Dusty Springfield Live at Royal Albert Hall

Well, after 10 careful viewings (and at least 5 full listens on my iPod..where I transferred the CD to on the 1st), I feel ready to critique the DVD and CD release of Dusty Springfield: Live at Royal Albert Hall.

First let me start with the DVD:

WOW! The picture quality is absolutely AMAZING and I love the Main Menu and the other Menus..great sound effects and wonderful pictures and graphics of our Lady. The sound quality is not as strong as the picture quality, but I guess they did the best they could with what was available.

As for the concert itself...Dusty looks radiant and performs majestically! The liner notes are actually quite good this time (in my view) and they capture perfectly the spirit of the concert. Dusty does seem more laid-back than ever on this one and yes, there are several small glitches and hiccups vocally as well as technically, but nothing major...and whatever precision is lost is made up for with a wonderful energy and enthusiasm that's riveting to witness. Not since her 60s hey-day, did Dusty look so radiant and "happy to be there".

The interviews are also top-notch..especially the reminiscings and musings of Pat Rhodes, Madeleine Bell and Simon Bell. Simon almost made me cry on several occasions, especially towards the end, when it was clear he was also moved and missing Dusty. He is a great guy, I can see why Dusty wanted him near in her final days.

Now for the CD:

The only complaint I have is the sound mix seems rather low in volume and is a bit grainy. I have to pump the volume up to 8 or 9 to truly get all the sound...and that's rare to have to do. It is, unfortunately, one of those CDs that is recorded as if there were some sort of distance between the listener and the singer..and I HATE those. I have others that have that as well..even with newer source material. I am not sure what the process is in the studio, but it gives everything a sort of "muted" sound that I despise.

I much prefer to have Dusty closer to me, her voice more immediate, as if she were breathing right in my ear...but I guess with the live recording and the situation with the quality of the tapes, this could not be helped.

That being said, it is wonderful to have so much of these songs "live" and the Hits medley is fantastic. Just those few lines of "Goin' Back" are worth the entire CD...as is the lovely "Lose Again" and "Quiet Please, There's A Lady on Stage".

Is it just me, or was the sound quality of "Quiet Please" for the box set BETTER than it is here? How is that so? Also, the quality of "Lose Again" on the British box set also seems better than the original here. I am stumped as to what process was used to put this on CD. It is clearly inferior, in my view.

Well, like I said, I am happy to have ANY Dusty out there and especially "live" Dusty which is so rare.

It just makes you long for the day they might release the Drury Lane concert or other live performances on a compilation CD perhaps? They are out there!