Customer Reviews

Rod Stewart - It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I'm so glad I got this dvd inspite of having the cd already. The dvd has 9 bonus tracks compared to the cd. The tracklist includes the ff: songs

1. Forever Young
2. Some Guys Have All The Luck
3. They Can't Take That Away From Me
4. The Way You Look Tonight
5. These Foolish Things
6. Moonglow
7. Every Time We Say Goodbye
8. The Very Thought Of You
9. That Old Feeling
10. You Go To My Head
11. For All We Know
12. The Nearness Of You
13. That's All
14. We'll Be Together Again
15. Rhythm Of My Heart
16. Downtown Train
17. Maggie May
18. Young Turks
19. Hot Legs
20. Havin' A Party
21. I'll Be Seeing You

Bonus Track: It Takes Two

It's so different when you see an artist perform in front of you & ROD STEWART was truly a treat to watch in this DVD. For a man who's over 50 he sure didn't act like one and that's a compliment coz you will see how much fun he was having in this concert!

I wasn't really exposed to his songs, while I was growing up, for the main reason that I wasn't the "rock" type of person but with the old songs of his that he included in this DVD... This DVD surely rocks my collection of favorites !

I have never been a Rod Steart fan... Until now... I caught the CD .. and the DVD was a must. Rod takes the opportunity to "cross over" and bridge the gap of at least a couple of generations. The shots of todays audience holding hands... cheek to cheek is back and warmer than ever. He provides todays listeners with the common sense to listen to the lyrics and understand the meaning of them. One of the most noteable and less obvious is the lack of "brass and amplified percussion" in the band... mostly strings with a rythmn section highlighted by a single Trumpet or Sax solo to enhcnace the arrangement.The entire production is well executed and the background singers and set compliment the entire production. Rod has made the transition well and he will no doubt gather a whole new "army" of followers with this one. Well done Rod... Congratulations.

I can never get enough of Rod. In this DVD, not only does he share his timeless talent with us, but he has some fabulous talent up there sharing the stage with him. His beautiful and sultry bari-sax player takes your breath away with her smoothness and style. At first I thought she was just a plant in the band, you know, eye candy with non-stop legs, but when she got up to play, she blew me away. Talk about hot legs! In addition, I remembered seeing his mandolin-playing multi-talented beauty on the stage a couple years ago, and I was so pleased to see her still playing with Rod's band on this DVD. She can do anything and do it well. What raw talent he has uncovered! His back-up singers have always been top of the line, and they continue to add pizazz to his show. I'm so delighted to see Rod sharing the spotlight with his musically gifted stagemates. They always seem to be having a blast on stage together.

I have to admit that I was skeptical of Rod The Mod and this collection of songs. However now I totally love this cd and this DVD is excellent. His perfomance is spot on and not a bad fellow to watch shuffle around the joint. Rod never had the ability to dance like some lads, but he does alright here. At least it provides comic relief in some spots. But don't let his two left feet fool you. This man's voice is velvety and wraps these lyrics in a soothing seductive style. I found myself turning the lights down low and cutting a rug. I like the nice blend of his famous songs and the songs from the cd. The special features are nice as well, dandy bit of extra info and a few bonus ditties.

If your a fan of Rod, get the cd, get the dvd and have yourself a jolly night.

This is a different Rod Stewart and I bought the dvd with some trepidation. I am a big fan of Rod Stewart and also a big fan of the old standards. I just wasn't sure these two worlds would mesh. Not to fear. Rod is no threat to Tony Bennett in this genre, but he does a great job on the excellent selection of old standards. And as a bonus, you get some old Rod like Maggie May, Young Turks, Hot Legs and Downtown Train. This is definitely a buy.

How brave is Rod Stewart to go from "Hot Legs" and "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" to "It had to be You", and "The nearnest of you".
Rod's voice is an instrument to be played in so many and varied ways that there is no ending to its capabilities. I had the opportunity to attend one of his concerts in Sydney late early last year, having loved his music 'forever', and was truly amazed at the variety of ages in attendance. From teenagers to eldery, every single person was in on the performance with hands waving in rythymn to his songs, and ooing and ahhing whenever the opening strains drifted around the auditorium of old favourites.
Every song was a favourite, new and old. This collection of great songs is now all the greater for having Rod Stewart as the Artist and now these songs will be favourites along with all the rest.
His performances to this day are still a strong, his voice just as good, with those little intonations that can tug at your heartstrings, whilst tapping your foot. It Had To Be You, - The great American Songbook is a masterpiece - another masterpiece from the Singing Magician that is Rod Stewart.
Thank's Rod!

In Rod's first concert dvd since 1998's "Storytellers", "It Had To Be You: The Great American Songbook" is a concert originally recorded in 2001 to promote his first "Great American Songbook" album, "It Had To Be You". Mixing several tracks from that album with the usual Stewart classics, it is not as great as the recent "One Night Only! Rod Stewart Live At The Royal Albert Hall", it is still an overall solid five star perfomance.

The concert starts off with two energetic renditions of two of Rod the Mod's biggest hits, "Forever Young" and "Some Guys Have All The Luck", the latter tacking on "Every Breath You Take" at the end. Then comes 12 straight tracks from the "Great American Songbook" album. Now, I don't know why so many people dislike these songs, or at least Rod's versions. Stewart's raspy voice is perfect for these standards, just as Sinatra's and Crsoby's were on the original version. The live version breathes new life into these already great songs.

After this half of the concert is over, Rod bounds back onstage to perform seven more Stewart classics. This is the only part of the show that is somewhat disappointing. While "Maggie May" and the rarely heard these days "Young Turks" are fine, the rest of the performances a re a mixed bag. "Rhythm Of My Heart" and "Downtwon Train" are never as good as the studio versions when performed live, as they lack the richness and excitement of the originals, and these workmanlike performances are no exception. And while "Hot Legs" is done really well here, the version on "One Night Only! Rod Stewart live At The Royal Albert Hall" blows this one out of the water. However, Rod rescues the concert from an average four star rating with pitch perfect renditions of "Havin' A Party", "I'll Be Seeing You" and "It Takes Two".

Overall, again not as good as the Royal Albert Hall concert dvd, but definitely worth owning. It's not an overall excellent concert, but the majority of it is Rod at his best.

I bought The Dvd Of "The Great American Songbook" in February.I love the way Rod sings and performs the songs on the dvd.He is great and I think he is the best singer of all time.He has a great talent to have been around for over 30 years.The A/EConcert on the dvd is also great with Rod singing his old classics like "Maggie Mae" and "Hot Legs" If you are a Rod Stewart fan you can't go wrong with this one,it is a must to add to your collection of Rod Stewart's music.

I would assume that most people who are considering this have already seen the A&E special. This is most notable, I think, for a great duet on "The Nearness of You". It's very enjoyable. For those who prefer Rock 'N' Roll Rod, try to get the import from the Vagabond Heart tour, but if you like the "Great American Songbook" album, buy this disc.

This concert contains many great pre-World War II hit as well as some of Rod's greatest hits. The gorgeous blonde sax player alone is worth watching the dvd. Rod always did like beautiful tall blonde women, and this one is a 10. Who is she? There is no information about her in the DVD.