Oh, I was looking forward to this. I've had it in my library for a good while.

Give it a shot - maybe you'll get more out of it than I did. I really got the impression she just didn't have any insight into the mindset of the people she was writing about or from the area they came from. I felt the same way about Goldman's Elvis and John Lennon books. I read Tamborelli's Sinatra bio and thought it was ok. Also read Earl Wilson's so long ago I can't remember much about it. The one I'm reading now by James Kaplan promises to be the best. So far (about 35 pgs in) I like it.

I've heard so many conflicting stories/opinions about Blue Eyes that probably no two authors are going to offer the same portrait. I have Nancy Sinatra's coffee table book, "Frank Sinatra: My Father", which is mainly valuable for the tremendous collection of photos inside, not for the gooey and understandably glowing assessment of him by Nancy.

Have you ever watched the real Rat Pack films that were made at the Sands in 1963? I'm not talking about Oceans 11, but the footage of their act in the Copa Room. Some guy has them posted on Youtube and they're amazing. I'm not talking about the later closed circuit benefit concert that included Johnny Carson with the Rat Pack (which was done somewhere else, possibly Chicago or Kansas City, and not in Vegas). Although I do have the latter on DVD. The 1963 Copa Room at the Sands material is the real McCoy, but seems tied up in some legal zone and hasn't been officially released. Too bad. There is a live CD of this session or one just like it that is great also. I have that, too. It's hilarious.

I'm sure I've seen at least some of the 1963 footage, but I'll be diggin' You Tube late tonight for a refresher. That is DEFINITELY the era! I have a live cd on a budget label of some early 60s Rat Pack show in Chicago. It's great! Amazon has a 5 dvd Sinatra set that I'll probably pull the trigger on soon. Not sure if some early 60s stuff is on there. I also want to get the recently released "Concert for the Americas" dvd. It's a 1982 show from the Dominican Republic that played heavily on HBO when first released. Although '82 isn't prime time Frank he sounds fine and he's backed by the Buddy Rich Band. Two old buddies of mine are in constant view behind Frank. Saxophonists Andy Fusco and Steve Marcus (who unfortunatley left us a couple of years ago). I particularly want to get that show on account of that.

The Copa Room at the Sands '63 footage is very rare and is nowhere else to be found but on Youtube at present. To me, these are the best visuals in existence of a REAL Vegas Rat Pack show but for some reason it is not in legit release. I saw a very short clip from it on some documentary 10 years ago and searched in vain through all the legit DVDs/VHS releases and came up empty. Then I finally saw it on Youtube. Just search Rat Pack Copa Room 1963 on YT and you'll find it, in several parts.

This CD pretty much has the same stuff (just the audio, of course, but the sound is really good quality). It's great:
http://www.amazon.com/Rat-Pack-Live-a...

The only "legal" DVD release of a Rat Pack show is this one, called The Ultimate Rat Pack Collection: Live & Swingin, which is a two-disc set (one is just audio (cd), the Chicago show you mentioned, I believe, and the other (dvd) is a closed-circuit charity show the Pack did, but not in Vegas). I own this and it's very good.
http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Rat-Pa...

Thanks for the info Evan - it clarifies what is for me a confusing situation. I think I'm going to get gradually get all these cds.

It took me awhile to get all this stuff straight, so I'm glad to save you the time of doing so also.

I'd really recommend the second item I mentioned (Rat Pack Live at the Sands, CD) if you just want to listen to a hilarious and quintessential Rat Pack show from Vegas, in excellent sound. But I wouldn't be without the double-set, also.

Hope you can find time for the Youtube material. It's a shame it can't be released in a good legal format. Something involving legal rights and money is holding it back, one can bet.

I should try to check out that Dominican performance. I only have one of the Frank TV specials on DVD (A Man and His Music) from 1965, even though there were about 3 or 4 more in the series. Unfortunately they are out of print now and expensive in the collector's market. I sure would like to get those someday.

Got to watch about first two segments of the you tube material - Priceless! It really should come out on dvd. I have the Live at the Sands Rat Pack cd and also a solo Frank cd from the same series (to diferrentiate the live Frank with Basie at the Sands) AND I went ahead and ordered the 7 dvd set on amazon - turns out the concert from the DR is included.
The book FRANK is a good read. He quotes his sources and - surprise to me - Kitty Kelley is one of them. What really bugged me about her was her tone and interpretation and somewhat her accuracy.

Kitty Kelley was a trash purveyor, no doubt. But I will still read it at some point.
Glad you were able to delve into the youtube stuff.