10/29/2010

Beatles. By Uncle Monty.




The Beatles 50th Anniversary Concert.
By Uncle Monty.
Concert Photos By Alex Albion.
***
Superstar Dame Shirley Bassey was the most
adorable and most inimitable of the famous per-
forming artists at last night’s Royal Philarmonic
50th Anniversary Tribute to The Beatles that was
held at London’s renowned Royal Albert Hall.
***
The other performing stars of note last night in-
cluded Tony Christie, Darius Campbell, Beverley
Knight, Antony Costa, and Liz McClarnon. Followed
by Maria Elena Infantino, Analiza Ching, Tony Moore,
Elliott Frisby and Lou Jordan, who I first met during
the concert intermission. Along with the stars was also
the 115-member Maltese choir of “The Mediterranean
Voices” with their dozens of sopranos, altos, tenors
and basses who sang Beatles songs during
the three-hour long orchestral concert.
***
With the weekend here and the end of British
Summer Time come Sunday, I will state here
some other critical observations of The Beatles
Tribute that was oddly rather “un-English” in its
presentation and the orchestral arrangements by
Wayne Grima of The Beatles most famous lyrics
I just didn’t much like to be frank with you.
Such just didn't sit well with me.
***
There was a “foreign” tone, I thought,
thoughout the whole concert performance, aside
from the notable performances of Dame Shirley
Bassey and Tony Christie and a few other British
artists at last night’s unique Beatles Tribute that
I attended with three good friends of mine, who
requested that I not name them ... OK!
***
Lou Jordan with Uncle Monty.
***
It was a case at times during the concert of the
huge choir drowning out the orchestra or the
orchestra more times than not drowning out the
choir. Not only was the choir Maltese, but it
was also monotonous and unimaginative in their
Beatles repertoire. What “The Medditeranan
Voices” had to do with The Beatles simply beats
me! Their singing voices was far from Liverpool or
the British and American sounds of Beatlemania
of the 60’s. I could have stood up right then and
there inside the Royal Albert Hall, with my three
good friends, and have sounded more authentic in
singing Beatles songs we know off by heart than
those foreign voices trying to sound like some-
thing like John, George, Ringo and Paul.
***
Then we had to put up with the dreadful trio
“Candy Rock” – doing a Beatles tune or two.
They were all dressed up in satin white like
they were at a wedding instead of at the 50th
Anniversary Tribute to The Beatles. Not much
better was soloist Lenny Zakatek singing “Come
Together” and I cringed in my balcony seat at
Elliott Frisby’s rendition of “For No One.” A
pink pussy cat could have sang it better!!
***
But now for the good part ... I just loved solo
violinist Analiza Ching with her superb playing
of “Yesterday” and her magnetic performance
with her whole body "speaking" as she played.
She thrust her majestic head back and forth with
her dark and silky long hair flowing in exact
harmony with the strings of her lovely violin. With
Analiza Ching was Soprano Maria Abela Manconi
tagging along singing the same song of
"Yesterday" on stage.
***
Lou Jordan was good, too, as he sang “Don’t Let Me
Down” in his British-born and authentic Beatles style.
And, “Hey Jude” couldn’t have been sang any better
than by Glasgow’s Darius Campbell at age 30. He was
striking on stage and his singing gave the huge
audience much pleasure I must say.
***
Tony Christie and his singing of the Beatles song "The
Long And Winding Road" went together like peaches
and cream as he sang from the heart. Indeed, he did.
The audience wasn’t a warm lot and I’d say they were
a rather aloof and impersonal crowd. But Tony soon
brought the best out of them, although it was now
getting rather close to the closing of the show.
***
But overshadowing whatever faults I found at
The Beatles 50th Anniversary Concert, Welsh-born
superstar Shirley Bassey cleared much away and
then brought the audience to its feet as soon as she
appeared in her posh jet black sequin dress that few
would have guessed she was almost 75 years old.
***
The dame not only looked damn good, but she
sang damned good, too! She did us all good by her
adorable and inimitable presence that was worth
the steep price of the concert ticket (almost $100
a piece) just to see her in upclose performance.
***
As special guest star of the evening, Dame Shirley
beautifully sang “Something” and it sure was some-
thing to hear and see her sing it. Bouquets were lavish-
ed on her and at last the audience came alive and show-
ed their human warmth toward dear Shirley Bassey.
Men, young and old, stood agog in the aisles to get
a closer look at her. And, so did I!
***
Cameras went wild photographing her at the Royal
Albert Hall that has been, I suspect, a second home to
Dame Shirley for more than 50 years. Folkz kept re-
peatedly clapping for her out of their long love and
respect for the distinquished Cardiff-born lady who
sang “Diamonds Are Forever” in the 007 or James
Bond movies and, of course, in her stunning sound-
tracks for the film themes of “Goldfinger”
and “Moonraker.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Bassey
***
Thus, The Beatles 50th Anniversary Tribute was
brought to a befitting and gracious close by lovely
Shirley, who is a true Welsh dame and a true British
artist with or without her royal knighthood and
title of Dame of the British Empire (DBE).
God bless her!! And The Beatles, too!!
***
Honestly, Uncle Monty.
+Apostles Simon & Jude, 2010.

The Body Shop's Dame Anita Roddick.
Anita Roddick: Damn The Dead Dame. By Uncle Monty.
http://allaboutthebigissue.blogspot.com/2010/11/dame-by-uncle-monty.html
.

So How Did John Bird Enter The US
With A Criminal Record? By Uncle Monty.
http://allaboutthebigissue.blogspot.com/
.
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3 comments:

DFE/Diamonds Are Forever. said...

looooooooooooog
live Daaaaaaaaaaaame
Shirleeeeeeeeeeeey!!!
You're an good concert critic.
I agree with you since I was
there. You put in words what
I felt but couldn't express
until I read you. Thank you.
DFE/Diamonds Are Forever.

Christine Atallah Rabi. said...

Dear Brethren Uncle Monty:-
Although I am not comfortable discussing the content of my mail on the internet owing to lots of unsolicited/Spam emails on the net these days. Anyway my message is that I have made up my mind to will my late husband's funds to you so that you can use it for charity duties and good work to humanity in your USA or UK. The amount is 4 Million Dollars. Please get back to me on my personal and secured email address for further information. My secured email is: christinerabi@gmail.com.
God bless you dear Brethren.
Christine Atallah Rabi.

Gloria Amos. said...

Hi Dear Uncle Monty -
I really did clap after reading
your article on the beatles. I've
been a Shirley Bassey fan for
years. She is just a great
british artist. A fine lady who
I can find no fault with.
The royal albert hall brings the
best of our artists we have.
Dame Shirley is the top of the
list. It was not to be for me to
see her this time. Your splendid
article did make up for that by
reading your shrewed comments.
My only complaint is that I would
have liked your story to have had
more photos on the beatles concert.
But clap I really did despite that.
I am from Tiger Bay that is where Dame Shirley began her life. Found
your article listed on another
shirley blog. That is how I found
you. Wishing you the very best
uncle. Gloria Amos. CARDIFF.