7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Singing Avenger, March 9, 2005
This review is from: Diana Rigg Sings Forget Yesterday & Sentimental Journey (Audio CD)
If you are a fan of Dame Diana Rigg, then this album is a "Must Have".
It's true that Dame Diana is a much better actor than a singer, but the fact is that she *can* sing!
That's what made this find so incredible to me.
She did sing a little English Christmas carol with Mr. Patrick Macnee in the Emma Peel era Avengers episode "Too Many Christmas Trees", a favorite of both Mr. Macnee and fans alike.
And Dame Diana did sing in the movie "A Little Night Music" that also starred Liz Taylor. And Dame Diana did sing a brief Cole Porter number, "You're The Top!", in the movie "Evil Under The Sun", wherein she played a deliciously malevolent former stage star.
Here on this CD, you can hear the two songs Dame Diana sang in the UK stage play "Jumpers".
"Sentimental Journey" was parodied in the play, and was supposedly sung as she sat upon a crescent moon and swung in and out of view of the audience.
"Forget Yesterday" was done with a chorus line of male dancers, holding her up as the stage goddess of their dreams.
Since the CD publisher has evidently had access to the master tapes of the recording sessions with Dame Diana, the quality is excellent. There are two versions of both songs, and it is interesting to hear Dame Diana change her personalities for each version.
"Sentimental Journey" is an old standard, while "Forget Yesterday", the torch song, was written specifically for the play "Jumpers".
Though the CD publisher says the first track is the 7 inch 45RPM vinyl version of "Forget Yesterday" that is simply not true! I have heard the original vinyl and the tempo is slower on the CD and the last line sung is different, being repeated three times on the original record, while it is sung once as the grande finale on the CD.Thus there exist three distinct versions of "Forget Yesterday".
The "alternate" version is the most beautiful display of the capabilities of Dame Diana's singing voice. Her tones are mellow and very expressive, sorrowful, because she sighs and breathes noticeably as if she were crying, though she belts out the remainder of the number with supreme confidence, for while the song bemoans the loss of her lover it also establishes her confidence that she can and will move on to a new interest!
All in all, if you want to hear Dame Diana Rigg at her singing best, do buy this CD!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
