I always find myself struggling to accept ANY singers attempting to sing standards from the "Greatest Generation"
Im sticking to my mono recordings of Ella,Billie,Dinah etc.
Gaga is talented, but I prefer just listening to her, and pass on watching any live performances. The duo thing with a living legend.....meh.
Just my opinion.
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Old conversation, but I am just listening to the album "Cheek to Cheek".
So I like the songs, the duo is very interesting, with Lady Gaga, modern pop singer, joining old school Tony Bennett.
But the recording is so bad... my god. It sounds loud, with very little dynamic range, instruments are all over the place, piano extends from left to right, same for a single saxophone... or maybe they were playing giant instruments I don't know. I think it's a shame that they had both Tony and Lady Gaga singing from the same microphone, and too far from it.
Disappointing. |
Anybody have this DVD. I played it In my car Which has 5'1 audio and it sounded really poor. No real surround, really flat. Is it possible that I received a bad copy?My copy of the Eagles Live is stunning. |
I was glad to see this album win a Grammy! It is a very well done album both performance wise and recording wise. |
Mofi-
is this like, "gaga me w/ a silver spoon"? I enjoy Lady Gaga, sure she has moxy. Sure she has a schtick, still, she can be sexy at times- my kind of gal. Happy Listening! |
Frogman and Tubegroover, both your posts brought tears to my eyes, and not in a poetic sense. |
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"I have a hunch that his reason for the recordings he does now is to help others"
That is a terrific insight Schubert. I mean I would never have thought of that but now that you mention it, it makes perfect sense. Take Stephanie for instance, he more than likely sees something in her that transcends her "Gaga" image to some but certainly not her "little monsters". As Schubert noted which is telling "Gaga said to Tony jokingly , "I'know I'm just a tramp" , Tony shot back "I KNOW you're a lady playing the role of a tramp". He sees the Stephanie side, the other side of the "weird" to some persona she projects. The love that this man has for others is just this joy and hope that can't but help make you smile everytime you see or listen to him sing. Yes, his voice is pretty well gone but the love projected is the message. Long live Tony Bennett! |
****If it were not for good engineering they especially Bennett would be washing dishes. ****
It's comments like this that make me wonder what universe some live in. Tony Bennett, as Schubert and others have pointed out, in spite of not being anywhere near his prime has what the vast majority of singers today lack: class and the ability to project joy of singing with respect for the audience; not as if he is doing the audience a favor which is what many other singers project. He is the kind of performer that even if he had no singing voice left at all would still be able to get the message of the song across. |
Katy perry and Miley Cyrus are eating lady gaga's lunch these days in pop circles. So I suppose that means she needs some help finding a new identity. Teaming up with a well liked legend should help. Plus the young'uns get exposure to a classy legend. A symbiotic teaming for sure I would say. 👍👍 |
Yes, There was a big back screen during Tony's performance, and many of his paintings were shown while he sang. Very impressive! |
Ditto here, Kb54.
We all are, as persons, getting either better or worse, my point is that
Tony, perhaps alone among his peers, is always getting better and there is a great beauty in that .
I guess most know this, but singing is Tony's day job, he is a trained painter and that his main identity.
I have a hunch that his reason for the recordings he does now is to help others. |
Sorry if I sounded insulting, Kb54, I agree with you.
I think it was Frank Sinatra who remarked about Tony,
"You know why he's so popular, (?) he's got the voice, man" (!) |
Oh, I realized if it wasn't clear- Tony Bennett at 88-fine. Tony + Lady Gaga-not so good. |
FYI, I am a long time fan of Tony Bennett. I have several of his older collections, the Evans duet albums, and almost all of his 1990s recordings. He can still sing with feeling and emotion, but it would be impossible for him not to decline at his age (and remarkable how good he was for so long). On the other hand, I've seen him perform with Lady Gaga several times on TV, and I'll stand by my assessment. Their performance seems much more commerce than art (like a lot of performers whose great work is well behind them). Both appear to be great people; Gaga has been a stauch supporter of equal rights for the LGBT community. However, at present, there are numerous jazz and popular singers who I would rather spend money to see live or listen to on recordings. |
I once brought a voice lesson cassette to Tony while he was performing at Atlantic City. It was from his NYC instructor.
He was awaiting it and when I announced myself then I was ushered in. I and date, hung out with Tony for 50+ minutes in his dressing room before he went on.
He was the person that you see on stage, loving and real, and gentle.
He set my date and I up with front row center reserved table and full compliments. |
Amen Schubert, love conquers all. |
Kb54, Tony is only 88 and performing. How old are you? |
FWIW, I saw a documentary on the making of the album,Gaga said to Tony jokingly , "I'know I'm just a tramp" , Tony shot back "I KNOW you're a lady playing the role of a tramp".
Gaga is not a fave of mine but I'd rather listen to her than most pop singers . |
Kb54, hard to be more wrong that that, there is nothing less pathetic than a great artist showing how love can always carry the day, vocals be damned.His nobility of heart that all can see, who have the heart to see is beauty itself.
A great artist flies on two wings, one the love of his art, the other the love of his audience.
Tony Bennett was a soring eagle 30 years ago, is now, and will be till his last breath.
You, or I, should be 1/10 the man. |
Amazing what a excellent recording engineer can do!!!
Tony's great but AT LEAST 20+ yrs. beyond his prime vocal wise...
As for the Gag...Competent voice with surprising range but both kind of hanging on to each other for sales!
Think Brittney's & Madonna"s kiss...:-)] |
Tony with Bill Evans & Together Again are two albums that I enjoy immensely! |
Kb54-Spot on! Sometimes it's better to go out gracefully then languish with mediocre talent as a crutch. |
I saw Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga recently on one of the late night talk shows. I like Tony, but his voice was pretty rough that night so I decided not to buy the CD. But maybe they used some studio magic to fix his vocals on the disc so I may reconsider and buy it. Thanks Guys! |
Tony Bennett is a NATIONAL TREASURE, simple as that.
If you want to hear the greatest "duo" album ever made get
the one Tony made with Bill Evans. |
It's sad and pathetic. He's really showing his age now, and she brings nothing to the music. Diana Krall, Jane Monheit, Tierney Sutton, etc. have nothing to worry about. It's awful. |
Yeah she is a bit weird and different but one thing for sure, she IS talented and has always had a certain appeal, at least to me. I love Tony Bennett probably because he loves and appreciates his audience as much as he loves to sing and sing he sure can! I have several of his albums including Duets and MTV Unplugged both of which are fantastic to anyone interested in hearing Tony singing with guest performers. I listen to both often, particularly the MTV Unplugged.
Thanks for the headsup Mofi, you reminded me that I need to order this one. |
Thanks for the tip,ill give them a listen.As far as being weird,if I did not listen to someone because of that, I would miss out on a lot of good music and art.As Mapman said,"She looks normal for this project. That's weird! " Lol! |
Lady Gaga was always very odd to me but if this collaboration brings a younger generation to Tony Bennett's music and the genre I'm all for it. |
Mofi, I agree. My thinking was nearly the exact same as yours. I bought the LP a month ago and it's in the rotation. |
Weird or whatever.. IMO, she is one gifted talented genius. |
My wife and I watched their performance on TV in our theater system - it was awesome!
Also, we learned that Lady GaGa is a great person - prior we too always thought her weird.
What a great pair and what a great performance! Thanks for the feedback on the album - now we'll get it!
And we both are looking forward to more from this duo! |
If it were not for good engineering they especially Bennett would be washing dishes. |
I have been following her for about 7 years and her expressive voice has never failed to captivate me. I think there is alot more she will be doing in the future - Jet |
She looks normal for this project. That's weird!
I'd be willing to bet its a good listen actually. |
