Search - Dory Previn :: Live at Carnegie Hall

Lovely Sad and Scary

Michael Weber | Atlanta | 02/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dory Previn is very up-front about her personal problems -- and she had some to be up-front about. But she makes lovely sad (and funny -- often both at once) and scary music out of them.This album, culling songs from her several previous albums and setting them in a live-performance milieu with a full band, is a compelling document of her style, her presence and her music."Mythical Kings and Iguanas" and "The Lady with the Braid" are meditations on wanting what you have not and on denying that you need what you have. "Kings" is wistful, regretful and confessional. "Lady" is scary and so very sad, as the lady asks "Would you care to stay all night and save my life?""Mary C Brown & the Hollywood Sign" (allegedly inspired by a real-life suicide in which an unsuccessful starlet hanged herself from the sign) is about giving up/in, and beyond that a meditation on the glitter of show-biz and the way Hollywood represents and reflects the zeitgeist of America."Twenty Mile Zone" is a sardonic account of the time she was arrested for driving peacefully along and screaming as loudly as she could in her car. Funny and disturbing.Other outstanding songs include "Angels & Devils the Following Day"; a meditation on what makes a good relationship, "Left Hand Lost"; about being born left-handed and made to change to be "normal" (as a natural left-hander who wasn't forced to change, this song is scary to me) and "Moon Rock", a peppy upbeat look at a lot of things only marginally related to its ostensible subject.This is the Dory Previn album to buy to introduce yourself to her music."

Little Known But Widely Loved Singer/Songwriter

Mike B. | 02/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In my personal universe (and welcome to it), Dory Previn reigns as the best female singer/songwriter of all time, and Dusty Springfield reigns as the best female singer.



While she had a cult following in the '70's and infrequently performed in small folk clubs, I think she is largely forgotten today. Even so, her devoted fans remember her fondly, and continue to count her albums among their most prized possessions. For my money, no female singer/songwriter other than Joni Mitchell has equalled her dazzling run of 7 perfect albums in a row - not Kate Bush, not anyone. Few males have matched this track record either. She deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Leonard Cohen, Randy Newman, and Paul Simon - but she isn't. So, it's fair to ask - who is she? Here's a nutshell history:



She was married to composer Andre Previn, with whom she collaborated on film scores. He wrote the music, and she'd write the words. Their biggest hit was "(Theme From) Valley Of The Dolls", performed memorably by Dionne Warwick. Other popular film songs were "You're Gonna Hear From Me" from the Natalie Wood starrer "Inside Daisy Clover", and "Come Saturday Morning" from the Liza Minnelli movie "The Sterile Cuckoo". Some were collaborations without Andre, whom she had divorced (he left her for Mia Farrow) after a series of nervous breakdowns and periods in mental hospitals.



Eventually Dory began to write about all of this on her deeply personal records. She started writing her own music too. Turned out she sang beautifully and wrote brilliantly. Her early songs were gathered together in a poetry book with the same title as her first album ("On My Way To Where"). She later followed this with an autobiography about her abused childhood years in New Jersey ("Midnight Baby"), and another one about her chaotic adult years in Hollywood ("The Bog-Trotter"). These subjects would also be addressed in her songs. In-between books she'd release her masterful albums. After her fourth studio album she appeared "live" at Carnegie Hall in a sold-out concert.



Judging by the rabid fan response, it was an emotional experience that rivalled Judy Garland's performance at the famed venue years earlier. I'm not kidding. It's all captured here.



While her previous records featured music and orchestrations that sounded vaguely Hollywood musical/Broadway-ish (although a lot quieter than that implies) - on this "live" recording the songs are re-cast with acoustic guitar and folk band backing. At times it almost sounds country. She would continue to record with this sound on her next album ("Dory Previn") and her final one ("Children of Coincidence").



Her first 4 albums are available on CD in two-for-the-price-of-one packages. Of these, "On My Way To Where", "Mythical Kings and Iguanas", and "Reflections In A Mud Puddle" are flawless from start to finish. Truly perfect records. I like "Mary C. Brown and the Hollywood Sign" a lot, but it contains a certain shrillness that the previous 3 albums did not. Then came "Live At Carnegie Hall", "Dory Previn" (very good, though a bit overly verbose and less tuneful than usual), and the under-rated "Children of Coincidence". The latter two are available as single CD's and are well worth having despite my caveats. To pass them up is to miss some great stuff.



Which should you buy? All of them - they're all terrific! You won't be sorry! But if you just want to try her out, this "live" recording is a virtual "greatest hits" of her best songs up until then - and is a good place to start."