously unreleased bonus tracks and exclusively available for the first time on CD only in this box set. If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set--Remastered, with new artwork. This version only available in this box set. The Movie Song Album--Remastered with new artwork and two previously unreleased bonus tracks. This version only available in box set. Tony Bennett & Bill Evans--The exquisite 1975 collaboration between two tremendous musicians. The Art of Excellence--Remastered with new artwork and one previously unreleased bonus tracks. This version only available in this box set. Perfectly Frank--Remastered featuring new artwork. MTV Unplugged--Remastered with two previously unreleased bonus tracks featuring new artwork. Also included: The Singles Collection--Exclusive to this box set.
See track lists for the albums included in this collection.
CD Reviews
A shoddy monument to a great artist's 80th year.
J. Pauley | England | 10/14/2006
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Five stars for the music but reduced to one star for content and value.
Value???
At around $135 this box set to mark Tony Bennett's 80th birthday year is obviously aimed at the hardcore Bennett fan / collector, rather than at the casual buyer. With that in mind one is left wondering what exactly it was that Sony/Columbia thought they were giving to us that was so special?
What we have ended up with is a frustratingly mixed bag.
Firstly, the packaging.
The picture on Amazon seems to be an early mock up of the set, as the finished product is more elaborate. The box is a cube covered in black velour with Bennett's signature embossed into the top. The front of the box has a perspex panel with a pencil portrait of the singer. Behind this is a montage of miniature album covers and photos, set slightly back from the panel to give a 3D effect. Above this on the top front surface of the box is a small silver metallic plate with Bennett's signature.
In the base of the box is a ribbon tag which when pulled reveals a small, hard backed book of approximately 60 pages, again covered in black velour with another small silver metallic plate featuring the singer's signature. Contents of the book are a collection of charcoal and pencil sketches by the singer and a collection of brief (and I do mean brief) hand-written personal comments on the albums included in the set. All very nice, but as a fan of the music I would have prefered recording information, anectdotes about the original album releases, session details, etc.
At approximately 7.5" x 7.5" x 7.5", the box will be an awkward if not impossible fit on the shelf beside the rest of your CDs.
OK - so what about what we really came here for, namely, the music? This is where the above mentioned frustration comes in. Let's take it album by album.
First of all there are several already available CDs, but in digitally remastered form, some with and some without bonus tracks. These are:
I Left My Heart In San Francisco - No bonus cuts but significantly improved sound quality over the previous release.
The Art of Excellence - No bonus cuts but significantly improved sound quality over the previous release.
Perfectly Frank - No bonus cuts but significantly improved sound quality over the previous release.
MTV Unplugged - Two bonus cuts ("Just a Little Street Where Old Friends Meet" / "When Will the Bells Ring for Me?") and slightly improved sound quality over the previous release.
The Movie Songs - Two bonus cuts ("A Time for Love" / "The Shining Sea") and slightly improved sound quality over the previous release.
Then we have a selection of albums that come under the banner of "pointless" as they have already been available for some time, already previously remastered:
Cloud Seven - Same as the previous release with no noticeable difference in sound quality.
The Beat of My Heart - Same as the previous release with no noticeable difference in sound quality.
If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set - Same as the previous release with no noticeable difference in sound quality.
The Tony Bennett / Bill Evans Album - An even more puzzling inclusion. Not a Columbia release, but recorded for the Fantasy label in the '70s. This is the original Fantasy CD release, not even repackaged for the box set by Columbia. It's just as if they bought a bunch of these from Fantasy and popped them into this collection. However, and again frustratingly, this is NOT the 20 Bit remastered edition of this CD that has been available for several years but the non-remastered, sonically inferior release from the late '90s. Perhaps Fantasy had a few thousand of these that they couldn't get rid of because they had been superseded by the remastered edition and unloaded them on Sony/Columbia? Whatever the reason this is a slipshod inclusion in the set, to say the least.
Next is one album already previously released and remastered, but here in a slightly amended form.
I Wanna Be Around - No noticeable difference in sound quality, but with different bonus cuts from the previous release. The previous CD release of this album included as a bonus, seven tracks from the "This Is All I Ask" album, a somewhat bizzarre and half-baked addition, as all of the tracks from "This Is All I Ask" would have fitted on to the disc making a two-on-one release. For the box set release we have three different bonus tracks "If I Love Again" (alternate take) / "Someone To Love" (alternate take) / "Indian Summer". So - if you want all of the bonus material you have to hold on to your (now deleted) previous CD release of this album.
The next album again comes under the heading of totally pointless:
The Singles Collection - considering this box set is aimed at the hardcore Bennett fan and not the casual buyer (casual buyers don't drop $135 on a whim), another "Greatest Hits" variant is completely pointless. Something tells me that the people likely to be forking over their hard-earned moolah for this box will already have everything on this disc, probably several times over. Heaven forbid Sony/Columbia should have given the fans something so outrageous as a disc of rare and unreleased tracks instead of this, their umpteenth hits compilation.
Finally, two albums that finally deliver the goods for the fans.
Tony Bennett Sings for Two - Briefly available on CD many years ago but rapidly withdrawn for some reason. This remastered version offers significant improvement in sound quality over the previous release.
When Lights are Low - first time ever relese anywhere in the world on CD (so far as I can ascertain). An absolute gem. More of this type of album -i.e. never before available on CD- is what this collection needed.
So - what do we have at the end of the day for the Bennett faithful? One previously unavaiable on CD release and one long unavailable on CD album, three albums in exactly the same form they are already avaiable in, one album in an inferior version to what is already available, one album with different bonus cuts to its previous release, five albums with remastered sound (two with bonus cuts) and, finally, one totally pointless "hits" collection.
Considering that approximately thirty Tony Bennett albums have never had a CD release, many more are long deleted on the format and bearing in mind the considerable amount of unreleased material in the vaults, this collection is a completely botched undertaking, a missed opportunity and a pretty shoddy commemoration of the man's 80th birthday.
Just exactly who executive producer Danny Bennett and Sony/Columbia are aiming this box set at is a bit of a mystery. If it is the dedicated fan, then I have to tell all parties involved in this release that we expect a lot more than two unavailable albums, a collection of already avaialble cleaned up recordings and seven -count'em folks- previously unavailable tracks for our $135.
Just what are the chances, I wonder, of Tony Bennett's back catalogue making it to CD before his original fanbase -or for that matter his newer devotees- are all in their graves?
This is a sorry monument to a great artist's 80th year.
(AFTERTHOUGHT: I'm still puzzled over the unusual number of discs in the set, namely, thirteen. Not a dozen, not twenty. but thirteen. Go figure. You know what they say about the number 13 - "...unlucky for some...". In this case the unlucky ones are Mr Bennett's fans.)
"
Great Music - Beautifully Presented - a MUST for Tony's fans
Bill Anthony | North Texas United States | 11/04/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This elaborate 2006 box contains 12 great Tony Bennett albums, 11 of which are newly repackaged and remastered.
2 of the albums are on CD for the first time.
It also contains an exclusive compilation "The Singles Collection" which is entirely drawn from the 2 recently released Greatest Hits of the 50's / Greatest Hits of the 60's CD's.
The new artwork is fantastic! All the original LP covers have been replicated, front and back, with any liner notes, as well as new additional photos from the various eras of Tony's career. The front cover art is full size, unlike the late 90's Tony Bennett Master Series. The discs are all in standard jewel cases.
[The photo on Amazon is not accurate - it shows some discs in their earlier Master Series versions, which are not included here]
CLOUD 7: same mastering from 2004 by Darcy Proper (new artwork also includes Jonathan Schwartz's liner notes from the 2004 edition)
THE BEAT OF MY HEART: new mastering by Dae Bennett, same 6 bonus tracks as 2004 edition
TONY SINGS FOR TWO: first time on CD!, mastered by Dae Bennett
I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO: new mastering by Mark Wilder
I WANNA BE AROUND: new mastering by Mark Wilder, new bonus tracks "If I Love Again (alt take)", "Someone To Love (alt take)", and "Indian Summer"
(the 1995 CD of this album had 7 bonus tracks from the album "This Is All I Ask" which makes it a keeper as well)
WHEN LIGHTS ARE LOW: first time on CD!, mastered by Dae Bennett, previously unreleased bonus tracks "How Long Has This Been Going On", "All Of You", "We'll Be Together Again"
THE MOVIE SONG ALBUM: new mastering by Dae Bennett, new bonus tracks "A Time For Love" and "The Shining Sea"
SONGS FOR THE JET SET: new mastering by Dae Bennett, bonus track "Falling In Love With Love"
THE ART OF EXCELLENCE: new mastering by Dae Bennett
PERFECTLY FRANK: new mastering by Dae Bennett
MTV UNPLUGGED: new mastering by Dae Bennett, new bonus tracks "Little Street Where Old Friends Meet" and "When Do The Bells Ring For Me"
{Of these 11 new editions, only I Left My Heart In SF, Perfectly Frank, and MTV Unplugged have been released to stores seperately as of Nov 2006}
TONY BENNETT / BILL EVANS ALBUM: this is the original Fantasy CD version (not the 20-Bit remaster) that Sony apparently purchased and included because of it's classic status. An incredible album, but nothing new in packaging or mastering
SINGLES COLLECTION: 26 tracks out of the 32 included on the 2 new Greatest Hits of 50's / Greatest Hits of 60's CDs available in stores. The artwork is completely different from those sets and very nice. Among the tracks are 2 found only on this and the GH of 50's CD: "The Party's Over" and "Climb Every Mountain"
Who knows if RPM/Columbia will release these new discs seperately in the future - this box itself seems to be available only from limited sources.
We can only hope that the rest of the Tony Bennett CD catalog will be re-done as well,
(Who Can I Turn To, Something, Astoria, Bennett/Berlin, Steppin Out etc.)
and that the many great Tony Bennett albums from the 50's , 60's and 70's that have NEVER been on CD will be issued in the near future!"
Missed Opportunity
Mike D. | Philadelphia, Pa. United States | 11/24/2006
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Have to agree with J. Pauley's assessment. Amazon's description is misleading about some of the titles only being available on CD through this box set. Aside from the few bonus tracks, the only thing noteworthy in this collection is that "When Lights Are Low" is finally available on CD. Maybe we'll have to wait for Tony's 90th before some of his other albums from that period see the light of day."
A terrific set with some real flaws.
Douglas J. Richardson | Saint Michael, PA United States | 04/11/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"The music in this set is phenomenal. Aside from it being Tony Bennett, sonically the CDs are top notch. Yes, I agree that to make this a truly special set, Sony/ Legacy could have thrown in some rare stuff. What Bennett fan, though wouldn't rejoice at having "When Lights are Low?" In many cases, original LP artwork and liner notes are reproduced...a lot of thought, it seems, went into the production of the discs and inserts.
The physical flaws of the set are evident, and are quite stunning for a $170.00 set. When the box is opened, you see that the discs aren't in place holders....the 13 discs are just inside the box. At first, the booklet (which isn't that remarkable, sorry) was hard to get out. I can see the other reviewer's point that the box, physically, can't tolerate much or it will fall apart. Thus, physically, the design of the box leaves a lot to be desired. But the music, timeless and beautiful, makes the purchase worthwhile...although you can sense that for Sony it was a missed opportunity. How many fans are willing to spend this $$ for stuff they already have, and how many novices are willing to spend it on somebody they're wondering about? It's a good idea, not quite executed correctly."