NOISE: Legends Brought to Life

Centennial Collection encapsulates some of the best vintage Vegas had to offer

Richard Abowitz

The classic Vegas showrooms produced among the most storied entertainment of the last century. The successful performer had to mix extraordinary musical chops, humor and attitude, as well as a serious work ethic (or enough drugs and alcohol) to do two shows a night—more if you were working the lounge. As a result, during the '60s and '70s, the Strip featured unbelievably sturdy performers who always delivered a consistent show amidst the chaos of gamblers, drinkers and partiers. Though not without filler, flaws and gaps, the nine discs making up The Centennial Collection is the most concerted tribute to these old Vegas performers ever assembled.



Live From Las Vegas


If you can only get one, Live From Las Vegas is the perfect sound track to classic Vegas, offering 18 live selections. Wisely avoiding simply making this an anthology of highlights from the series, the compilers included tracks by many artists not given individual titles in the collection, such as Sammy Davis Jr., Nat King Cole and Judy Garland. This disc also offers selections from some of the jazz performers like Stan Kenton and Buddy Rich who still managed to find a haven for work and an appreciative audience in Vegas long after rock 'n' roll took over elsewhere.



High Rollers From Las Vegas


On the other hand, High Rollers From Las Vegas, a studio anthology, is more of a cash-in built around the concept of artists who regularly played Vegas. It focuses on the obvious, from "Danke Schoen" by the Wayner to "Jump, Jive an' Wail" from Louis Prima. This collection has no surprises, unless you count the omission of Elvis doing "Viva Las Vegas," and that, sadly, prevents this from being definitive even as the ultimate collection of Vegas cliché. Pass on this assemblage of Capitol Records' back catalogue given a Vegas veneer.



Nancy Wilson


Among the joys of The Centennial Collection is the inclusion of Nancy Wilson, an extraordinary singer who has never achieved an audience anything like the size of her talents. Sophisticated phrasing, heavy on ballads and regal in delivery, this August 1968 performance at the Sands captures Wilson bringing together pop, jazz and standards. You would never know it from listening to this disc, but this was the month of the riots in the streets of Chicago outside the Democratic National Convention, as well as the Soviet Union's invasion of Czechoslovakia. At the time, the lack of politics in Las Vegas entertainment seemed hopelessly out of touch and almost notorious, but listening today to Wilson announce "Jerome Kern time" (instead of talking about the counterculture, Vietnam or hippies) one is grateful for her more timeless focus on this typical night in a typically troubled world. Previously only available on the Nancy Wilson box set, Four Decades of Music, the quality of this recording justifies a stand-alone release.



Wayne Newton


Wayne Newton's career has had more to do with stages in Las Vegas than recording studios in California. Yet, as liner notes writer James Ritz notes, "Oddly, for someone so closely connected to the city, Wayne Newton never recorded a live album in Las Vegas." As a result, the collection's Wayne Newton contribution is no more than another anthology of his familiar studio recordings, augmented with two concert performances recorded at a Hollywood club. Even as just another gathering of Newton staples, though, The Centennial Collection still has serious flaws. For example, if you care about owning a Newton collection, you probably are going to insist that "Red Roses For a Blue Lady" be on it. So, all things being equal, if you like Newton's studio recordings, go for the Capitol Collectors Series from 1989 rather than The Centennial Collection.



Louis Prima and Keely Smith


Should Las Vegas ever get a time machine, among the great tourist destinations will be to transport back to 1958 and go to the Sahara to see Louis Prima and Keely Smith, backed by Sam Butera and the Witnesses, as they rock the Casbar Lounge. It may truly have been the happiest place on Earth. This is an essential disc, as rich and powerful as anything Prima and Smith ever released together or apart. Thirteen of the 19 tracks have never been available before, and though almost half-a-century old, these recordings are still distilled fun. In the Casbar, Prima and Smith perfected musical entertainment like no other lounge act, and it is amazing just how joyful and fresh these recordings sound. About the only complaint to be leveled against Live From Las Vegas is that it captures 19 discreet performances instead of offering an entire set. Of course, keeping between-song banter to a minimum makes for a consistent musical listening experience. But who cares about that? This collection whets the appetite for what still must be in the Capitol vaults from this 1958 stint. Live From Las Vegas hopefully presages the release of the unedited tapes of every set by Smith and Prima that the mobile unit captured at the Casbar that night (while headliners could get away with a mere two sets, in the lounge, Prima and Smith did up to five sets a night).



Dean Martin


Though also made up of previously unreleased recordings, Dean Martin Live From Las Vegas goes in the opposite direction, offering a single performance: the late show from April 4, 1967. This is Dean Martin at his most loose and relaxed, never quite sticking with any song he starts and working through seven minutes of monologue about Bing Crosby to introduce "June in January." Martin's comic timing is flawless and despite his "direct from the bar" persona, here Martin is the essence of the Strip professional, delivering the late show of yet another Vegas stand as if he were making the jokes for the first time and delighted to discover there was an audience along for the ride: "Boy, you sure are something. I was all the way back in my dressing room when I heard you applauding. I rushed right out here."



Bobby Darin


Recorded at the Flamingo in 1963, Bobby Darin Live in Las Vegas was previously only available as a mail-order release. Despite the revival brought on by Beyond the Sea, Darin's success in so many genres but commitment to none conspire to keep his music forever underappreciated. The one place, however, where Darin could create unity out of his musical universe was in his stage show, where hits like "Splish Splash" could be presented alongside standards like Rodgers and Hart's "My Funny Valentine," a parody of Johnny Cash's "I Walk The Line" and signature songs like "Mack the Knife." Darin meant this stint in Las Vegas to mark a kind of retirement from the stage, and though that did not happen, it did mark the ultimate expression of his Vegas muse.



Elvis


Among the most disappointing entries in the collection is Elvis Live From Las Vegas because it is no more than the same worn-out and well-known song selections from too many other releases. There is the Elvis Live in Las Vegas box set, the On Stage: February 1970 album and also Elvis in Person at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada album, and of course, best known of all, That's the Way It Is (also given a box treatment) recorded live in 1970 on stage. Therefore this release is only essential to hard-core fans. That said, the compilers have stuck to exceptional performances culled from stints in '70 and '72 when Presley's Vegas act had yet to totally harden and coarsen as the star's health and musical identity faltered. A vibrant "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" is among the highlights here, though primarily from opener "See See Rider" to closer "An American Trilogy," Elvis Live From Las Vegas is familiar ground unnecessarily being covered yet again.



Frank Sinatra


Despite all of the attention and reverence given to old Vegas, there have been surprisingly few live recordings to come out of the classic showrooms. One notable exception is Sinatra at the Sands, recorded in 1966 with Count Basie, the definitive statement of Sinatra in Vegas. But this 1986 concert from the Golden Nugget is still a welcome addition to the legend's catalogue. There is an energized opener, "I've Got the World on A String," and a truly killer take of "Luck Be a Lady" and a beautiful "I've Got A Crush on You." There is even a charmingly impromptu "My Way" delivered as a request, a reminder of the wonderful intimacy of the performances in the Nugget's Theatre Ballroom.


The Centennial Collection makes clear that between the high rollers and the good times, there was plenty of great music to entertain the folks on the casino stages. This series gives a good hint at what might still be available among the decades' worth of unreleased recordings of classic Vegas. After all, this series only comes from one label, Capitol's vaults and releases. Let's look forward to more of it.

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