Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great - but it could have been even better....., November 5, 2009
This review is from: Sinatra: New York (4 CD/1 DVD) (Audio CD)
This is another beautifully packaged Frank Sinatra box set, very much like the "Vegas" box. The performances are mostly great, but I have a serious gripe about the content. CDs 1 & 4 are great, but why are there two 1974 concerts in this box? 1974 was not a "very good year" for Sinatra live performances. He was much better, and the setlists were much better, in 1979, 1981 and beyond. In September 1981 Frank did an incredible 2 week stand at Carnegie Hall. Among the songs he performed at those shows were "As Time Goes By", "A Long Night", "These Foolish Things", "Thanks For The Memory", "When Joanna Loved Me", "Little Girl Blue", and "In the Still of the Night". Sadly, none of these great songs are on this box set....instead we get TWO 1974 versions of the wretched "Bad Bad Leroy Brown". On the plus side, the DVD of Carnegie Hall 1980 is great - although it is edited and incomplete. "Sinatra New York" is a mixed bag overall, but for Sinatra fanatics this set is a must !
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Poor Song Selection and Sequencing Taint Something That Could've Truly Been Special., December 26, 2009
This review is from: Sinatra: New York (4 CD/1 DVD) (Audio CD)
There's no denying that Frank Sinatra and New York had (and still have) a special affinity for each other. Even before Ol' Blue Eyes recorded a certain anthem to the City that Never Sleeps that has since been played at every award ceremony and sporting event the Big Apple has to offer, Frank and NYC were hand in glove: two symbols of confidence, spirit and individuality who played by their own rules and remain icons to this day.
With all of that in mind, one would think that "Sinatra: New York" - a 5 cd boxed set containing never before released material of some of Frank's most memorable performances such as Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall - would serve as a definitive showcase for some of the legendary shows Frank had performed throughout his career. After all, with the excellent "Sinatra: Vegas," one would have every right to expect a similar quality set. Unfortunately, "Sinatra: Vegas" falls short of expectations in more ways than one.
For starters, the sequencing of the first and fourth discs makes for a very awkward listening experience. With selections from two separate shows on each disc, you don't get the thrill of a full concert experience, nor are the performances chosen the absolute best they could've chosen. For example, the Tommy Dorsey reunion show from 1955 at the Manhattan Center is nice to have for historical purposes, but isn't a particularly dynamic performance by any means. Similarly, the 1963 performance at the United Nations with Frank accompanied only by piano is an interesting keepsake because of the venue and format, but the performance itself isn't anything special. Sure, Frank's charisma and voice shine through as always, but there's nothing that makes the hair on your neck stand up.
Disc 4 suffers from the same problem. The first half is from Carnegie Hall in 1984, one of several legendary engagements Frank gave at the venue between 1980 and 1987. Unfortunately, listening to the performances chosen, you don't get the feel you're listening to something particularly special, as we get to sit through "Fly Me to the Moon" and "Luck Be a Lady" for the umpteenth time while great songs such as "Please Be Kind," "Ol' Man River", "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," and "Here's that Rainy Day" (among other rare gems) lie dormant in favor of surprisingly flat versions of "This Is All I Ask" and "Teach Me Tonight." The 1990 Radio City Music Hall show that closes out the final disc features a surprisingly still vibrant sounding Frank, but once again, a decidedly standard and uninspired selection of songs. It's nice to finally get an official live release of "Summer Wind," and "New York, New York" had to show up somewhere, but "For Once In My Life" and "Mack the Knife" have both showed up numerous times on various live releases, and quite frankly, even the most ardent Sinatra fan has tired of "Strangers in the Night." Would it have been to much trouble to include say, "How About You" or "If You Are But a Dream," both of which were performed during that run?
But the biggest disappointment about the set is that the two complete shows on Discs 2 and 3 are about the worst possible that could've been included, both from 1974, one from Carnegie Hall and one at Madison Square Garden, the latter an alternate to the show that became "The Main Event." Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of Sinatra's career will tell you that 1974 was not a very good year by Sinatra's standards. He was touring behind a pretty crappy album, "Some Nice Things I've Missed," and his voice was very harsh and raspy sounding, still not fully recovered from the post-retirement boon. There are several moments on both discs where's he blatantly off-key and blows notes he'd normally glide through with ease, not to mention misses cues and is even (gasp!) off rhythm in a few spots. Listening to these shows, it's almost as if the producers just grabbed the first couple of soundboards they could find and decided to release them with giving a thought to the actual quality of the shows.
The saddest thing about this is that there are literally dozens of complete shows they could've instead of these two sub-par selections. Frank did several legendary multiple show engagements at Carnegie Hall in 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985 and 1987 (I don't even want to get into the fact that the legendary 1978 Radio City Music Hall engagement, possibly the greatest shows of his career, are completely overlooked). During this period, Frank's voice was the best it had been since the late 1960s', the team of musicians he had with him were some of the best he's ever played with and he was performing a stunning array of songs that he hadn't performed in years (or ever, in some cases): "When Joanna Loved Me," "Little Girl Blue," "As Time Goes By," "I Won't Dance," "Autumn Leaves," "All Or Nothing At All," "Lost in the Stars," "More Than You Know," and "Lonely Town," just to name a few that would've been delightful to have seen included on this set. Instead, just about every one of the songs included have been on at least one prior Sinatra live release, and a good chunk of them have been presented in better renditions on these previous releases. Having complete shows from these legendary engagements, with these rare songs coupled with familiar favorites like "My Kind of Town," "I've Got You Under My Skin," and "My Way," among others, would've made for a much more enjoyable listening experience than the two perfunctory shows we got plus snippets of shows that, while great, leave the listeners wanting more...in a bad way.
For all the criticisms lobbed upon the four audio discs, I must say that the fifth disc, a dvd of Frank's closing show of his 1980 Carnegie Hall run - is a revelation, and almost makes you wish it was sold separately. The sound and picture quality are excellent, and the show itself is outstanding: Frank is in full control of his voice, and the song selection is more than adequate, you get many of the familiar favorites, rare gems like "When Your Lover Has Gone," "I Can't Get Started," and "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry," as well as some forgotten masterpieces such as the lush "Summer Me, Winter Me" and the heartbreaking "You and Me (We Wanted It All)."
The packaging for the set is, as it was for "Sinatra: Vegas," very well done, with a nice booklet with enjoyable esaays. However, as a whole the boxed set leaves a little too much to be desired. While no Sinatra is bad Sinatra, and the set is still a worthy purchase for most fans, the feeling that this could've been something far more special never quite leaves your mind.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
These Little Town Blues: Sinatra Live In New York!, November 28, 2009
This review is from: Sinatra: New York (4 CD/1 DVD) (Audio CD)
"Sinatra New York", is an exhaustive live 4 cd and 1 dvd set, that delivers on all accounts. The live cd recordings date from 1955 in the Manhatten Center through 1990 at Radio City Music Hall. The live DVD performance captures ol' blue eyes during a 16 song set at Carnegie Hall in June of 1980. This box set is lavishly packaged with an outstanding 47 page booklet loaded with great commentaries and photo's. The sound quality is actually quite good, and the picture quality of the DVD is much better than I expecxted. What is clear during the DVD performance,is simply that Sinatra demanded perfection from his orchestra, and he received it, giving the audience both a vocal performance and memories that will last a life time. I do caution however, that this set will appeal to mostly hardcore fans, as you will hear live renditions of many songs repeated two and three times over the course of the box set. For the novice fan, I would stick to some of the many "Best Of" packages available. This set however, is going to make most fans extremely happy. Many favorites are here for the listening, like "New York New York", "Mack The Knife", "My Way", "Fly Me To The Moon", "Ive Got You Under My Skin", and "Come Fly With Me', and "Strangers In The Night" to name a few. Sinatra is a vocal icon, who is presented here in a high grade boxed collection that is fit for a king. After all, Frank Sinatra is music royalty, and was as big in his world, as Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, the Beatles and Aretha Franklin were in their world.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
~ Frank Sinatra
~ Frank Sinatra
~ Ella Fitzgerald
~ Frank Sinatra
![Strangers In The Night [Expanded Edition]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51zwd7qZomL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
~ Frank Sinatra
See all 11 tracks on this disc
is one of Frank Sinatra's 427 releases. Browse Frank Sinatra's Discography 
