Sinatra: Vegas (Box Set, 4CD/1DVD)

Sinatra: Vegas (Box Set, 4CD/1DVD)

Amazon.comMobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel may have laid the physical cornerstones of Las Vegas, but it was Francis Albert Sinatra who gave Sin City its swinging musical soul. Spanning a quarter century, this four-CD-plus-bonus-DVD collection of previously unreleased recordings captures spirited Sinatra shows at the Sands, Caesar's, and Golden Nugget--performances that initially underscore the salutary effect the desert playground had on the singer's muse, then warmly chronicle the autumn years of a triumphant career. A pair of '60s gigs at the Sands (of which Sinatra was part owner) capture an artist still building on his musical legacy in the midst of rock's rising fortunes. The 1961 show turns on the riches of his Capitol years, a musically straightforward set that balances the singer's interpretations of reflective material like "Moonlight in Vermont" and "In the Still of the Night" with upbeat, typically playful renditions of such Sinatra signatures as "Young at Heart," "The Lady Is a Tramp," and "Witchcraft."But it's the '66 performance that may be the most intriguing for Sinatraphiles: A live workout with Count Basie and his orchestra that eschews the singer's mid-decade comeback hits--and even material from the recent Sinatra-Basie collaboration--in favor of a sassy set that's less summit meeting than swinging soir