Customer Reviews

Patti Lupone at Les Mouches

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Patti Lupone's been a singing force for years now, as is proven by her latest and most interesting find "Patti Lupone at Les Mouches".

As the liner notes say, her involvement with Les Mouches came after a noticable lack of applause during her now infamous and Tony winning run as Eva Peron in Evita. Somehow, after performing for over two hours in a B'way show in the lead, Lupone had enough voice and gumption to perform in a more intimate show, which is this one.

Lupone in the recording is surprising. At first, with her between song banter, she sounds girlish and not quite the professional of her later years. But then, as she gets into her act, her powerful voice grows and booms out some of her songs. When she gets to the career defining "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", she's in full form.

Some reviewers have complained about the quality of the recording. Is it 2008 sound standard? No. This is from found tape, recorded nearly thirty years ago now. It's amazing to me the sound is what it is. There is not one song distorted to the point of unenjoyment. It's Patti, and her powerful voice is one to awe in. Her song selection is representative of her career up to 1980.

This CD is for Broadway lovers, musical historians, and those who appreciate hearing singers with just a piano and a microphone, and a mighty set of lungs.

Anyone who is a Patti LuPone fan or is interested in cabaret should pick
up this exuberant CD. No, the sound isn't state of the art, but when you
consider that it was compiled from OLD CASSETTE RECORDINGS that were found
in a shoebox somewhere, the producers and engineers did a heck of a job
getting it to sound as good as it does. If you can get past that, you will hear a performance that is as energetic and heartfelt as anything out
there. At the time it was recorded, Patti was the toast of Broadway, starring in "Evita". She performed this act every Saturday night at midnight (after finishing "Evita" for the night) for half a year and it was
the hottest thing in town. I was living in NYC at the time (I still live
here) and you couldn't go anywhere without seeing the posters for this
show. Her singing is vibrant, real, warm, engaging and her choice of
material is eclectic and risky, and it works. On the one hand, you have
songs you'd expect her to sing, like "Rainbow High" or "Meadowlark", and
then she does things like Patti Smith's "Because The Night" or a reimagined version of Pet Clark's "Downtown", all with great results. This is a rare example of a cabaret performer doing the unexpected, and boy does she pull it off! The CD booklet is filled with reviews of the
show, rare photos and memorabilia, and interesting essays. All in all,
they could not have done a better job considering the age and source of
the material. Get this CD and hear a living Broadway Legend enjoying the
first peak of a long and dazzling career. Go, Patti!

She is the diva! Patti sounds wonderful in this most priceless find. This CD has been restored to perfection from analog tape recorded almost thirty years ago! The sound quality is wonderful as is Patti belting out some really great music. She has since become a legend and will remain so. I treasure her and this CD. Bravo!!

A very good, relaxed Patti. The mix of songs were good. I'm a big Patti Lupone fan, so it's hard not to like it.

As many reviewers have stated here, I too am a huge Patti Lupone fan. I've seen her in Evita and Gypsy and I can not even begin to describe how extraordinary her performances were. I also had the pleasure of seeing her perform at Lincoln Center in a one night engagement for Equity Fights AIDS about three years ago. This was an opportunity for Patti to showcase her "Lady With A Torch" album with the same musicians she recorded that fantastic record with. What an evening that was! Yes, if you ask me Patti the singer has no peer. And Patti the artist is Rembrandt, Da Vinci and Renior all rolled into one.

"Patti Lupone at Les Mouches" is a sort of behind the scenes glimpse at a fledgling artist assending torward her zenith. It is a rare opportunity to witness a young star performing live "without a net" and with anything but state of the art recording equipment. Kudos to Patti for a daring attempt to pull this off, with such a high degree of difficulty. Unfortunately, the results are spotty at best. To begin with the material does not suit her voice. The familiar standards, I Got Rhythm, Love For Sale, Meadowlark and Not While I'm Around and of course her always wonderful Don't Cry For Me Argentina are all rendered with her usual self assured bravado. But Heven Is A Disco and the contemporary pop material, Downtown, Because The Night, Superman and Mr. Tambourine Man all sound forced, amateurish and I'm afriad to say downright embarassing.

Why, I wonder did she choose to release this work at this point in her career. With recent triumphs in Sweeney Todd and Gypsy Patti truely has nothing left to prove. Perhaps her fans can see or hear no wrong in anything she does. And, as fanatic admirers they clamor for even second rate material like this. I'm sorry, I know I'll catch a lot of flack from her faithful, but I just don't get it. I love everything Patti Lupone has done on Broadway. I can't say enough about her "Lady With A Torch" album and I can listen to "Matters Of The Heart" all day long. Live At Les Mouches dosen't do it for me. But that still dosen't change my admiration and respect for Ms. Lupone. She's still the best dammed singer in the world as far as I'm concerned and I'll always walk that extra mile to see her perform.

This recording perfectly captures the late 70's in the music, arrangements, performance - Patti is delightful and powerful, fun, brash, and intimate. She's a great talent.

100% suggested for any Patti fan. Done during the EVITA period, this is raw and sensational LuPone.

Though some complain about sound quality, or transitions- this is truly a classic.

Rainbow High,and Argentina are the stand outs, but all the tracks are well worth a listen. It is also fun for those mature enough to remember Les Mouches.

I played it for a friend who mentioned "this is really good, lets go there". Sadly , Les Mouches is long gone!

This is a keeper!

Knock me out and prop me up. I was taken by delightful shock over the clarity of this CD, the stand-up jokes delivered by Patti, and her most overwhelming powerful performance. I can only dream that I was there. I was probably down the block at the same time she was recording that night. This CD will take you back to that night and you will relive a flawless moment in history. Thank the Lord for this diva's gifts. She remains to this day as one of the best female vocalists we know. We drove to Denver last November to see her perform at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House's Anniversary Gala. Well worth the scenic drive and Denver is an artistic, entertaining and beautiful city. Seeing Patti overtake the dull and stuffy opera crowd was amazing. Click...click..click and buy...buy...buy.

I think that afer a few drinks, this show would be a riot as a LIVE performance. But the CD doesn't hold up to the the cold, sober light of day. Maybe it would be a fun souvenir of a great time out with friends, but even then..... Mm, no. She just really belts out the songs with a great amount of enthusiasm and absolutely noooo vocal finesse. I just don't know what else to say. I checked it out at the library and couldn't stop laughing. It's horrendous. Oh, man.

I'm a huge fan of Patti LuPone, and but this CD of her legendary Les Mouches concert is unbearable. It's basically a live recording Patti made way back when she was starring in Evita. The sound quality isn't very good, because it was apparently never meant for commercial release, but that's not really the problem here. What makes the CD virtually unlistenable is (1) Patti's notoriously bad diction, and (2) her insufferable, self-satisfied demeanor. Her diction has unquestionably gotten better over the years, and her career ups and downs have instilled at least a feigned modicum of humility. But, unless you're jonesing for a Patti fix, I'd say give this recording a wide berth.