Born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio, which I believe is Polish, singer Frankie
Laine went on to score more than 70 chart hits, and rack up sales in excess of
250 million albums worldwide. He wasn’t a teenybopper success, though. Though born
in 1913, it wasn’t until the mid-1950s that Laine really came into his own and enjoyed
his biggest success, which came when he started recording theme tunes for
movies and television shows, most notably Rawhide
and Gunfight at the OK Corral. Work
hosting three separate variety shows followed, and Laine carved out a nice
niche as a hard-working, scruffy-bearded showman. While Frank Sinatra sang
about always doing it his way, Laine rocked the unshaven look before
it was boho-fashionable, and arguably suffered the consequences, allegedly turning
down an invitation to sing at the White House that came with a whispered side-condition
of some special grooming.
western theme songs or even jazz, “Old Leather Lungs,” as Laine was known,
brought to bear his own sense of style and personality through a sonorous baritone.
This DVD features a full Laine concert from a 1976 tour of the United Kingdom,
and includes the hit songs “That Old Lucky Sun,” “Jezebel” and “Jealousy,” as
well as “Love Story,” the aforementioned “Rawhide,” “Your Cheating Heart,” “Wrap
Your Troubles in Dreams,” “You’re the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me,” “Lord,
You Gave Me a Mountain,” “Dream a Little Dream of Me” and more. Sadly, Laine passed
away in February of this year 2007, leaving behind 21 gold records and plenty
of fans, but also many more people who never got to appreciate Laine and his
place in the rank of crooner’s of his erae. This program serves as a perfect example
of the beautiful music he brought into this world.
surround sound audio track, and runs a brisk 45 minutes. The picture is decent,
if understandably not crystal clear, but the audio more than makes up for any
visual shortcomings. There are unfortunately no supplemental extras herein, but
this program is a perfect encapsulation and overview of Laine’s career, and
somehow one doesn’t mind quite as much as one normally might. B (Concert) C
(Disc)