Marlene Dietrich in London
I was at this live recording by Marlene in London. I was also at the filming of her show, done in London, over a 2 night span. I used to play truant from school to see her, she was just divine. I suppose there is no better live recording of her, and I recommend it highly. She was a consummate professsional, and in fact even did all the lighting herself. Burt Bacharach was her pianist and conductor. It's hard to be objective, since I was there, but this record holds a really special place in my heart - it's a wonderful gift to everyone. I could never have imagined when seeing her on stage, that about 10 years later I would spend hours and hours on the phone with her over several years, thanks to a mutual friend. She certainly was fascinating and I'll never forget her.
September 12, 2008This recording should be the quintessential Dietrich concert album, but it seriously needs to be re-mastered. The original Columbia LP (from which the cover art derives) was in stereo, but this DRG release is the same mono version of the album that is available on dozens of other labels at much lower prices. Also, the song "Mona Lisa" was recorded at this evening, but never released. DRG or Sony should press an all out re-issue of this classic concert with photos, added material, and re-mastered sound, something in the vein of the Broadway Masterworks series.
This album captures Dietrich in brilliant voice, and supreme control, the Post-War Dietrich of myth and legend. She sings her standard song-book - minus "The Boys in the Backroom" for some reason - under the musical direction of Burt Bacharach, whose arrangements invigorate the songs (most of which were already decades old, and many in other languages) and support Dietrich's amazing and unique voice quite impressively.
This is a great introduction to the musical work of one of the greatest personalities of the 20th century, and needs to be re-issued for Marlene's legions of fans, old and new.
May 7, 2005I actually got this album 2 days ago. And I love it. I was shocked and delighted to find it in a local Tower Records. And it's also my first Marlene album. I fell in love just a few months ago...
The CD is great, it's only fault is the lack of my personal favorite, the wonderful "The boys in the backroom"... On this album, I LOVE the new production of "Falling in love again" and "Lili Marleen". The way she performes the songs here, they sound better than the original recordings... or maybe so it seems. Although it's a bit annoying how the music can be really loud and than disappear and Marlene's whispers barely heared... I have to change the volium sometimes. Especially when she speaks. And her dialougs are entertaining and so adorable! I also gotta mention her singing in Hebrew, it's hillarious! ("Shir hatan") I am listening to the album non stop and it's just great. She sounds seductive, and vocally amazing. I read someone else here say: "Dietrich can pull more emotion and pain out of a song just by talking through most it, than others can while singing in 4 octaves." So true...
July 22, 2002I was a young man of 17 when on a hot August night in 1968 I went to a Marlene Dietrich concert at Merriweather Post Pavillion in Columbia, MD. I had discovered Miss Dietrich on my own the year earlier and while others my age were enthralled with the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, I was spinning Dietrich. I had trouble finding someone to go to the concert with me and ended up taking my older sister. I had been listening to the Dietrich in London recording and was hoping to hear much of it live. I was not disappointed. From the furtive peek between the curtains at the audience to her last curtain call Dietrich owned the audience. Many were drawn to the stage from their seats to get a closer glimpse of this legend. Funny in dialogue, intriguing in song, La Dietrich left a lasting impression on a young man in 1968 that continues to this day. Buy the CD, hear the magic, experience a legend. You won't be disappointed.
February 6, 2000 |  | If you only buy one Dietrich CD, get this one |  |
Dietrich was a tireless performer who was still touring long after most of her peers were home knitting (if they were still alive). Many believe that her voice improved with age, and this recording of a live performance in London certainly supports that belief. The audience obviously loved her, and you can tell that she gave them a hell of a show. Very good stereo sound.
August 4, 1999More reviews at Amazon.com ...
