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Sinatra - The Classic Duets

Sinatra - The Classic Duets

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $13.49
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Oh yeah, A 1000 words isn't enough
Review: ...buy this video.

Sinatra was never quite comfortable on television, with the exception of some of his specials from the mid-60's on. He also wasn't very successful on television in the 50's...but, as you will see in this video, he certainly had a chemistry with some of the great stars of the era -- Ella, Dinah, Bing and Dino, and even Elvis. These are great and somewhat unique performances.

I tired quickly of some of the chat by his three children. Frank didn't quite walk on water as they seem to think he did, and it was almost embarassing when Nancy claimed her father was "the" leader of the civil rights movement, although she paused and quickly corrected herself.

Don't miss the bonus tracks on the DVD, particularly the one with Dean Martin.

You'll enjoy this video!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: If you like Sinatra and/or telvision variety programs...
Review: ...buy this video.

Sinatra was never quite comfortable on television, with the exception of some of his specials from the mid-60's on. He also wasn't very successful on television in the 50's...but, as you will see in this video, he certainly had a chemistry with some of the great stars of the era -- Ella, Dinah, Bing and Dino, and even Elvis. These are great and somewhat unique performances.

I tired quickly of some of the chat by his three children. Frank didn't quite walk on water as they seem to think he did, and it was almost embarassing when Nancy claimed her father was "the" leader of the civil rights movement, although she paused and quickly corrected herself.

Don't miss the bonus tracks on the DVD, particularly the one with Dean Martin.

You'll enjoy this video!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The swinging, wistful, reflective and jazzy Sinatra
Review: All these musical genres are shown on this fine DVD: Frank singing ballads, up-tempo numbers and showing off magnificent set of pipes. Though I've always preferred Sinatra singing by himself, some of his old standards are not compromised when another singer joins in. They show two duets with Bing and they are are delightful and seldom-seen gems. You can even see Nelson Riddle standing in the background, directing the band and giving signals to Sinatra when he needs to come into the mix. His duet with Peggy Lee is a scorcher, and his voice is in rare form when he sings with Fitzgerald. Fabulous stuff.

The quality of the DVD is exceptional throughout. The video is crisp, clean and clear. The color hues are excellent, and the B & W footage isn't grainy or dated. The sound quality is equally good; you can really pick out the string and brass sections in many of the duets. Finally, the cover painting of the Chairman by LeRoy Niemann is a gem. I wish I had a full-size version to hang on my wall, it captures that wistful pathos that Frank brought to so many of his ballads. I highly recommend this addition to your Sinatra collection.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Oh yeah, A 1000 words isn't enough
Review: College student, and Sinatra fan. Broke this out and played it during a "Greek" Formal. It was great. There's something lost with the passing of the 50's. Oh, yeah it's called talent. There's something to say when Frank and Dean are drinking Burban, draging cigs, and tearing it up. It has an option to just play duets. I repeated that. It totally set the mood. I'm going to buy some more of these for my die hard friends. But I got so may positive comments that it was great. You would never expect 19-27 year old couples to enjoy the classics. But 200 million fans can't be wrong. Just click the buy button, and in a week, enjoy the lost days of the Cold War, the Sands Casino, Louis Armstrong, and Rat Pack.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Oh yeah, A 1000 words isn't enough
Review: College student, and Sinatra fan. Broke this out and played it during a "Greek" Formal. It was great. There's something lost with the passing of the 50's. Oh, yeah it's called talent. There's something to say when Frank and Dean are drinking Burban, draging cigs, and tearing it up. It has an option to just play duets. I repeated that. It totally set the mood. I'm going to buy some more of these for my die hard friends. But I got so may positive comments that it was great. You would never expect 19-27 year old couples to enjoy the classics. But 200 million fans can't be wrong. Just click the buy button, and in a week, enjoy the lost days of the Cold War, the Sands Casino, Louis Armstrong, and Rat Pack.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It doesn't get any better
Review: I wish I was as eloquent as the real reviewers, but I'm just a guy who likes good music; Frank made good music. If for nothing else, buy this for the clip of Frank and Peggy Lee - it's oooozing with sensuality. After that, if only for Frank and Dinah Shore, Louis Armstrong and the closing medley with Deano - the rest of the clips are gravy baby. This one is worth every penny . . .

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent for music lovers
Review: I'm 26 and new to this great standards style of music and I just loved this dvd. It has made me open my eyes to a whole new (old if you will) type or style of music. I guess you can say I'm a little tired of hip hop and rap etc. (yes those were my styles). Back to the dvd. It has commentary from Frank's three children; Tina, Nancy and Frank, Jr. Let's just say I've downloaded a lot of music after listening to this dvd. All in all it's a winner. Although, you could get it cheaper at other outlets locally.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent for music lovers
Review: I'm 26 and new to this great standards style of music and I just loved this dvd. It has made me open my eyes to a whole new (old if you will) type or style of music. I guess you can say I'm a little tired of hip hop and rap etc. (yes those were my styles). Back to the dvd. It has commentary from Frank's three children; Tina, Nancy and Frank, Jr. Let's just say I've downloaded a lot of music after listening to this dvd. All in all it's a winner. Although, you could get it cheaper at other outlets locally.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Better than the other "Duets" but hardly essential.
Review: Let's face it. The greatest entertainer-artist of the 20th century was no match for the diminutive television screen, which seemed made to order for the non-threatening, comfortably regular visits of Perry, Andy, and Dino. Nor was he especially suited for singing duets (give the advantage to the adaptable Bing). Nevertheless, these highlights from Sinatra's short-lived '50's television series are admittedly welcome watching, especially for those of us who remember the original moments.

Perhaps the most successful of all the duets is Cole's "You're the Top," with Frank and the brassy Ethel Merman. Hers is one of the few voices that stands up to the incisive edge in the Chairman's timbre.

While the performances here are more "classic" than those from Sinatra's two "Duets" albums from the nineties, the relative brevity of the program (it would easily fit on a CD) raises the question of why the producers of this DVD didn't include any of the solo performances from the same series. And the interspersed commentary by Nancy, Tina, and Frank Jr., while palatable and diverting, is predictable and uninformative ("Dad enjoyed working with Elvis," "Sammy always brought out the best in Dad").

If you're looking for Sinatra on television, a better bet is the specials (with Ella, Jobim, Diahann Carroll) from the 60's and 70's. Or, if you can swing it, the complete programs from which these highlights were extracted.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Better than the other "Duets" but hardly essential.
Review: Let's face it. The greatest entertainer-artist of the 20th century was no match for the diminutive television screen, which seemed made to order for the non-threatening, comfortably regular visits of Perry, Andy, and Dino. Nor was he especially suited for singing duets (give the advantage to the adaptable Bing). Nevertheless, these highlights from Sinatra's short-lived '50's television series are admittedly welcome watching, especially for those of us who remember the original moments.

Perhaps the most successful of all the duets is Cole's "You're the Top," with Frank and the brassy Ethel Merman. Hers is one of the few voices that stands up to the incisive edge in the Chairman's timbre.

While the performances here are more "classic" than those from Sinatra's two "Duets" albums from the nineties, the relative brevity of the program (it would easily fit on a CD) raises the question of why the producers of this DVD didn't include any of the solo performances from the same series. And the interspersed commentary by Nancy, Tina, and Frank Jr., while palatable and diverting, is predictable and uninformative ("Dad enjoyed working with Elvis," "Sammy always brought out the best in Dad").

If you're looking for Sinatra on television, a better bet is the specials (with Ella, Jobim, Diahann Carroll) from the 60's and 70's. Or, if you can swing it, the complete programs from which these highlights were extracted.


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