A collection of Frank Sinatra music cds and videos as well as compilation of his greatest hits.
Compared to the class act that was Capitol’s Sinatra 80th–All the Best, this haphazardly sequenced collection of live performances is disappointing in the extreme. Though obviously culled from several different concerts (dating at least as far back as 1974), the disc’s packaging omits specific recording information, trying to pass itself off instead as a recent document of a complete Sinatra concert. Sinatra acquits himself admirably on all 14 of the live numbers, even though his range changes rather noticeably from cut to cut. Sinatra deserves a definitive compilation of his best live performances, and this simply isn’t it. Still, for those of you who couldn’t get enough of the Duets series, this does include a studio version of “My Way,” sung with Luciano Pavarotti. –Dan Epstein
This was recorded mid 1980's, except for 1994/3 pavaroti song, this is not sinatra's last live album, certainly not his 1995 birthday concert album, last time he had one, songs ok but nothing special, out of prime! -- WARNING, SINATRA'S NOT LAST RECORDING!
Frank sounds great for eighty years old on this recording. I really like the particular songs that were chosen for this live album because there is a mixture of fast and slow tunes. The arrangements from Cole Porter, Nelson Riddle, and Rogers and Heart are all excellent.
My favorite song on the whole disc is "Soliliquy" a song about a man who learns that his wife is going to have a child. He has no clue how he will raise this child and is having difficulty accepting the responsibility. Frank does such a great job with this track. His singing really gives the listener a good idea of how the man in the song must have felt. My other favorites are "What's New, "Angel Eyes" and "For Once in My Life."
If you are a Sinatra Fan, you should listen to this CD. In my opinion, it is much much better than the new Tony Bennett release "An American Classic" that is out. -- One of my favorite Sinatra CD's
(4.5/5 stars) I like this CD quite a bit. Sure, Sinatra's voice on the recording is aging along with the rest of him, but he is at his most intimate and sincere, and the band is truly excellent. He is not attempting to be humorous, as he was in "Live at the Sands," and he is no longer the brash Rat Packer, acting more maturely than at other times. I'm generally not a fan of someone covering another artist's work, especially when the other artist wrote the song. However, Sinatra always had a knack for taking a song made famous from another artist and branding it as his own. Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and "For Once in My Life" are almost unrecognizable as the same songs as they sound 100% pure Sinatra. Bread's "If" maintains its pacing, but sounds hauntingly beautiful here. Being dedicated to his wife, Barbara, this CD doesn't really have any "fun" songs here; rather, they are gorgeous and Frank gives them a new sense of poignancy. A real treat is "My Heart Stood Still," which sounds especially sweet as an elderly man recounts the first time he laid eyes on his great love. Cabaret's "Maybe This Time" has all the hopeful romance and none of the glib theatrics of a Broadway song. There are also some familiar Sinatra standards as well, such as "Angel Eyes," "What's New," "Where or When," etc. Each one sounds refreshing as he breathes new life into it. He comes across as a class act all the way, being genuinely appreciative of the audience throughout the set (or sets, as the case may be) and giving credit to the composers (at least when he can recall their names). The sound on the recording is excellent as well, especially on a powerful stereo system. He does flub a couple lines and he forgets some of the lyrics (even with a teleprompter), but it isn't detectable unless one knows all the lyrics. Also, the recording dates and locations are not listed, which is apparently done on purpose because he wasn't actually eighty at the time of recording. Fine by me because it doesn't matter much. I don't believe the editor's review that states some of these recordings date back to 1974 because his voice sounded much different then and the quality of the recording(s) would not compare to these. If his range changed considerably from cut to cut, I certainly didn't notice. Makes me wonder if we listened to the same CD. Anyway, other reviewers have pegged the recording dates to 1988, which sounds entirely more plausible to me. -- Another milestone for Sinatra
This cd is great, very underrated however its zips into a frenzy for Frank, He is very powerful on this live recording which was in Dalls in 1987 I do believe. This is a great cd, I love it and the amazing thing is you can find it used cheap.
You canot go wrong purchasing any Sinatra cd;s but this one is a great insight into hearing the legend live and in concert. -- 80th Live !
Contrary to the 'official' review of this item, all of the tracks here (except the poorly edited Sinatra/Pavoratti duet)were recorded live in 1988. 11 out of 14 of the live tracks are from one live show in Boston in 1988, the other three from the 'Ultimate Event' Tour from 1988. Those three were recorded on December 2 and 3, 1988 at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. This is a marvelous collection of live tracks, with Sinatra in magnificent voice throughout all of the tracks. ANY Sinatra fan will enjoy this wonderful collection. I only hope that the Sinatra family trust will release more of this material in the future!! I would give it 6 stars if I could!!! -- Great Live Recordings from 1988
Last Update: 13 hours ago
