Greatest Hits of the '60s

by Tony Bennett

Overview

Released the month that Tony Bennett turned 80, this LP-length compilation of his 1960s records gives a good account of his second decade of recording, even if it doesn't quite live up to the "greatest hits" claim of its title. All of Bennett's Top 40 pop hits of the '60s are included, among them the Top 20 entries "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," "I Wanna Be Around," and "The Good Life." But the compilers were more concerned with presenting 48 minutes of highlights of the '60s tracks than with following the singles charts slavishly. They signal this right at the beginning by starting with the non-hit tracks "Put on a Happy Face," "The Best Is Yet to Come," and "Once Upon a Time." Proceeding in chronological order by recording date, they then select from among the modest hits Bennett enjoyed in the wake of his comeback with the Grammy-winning "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" in 1962, adding in the non-hit songs "Speak Low" and "My Favorite Things" as they make their way to the end of the decade, when Bennett was recording more contemporary fare, such as the Beatles' "Something." The '60s was arguably Bennett's most accomplished decade artistically, even while it became commercially problematic as the impact of the British Invasion increased from 1964 on. Bennett was not primarily a singles artist by this point, and the compilers have balanced the biggest hits with other worthy material. Given its length, this album is no more than a sampling of Bennett's '60s work. But it does arguably feature the best three-quarters of an hour of his recorded work in the decade. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	08/29/2006
Label:	Sony Music
UPC:	0886977392825
Rank:	53054

Tracks

1. Put on a Happy Face [From Bye Bye Birdie]
2. The Best Is Yet to Come
3. Once Upon a Time [From All American]
4. I Left My Heart in San Francisco
5. I Wanna Be Around
6. The Good Life [From the Seven Capital Sins]
7. This Is All I Ask
8. When Joanna Loved Me
9. Speak Low [From One Touch of Venus]
10. Who Can I Turn To? (When Nobody Needs Me) [From the Roar of the Greasepoint]
11. If I Ruled the World [From Pickwick]
12. Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)
13. The Shadow of Your Smile [From the Sandpiper]
14. For Once in My Life
15. My Favorite Things [From the Sound of Music]
16. Something

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Tony Bennett   Primary Artist,Vocals
Torrie Zito   Conductor
Peter Matz   Conductor
Cy Coleman   Conductor
Johnny Mandel   Conductor
Marty Manning   Conductor
Ralph Burns   Conductor
George Siravo   Conductor
Frank DeVol   Conductor
Jimmy Rowles   Piano
Don Costa   Conductor
Robert Farnon   Conductor
The Ralph Sharon Trio   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Mitch Miller   Audio Production,Producer
Jack Gold   Audio Production,Producer
Ernie Altschuler   Audio Production,Producer
Wally Gold   Producer
Johnny Mandel   Arranger,Composer
D. Cross   Composer
Robert Wells   Composer
Lisa Buckler   Project Director
Steve Banks   Photography
Josh Cheuse   Art Direction
Jeremy Blakeslee   Design
Jack Reardon   Composer
Hank Parker   Photography
Mike Kull   Tape Research
Don Hunstein   Photography
R.N. Miller   Composer
Peter Matz   Arranger
Tony Bennett   Executive Producer
Steven Berkowitz   A&R
Ogden Nash   Composer
Lee Adams   Composer
Cy Coleman   Composer
Torrie Zito   Arranger
George Harrison   Composer
Didier C. Deutsch   Compilation Producer
Johnny Mercer   Composer
Leslie Bricusse   Composer
Howard A. Roberts   Producer
Sacha Distel   Composer
Sadie Vimmerstadt   Composer
Marty Manning   Arranger
Mark Wilder   Mastering,Compilation Producer
Ralph Burns   Arranger
Orlando Murden   Composer
George Cory   Composer
C. Strouse   Composer
George Siravo   Arranger
Danny Bennett   Executive Producer
Kurt Weill   Composer
Paul Francis Webster   Composer
Anthony Newley   Composer
Frank DeVol   Arranger
L. Adams   Composer
Jack Segal   Composer
Don Costa   Arranger
Carolyn Leigh   Composer
Charles Strouse   Composer
Douglass Cross   Composer
Oscar Hammerstein II   Composer
Richard Rodgers   Composer
Ron Miller   Composer
Robert Farnon   Arranger
Cyril Ornadel   Composer
The Ralph Sharon Trio   Performer
C. Leigh   Composer
Jay Krugman   Project Director
Gordon Jenkins   Composer
Bart Howard   Composer
C. Ornadel   Composer