I actually prefer TB's studio recordings to his live performances because I feel the sheer richness and subtlety of his voice is lost when pumped through a microphone in an echoing concert hall. This actually assists many singers that need to have occassional cracks and wavers in tone covered up, because the mistakes get swallowed up in the reverberation-- but with TB in his prime, you want to focus on his "perfect" voice, not crowd noise, or punchy band arrangements. On certain numbers, Tony seems to be shouting tunes out to the crowd and not displaying the dynamic vocal range he was capable of at this time. This is undoubtedly him being influenced by the excitement of performing in front of a large crowd that he wants to get revved up. I prefer the small, initmate, Ralph Saron trio approach he uses today as opposed to the big-band, cheerleader style he uses here. The big band thing was better suited for Sinatra. Nevertheless, this is a live recording of excellent sound quality and shows TB in his prime. This CD is actually an abreviated version-- there is a 2 CD set with additional material also available, I believe. This CD is certainly worth a purchase at such a nominal price. Thouroughly enjoyable.

This classic complete recording (CD re-issue) of Tony Bennett's historical recording is also truly a pleasurable listening experience. Many of the tunes will probably be new, and many may feel dated, but all have the charm and energy that Tony Bennett has yet to lose.