Sammy Davis Jr.
In Person Australia '77
Rare & Collectible Vinyl Records

1977 Australian Gatefold Original, Live In Australia In 1977! Glossy Vinyl In Its Original Round-Bottom Poly-Inner Sleeve. “This Is A Live Recording From A Concert In Sydney, Australia, But It Is Obviously Not The One Where Sammy Davis, Jr., Stoned Out Of His Mind On Cocaine And Alcohol, Walked Off-Stage After The First Number Was Over Because He Was Convinced He Had Just Done The Encore. Mentioning This Tale Is Not Indulging In Idle Gossip, As The Artist Himself Provided All The Juicy Details In His Autobiographical Writings. These Recordings Date From The Following Year, When He Was Rebounding From Personal Lows And Determined To Show The Audience That He Still Had The Stuff. He Was Also Riding High, So To Speak, On The Success Of Two Hit Parade Singles. Never Mind That He Had To Be Forced To Record Both Of Them, Or Rather Do Mind, Because He Does Versions Of Both Of These Songs Here And Neither Represents His Artistic Pinnacle...While Scholars Interested In This Sort Of Detail Can Debate Who Was More Inebriated In Their Lifetimes, The Singer Or The Songwriter, The Performances Here That Are Capable Of Hushing Satire Of The Davis Jr. Legend Are The Extended "Frank Sinatra Medley" And A Version Of "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby" That Has Become A Radio Programmer's Favorite. Both Performances Feature Not Only Vocal Mastery ,But This Artist's Virtuosity With Impressions, A Talent That He Developed During His Early Vaudeville Days, Utilized To Originally Lure The Great Sinatra To His Camp Of Loyal Followers, And Unfortunately Allowed To Be Overshadowed By The Glitzy Lifestyle Of The Rat Pack, Along With The Whole Concept Of Talent In General. Bristling, Aggressive Versions Of Expected Numbers Help Fill Out The Program, As Well As A Bit Of Less-Worthy Material. No Recording By This Artist From This Decade Would Be Complete Without Some Kind Of Hilariously Dated Business, And The Winner In This Case -- With Lots Of Serious Competition -- Is The Cover Version Of Television Detective Star Opus "Baretta's Theme.” Eugene Chadbourne, AMG.