While the name "Best Of", implies a collection of various clips from different performances, be rest assured this is ONE FULL LENGTH START TO FINISH CONCERT. The performance is about an hour long. It stars Sammy Davis Jr. and features a very talented drummer. I happen to own many many concert DVD's & blue-rays of many different genres. Simply put, not only is this the best DVD concert I own, it ranks among the best concerts (of any genre)I have ever seen. Sammy Davis Jr. = the greatest entertainer ever. It's just simply amazing how talented this guy was. As much as I like some of the other crooners and entertainers of that "by gone era", in reality, none of them could hold a candle to Sammy, and they knew it. In fact I have shown this DVD to several people, both musicians and non-musicians, young and old, none of which were "fans", but everyone agrees - some even teary eyed(like me in parts...). After showing(off) this DVD, I have created some new fans.
This show was filmed in 1985 in Germany. Surprisingly and sadly, he died only five years later in 1990 from cancer. In all regards, he is in top notch form in this DVD and (here)he sure looks like he has many years left to go...In addition, he really does look good here - snazzy, well dressed etc., unlike his "look" from the 1970's... And unlike the great Frank Sinatra, whose voice "changed" as he aged, Sammy's stayed consistant as did his energy, overall. His look may have changed and evolved over the years, but in this DVD, he has more of that stylish/classic look, that many of us prefered...Overall, while I still prefer his 1960's stuff, we have to take in consideration the fact that this DVD has the best audio and video quality available and this IS STILL A VERY VERY GOOD performance. The video and sound quality are excellent and will be acceptable to all of the "philes" out there. I may be wrong, but I believe I read somewhere that his wife had this peformance digitally remastered when it went to DVD. I own many hard to find DVDr's of his concerts - from the 60's through the 80's. While he always put on a great show, because of the poor video, I regretfully can't think of any I would (highly) recommend other than a B&W Amsterdam BBC concert from the 60's, but that's in Pal vs NTSC... There is also good & quality performance available on the DVD from: The Ultimate Rat Pack Collection: Live & Swingin (CD & DVD) that I would also HIGHLY recommend. The DVD w/ Liza Minelli & Frank Sinatra is okay but beyond that, trust me, those DVDr's( iOffer bootlegs) should be reserved for only the biggest fan, due to their poor sometimes aweful video quailty...So this DVD, The Best of Sammy Davis Jr. Live, is the only thing the public has. Luckily, this is very good & satisfying in all regards! I wish & hope that Mr. Davis's estate will invest and work on restoring/remastering some of his FULL LENGHTH performances - an HBO special from Mexico and a Boston Pops performance he did immediately comes to mind and there are many others. Unfortunately it is my understanding that "video" is harder to restore than "film" and the afore mentioned were likley shot in video and then there needs to be demand & funds...so we'll see....
Anyways, get this today. I couldn't recommend this DVD any higher to those that enjoy & appreciate quality entertainment. You will not be disappointed. They don't make em' like this anymore...Energywise, it starts slow and then builds and builds and builds and then has an incredible finish, just the way a good show should.
Btw, the incredible drummer featured in this DVD is also Tony Bennett's drummer in the more recent DVD, Tony Bennett's Wonderful World: Live in San Francisco (2002)
EDIT: Here is the DVD's track list
1 WHEN OR WHERE
2 NEW YORK, NEW YORK
3 WHAT I DID FOR LOVE
4 CANDY MAN
5 I'M SINGING IN THE RAIN (singing & tap dancing)
6 AS LONG AS SHE NEEDS ME(WHAT KIND OF FOOL AM I)
7 THE LADY IS A TRAMP
8 IMPROVISATION: I'VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN/GIRL FROM IMPANEMA + MORE (absolutely amazing!!!)
9 I'VE GOT TO BE ME
10 FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE
11 AS TIME GOES BY (impersonations)
12 MR. BOJANGLES
