Well, she can’t. To quote Mary McCarthy, “Every word she writes is a lie, including ‘and’ and ‘the.’”
Seriously… you think Sinatra couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, and used “bad phrasing”? I am curious, who do you consider a brilliant, tune carrying singer, who uses “good phrasing”?
I think she’s an okay singer, but I don’t care for her particular style.
But that performance of TLDB is the worst I’ve ever heard. Her style is just wrong for it, and that arrangement just makes me cringe.
I tell you, people, listen to her early stuff (c1920s–40s). Her '60s stuff was crap, due mainly to unfortunate song choices and appalling arrangements.
Her early recordings are easily the equal of Edith Piaf or Libby Holman.
Pwincess Precious, is that you?
Anyhoo, I agree. My 76-year-old has some ancient smokey cabaret style stuff from that brief respite between the wars, and some snazzy stuff from the Weimar Republic days. Not a lot of Dietrich, but what he does have – wow! – completely different than the crap she did in later years.
Think of it this way - she did some grand stuff à la Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht and Friedrich Hollaender… politically savvy, clever, smokin’ tunes…
Then she went off to do guest appearances on the Bing Crosby Show and Ed Sullivan!
I mean, come on.
That’s comparing apples to oranges. Totally different stuff.
Are you all deaf. I’m a singer. Dietrich had no tone, no style, only one kind of inflection, and only had the range of a bullfrog. Have to turn the channel every time she sings. The only redemption is Madeline Kahn’s version of “See What the Boys in the Backroom will Have.”
“My voice is gone…if I don’t get this picture…Godfather…ahh, I dunno. What am I gonna do?”
Funnily enough, I recently saw Ute Lemper doing a one-woman show about Marlene Dietrich. Dietrich could certainly sing - she wasn’t particularly technically gifted but she made the most of what she had and did it with style. Chacun a son gout and all that, but she could sing (and God knows Lemper certainly can).
However, anyone saying Sinatra couldn’t carry a tune deserves public scorn. Frank did get rather “loose” stylistically in his later Vegas-y years (which is why I’m not a fan of that material) but his original version of “One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)” is technical perfection, and even his early Big Band stuff is incredibly skilled.
Wasn’t she the one who kept getting jobs because [del]Kane[/del]Hearst was in love with her?
The discussion you are replying to played itself out 15 years ago. I’m sure you’re an excellent singer, but you’re no Marlene Dietrich.
No that was Marion Davies.
Quit making me think that Eve is posting again.
I know, right! Although Marlene Dietrich sings about as well as other well known singers like Bob Dylan and Florence Foster Jenkins.
Anybody have her current email? The one I have is a work email from 15 years ago.
Have you heard the live duets with Dylan and Dietrich? On “Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again” she beats it all to bits.
Her version of Lili Marleen is one of my favorite songs.
If that’s the correct link, I’m very confused.
You are correct. This is the best I’ve ever heard her sing.
“…smells like failure.”
:smack:Ooops, try this:
