Dusty Springfield - Telegraph Review
Once Upon A Time is 65 minutes of golden Dusty Springfield
“At an early age,” says Dusty Springfield, Britain’s most glamorous female pop singer of the Sixties, in a 1978 interview, “I realised that, in order to be appreciated, or even noticed, I’d better sing. Because, even then, I had this strange voice.”
Those who’ve fallen under her spell probably wouldn’t label her vocal qualities as strange; rather, imperious, moving, or simply astonishing. As a document of her extraordinary talent, this DVD is, perhaps surprisingly for such a ragbag compilation of TV and live performances, a godsend. Unusually, it collates all her greatest hits, including mimed takes of Son of a Preacher Man and I Only Want To Be With You, where her frocks are gaudy, her hair bouffant and her moves goofy, yet oddly natural and spontaneous.
Even better is live footage from the NME Poll Winners gig in 1966, where her voice, even on the notoriously difficult-to-sing You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me, is every bit as robust as on the studio version. All glued together with perceptive comments from Burt Bacharach and Springfield’s original backing singers, this is 65 minutes of golden Dusty.
Telegraph rating: * * * * *
