Friday, August 27, 2010

Sinatra 'Concert Collection' DVD Box and 'Concert for the Americas' Coming from Shout! Factory



Shout! Factory will release the DVDs Frank Sinatra: Concert Collection November 2 and also Sinatra's Concert for the Americas December 14. 
A seven-DVD box set, Concert Collection features Sinatra's concert and television performances with numerous guest stars and also previously unreleased material. 7.  The set contains over more than 14 hours of Frank, from the 1950s through the ’80s, including four previously unreleased specials, a box-set exclusive compilation of vintage performances, and a 44-page book with rare photographs and notes by Sinatra scholar Bill Zehme. Concert For The Americas, included in the set, will be released separately on December 14.
The Frank Sinatra Enterprises collection begins with Sinatra’s first television special, A Man And His Music, broadcast in 1965 on NBC to commemorate Sinatra’s 50th birthday. Performances include “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “I Get A Kick Out Of You,” “Come Fly With Me” and “The Lady Is A Tramp.”
A Man And His Music Part II, with special guest Nancy Sinatra (1966, CBS) icludes “Luck Be A Lady” and “That’s Life.” Sinatra opens the Quincy Jones arrangement of “Fly Me To The Moon.” Nancy Sinatra, in pink fringe (and yes, those signature boots), sings “Bang, Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” and “On Broadway,” followed by duets with her father that include “Downtown,” and “These Boots Are Made For Walking.” 
 On A Man And His Music + Ella + Jobim (1967, NBC), Ella Fitzgerald performs “Body And Soul” and  “It’s All Right With Me.” Sinatra joins her for songs and then comes Sinatra’s only filmed meeting with Brazilian composer, guitarist, singer Antonio Carlos Jobim as they deliver a medley of that includes Jobim's “Change Partners,” “I Concentrate On You” and, but of course, “The Girl From Ipanema.”
Sinatra: The Man And His Music (1981, NBC) aired a few weeks before his 66th birthday. He works with three different ensembles, including the the legendary Count Basie and his orchestra, with performances that include George Harrison’s “Something, “Theme From New York, New York”, “Pennies From Heaven,” and “The Best Has Yet To Come.”
Ol’ Blue Eyes Is Back (1973, NBC) is a comeback special filmed after the Sinatra's brief retirement in the early ’70s.  Filmed in front of a live audience on a Hollywood soundstage, a concert environment is created as he sings and swings numbers such as “I Get A Kick Out Of You,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and “I’ve Got The World On A String."  There are guest appearance by Gene Kelly, Sinatra’s costar from three song-and-dance films back in the ’40s.
There's also Sinatra: The Main Event (1974, ABC), filmed live at Madison Square Garden accompanied by clarinetist and bandleader Woody Herman with New York musicians that include a string section, The set list includes the Frank approach to contemporary hits of the day like “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life,” “Let Me Try Again,” and “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” plus signature tunes such as “My Kind Of Town” and “My Way.”
Sinatra In Concert At Royal Festival Hall (1970, BBC) finds Princess Grace of Monaco introduces him to an enthusastic audeince. The show was a benefit for the United World Colleges Fund, held in London’s Royal Festival Hall, and televised by the BBC. Highlights include “Pennies From Heaven,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and “One For My Baby.”
Considered rare, Sinatra In Japan: Live At The Budokan Hall, Tokyo (1985) has so far only been released in Japan. Then 70, Sinatra opens with  “The Lady Is A Tramp," and among other selections are  “Strangers In The Night” and “Come Rain Or Come Shine.” 
Francis Albert Sinatra Does His Thing (1968, CBS) takes a stand during the turbulent social changes of the '60s to celebrate black music.  During the show he sings a medley of spirituals sung with TV star and singer Diahann Carroll and also teams up with The 5th Dimension. Granted it's not cutting edge with soul music, but it still was historic for the most mainstream television back then.
In Sinatra (1969, CBS), he takes a look back at his career. 
It's an all star ensemble from pop standards, pop and country for Sinatra And Friends (1977, ABC). Guests include Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Loretta Lynn and John Denver.
Concert For The Americas (1982, Showtime) was recorded at the Altos de Chavón Amphitheater, a 5000-seat open-air Greek-style amphitheater in the Dominican Republic. The 90-minute performance features the legendary Buddy Rich on drums and a special guest appearance by guitarist Tony Mottola on “Send In The Clowns.” This is the first-ever U.S. DVD release of the concert.   
The box set also includes two rare specials that feature classic 1950s TV performances, plus an additional compilation of never-before-released vintage clips: Happy Holidays with Bing and Frank (1957, ABC); the 2003 PBS special Vintage Sinatra offers a look back at Sinatra’s television performances from his 1957–58 ABC television series. 

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