Search - Nancy Wilson :: The Nancy Wilson Show

Wow! Worth the Wait

Gil Tisnado | Sacramento, CA USA | 10/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 1965 I purchased "The Nancy Wilson Show" LP and absolutely loved it. Being a 15 year old boy at the time, I hid this album among my Beatles and Beach Boys records, afraid that my teen buddies would think this LP was "uncool." Now 42 years later, I'm amazed at what good taste I had then. This is an amazing live recording with Nancy Wilson at her peak Capitol years, and with nine songs sung to perfection. I've been waiting for "The Nancy Wilson Show" to be released on CD for years, and now that it's finally here...it's actually better than I remembered it. This is a treasured addition to my Nancy Wilson CD collection."

Finally!

Jim Andrews | Chicago, Illinois USA | 11/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album captured what arguably was the finest club act ever fashioned for a prominent singer. When the LP came out I was in my early 20s and just flabbergasted by the superlative original material, the full-bodied orchestrations, the brilliant pacing, sophisticate dialogue and Miss Nancy's peerless and perfect performance.

This indeed became the model she set for herself the remainder of her career. I wore out the L.P. years ago so what a pleasure to have music now nearly 50 years old sounding totally contemporary. Nancy herself felt she'd achieved something special with this engagement and was proud of her work. She could have just stood there and sung songs off her albums, after all. A stunning listening experience; don't miss!"

The Diva in Her Prime

Rick Cornell | Reno, Nv USA | 03/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nancy Wilson is and has been one of the greatest non-classical singers of the past 50 years; and I truly hope that my less than salacious comments on "Turned to Blue" and "R.S.V.P." haven't obscured this major truth.



Nonetheless, I tend to blanch when a great singer has a recording released to the general public that hasn't been released in 43 years. I tend to get angry at the record label or the producer when this happens, as it seems to be an attempt to capitalize on the grave or "almost-grave."



Not this time. In 1964, Nancy Wilson was in her prime, not too far off two of the greatest vocal jazz recordings in history, the ones with Cannonball Adderly and George Shearing. But this one, recorded live at the then-legendary Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, is aimed more at the popular audience who were tuned into the variety shows on t.v. And in this recording, Nancy Wilson proves herself to be a terrific entertainer.



Besides having the greatest breath control of any singer ever, Ms. Wilson shines here with her versatility. Whether torch song ("Don't Take Your Love from Me"), standard-as-torch-song ("The Saga of Bill Bailey"), jazz standard ("I'm Beginning to See the Light"), or hilarious novelty song ("Don't Talk, Just Sing" - even as more and more people may not know who George Jessel or Allen Sherman were), Ms. Wilson never fails to captivate.



But its the three tongue-in-cheek stabs at the differences between the sexes - "Guess Who I Saw Today" (done sardoncially), "You Can Have Him", (the set-ender), and the hilarious "Ten Good Years" - that are the highlights of this set. By set's end, she has the audience eating out her hand - and has me wanting to play the recording again. And again.



Kudos to the venerable Michael Cuscuna, the producer, for this gem. The only knock that could be made on this c.d. is that it's too short - 37 minutes or so. So what. 37 minutes of Nancy Wilson in her prime is better than 74 minutes of most anybody else. I am grateful for this c.d.! RC



"