Sandler, Young Pleasing Change of Pace at SPAC

by Marilyn Nason, The Post-Star, September 2, 1971

What a complete change of pace in the middle of a week of rock specials Tony Sandler and Ralph Young proved to be last night at Saratoga Performing Arts Center!

It was terribly cold, to a point where you could see their breath as they talked and sang. But, despite this, a house crowd of 2,300 got a full evening of delightful humor, excellent singing and a sample of why this duo is such TV and supper club favorites around the globe. They performed for the entire program with no warm-up acts.

Excellent Baritones

Both have excellent baritone voices, although occasionally they do try numbers a bit too ambitious for their ranges. Their ability to harmonize and a fantastic way of singing two entirely different songs at the same time are chief ingredients of their success. What makes it even more of an intriguing blend occurs when Sandler, a Belgian, sings in one of the six languages he knows, while Young sings in English. It may sound uninspiring but it is really great fun to hear, especially with their deep voices.

Both are tall, attractive men. Their show is fast-paced but not in the socko style. Although Young plays the fall guy for much of the humor, he does it quietly and this, in itself, makes the comedy even funnier. No pie in the face stuff for these two, and thank heavens!

Sandler did some interesting yodeling that was quite good and very unusual for the SPAC stage. When they try to get too serious immediately after a bit of humor, the switch is sometimes difficult for the audience to follow. I think this probably works better in the intimate nightclub surroundings but it left the vast amphitheatre audience uncertain several times whether to laugh or be silent.

11 Albums

Sandler and Young have made 11 albums and did several songs from these. They won their biggest applause with their greatest hit, “Dominique.” On the second chorus of this attractive little song Young began singing “When the Saints Go Marching In” and would you believe it harmonized perfectly?

They combined well some of Sandler’s favorite European tunes with Young’s American classics like “Wagon Wheels.” This, with their club type humor, made for a full show backed by an 18-piece orchestra.

Tonight it is back to the rock specials with folksinger-pianist Eiton John at 8:30.