Customer Reviews

Robbie Williams - Live at the Albert

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I can't imagine any American pop star at the top of his game taking a risk like Robbie Williams did in recording "Swing When You're Winning" and this accompanying DVD.

Fresh off a string of huge chart successes, Mr. Williams has created a tribute to the Rat Pack like nobody else could. Allergic to taking himself too seriously, he threw caution to the wind and released the CD and then, to a packed house of fans and stars like George Michael, Rupert Everett, etc, brought the house down at the Royal Albert Hall last October.

This DVD is a great memento of that concert, and, unlike the British version, has lots of extra features such as the making of the album, and the video/making of for "Something Stupid", the UK Christmas #1.

Robbie Williams may not be for everyone, and he may not be Sinatra, but he's turned a potentially risky career move into a fine album and video. Don't forget to check out his other great work, including one of my favorite albums ever, "Sing When You're Winning" - you won't be disappointed.

Let's hope for a successful bid for stardom here in the states!

The rat pack's cool image made something of a comeback in 2002 with Stephen Soderbergh's remake of Ocean's Eleven, although it seems that for Mr Robbie Williams, in his 2001 concert Live at the Albert, the rat pack sense of style never went out of fashion.

Live At The Albert is primarily a showcase for Robbie's multi million selling Swing When You're Winning, an astonishing album of vintage classics from the '50s swing era, originally sung by Robbie's heroes, namely, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jnr and of course, the legendary Frank Sinatra. Live At The Albert features several live duets including "Well, Did You Evah?" with Jon Lovitz and thanks to the miracle of modern technology, a duet with the late great Frank Sinatra himself. Live At the Albert is a young man fulfilling a childhood dream; wearing a tux, backed by an old style big band and playing to an adoring (sold out) audience at London's famous Royal Albert Hall, with his mom in the front row.

The first time I watched Robbie Williams live concert at London's Royal Albert Hall, on a Saturday evening last November, I was so impressed I went straight online at Amazon to review his debut U.S. release The Ego Has Landed. "The Ego Has Landed" refers to Robbie's often brash public statements about himself, which (if taken at face value) suggest that he is a bit of an ego-maniac. However, despite much of his rhetoric, Robbie Williams has in the past turned to both booze and drugs to conquer his fears and self-doubt. Thankfully he survived both or we would have been deprived of the world's greatest showman. For in a pop world inhabitated by characterless pre-packaged record company girl and boybands and goody two shoes solo-singers (a la Ricky Martin and Britney Spears) Robbie Williams is something of a rarity; the genuine article, a complete showman with a checkered past and a very bright future, having recently signed a British record deal with EMI worth a cool £80 million (approx $110 million), to deliver four more albums.

Robbie Williams formerly of Boy band Take That graduated to the forefront of the British music scene with his single "Angels" and has never looked back since. Several number ones and many many hits later he is not only established as a credible singer/songwriter, he is quite simply Britain's biggest and brightest star. Robbie Williams makes fantastic, original and very funny videos (Rock DJ, She's The One, Millenium and A Love Supreme for example) and regularly plays to sold out stadiums around the world and the only two nuts he still has to crack are America and the movies.

But why is America still cynical? A lack of airplay in America? A lack of record company publicity? I don't know. All I know is that, in my opinion, he is the greatest showman to have graced a music stage since the late great Freddie Mercury. He is so good live that he has played at several festivals on the same bill as Indie bands such as the Prodigy, and stolen the show from them, in front of what would traditionally be hostile audiences for a pop performer. Live tickets for Robbie Williams shows are like gold dust in every place bar North America, such is his reputation for putting on a great live show. If you don't believe the hype then you need to watch Live at the Albert and be converted. Robbie Williams has got a great sense of humour, a great sense of style and a great deal of class and frankly America, you don't know what you are missing!!

Why hasn't the U.S. wised up and gotten on the Robbie Williams bandwagon?! I think he's amazing. When I first heard that Robbie was doing a swing album, I was very disappointed. I love all of his previous albums, so I wanted something else in the same vein. I did give "Swing When You're Winning" a try, though, and I have to say it is good. The CD won't be one of those that never leaves my CD player, but it is worth listening to. I liked the DVD a whole lot more, however. Robbie is a born entertainer, and that shines through in whatever he does. Even if he got on stage and read from the phone book, I think I would find it compelling. Watching Robbie spend an evening performing the swing music that he loves was intoxicating. The bonus material on the DVD was quite good as well. I would recommend this DVD to anyone who likes Robbie, even if you don't like swing.

I really don't understand why Robbie isn't the household name in America that he is all over the rest of the world. His first American release "The Ego Has Landed" (a compilation of his first two U.K. albums) is one of the best albums EVER.

This is Robbie's third DVD to be released on these shores and it's every bit as good as the first two! If this is your first experience of Robbie- be forewarned. His previous albums are not swing music at all. He's a pop/rock GOD. Doing a swing album just shows that he is an artist in the truest sense. He could have easily recorded another album of pop gems (why fix something that isn't broken?), but instead decided on doing something a bit risky. Imagine Harry Connick, Jr. by way of Tom Jones doing a Las Vegas show and Robbie is what you get. Robbie has packed the DVD FULL o' his out of this world goodness. Anyone that purchases this DVD will not be sorry! Robbie performs most of the songs that are on his "Swing When Your Winning" cd (which hasn't been released in the U.S. yet, inexplicably! How strange that this DVD came out here!) Someone forgot to include the track listing on the DVD cover, so here are the songs that he performs:

1.) Have You Met Miss Jones?
2.) Mack The Knife
3.) Straighten Up And Fly Right
4.) Let's Face The Music And Dance
5.) Well, Did You Evah
6.) The Lady Is A Tramp
7.) Things
8.) One For My Baby
9.) Mr. Bonjangles
10.) I Will Talk And Hollywood Will Listen
11.) Do Nothin' Until You Hear From Me
12.) Beyond The Sea
13.) Me And My Shadow
14.) Ain't That A Kick In The Head
15.) It Was A Very Good Year
16.) My Way

Robbie's duet with Nicole Kidman, "Somethin' Stupid" (from the "Swing When You're Winning" cd) isn't performed live (although Nicole is in the audience), but the video is featured here. It's one of the BEST videos EVER! This is the uncut version of the video. (An alternate version of the video that featured scenes from Nicole Kidman's "Birthday Girl" movie with scenes from this video appeared on Vh-1.)

Also appearing on this DVD are Rupert Everett, Jane Horrocks (Bubble from "Absolutely Fabulous" and star of the movie "Little Voice") and ex-Saturday Night Live cast member Jon Lovitz (who knew he could sing? And why did Robbie choose him for a duet? It's sort of weird, but it works!)

With this concert Robbie proves that he is an absolutely brilliant performer. It's only a matter of time until he winds up with a huge movie career. (Hopefully there's a little bit of truth to the rumor that he could be the next James Bond!)

I was sort of hoping that Robbie's entire video for "Millennium" would have been tucked away on this DVD as an extra (about a minute or two of it appear in the extras section). It's his biggest U.S. hit but for some reason it does not appear on EITHER of his previous DVD's "Angels" or "Where Egos Dare". It wouldn't really fit in with the context of this, but it would have been nice to have that video on DVD finally. Anyway, this DVD also contains backstage and aftershow footage, a documentary on the making of the "Swing When You Are Winning" album, and a gallery of Robbie photos. Not to be missed!

If he dared to be any more fabulous, God would strike him dead.

Robbie Williams is a great singer and everybody should check this live DVD. It's a celebration of old classics performed to a very selected audience, in an one night only concert at Royal Albert Hall. Robbie performs with a big band, recreating some classics --"Things", "Beyond the sea", "my way", etc. There's an original song composed for Robbie's album called "I will talk and hollywood will listen" which captures the show spirit. Robbie is an interesting artist, because he's on the stage in a tribute to Mr. Sinatra, but at the same time tells dirty jokes and talk with the audience. One of the greatest moments of the show happens when Robbie sings a very emotional duet with Mr. Sinatra, featured at the big screen on the stage. The royal albert hall did not resist the performance of "my way", leading Robbie to tears with the audience's response to this song.

I'm sure some people may have criticized Robbie for taking the big step of performing sinatra's songs. But if you watch this show, you'll see he is a very talented singer and did a great job. The show/CD are a tribute and an invtation to his fans, who probably do not listen to old classics.

But the DVD has a lot to offer. Besides the whole concert, it brings a documentary "Well sung" with the backstage and recording process of Robbie's CD. "The day job" is also a documentary, with bits of Robbie's videos and performances for TV. Very intriguing! Also the DVD has the "somethin'stupid" video and the backstage of the shooting with nicole kidman.

Two things I missed: the live performance of "somethi'stupid", even without nicole, and english subtitles to the great songs performed.

Anyway, it's a 5-stars DVD!

It is true, like it says on the booklet "Europe's finest entretainer croon the world's most romantic tunes in England's loveliest concert hall".

So for those of us RW fans, you just want to know if the DVD was well produced. YES. EXCELLENT PICTURE AND SOUND QUALITY. BEAUTIFUL EXTRAS.

For the rest, the first two paragraphs are, once again, true, so you will not only love the DVD, but also turn into a RW fan.

Documented proof that RW is the best and most elegant voice in the world. Try the other side of RW as well and you'll love it(rock dj,etc...). Best in the world.

I just want to make a brief comment of the title for my review: Clapton, Queen, Beatles, Elton John, Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, were true artists who did it all, genius that had real talent, invented,composed, innovated, expressed feelings thru their music,ones with voice and others with instruments, by marvelous tunes & lyrics, and now ROBERT PETER WILLIAMS. Not like most artists of today, who are just "industry products", you know, just explode a "pretty face", throw it to the respective male and female markets and that's it. I truly recommend the aforementioned artists, of whom I am Fan,and see what I mean. I'm 25, obviously they're not from my era, but a true artist influence is always fresh and lasts forever.

Stunningly entertaining, Williams is as good as he wants to be. In this DVD, a one-time-only, SRO concert at London's Royal Albert Hall, he showcases the songs that were to appear on his "Swing When You're Winning" CD (that's right- he did the concert BEFORE the album was released). To say that Williams can sing is an understatement. He has a gifted voice and great range enhanced by instinctively superb timing and phrasing. Those qualities are even more pronounced when he performs live. Not surprisingly, therefore, he demonstrates here that he can as easily apply his skills to songs of his parent's generation as he does to those of his own.

From the moment he slides down a 20-foot fire pole to begin his first number, he is dramatically in command. He then seamlessly glides through a host of selections that would make the "Chairman of the Board" proud. Announcing each title as he moves along, he uses the segues as opportunities to poke typical fun at himself, invoking the trademark Williams charm while he holds his receptive audience, peppered with celebrities and dignitaries, right in the palm of his hand. Accompanied ably by a 58-piece orchestra, he is joined at times for duets by John Lovitz, his 'flatmate' Jonathan Wilkes, and female singer Jane Horrocks to spice up the evening. The video authentically captures the brilliance of the evening with excellent sound reproduction and a multitude of well-edited camera angles/shots.
As good as Williams sounds singing this era, however, he regrettably is not OF the era, and it is in that reality that the only flaw to this performance lies. He appears comfortable, indeed enthusiastic, doing the material, but his approach at times is more as a mimic than as a singer in his own right. While this purposeful, deferential gesture reflects his respect for the icons of a previous epoch, it also suggests feigning. Had he consistently, as he does on some, simply employed his own rendition of these classics, however Post-Millennium, it would have played much better. For example, on a song such as "Make It One For My Baby," during which he tries to ape the Sinatra persona, including open collar, lit cigarette in hand, and dimmed bar room-like lighting, his voice and body language lack the appropriate edge. He is too eager, too anxious. The mood is too contrived. In short, he simply isn't Frank! Witness by comparison his moving delivery on "I Will Talk and Hollywood Will Listen," an original song he composed with his writing partner, Guy Chambers. On this, his composure is genuine, and the contrast is as telling as it is unmistakable.

Having said that, "Robbie Williams Live At the Albert" is still a wonderful treasure. Beyond the music, it provides us further glimpses into to the enigmatic but compelling figure that is Robbie. In addition to the concert performance, the disc includes back stage footage, clips from the record session for "Swing When You're Winning," the video of his duet with Nicole Kidman on "Something Stupid" which was spawned by one of the tracks from that album, and a section of random concert and video shots from previous Robbie Williams' endeavors, cleverly entitled "The Day Job."
Finally, this whole Swing project(the Albert Hall Concert and the Swing CD) speaks (sings) volumes about the enormous and, we now know, diverse talent that this entertainment genius possesses and is a solid testament to his resolve. It is of no little consequence that he chose, against the advice of his handlers, to go completely away from the material that his audience had come to expect, nay demand. For those critics who argue that this departure is yet again more evidence of Robbie's inability to find his musical niche, they should remember that this move was, at best, a gamble and one that had the potential to damage his career. In truth, it reveals that this reputedly "paranoid" artist not only can do it all but has more musical confidence than maybe even he would admit.

An artist takes a big risk when they divert from their normal musical style. Madonna did it with "I'm Breathless" and George Michael did it with "Songs from the Last Century." Now it is British megastar Robbie Williams' turn to show his swing skills as he performs classics from his album "Swing When You're Winning."
First of all, the album itself is great. If you are a fan and you don't have it, pay the import prices and have a listen. This DVD shows his live concert at decadent Royal Albert Hall. He has a full orchestra and dresses the part in a suave suit. His performance never misses a beat. He covers the classics with the greatest of ease. He is an excellent live performer anyway, but it's nice to see him toned down a bit from his over-the-top pop concerts. He duets with the likes of Jon Lovitz, Jane Horrocks (from "Little Voice"), and Rupert Everett. Highlight number: "Mack the Knife." But don't think Robbie has forgotten who he is. In between songs, he does get a bit cheeky with a few jokes.
Only downside? He did not perform "Somethin' Stupid," his duet with Nicole Kidman (but she was in the audience...hmmmmmm). Luckily, the song's music video and a making-of special are featured on the DVD.
Also featured on the DVD is a little documentary called "The Day Job." It follows Robbie through his videography and achievements. It was an interesting touch.
This is a must-have if you are a Robbie fan or a swing fan, or if you simply want to discover what the British are fussing about. He truly is one of the best talents today.

My commentary is about the composers or the previous singers and songs. Robbie Williams is not young enough to be so evasive and ignorant as to forget or to not know, and avoid mentioning Paul Anka in relation to the song "My way" or not to mention Bobby Darin in relation to both "Mack the knife" or "Beyond the sea". Besides those huge flaws, added in to favor Frank Sinatra (you're not forgiven, Mr Williams), the show is most pleasant to watch and hear.