Please Visit My eBay Shop: filmpop

Why not try the many Classical,country, rock & pop cd titles only availaible in my Ebay shop at great buy it now prices and next day dispatch when paid by Paypal.

Combine a cd from the auction with a cd from the shop and get the lowest priced postage free.

Album Description

For those who didn't grow up on Sammy Davis Jr, it's hard to imagine the song-and-dance-and-comedy man at the height of his powers: by the time the 1970s rolled around, parodies of Davis were far more powerful than anything the once-consummate entertainer was then producing. It's for more modern listeners, then, that this analogy is made: on these songs, recorded with Marty Paich and his Dek-Tette in the early 1960s, Davis combines his inimitable, sensitive voice with the kind of command of language, style and pace that Elvis Costello displays on his Burt Bacharach collaborations. Davis was a talent in his own right, even though he was oft overshadowed by other members of the Rat Pack, who made him the object of many of their jibes; it's unfortunate that the enduring image of Davis doesn't incorporate more moments like those displayed on the dozen tracks collected on The Wham of Sam.

Customer Review

The innovative sound of this album is made even more explicit by the fact that the songs used are all old standards, in some cases ones not previously done in any 'rat pack' style.Using familiar tricks like adding witty asides and special lyrics is only part of the story as Sammy uses his voice as a solo instrument weaving counterpoint with harmony. Accompanied by musicians from a jazz background the music is played in a manner not usually used with vocals, but Sammy manages not only to sing along, but to join in the action. In many ways this is a cooler Sammy than usual, more introspective on some of the cuts, yet able to flip to a wilder sound on 'a lot of living to do', 'too close for comfort',and 'thou swell'. In many ways this album seens to be a potential new direction in music which it seems puzzling as to why it was not developed further. It seems that Sammy Davis Jr lacked the confidence to go out on a limb with a new style. Although notionaly a reissue this album has six more tracks than the original 10" lp, although the new tracks are from the same sessions. Although a distinct diversion from the rest of his body of work, this was possibly his finest hour.