The box set of classic Frank Sinatra live performances is sort of the Ol’ Blue Eyes equivalent of The Beatles Anthology series from the mid-90’s. This is a sizable release (4 CDs/1 DVD) that, while quite nice, will likely only appeal to hardcore fans. There’s the high price tag ($70-80 retail) for starters. This is a beautifully constructed set, from the box art, the book of reflections and memories, and the actual CD/DVD cases and artwork. Whether all of that is worth the cost remains to be seen.

Beyond that, the overall quality of the audio and the video is…different. It’s not bad or somehow inferior per se. But for “modern” ears and eyes, the production values will probably not be high enough. We’re talking live recordings that were made in different NYC venues from 1955-1990. So by necessity, these recordings feel a little rough around the edges and I find that endearing. It’s cool to hear the chatter and stories from these live performances. But it’s not the computer-manipulated perfection that’s been hammered into our brains over the past couple of decades.

In terms of the actual music selections, you’ve got the classics covered: “I Get A Kick Out Of You,” “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” “My Way,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “My Kind Of Town,” “The Lady Is A Tramp,” “Fly Me To The Moon,” “Luck Be A Lady,” and “Theme From New York, New York.” And tons of others, of course. It is interesting, however, that a number of these pop up multiple times across the set. Now I’m sure that’s because they’re the big hits and thus Sinatra performed them a lot throughout the years. And I’ll bet that these were all included for the sake of completion from each concert. So it’s a minor quibble, but it would have been nice to maybe have a repeat swapped out for a different clip.

Finally, the DVD is a solid live show, running about one hour and 15 minutes. Again, like the audio portion, the visuals will likely be lacking to the HD-mindset. The concert looks like it was a feed for live TV, presented in (what was then) standard def in 4x3 format. In the scheme of things, it’s probably not a deal breaker for someone who’s interested in this release, simply worth noting ahead of time. All in all, this is a mighty nice set, especially for longtime Sinatra aficionados.