Frank Sinatra - In Concert at Royal Festival Hall (1971)

The All Time True Singing Champion

In my lifetime, no one, not one, could do all the things Frank Sinatra could. He was the ultimate craftsman. Ballad, swing, blues, big band up-tempo, look out, Frank would sew it together to anyone's satisfaction.
This concert with intro by his friend Grace Kelly, shown in color and very good sound, illustrates exactly what this writer said in sentence one. What command! Great pizazz! He's locked in, his leader and the band too. What a collective effort. Know what? Nearly every available concert you see by Sinatra is one of a kind. No pop singer will ever approach his fastidious approach to delivering vocal and instrumental music. I am buying this and serveral more of his DVD's for Christmas. The present is a forever keeper. October 28, 2007

Despite Some Rough Points, One Of The Best Sinatra Concert Videos Available.

Since there is so little official video footage of Frank Sinatra live in concert, a dvd like "In Concert At The Royal Festival Hall" is a welcome treat for fans. Recorded in 1971, this show was filmed not long before Frank retired later that year (of course, it didn't last long).

This is not a perfect show. Frank at times seems a bit lost and disconnected, and even flubs his line quite a few times (a trait that would plague Sinatra frequently in his final years), though it may or not have been in jest. Also, the sound quality and visual quality borh could've used some much needed sprucing up.

These minor quibbles aside, this is a fantastic show. It starts off with an introduction from Princess Grace Of Monaco (formerly screen legend Grace Kelly) before Ol' Blues Eyes comes out with a swinging new arrangement of "You Make Me Feel So Young". Next comes a tight, energetic version of "Pennies From Heaven".

In a rare occurence, "I've Got You Under My Skin" is one of the lower poitn s of the show. This version lacks energy and Sinatra messes up his timing and he really phones it in here. Things continue to slag a bit with his rendition of The Beatles' "Something", a song thast 8 years later that receive a much better treatment from Frank that rivaled the original.

Things begin to pick up with a fun version of "The Lady Is A Tramp". Frank flubs a line ("Anyone else?", he asks, questioning his faux pas), but he still owns the song. Next comes the arguable highlight of the show, as Frank sings his songs for losers.

First is "I Get Along Without You Very Well", which Frank does beautifully. Franks draws just the right emotion and gives the song his all. Jimmy Webb's "Didn't We" is next. A second-rate composition it is, but Frank makes it work.

Next comes a true classic, as Frank sings the "Daddy Of These Types Of Songs", and sinks into a moving "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)". The show, however, falters with the next number, as the pompous "I Will Drink The Wine" has Frank attempting to connect with the young "flower child" crownd and failing.

Things pick up with a gorgeous rendition of "I Have Dreamed" from "The King And I". Frank sings this one perfectly. "My Kind Of Town" and "My Way" finish things off on a high note.

Overall, this is not a perfect show, but a great show that is owrth having in your collection. Hopefully, many more great Siantra concerts (such as 1982's wonderful "Concert For The Americas") will find their way to dvd.

June 16, 2007

FRANK JUST BEFORE 'RETIREMENT'

Frank's voice is rough at times, but he knows how to use the mike like nobody else did to camaflage it or use it for poignancy. Good selection of songs from the Great American Song Book including 'I Get Along Without You Very Well' and 'I Have Dreamed.' Nice version of 'Something in the Way She Moves." Sometimes the band is uncommony loud which Frank humourously comments on. Look for Tony Bennet in the audience at the end when the camera pans left. May 26, 2007

FASCINATING!!

FRANK SINATRA IN ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL IS WONDERFUL. HES OLDER,THEREFORE MORE MELLOW AND COMFORTABLE WITH HIMSELF. TO ME, HIS SINGING AND STAGE PERSONNA ARE EXCELLENT! HE IS SO SEXY MORE THAN EVER. LAUGHING AND JOKING. AND WHEN HE FORGETS THOSE LINES OR ACTS LIKE HE DOES (THIS MAY BE PART OF THE ACT)HE COMES ACROSS AS SO HUMAN AND FUNNY. MY FAVORITE IS "I GET ALONG WITHOUT YOU VERY WELL" THIS IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND WELL PERFORMED IVE EVER EXPERIENCED. HE WAS TRULY A GENIUS AT PERFORMING. ANOTHER WONDERFUL ONE WAS "I WILL DRINK THE WINE" THIS SONG WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GOOD IF NOT PERFORMED BY THIS MAN BUT IT JUST FIT HIM. I LOVED IT! I DONT KNOW ABOUT ANYONE ELSE BUT THIS GUY STILL GETS "UNDER MY SKIN". AND THAT PRINCESS IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND HER SPEECH JUST TAKES YOU TO FAIRY-TALE LAND SO TO SPEAK. SINCE MOST OF US DONT RUB ARMS WITH ROYALTY. SHE WAS WONDERFUL TOO!! YOU MUST GET THIS IF YOU ARE A SINATRA FAN OR EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT! EXCELLENT!!!!!! April 26, 2006

sad state of Sinatra on DVD...

I see that a deluxe five DVD set of Barbra Streisand's TV specials has been released recently... So why doesn't Warner/Reprise do the same thing for Frank Sinatra's classic TV specials? Could "The Family" be involved perhaps...? Sure, they can get behind a phony "Sinatra at the Palladium" multi-media extravaganza where you watch 20-foot projected videos of Sinatra singing accompanied by a live orchestra thanks to "unprecedented access to Frank Sinatra's film archives"... but they can't seem to get Sinatra's video performance legacy released appropriately on DVD...

The classic 1960s, 70s, and 80s musical TV specials (A Man and His Music Part I & II, Sinatra+Ella+Jobim, The Main Event, etc...) are still being sold as individual DVDs at full price ($15-$20 each). They are each about 50 minutes long with "stereo" sound (actually "2-channel mono" I think) with no bonus features whatsoever, packaged in flimsy plastic and cardboard cases.

Why don't they compile all 9 of the Reprise Collection Sinatra TV specials in a 3-DVD package with 3 specials per DVD? Price it at about $40-$50, include some bonus goodies (there must be hours of stuff in the vaults... better go with 4 DVDs!) and give this material the deluxe, classy treatment it deserves.

Surely this would sell well enough to justify the minimal investment required (just repackaging/remastering the same old material for the most part). Wouldn't a DVD set like this be a better 90th birthday "limited edition" release than reissuing the sub-standard Duets CDs again? And what about all the amazing unreleased audio that remains stagnating in the vaults...? Get with the program, folks!

I am truly very happy for all you Babs fans though! You're "the luckiest people in the world..."
December 6, 2005

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