The legend of Frankie Laine has slightly diminished over time, mostly because it’s been almost 40 years since his last Top 40 hit. But it shouldn’t be forgotten that Laine, who passed away in February 2007 at the age of 93, actually had more than 60 Top 40 hits in his career. In the field of pop music interpretation, the man was a musical force to be reckoned with, and he could bounce back and forth between jazz, country, rhythm and blues and popular standards without blinking an eye. In this 1976 performance, recorded in Sheffield, England, as a special for the BBC, Laine runs through 12 songs, including some of his biggest hits: "Jealousy," "Dream A Little Dream of Me," "Your Cheating Heart," "Lord, You Gave Me A Mountain" and "Jezebel." Of course, he also does his signature song – the theme for "Rawhide" – though, surprisingly, it’s the third song in the set. (If he’d been in the States, you can bet that it would’ve been the closing number.) Unfortunately, however, there are several moments of pure schmaltz, such as his version of the theme to "Love Story" and a cover of Morris Albert’s "Feelings." Despite Laine being in fine voice throughout, it feels more like a nightclub act than a proper concert. If this is the only video artifact of Frankie Laine in a live setting, more’s the pity.
