I hope I’m not spamming the thread with too much of this stuff…
Elvis Presley - If You Don’t Come Back. Another super track from his Stax sessions.
Got to have some Burt, surely…?? This isn’t the most obvious one of his, but then again there are so many of those to choose from.
John Rowles - Vehicle. I think he was the first (and maybe only?) indigenous Kiwi to headline at Vegas.
Agreed with @RandomJukebox regarding Sammy Davis Jr’s Motown album Something For Everyone. He even managed to inject some groove into My Way ferchrissakes…! This was the last track I played in my own set.
The album also contains groovy versions of Hi Heel Sneakers, Spinning Wheel, In The Ghetto and Wichita Lineman.
Tom Jones - Resurrection Shuffle. He recorded at least 1 other version of this track for a studio album, but the best one is on the Live At Ceasar’s Palace 2LP.
Ella Fitzgerald - Sunshine Of Your Love. Well known, but still sounds good.
Barry Manilow - Oh My Lady. Maybe this is too straightforwardly ‘good’?
Peter Nero - Soulful Strut. Really nice version, has a bit of that show-y Liberace vibe to it.
A few Andy Williams numbers…
Windy. Nice cover of The Association track.
House of Bamboo. 90’s lounge revival classic
Get Together. Lounge-psych?? Nice bit of electric sitar. The track picks up around the 1.30 mark.
Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In. With backing from The Osmonds(!)
Brook Benton - Shoes. I think the 12" version is a bit longer.
Liza Minelli - Dancing In The Moonlight. Personally, i don’t think this material suits her voice, but she does a great job on the version of Use Me off the same album. Not sure that one is sufficiently Vegas, though.
I think she also did a couple of reasonable disco-inflected numbers on a subsequent album (with a scene from a 1920s cruise ship on the cover I think?)
Indeed I do! If, when I was a teenager listening to dark angular post-punk stuff, someone had told me that one day I’d own an LP by Barbra Streisand…well…
Sammy Davis Jr - For Once In My Life. Another one off that TV special OST (he recorded a studio version too, but that isn’t as good). He really did know how to project a song! Pop trivia: he went on to marry the dancer to his Left in this video.
Johnny Mathis - Evil Ways. A bit obvious perhaps, but still a great version of the Santana track. He did plenty of other good soulful stuff of course, but none of those other cuts feels particularly Vegas to my ears.
Shirley Bassey - Vehicle. Really big sound on this track which came from the same session as Light My Fire, but didn’t make it onto the LP. Got booted about 25 years ago (which remains the only way to get it on vinyl, fact fans).
Elvis Presley - Change of Habit. More groovy Elvis. Check out that fuzz bass!
Buddy Greco - What’s Goin’ On. Sinatra’s pianist. Whoever thought this would be a good idea?? He’s not really suited to this material, but it is pretty audacious. Or misguided? Whatever. I could absolutely see this being performed at Vegas to an almost exclusively white middle-class audience.
Stan Kenton - 2002 Zarasthustrevisited. It has a strong jazz-rock vibe, but i feel there’s just the right amount of big-band swing going on to make this a plausible opener for a big Vegas show.
Bette Midler - Breaking up somebody’s home
A few Henry Mancini bits and bobs…
Henry plays Barry White. I think a lot of covers of Bazza’s material fall short of the original, but this one doesn’t. This whole album is pretty good tbh.
Sun Goddess
Pick Up The Pieces
Surely not…?!?
Probably best known for the b boy break (@ about 1.50)
Liza Minelli - When It Comes Down To It. It’s a brave person who would attempt to cover a Minnie Riperton track… And the result is surprisingly OK. Nice production too.
Sammy Davis Jr - I Like The Way You Dance. Off the Salt & Pepper OST.
Louis Bellson - Kings Road Boogaloo. Bellson recorded this in London with a load of UK session faces. It has a definite UK feel to it, but it does have enough swagger to fit in with a Vegas set imo.
Bette Midler - Daytime Hustler. Classic b boy breakz…!