Al Martino – In Concert Classics
Picture: C
Sound: C Extras: C Concert: B-
Though it is a very short 45 minutes long, the 1976 In
Concert taping featuring Al Martino is very good and a great throwback to
the vocal singers of the past, especially where Italian vocalists are
concerned. It reminds us of a time when
the record labels supported genres and talents of all kinds. Only a few years ago, this might have even
been considered somehow “passé” and the like, but with the second coming of Tony
Bennett and how the music of Frank Sinatra keeps surfacing in motion pictures,
it seems well timed.
The songs in their proper order, as they are mislisted
inside and outside of the DVD case are:
1) You Will
Be My Music/The Song Is You
2) Quando
Quando Quando
3) Feelings
4) Mary In
The Morning
5) A Man
Without Love
6) Strangers
In The Night
7) Granada
8) Spanish
Eyes
9) Mala
Femmena
10) Speak Softly Love
11) Al Di La
12) Come Into My Life
13) I’ve Gotta Be Me
14) Here In My Heart
15) Volare (Nel Blu Diplnto Di Blu)
How some of the tracks are bonus tracks within the main
program makes no sense and should have been an incidental note somewhere
instead of an abuse of the content list.
With that said, this is a good concert and shows how underrated he was,
likely being marginalized for being “too ethnic”, if you can believe that. Still, from 1963 – 1967 alone, Martino had a
series of hit singles and albums with Capitol Records. However, singers who cover standards so well
always outlast the era of their commercial peaks, which is why this DVD is such
a pleasant surprise.
The full frame 1.33 x 1 image was shot on NTSC analog
video from then for the concert and now for the recent interview (about 11 and
a half minutes) that is very much worth catching. All of the audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, even the new
interview, but the audio from the older show is a bit duller than one would
like, but it must be remembered that TV audio standards were far from adequate
in too many cases in the old days. The
interview is a plus, as short as it is, making this DVD worth the time of those
interested.
- Nicholas Sheffo
