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Louis Prima & Keely Smith
Live From Las Vegas
Louis Prima & Keely Smith:  Live From Las Vegas

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Album Review

Released: 2005
Label: Capitol
Selection #: 161400
These partners in marriage as well as showbiz were recorded live in 1958, performing Come Rain Or Come Shine, Autumn Leaves and many more.
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1 Them There Eyes/Honeysuckle Rose
2 I've Got You Under My Skin
3 Should I/I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me
4 Don't Take Your Love from Me
5 Greenback Dollar Bill
6 Autumn Leaves
7 The White Cliffs of Dover
8 Nothing Can Replace a Man
9 Robin Hood
10 Judy
11 Somebody Loves Me/Nothing's Too Good for My Baby
12 Pack Your Clothes
13 Come Rain or Come Shine
14 Too Marvelous for Words
15 Embraceable You/I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
16 Buona Sera
17 Tenderly/Can't Help Lovin' That Man
18 When the Saints Go Marching In
19 Closing
  
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Album Review

Of all the recordings in Capitol's "Live from Las Vegas" series, this set by Louis Prima and Keely Smith with Sam Butera & the Witnesses is a standout. For Prima fans, it's a treasure trove since only six of the disc's 19 tracks have been previously issued in any form. Recorded in 1958 during the act's long-running stint at the Sahara's Casbah Theater and featuring superb editing that retains much of the stage banter and the pair's often humorous antics, it offers listeners the spontaneity and feel of a single live set in the moment. The sound is simply stellar; warm, full, and immediate, its presence gives one the impression of being in the room. As evidenced here, Prima and Smith often worked out new material in front of their nightly audiences. Mistakes are left in, making this all the more prescient. The track list ranges from the familiar, like "Buona Sera" (Prima), "Robin Hood" (Prima), "Autumn Leaves" (Smith), and "Greenback Dollar Bill" (Butera), to a debut recording of "Nothing Can Replace My Man" (Smith) and killer renditions of "White Cliffs Of Dover" (Prima), "Too Marvelous For Words" (Prima), and "Don'T Take Your Love From Me" (Smith). These collaborative performances are one of a kind. They underscore that while the studio recordings were of high merit artistically, it is as a live act that the pair established their legendary reputation. In fact, what is presented here lends a lot of weight to the claim that Prima and Smith virtually invented the Vegas lounge act. "Live from Las Vegas" is a hip and unceasing swingfest from top to bottom, with great humor, inspired singing and musicianship, and hipster vibes. For those who checked out Prima during the lounge revival, this is one for your next bash. For those who have been longtime disciples, this is the Holy Grail. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

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