Frank Sinatra: The Concert Collection

This is an excellent compilation of some of legendary Frank Sinatra's filmed concerts, TV shows and TV specials that go back to the mid 1950's. After coming back from some personal issues, Sinatra reappeared on TV with a regular show in 1957. The most recent show here is a 1985 concert he did for Japanese television. The quality of the video ranges from poor to very good but always watchable. The audio quality is very good except for some of the performances from the `50s. Some is mono, some stereo and there is even one Dolby Digital 5.1 concert. Rather than put these shows in chronological order, the producers linked them in unusual ways. For example: "Primetime," "Around the World," "A Man and His Music." "Concert for the Americas" is its own disc because of length. Overall, this is a "must have" for Sinatra fans. Here is a review of each disc:Disc 1: 11-3-11 - 3.5 - "Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music" (1965) - This is part of the Sinatra collective DVD set, comprised of various filmed or taped shows that he did. Most, like this one, were television specials. This is his first. Taped November 15-17, 1965 for NBC it aired November 24. As expected these are production qualities of a spare nature as TV was still evolving. Even the opening is a bit of a laugher with the boom mic clearly in the picture above Frank. The sets are of a minimalist modern style. The picture is grainy as you would expect. The sound is a pretty decent Dolby Digital 2.0. I also noticed Ed McMahon from the Johnny Carson "Tonight Show" is the MC. The audience applause is canned as there is no one in sight outside musicians. Between each song Frank briefly cracks a couple jokes and reminisces about his life and the next song. Highlights are "Nancy" written for his daughter who was 2 at the time and a Medley where an "It Was a Very Good Year" verse begins another song about a reflection on youth. I noticed that the last of these, "Younger than Springtime" is omitted from the accompanying booklet. Frank looks great and sounds even better.4-20-09 - 3.5 - "Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music (1966) - Frank looks and sounds great. The setting unfortunately was way too bright and sterile even for the time. Daughter Nancy was the guest as she was just beginning her career and in fact, had a couple hits. "Bang Bang" is still terrific today, others not so much. Frank was competing with The Beatles, The Stones, Elvis and others during this changing period, but still managed to put out a hit or two, including "That's Life" included here. He really shines however on chapter 9, a medley of some great sultry songs beginning with "Just One of Those Things". Everything else is so so as Frank tried to remain relevant with humor and PC incorrect Amos and Andy dialect.Disc 2: 11-4-11 - 4.0 - "Frank Sinatra: A Man and his Music + Ella + Jobim" (1967) - This is the 3rd of what became an annual Sinatra special for NBC. This was taped in early October and was shown November 13, 1967. Frank opens with a couple upbeat numbers and says the theme of the night is rhythm, and then launches into "Ol' Man River". While this is one of the best numbers of the night, there ain't much rhythm. The sets retain their sparse nature as they have throughout this 3 year run. A little more color adds a bit of zest. And we finally see a small audience in the final segment, all behind the performers (Frank and Ella). The men are decked out in their black tux uniforms and the wives in their fur stoles and jewelry. I suspect everyone was gleaned from the NBC boardroom. I've always been a fan of Ella Fitzgerald. It's pretty evident she and Frank borrowed from the same singers. Their phrasing and singing styles are very similar. Ella seems a bit uneasy in her opening set, but settles in at the end of the show with Frank by her side. I've always felt that Antonio Carlos Jobim was one of the best collaborators Sinatra ever had. Their music blends beautifully and their 3 songs together, while familiar, are glorious. Watch Frank light one up during this set. Of the other numbers, check out Frank and Ella early on, cover Little Anthony and the Imperial's "Goin' Out Of My Head" at the end of their medley.4-23-09 - 3.0 - "Frank Sinatra: The Man and His Music - With the Count Basie Orchestra" (1981)- Filmed in 1981 for a TV special, it shows Frank has aged significantly since the 1966 special on the other side. Still,his voice is fine. Unfortunately, his memory must be fading as he pretty much sings the words to the songs off cue cards or prompters. The big Basie Orchestra backs him up, but the Count utters nary a word...he's looking old too. Another big surprise, no audience...a little weird. The big highlight for me was a straight on version of New York, New York. Unlike most musicians today, Frank gives plenty of credit to the muscians, the arrangers and most importantly the songwriters on nearly every track. Nice, but not great.Disc 3: 11-19-11 - 4.0 - "Frank Sinatra: Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back" (1973) - After a 2 year retirement, Sinatra returns to the music scene with a new album and this television special on NBC which aired November 18, 1973. Backed by his usual musical directors Gordon Jenkins and Don Costa, Frank is in top form. He eschews covering the pop tunes of the day for more traditional fare in which he excels. The best songs are "You Will Be My Music", "Last Night When We Were Young" and "Send In The Clowns". His guest star was Gene Kelly and they reminisce with clips from a couple films they made in the 1940's. Frank at 58 and Gene at 61 do a pretty good job dancing, with Kelly taking it a bit further while Sinatra sings. The 2.0 channel sound is very good but the picture is borderline terrible. The colors come and go; there is evident tape streaking and a generally fuzzy picture. Frank performs in front of a small formal audience. I noticed the following in the crowd: Sargent and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, actor Richard Conti, Lucille Ball, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dick VanDyke, Lady Bird Johnson, Milton Berle and Fred Astaire. In spite of the video quality, this is one of Sinatra's better TV performances.12-28-11 - 3.0 - "Sinatra: The Main Event" (1974) - Broadcasting legend Howard Cosell opens this ABC television special that aired live October 13, 1974. Produced by Roone Arledge and Jerry Weintraub it had a heavyweight boxing flare. Sinatra comes out just like the fighters do with sidemen clearing the way. The stage is ring sized and sits in the middle of New York's Madison Square Garden with 20,000 in attendance. Early on, the crowd even sounds like they are at a fight or perhaps even a Rolling Stones concert. This event is a visual upgrade from some of the others in the "The Concert Collection" set. It looks pretty good on disc and the sound is fine. Playing to the audience, Sinatra spends most of his time performing his more famous songs ("My Way", "I Get a Kick Out of You", "The Lady is a Tramp" or as Frank sings, the lady is replaced with "chick" or "broad"). Now pushing 60 Frank still sounds terrific and although a bit thicker in build, still looks strong. Although commercial breaks are removed, we still get long applause after each song and a sometime lengthy introduction to the next. Frank knocks it out of the park with "Angel Eyes" and actually gives an emotional rendition of "My Way" to close the show. I found it a bit strange that in the second to last number, he chose "My Kind of Town" to sing in front of a NYC audience. He's got some balls.Disc 4: 1-8-12 - 4.0 - "Sinatra in Concert at Royal Festival Hall" (1970) - At age 55 Frank is still at his peak in this very good performance staged at London's Royal Festival Hall. Hosted and introduced by Princess Grace of Monaco, his co-star in "High Society" (1956), Frank lights up the appreciative if quiet crowd of tuxedoed and bejeweled patrons. Unfortunately the picture quality is pretty bad. On a large screen, the picture is a bit fuzzy as was the original broadcast I suspect. In close-ups you can see a blue halo around Frank's face. The sound is fine in a Dolby Surround 2.0. In addition to the usual suspects ("My Way", "My Kind of Town", "The Lady is a Tramp") Frank sings 3 great songs he calls, "Songs for Losers" including "I Get Along Without You Very Well", "Didn't We" and "One For My Baby". For the last one, he goes into full acting mode. Frank challenges himself with a strong performance of "I Have Dreamed" from "The King and I." It is very powerful. This concert was a benefit and was televised by the BBC. After this tour, Frank went into brief retirement. It is one of the best of this package and has rarely been seen.Disc 4: 2-6-12 - 4.5 - "Sinatra in Japan: Live at the Budokan Hall, Tokyo" (1985) - This is a rare video of a performance recorded only for Japanese television as near as I can determine. While the video quality is again not very good, the audio this time is in 5.1 Dolby Digital as opposed to the usual 2.0. The picture for television is in 1.33:1 aspect ratio and shows the usual halo effect around the images. Frank places himself as usual on a stage centered in the large auditorium surrounded by the quiet and respectful Japanese audience. The travelling musicians are but a few consisting of the key solo performers. The orchestra is mostly composed of local Japanese and in total the band is terrific. This may be Frank's best concert of this series. Even at 69, he looks good and sounds great. You can see he is pumped up for this show which consists almost entirely of songs performed hundreds of times before. He butchers "Mack the Knife" with impromptu lyrics but soars on some of his classics. The best are "Something", I Get a Kick out of You", "Someone to Watch Over Me", and "One for my Baby." This later song is the only time, Frank goes into saloon mode. As he often does, Sinatra introduces each song including the songwriter and the arranger. Classy guy and an artfully directed show.Disc 5: 4-25-09 - 3.5 - "Francis Albert Sinatra Does His Thing" ((1968) - This a 1968 television special showing off Frank in good, if foolish form. Again, a stark, mostly white and bright set. Yes, an audience, but they are rarely seen and of course, the applause is canned. This episode is heightened by the presence of Diahann Carroll who does a couple nice numbers. I remember seeing this for the first time on TV way back when...she was barefoot. Frank crosses the racial lines at the time by kissing her on the mouth and later plants kisses on Florence LaRue and yummy Marilyn McCoo. Go get 'em Frank. The bit with the now dated 5th D. is well, not so good. Frank, as usual is best when he passes on the current songs of the time, and sticks with the classics (Chapter 7 medley) and "Angel Eyes" for example.Disc 5: 5-29-12 - 4.5 - "Sinatra" (1969) - In the concluding chapter of the annual "A Man and His Music" TV special, a dapper "young" Frank opens right away with "For Once In My Life" in his cool double breasted suit. This transfer like most in the collection is of television quality of the era. The sound is basic analog but is always very good. My biggest criticism is that once again the audience is invisible except for the canned applause and laughter that goes away on queue. So lame. What stands out here are the songs and Frank's delivery. The best set is when he dons a sweater, sans audience reaction and beautifully performs "A Man Alone" (his just released album at the time), the great "Didn't We" and "Forgot to Remember." Frank, in his usual self-deprecating way also shows some vintage movie clips of his earlier, bad films. They're pretty funny. I think this is my favorite of the "Primetime" disc.Disc 5: 5-29-12 - 4.0 - "Sinatra and Friends" (1977) - This TV special is loaded with stars of the era and Frank runs the genre gamut. From classical/opera there is Robert Merrill, from country there is Loretta Lynn, from folk/pop there is John Denver, from R & B was young Natalie Cole, from Broadway, Leslie Uggams, from jazz/traditional, Tony Bennett and then there was Frank's Rat Pack buddy, Dean Martin. Each gets a chance to do their own thing as well as duet with Frank. Biggest surprise? Loretta Lynn, seem pretty comfortable singing "All or Nothing At All." Uggams was great on "I Honestly Love You." The video was a bit better with sharper color, but it is 1977 so that should be expected. This was a very good show that could have been better with a bit more rehearsal time.Disc 6: 1-29-11 - 4.0 - "Concert for the Americas" (1982) - In the dawn of pay television, Showtime produced this 90 minute concert from The Dominican Republic. Sinatra was pushing 70 if my math is correct, but still had his wits, voice and eyesight as near as I can tell. His songs include many of the standards that he clearly is famous for. As a fan, I'd just as soon skip many of these and hear some new old stuff. For my money Sinatra is at his best as the saloon singer that he clearly enjoys. I could do without Frank's attempt at being cool, what with the "Cu Cu's" and "Jack" slang that he would throw in many songs. Frank...you're cool without this crap! There's plenty of bland stuff (Strangers in the Night, My Kind of Town...enough already), but I loved the two songs at the end he did with guitarist Tony Mattola (Send in the Clowns, Quiet Night of Quiet Stars). Also Buddy Rich at the end of his life as it turns out, blisters his one song set.Disc 7: 8-16-12 - 4.5 - "Bonus Disc: Happy Holidays with Bing and Frank, Vintage Sinatra, TV Performances" (1957 - 2003) - This bonus disc contains some of the worst video and audio in the entire collection, yet it may be my favorite. The first feature is a 30 minute Christmas special with just Bing Crosby and Frank. Frank also directed and insisted on Crosby getting top billing. It aired on ABC on December 20, 1957 in living color no less, rare for the day. Bing and Frank start out alone in Frank's "house," then join some carollers in turn of the century garb. The show ends with what else, "White Christmas," with Frank joining end on the second verse. Two great crooners in their prime. The second feature is a PBS documentary shown on August 2, 2003. Frank's children, Frank, Jr., Nancy and Tina are interviewed between clips from Frank's late 50's TV show. The clips are in grainy black and white on various sparse sets with noisy audio. Actually, Tina gave some of the best info and seemed most comfortable talking about her dad. Loaded with great songs including the knockout "The House I Live In." Have you ever heard anyone else sing this song? Finally, not mentioned at all in the enclosed booklet are 10 songs that appear to be from Frank's TV show, tied together non-stop with just Frank and his cigarette...and an occasional cutie. No chit-chat, no jokes. Terrible quality both video and audio but some of my favorite stuff in this package.

I did not grow up a Sinatra fan...he was my mom's guy while I was a Beatles and Zeppelin era baby boomer. That said....I learned about the greats of songwriting by listening over and over to his music that my mom had in constant rotation in her home and learned that in most every case HIS was the definitive version...from Cole Porter on.The first brace of programs on this well constructed and lovely set (SHOUT Factory really seems to hit everything they do right on the button and right out of the park) were previously released on woefully short single DVDs by Warner Bros and I'm very familiar with the programs and they vary in quality from must have to alright. The revelation for me on this set begins with "Concert For The Americas" which is a brilliantly executed and performed 90 minute set from the Dominican Republic in 1982 which finds the Chairman of the Board in great voice and seemingly on top of his game...for this era. He is not only in good voice he is clear headed ...crediting the songwriters and arrangers and just seemingly out to make a statement. And speaking of statements...his band/orchestra is killer and the drum solo that Buddy Rich takes on the Jet Song from West Side Story smokes just about every drum solo I've sat through over the years from the hundreds of rock concerts I've been to ...the guys tears it up! The next big treat is the bonus disc with over 3 hours of goodies stretching back into the big Capital Years era of the 50's (His peak in my opinion).Why did I pick this up? Well..my mom passed away this summer and for some crazy reason listening to Mr Sinatra doesn't make me sad but seems to make me feel close to her. The best thing I can say about this set is that SHE would have loved it..over and over...her favorite was with Ella and Jobim.How can it be less than 5 stars?

The collection arrived today, October 26th, and just skimming through the DVDs is a thrill. Firstly, the packaging is consistently stunning; goodbye to the easy-to-smash cardboard/plastic packaging when some of these DVDs were released in the 1990s. Oh, and goodbye to those hyper-expensive out-of-print DVDs! Those 50 minute-long DVDs have been replaced by discs that average 2 hours each (The bonus disc is roughly two and a half hours long). The menus are very stylish and the booklet that accompanies the collection is well done. Someone got the message and the collection is well laid out and impeccably presented. The image quality is not Hi-Def, of course, and there's only so much that can be done to spruce up video tape. Still, the colours are vivid.About that bonus DVD: besides including assorted early televison clips and a terrific PBS documentary with commentary by his children, there's a half hour Christmas special with Sinatra and Bing Crosby. This was filmed on motion picture stock, directed by Sinatra (!), with musical arrangements by Nelson Riddle, and - although filmed in 1957 for television - is in something resembling Technicolour; it has a colour palette of green-red-blue that reminds me of ancient Kodacolor family slides and home movies done on Ektachrome stock. Considering how regular colour television broadcasting was about a decade away, someone was thinking ahead. Well, there's your Sinatra Holiday Special, Clyde, complete with Sinatra and Crosby: hitting the toddies and, briefly, in Dickensian dress. It's Ring-a-Ding-Ding traditional - like a Christmas party on the set of "High Society," and so old fashioned I hope it winds up as a separate DVD, someday.The other DVDs are great, too. Take your pick as to which YOU want to call his greatest. At $55.99 for 14 hours of footage covering 30 years of his life, this is a brilliant Sinatra release. You have hours of him in those television productions he never completely warmed up to as well as hours and hours of him absolutely live - the way he liked it. The people behind this collection deserve our thanks. Healthy sales would be nice, too.

... aquí tienes una buena colección de conciertos y programas de televisión. Muy buena calidad. La caja es de la zona americana, pero con un lector de dvd moderno, no hay problema.

If you love Frank Sinatra; if you hate Frank Sinatra; if your sister married a guy who knows Frank Sinatra's cousin -buy this Box Set. "The Voice" at his best, with humour, generosity, and impeccable phrasing. And the Ella Fitzgerald performance alone is worth the price of the whole set, as is his cover of "Luck Be A Lady". Haven't stopped watching since I bought it -he was and is the best.

Bought this set for hubby who is a Frank Sinatra freak, and he absolutely LOVED it! Great little boxed set at a good price.

This is an excellent Frank Sinatra collection that is an affirmation of his being the greatest interpreter of songs written by the best songwriters of all time.His talent as a singer ,showman and humanitarian who was first entertainer to showcase black talent to the world is his legacy.He will always be Chairman of the board and the greatest crooner of all time.

If you like Sinatra , you've got to get this set of discs . His whole life in song .