Frank Sinatra | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Frank Sinatra was arguably the most important musical figure of the 20th century, his only real rivals for the title being Elvis Presley and the Beatles. In a professional career lasting 60 years, he demonstrated a remarkable ability to maintain his appeal and pursue his musical goals despite countervailing trends. He came to the fore during the swing era of the 1930s and 40s, helped to define the "sing era" of the 40s and 50s, and continued to attract listeners during the rock era that began in the mid-50s. He scored his first number one hit in 1940 and was still making million-selling recordings in 1994. This popularity was a mark of his success at singing and promoting the American popular song as it was written, particularly in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. He was able to take the work of great theater composers of that period, such as Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers, and reinterpret their songs for later audiences in a way that led to their rediscovery and their permanent enshrinement as classics. On records and in live performances, on film, radio, and television, he consistently sang standards in a way that demonstrated their perennial appeal. The son of a fireman, Sinatra dropped out of high school in his senior year to pursue a career in music. In September 1935, he appeared as part of the vocal group the Hoboken Four on Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour. The group won the radio show contest and toured with Bowes. Sinatra then took a job as a singing waiter and MC at the Rustic Cabin in Englewood, NJ. He was still singing there in the spring of 1939, when he was heard over the radio by trumpeter Harry James, who had recently organized his own big band after leaving Benny Goodman. James hired Sinatra, and the new singer made his first recordings on July 13, 1939. At the end of the year, Sinatra accepted an offer from the far more successful bandleader Tommy Dorsey, jumping to his new berth in January 1940. Over the next two and a half years, he was featured on 16 Top Ten hits recorded by Dorsey, among them the chart-topper "Ill Never Smile Again," later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. During this period, he also performed on various radio shows with Dorsey and appeared with the band in the films Las Vegas Nights (1941) and Ship Ahoy (1942). In January 1942, he tested the waters for a solo career by recording a four-song session arranged and conducted by Axel Stordahl that included Cole Porters "Night and Day," which became his first chart entry under his own name in March 1942. Soon after, he gave Dorsey notice. Sinatra left the Dorsey band in September 1942. The recording ban called by the American Federation of Musicians, which had begun the previous month, initially prevented him from making records, but he appeared on a 15-minute radio series, Songs By Sinatra, from October through the end of the year and also did a few live dates. His big breakthrough came due to his engagement as a support act to Benny Goodman at the Paramount Theatre in New York, which began on New Years Eve. It made him a popular phenomenon, the first real teen idol, with school girls swooning in the aisles. RCA Victor, which had been doling out stockpiled Dorsey recordings during the strike, scored with "There Are Such Things," which had a Sinatra vocal; it hit number one in January 1943, as did "In the Blue of the Evening," another Dorsey record featuring Sinatra, in August, while a third Dorsey/Sinatra release, "Its Always You," hit the Top Five later in the year, and a fourth, "Ill Be Seeing You," reached the Top Ten in 1944. Columbia, which controlled the Harry James recordings, reissued the four-year-old "All or Nothing at All," re-billed as being by Frank Sinatra with Harry James & His Orchestra, and it hit number one in September. Meanwhile, the label had signed Sinatra as a solo artist, and in a temporary loophole to the recording ban, put him in the studio to record a cappella, backed only by a vocal chorus. This resulted in four Top Ten hits in 1943, among them "People Will Say Were in Love" from Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein IIs musical Oklahoma!, and a fifth in early 1944 ("I Couldnt Sleep a Wink Last Night") before protests from the musicians union ended a cappella recording. In February 1943, Sinatra was hired by the popular radio series Your Hit Parade, on which he performed through the end of 1944. Adding to his radio duties, he appeared from June through October on Broadway Bandbox and in the fall again took up the Songs by Sinatra show, which ran through December. In January, it was expanded to a half-hour as The Frank Sinatra Show, which ran for a year and a half. In April 1943, he made his first credited appearance in a motion picture, singing "Night and Day" in Reveille with Beverly. This was followed by Higher and Higher, released in December, in which he had a small acting role, playing himself, and by Step Lively, released in July 1944, which gave him a larger part. MGM was sufficiently impressed by these performances to put him under contract. The recording ban was lifted in November 1944, and Sinatra returned to making records, beginning with a cover of Irving Berlins "White Christmas" that was in the Top Ten before the end of the year. Among his eight recordings to peak in the Top Ten in 1945 were Jule Styne and Sammy Cahns "Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week)," Johnny Mercers "Dream," Styne and Cahns "I Should Care," and "If I Loved You" and "Youll Never Walk Alone" from the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Carousel. Sinatra insisted that Styne and Cahn be hired to write the songs for his first MGM musical, Anchors Aweigh, and over the course of his career, the singer recorded more songs by Cahn (a lyricist who worked with several composers) than by any other songwriter. Anchors Aweigh, in which Sinatra was paired with Gene Kelly, was released in July 1945 and went on to become the most successful film of the year. Sinatra returned to radio in September with a new show bearing an old name, Songs by Sinatra. It ran weekly for the next two seasons, concluding in June 1947. Among his eight Top Ten hits in 1946 were two that hit number one ("Oh! What It Seemed to Be" and Styne and Cahns "Five Minutes More"), as well as "They Say Its Wonderful" and "The Girl That I Marry" from Irving Berlins musical Annie Get Your Gun, Jerome Kerns "All Through the Day," and Kurt Weills "September Song." He also topped the album charts with the collection The Voice of Frank Sinatra. His only film appearance for the year came in Till the Clouds Roll By, a biography of the recently deceased Kern, in which he sang "Ol Man River." By 1947, Sinatras early success had crested, though he continued to work steadily in several media. On radio, he returned to the cast of Your Hit Parade in September 1947, appearing on the series for the next two seasons, then had his own 15-minute show, Light-Up Time, during 1949-1950. On film, he appeared in five more movies through the end of the decade, including both big-budget MGM musicals like On the Town and minor efforts such as The Kissing Bandit. He scored eight Top Ten hits in 1947-1949, including "Mamselle," which hit number one in May 1947, and "Some Enchanted Evening," from the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical South Pacific. He also hit the Top Ten of the album charts with 1947s Songs by Sinatra and 1948s Christmas Songs by Sinatra. Sinatras career was in decline by the start of the 50s, but he was far from inactive. He entered the fall of 1950 with both a new radio show and his first venture into television. On radio, there was Meet Frank Sinatra, which found the singer acting as a disc jockey; it ran through the end of the season. On TV, there was The Frank Sinatra Show, a musical-variety series; it lasted until April 1952. His film work had nearly subsided, though in March 1952 came the drama Meet Danny Wilson, which tested his acting abilities and gave him the opportunity to sing such songs as Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercers "That Old Black Magic," "Ive Got a Crush on You" by George and Ira Gershwin, and "How Deep Is the Ocean?" by Irving Berlin. At Columbia Records, Sinatra came into increasing conflict with musical director Mitch Miller, who was finding success for his singers by using novelty material and gimmicky arrangements. Sinatra resisted this approach, and though he managed to score four more Top Ten hits during 1950-1951 -- among them an unlikely reading of the folk standard "Goodnight Irene" -- he and Columbia parted ways. Thus, ten years after launching his solo career, he ended 1952 without a record, film, radio, or television contract. Then he turned it all around. The first step was recording. Sinatra agreed to a long-term, boilerplate contract with Capitol Records, which had been co-founded by Johnny Mercer a decade earlier and had a roster full of faded 40s performers. In June 1953, he scored his first Top Ten hit in a year and a half with "Im Walking Behind You." Then in August, he returned to film, playing a non-singing, featured role in the World War II drama From Here to Eternity, a performance that earned respect for his acting abilities, to the extent that he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the part on March 25, 1954. In the fall of 1953, Sinatra began two new radio series: Rocky Fortune, a drama on which he played a detective, ran from October to March 1954; and The Frank Sinatra Show was a 15-minute, twice-a-week music series that ran for two seasons, concluding in July 1955. Meanwhile, Sinatra had begun working with arranger/conductor Nelson Riddle, a pairing that produced notable chart entries in February 1954 on both the singles and albums charts. "Young-at-Heart," which just missed hitting number one, was the singers biggest single since 1947, and the song went on to become a standard. (The title was used for a 1955 movie in which Sinatra starred.) Then there was the 10" LP Songs for Young Lovers, the first of Sinatras "concept" albums, on which he and Riddle revisited classic songs by Cole Porter, the Gershwins, and Rodgers and Hart in contemporary arrangements with vocal interpretations that conveyed the wit and grace of the lyrics. The album lodged in the Top Five. In July, Sinatra had another Top Ten single with Styne and Cahns "Three Coins in the Fountain," and in September Swing Easy! matched the success of its predecessor on the LP chart. By the middle of the 50s, Sinatra had reclaimed his place as a star singer and actor; in fact, he had taken a more prominent place than he had had in the heady days of the mid-40s. In 1955, he hit number one with the single "Learnin the Blues" and the 12" LP In the Wee Small Hours, a ballad collection later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. On September 15, 1955, he appeared in a television production of Our Town and sang "Love and Marriage" (specially written by Sammy Cahn and his new partner James Van Heusen), which became a Top Five hit. Early in 1956, he was back in the Top Ten with Cahn and Van Heusens "(Love Is) The Tender Trap," the theme song from his new film, The Tender Trap. As part of his thematic concepts for his albums of the 50s, Sinatra alternated between records devoted to slow arrangements (In the Wee Small Hours) and those given over to dance charts (Swing Easy). By the late winter of 1956, the schedule called for another dance album, and Songs for Swingin Lovers!, released in March, filled the bill, stopping just short of number one and going gold. The rise of rock & roll and Elvis Presley began to make the singles charts the almost-exclusive province of teen idols, but Sinatras "Hey! Jealous Lover" (by Sammy Cahn, Kay Twomey, and Bee Walker), released in October, gave him another Top Five hit in 1957. Meanwhile, he ruled the LP charts. The Capitol singles compilation This Is Sinatra!, released in November, hit the Top Ten and went gold. Sinatra began 1957 by releasing Close to You, a ballad album with accompaniment by a string quartet, in February. It hit the Top Five, followed in May by A Swingin Affair!, which went to number one, and another ballad album, Where Are You?, a Top Five hit after release in September. He was also represented in the LP charts in November by the soundtrack to his film Pal Joey (based on a Rodgers & Hart musical), which hit the Top Five, and by the seasonal collection A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra, which eventually was certified platinum. The Joker Is Wild, another of his 1957 films, featured the Cahn-Van Heusen song "All the Way," which became a Top Five single. In October, he returned to prime time television with another series called The Frank Sinatra Show, but it lasted only one season, and subsequently he restricted his TV appearances largely to specials (of which he made many). In February 1958, Sinatra reached the Top Ten with "Witchcraft," his last single to perform that well for the next eight years. That month, Capitol released Come Fly with Me, a travel-themed rhythm album, which hit number one. The years ballad album, Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely, released in September, also topped the charts, and it went gold. In between, Capitol released the compilation This Is Sinatra, Vol. 2, which hit the Top Ten. 1959 followed a similar pattern. Come Dance with Me! appeared in January and became a gold-selling Top Ten hit. It also won Sinatra Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and for vocal performance. Look to Your Heart, a compilation, was released in the spring and reached the Top Ten. And No One Cares, the years ballad collection, appeared in the summer and just missed topping the charts. Sinatra gradually did less singing in his movies of the 50s, but in March 1960, he appeared in a movie version of Cole Porters musical Can-Can, and the resulting soundtrack album hit the Top Ten. Meanwhile, Sinatra was beginning to think about the approaching end of his Capitol Records contract and to enter the studio less frequently for the company. His next regular album was a year in coming, and when it did, Nice n Easy was a mid-tempo collection, breaking his pattern of alternating fast and slow albums. The wait may have caused pent-up demand; the album spent many weeks at number one and went gold. Although Sinatra had not yet completed his recording commitment to Capitol, he began in December 1960 to make recordings for his own label, which he called Reprise Records. As a result, record stores were deluged with five new Sinatra albums in 1961: in January, Capitol had Sinatras Swingin Session!!!; in April, Reprise was launched with the release of Ring-a-Ding Ding!; in July, Reprise followed with Sinatra Swings the same week that Capitol released Come Swing with Me!; and in October, Reprise had I Remember Tommy..., an album of songs Sinatra had sung with the Tommy Dorsey band. There was also the March compilation All the Way on Capitol, making for six releases in one year. Remarkably, they all reached the Top Ten. Meanwhile, Reprises first single, "The Second Time Around," a song written by Cahn and Van Heusen for Bing Crosby, won Sinatra the Grammy for Record of the Year. By 1962, the market was glutted. Capitol released its last new Sinatra album, Point of No Return, as well as a compilation, and Reprise put out three new LPs, but only Reprises Sinatra & Strings reached the Top Ten. In 1963, however, all three Reprise releases, Sinatra-Basie, The Concert Sinatra, and the gold-selling Sinatras Sinatra, made the Top Ten. The onset of the Beatles in 1964 began to do to the LP charts what Elvis Presley had done to the singles charts in 1956, but Sinatra continued to reach the Top Ten with his albums of the mid-60s, albeit not as consistently. Days of Wine and Roses, Moon River, and Other Academy Award Winners hit that ranking in May 1964, as did Sinatra 65 in August 1965. That same month, Sinatra mounted a commercial comeback by emphasizing his own advancing age. Nearing 50, he released September of My Years, a ballad collection keyed to the passage of time. After "It Was a Very Good Year" was drawn from the album as a single and rose into the Top 40, the LP took off for the Top Five and went gold. It was named 1965 Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards, and Sinatra also picked up a trophy for best vocal performance for "It Was a Very Good Year." In November 1965, Sinatra starred in a retrospective TV special, A Man and His Music, and released a corresponding double-LP, which reached the Top Ten and went gold. It won the 1966 Grammy for Album of the Year. Sinatra returned to number one on the singles charts for the first time in 11 years with the million-selling "Strangers in the Night" in July 1966; the song won him Grammys for Record of the Year and best vocal performance. A follow-up album named after the single topped the LP charts and went platinum. Before the end of the year, Sinatra had released two more Top Ten, gold-selling albums, Sinatra at the Sands and Thats Life, the latter anchored by the title song, a Top Five single. In April 1967, Sinatra was back at number one on the singles charts with the million-selling "Somethin Stupid," a duet with his daughter Nancy. By the late 60s, even Sinatra had trouble resisting the succeeding waves of youth-oriented rock music that topped the charts. But Frank Sinatras Greatest Hits!, a compilation of his 60s singles successes released in August 1968, was a million-seller, and Cycles, an album of songs by contemporary writers like Joni Mitchell and Jimmy Webb, released that fall, went gold. In March 1969, Sinatra released "My Way," with a lyric specially crafted for him by Paul Anka. It quickly became a signature song for him. The single reached the Top 40, and an album of the same name hit the Top Ten and went gold. In the spring of 1971, at the age of 55, Sinatra announced his retirement. But he remained retired only until the fall of 1973, when he returned to action with a new gold-selling album and a TV special both called Ol Blue Eyes Is Back. In this late phase of his career, Sinatra cut back on records, movies, and television in favor of live performing, particularly in Las Vegas, but also in concert halls, arenas, and stadiums around the world. He refrained from making any new studio albums for six years, then returned in March 1980 with a three-LP set, Trilogy: Past, Present, Future. The most memorable track from the gold-selling set turned out to be "Theme From New York, New York," the title song from the 1977 movie, which Sinatras recording belatedly turned into a standard. By the early 90s, the CD era had inaugurated a wave of box set reissues, and the 1990 Christmas season found Capitol and Reprise marking Sinatras 75th birthday by competing with the three-disc The Capitol Years and the four-disc The Reprise Collection. Both went gold, as did Reprises one-disc highlights version, Sinatra Reprise -- The Very Good Years. Sinatra himself, meanwhile, while continuing to tour, had not made a new recording since his 1984 LP L.A. Is My Lady. In 1993, he re-signed to Capitol Records and recorded Duets, on which he re-recorded his old favorites, joined by other popular singers ranging from Tony Bennett to Bono of U2 (none of whom actually performed in the studio with him). It became his biggest-selling album, with sales over 3,000,000 copies, and was followed in 1994 by Duets II, which won the 1995 Grammy Award for Traditional Pop Performance. Sinatra finally retired from performing in his 80th year in 1995, and he died of a heart attack less than three years later. Anyone will be astonished at the sheer extent of Sinatras success as a recording artist over 50 years, due to the changes in popular taste during that period. His popularity as a singer and his productivity has resulted in an overwhelming discography. Its major portions break down into the Columbia years (1943-1952), the Capitol years (1953-1962), and the Reprise years (1960-1981), but airchecks, film and television soundtracks, and other miscellaneous recordings swell it massively. As a movie star and as a celebrity of mixed reputation, Sinatra is so much of a 20th century icon that it is easy to overlook his real musical talents, which are the actual source of his renown. As an artist, he worked to interpret Americas greatest songs and to preserve them for later generations. On his recordings, his success is apparent. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 45 Title: The Voice of Frank Sinatra Released: 1946-03-04 Tracks: 18 Duration: 55:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 You Go to My Head (03:02) 2 Someone to Watch Over Me (03:21) 3 These Foolish Things (03:10) 4 Why Shouldn’t I? (02:54) 5 I Don’t Know Why (I Just Do) (02:48) 6 Try a Little Tenderness (03:10) 7 A Ghost of a Chance (03:13) 8 Paradise (02:39) 9 Mamselle (03:27) 10 That Old Feeling (03:21) 11 If I Had You (03:02) 12 The Nearness of You (02:43) 13 Spring Is Here (02:44) 14 Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread) (03:03) 15 When You Awake (03:09) 16 It Never Entered My Mind (03:10) 17 Always (02:56) 18 (I Dont Stand) A Ghost of a Chance (alternate take) (03:30) |
| The Voice of Frank Sinatra : Allmusic album Review : In 1945, Frank Sinatra recorded his first album after a career previously devoted solely to single records. Over two sessions, he performed the eight songs included in The Voice of Frank Sinatra, which Columbia released as a four-LP set of 78-rpm records on March 4, 1946. The collection quickly topped the then-recently established Billboard album chart. The Voice of Frank Sinatra was a precursor to the "concept" albums Sinatra would pioneer at Capitol eight years later, a carefully chosen and arranged selection of songs creating a specific mood. In this case, arranger/conductor Axel Stordahl used a string quartet and a rhythm section, with occasional added instruments, to create settings for a group of classic ballads, all from the 20s and 30s. Sinatra took the material very seriously, singing the love lyrics with utter sincerity. His singing and the classically influenced settings gave the songs an unusual depth of meaning. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 45 Title: Christmas Songs by Sinatra Released: 1948 Tracks: 15 Duration: 44:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 White Christmas (03:24) 2 Silent Night (03:18) 3 Adeste Fideles (02:37) 4 Jingle Bells (02:36) 5 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (02:35) 6 Christmas Dreaming (A Little Early This Year) (02:59) 7 It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (03:32) 8 O Little Town of Bethlehem (03:05) 9 Santa Claus is Coming to Town (02:34) 10 Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (02:36) 11 Introduction by General Reynolds, Chief of Special Services / Frank Sinatra (00:56) 12 Medley: O, Little Town of Bethlehem / Joy to the World / White Christmas (05:16) 13 Ave Maria (03:29) 14 Winter Wonderland (02:04) 15 The Lords Prayer (03:33) |
| Christmas Songs by Sinatra : Allmusic album Review : Originally released as a set of multiple 78s, Christmas Songs by Sinatra contains a number of holiday standards Frank Sinatra recorded for Columbia Records during the 40s. Recorded with arranger Axel Stordahl, the songs are lush and gentle, underscoring the warmth in Sinatras voice. Much of this music is wonderful and a worthwhile addition to any Sinatra collection, even if it doesnt contain any revelations or truly classic performances. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 45 Title: Sing and Dance With Frank Sinatra Released: 1950-10-16 Tracks: 18 Duration: 50:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Saturday Night Is the Loneliest Night of the Week (02:45) 2 All of Me (02:42) 3 I’ve Got a Crush on You (03:17) 4 The Hucklebuck (03:03) 5 It All Depends on You (03:27) 6 Bye Bye Baby (02:46) 7 All of Me (02:48) 8 Should I (02:23) 9 You Do Something to Me (02:35) 10 Lover (02:40) 11 When You’re Smiling (02:28) 12 It’s Only a Paper Moon (01:56) 13 My Blue Heaven (02:27) 14 The Continental (02:33) 15 Meet Me at the Copa (03:12) 16 Nevertheless (03:11) 17 There’s Something Missing (03:21) 18 Farewell, Farewell to Love (02:56) |
 | Album: 4 of 45 Title: Songs for Young Lovers Released: 1954 Tracks: 12 Duration: 33:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Girl Next Door (02:38) 2 They Can’t Take That Away From Me (01:59) 3 Violets for Your Furs (03:07) 4 Someone to Watch Over Me (02:57) 5 My One and Only Love (03:14) 6 Little Girl Blue (02:54) 7 Like Someone in Love (03:13) 8 A Foggy Day (in London Town) (02:39) 9 It Worries Me (02:53) 10 I Can Read Between the Lines (02:50) 11 I Get a Kick Out of You (02:55) 12 My Funny Valentine (02:31) |
| Songs for Young Lovers : Allmusic album Review : Songs for Young Lovers was the first album Frank Sinatra recorded for Capitol, as well as his first collaboration with Nelson Riddle. It was also one of the first -- arguably the very first -- concept album. Sinatra, Riddle, and producer Voyle Gilmore decided that the new album format should be a special event, featuring a number of songs arranged around a specific theme; in addition, the new format was capable of producing a more detailed sound, which gave Riddle more freedom in his arrangements and orchestrations. Songs for Young Lovers is a perfect example of this. Supported by a small orchestra, Sinatra and Riddle create an intimate, romantic atmosphere on the record, breathing new life into standards like "My Funny Valentine," "They Cant Take That Away from Me," "I Get a Kick Out of You," and "A Foggy Day." There is a breezy confidence to Sinatras singing, and Riddles arrangements are more complex than they initially appear. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 45 Title: Swing Easy! Released: 1954-08-02 Tracks: 12 Duration: 30:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Jeepers Creepers (02:24) 2 Taking a Chance on Love (02:14) 3 Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (02:16) 4 Lean Baby (02:34) 5 I Love You (02:25) 6 Im Gonna Sit Right Down (and Write Myself a Letter) (02:30) 7 Get Happy (02:26) 8 All of Me (02:08) 9 How Could You Do a Thing Like That to Me (02:43) 10 Why Should I Cry Over You? (02:39) 11 Sunday (02:30) 12 Just One of Those Things (03:15) |
 | Album: 6 of 45 Title: The Voice Released: 1955 Tracks: 12 Duration: 36:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Don’t Know Why (I Just Do) (02:48) 2 Try a Little Tenderness (03:10) 3 A Ghost of a Chance (03:13) 4 Paradise (02:39) 5 These Foolish Things (03:10) 6 Laura (03:16) 7 Shes Funny That Way (03:24) 8 Fools Rush In (03:03) 9 Over the Rainbow (03:19) 10 That Old Black Magic (02:36) 11 Spring Is Here (02:45) 12 Lover (02:38) |
| The Voice : Allmusic album Review : Most of the Sinatra recordings available during the 1950s consisted of his contemporary work for Capitol Records. But every so often his former label, Columbia Records, would get something together on LP from among his 40s and early-50s sides. The Voice was one of a handful of 50s long-players showcasing the first phase of Sinatras solo career, and at the time it wowed listeners -- the focus is on the ballads, and the dozen represented here constitute a bumper crop of classics, all resplendent in the singers richest, most overpowering intonation and most delicately nuanced work. The sensibilities, from the lushly seductive "Laura" to the gently self-satisfied "(I Got a Woman Crazy for Me) Shes Funny That Way," show off a huge emotional range, and the latter song may be the highlight of the album, displaying a soft yet smugly confident brand of machismo, all of it drenched in Axel Stordahls overflowing string arrangements, yet quietly bold in its emotional content. Its that stretch of subtexts that, coupled with the beauty of Sinatras instrument and Stordahls arrangements, make the singers Columbia material so striking to hear -- his subsequent work on Capitol and Reprise would be defined differently, and usually more directly, along with the texture and range of his singing. The Columbia material tended to get neglected, both in the marketplace and most listeners minds, as his career extended over the decades, but hearing The Voice anew is a reminder of just how overpowering Sinatras sound could be, even in the early phase of his solo work. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 45 Title: In the Wee Small Hours Released: 1955-04-25 Tracks: 16 Duration: 49:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning (03:00) 2 Mood Indigo (03:30) 3 Glad to Be Unhappy (02:35) 4 I Get Along Without You Very Well (03:42) 5 Deep in a Dream (02:49) 6 I See Your Face Before Me (03:24) 7 Can’t We Be Friends? (02:48) 8 When Your Lover Has Gone (03:10) 9 What Is This Thing Called Love? (02:35) 10 Last Night When We Were Young (03:17) 11 I’ll Be Around (02:59) 12 Ill Wind (03:46) 13 It Never Entered My Mind (02:42) 14 Dancing on the Ceiling (02:57) 15 I’ll Never Be the Same (03:05) 16 This Love of Mine (03:34) |
| In the Wee Small Hours : Allmusic album Review : Expanding on the concept of Songs for Young Lovers!, In the Wee Small Hours was a collection of ballads arranged by Nelson Riddle. The first 12" album recorded by Sinatra, Wee Small Hours was more focused and concentrated than his two earlier concept records. Its a blue, melancholy album, built around a spare rhythm section featuring a rhythm guitar, celesta, and Bill Millers piano, with gently aching strings added every once and a while. Within that melancholy mood is one of Sinatras most jazz-oriented performances -- he restructures the melody and Millers playing is bold throughout the record. Where Songs for Young Lovers! emphasized the romantic aspects of the songs, Sinatra sounds like a lonely, broken man on In the Wee Small Hours. Beginning with the newly written title song, the singer goes through a series of standards that are lonely and desolate. In many ways, the album is a personal reflection of the heartbreak of his doomed love affair with actress Ava Gardner, and the standards that he sings form their own story when collected together. Sinatras voice had deepened and worn to the point where his delivery seems ravished and heartfelt, as if he were living the songs. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 45 Title: Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color Released: 1956-01-01 Tracks: 12 Duration: 49:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 White (04:14) 2 Green (04:05) 3 Purple (04:21) 4 Yellow (02:38) 5 Gray (04:29) 6 Gold (03:36) 7 Orange (04:57) 8 Black (03:58) 9 Silver (04:38) 10 Blue (04:38) 11 Brown (04:01) 12 Red (03:57) |
| Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color : Allmusic album Review : With his comeback secure, Frank Sinatra again took up the baton in advocacy of music between the cracks, this time with a near 60-person orchestra of Hollywood musicians and a set of 12 commissions from eight composer/arrangers. With the poetry of radio writer Norman Sickel as a guide, each composer was assigned different colors to muse upon, with Victor Young, Jeff Alexander, Alec Wilder, and Nelson Riddle receiving two each, and Billy May, Gordon Jenkins, Elmer Bernstein, and André Previn one apiece. Whats bound to be fascinating for the Sinatra buff is to hear some of his famous arrangers operating outside their usual turf -- and there are a few surprises to be heard. Jenkins "Green" is entirely characteristic of his romantic style, and Mays "Purple" suddenly breaks through the opening strings into brassy Afro-Cuban daylight. Yet Riddles "Gold" is totally unlike him, a dissonant rising crescendo that seems to depict the path of Apollo to midday (or maybe a cop on Respighis "The Pines of the Appian Way"), while "Orange" adopts a habanera rhythm, then a waltz. Youngs "White," the leadoff track, is the most enjoyable of the lot, with a fine tune and sleigh bells conjuring a winters day, and "Black" has an even more gorgeous melody. Clearly Youngs tone poems, coupled that year with his score for Around the World in 80 Days, suggest that he was rising to the peak of his powers after two decades of overwork in the film studios (he passed away later in 1956). Alexanders "Yellow" is too cute, but "Brown" is considerably more attractive; "Gray" and "Blue" find Wilder as wistful as ever but now more monumental and gaunt. Bernsteins "Silver" conjures the mood of Strauss "Der Rosenkavalier" (the silver rose); and Previns brash "Red" is the most harmonically daring of the set. The performances are as sure-footed and assured as on Sinatras Wilder sessions, though without the restless, on-edge quality that marked Sinatras 1945 conducting debut. Now on CD, this once-rare album certainly casts all of its participants in fascinating new colors. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 45 Title: Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! Released: 1956-03 Tracks: 15 Duration: 44:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 You Make Me Feel So Young (02:57) 2 It Happened in Monterey (02:37) 3 You’re Getting to Be a Habit With Me (02:19) 4 You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me (02:49) 5 Too Marvelous for Words (02:32) 6 Old Devil Moon (03:57) 7 Pennies From Heaven (02:45) 8 Love Is Here to Stay (02:42) 9 I’ve Got You Under My Skin (03:43) 10 I Thought About You (02:32) 11 We’ll Be Together Again (04:27) 12 Makin’ Whoopee (03:08) 13 Swingin’ Down the Lane (02:54) 14 Anything Goes (02:44) 15 How About You? (02:46) |
| Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! : Allmusic album Review : After the ballad-heavy In the Wee Small Hours, Frank Sinatra and Nelson Riddle returned to up-tempo, swing material with Songs for Swingin Lovers!, arguably the vocalists greatest swing set. Like Sinatras previous Capitol albums, Songs for Swingin Lovers! consists of reinterpreted pop standards, ranging from the ten-year-old "You Make Me Feel So Young" to the 20-year-old "Pennies From Heaven" and "Ive Got You Under My Skin." Sinatra is supremely confident throughout the album, singing with authority and joy. That joy is replicated in Riddles arrangements, which manage to rethink these standards in fresh yet reverent ways. Working with a core rhythm section and a full string orchestra, Riddle writes scores that are surprisingly subtle. "Ive Got You Under My Skin," with its breathtaking middle section, is a perfect example of how Sinatra works with the band. Both swing hard, stretching out the rhythms and melodies but never losing sight of the original song. Songs for Swingin Lovers! never loses momentum. The great songs keep coming and the performances are all stellar, resulting in one of Sinatras true classics. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 45 Title: A Swingin’ Affair! Released: 1957 Tracks: 16 Duration: 48:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Night and Day (04:00) 2 I Wish I Were in Love Again (02:28) 3 I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’ (03:10) 4 I Guess I’ll Have to Change My Plans (02:24) 5 Nice Work If You Can Get It (02:22) 6 Stars Fell on Alabama (02:38) 7 No One Ever Tells You (03:25) 8 I Won’t Dance (03:22) 9 Lonesome Road (03:54) 10 At Long Last Love (02:23) 11 You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To (02:04) 12 I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good (03:22) 13 From This Moment On (03:52) 14 If I Had You (02:36) 15 Oh! Look at Me Now (02:50) 16 The Lady Is a Tramp (03:15) |
 | Album: 11 of 45 Title: Christmas Dreaming Released: 1957 Tracks: 10 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 White Christmas (?) 2 Jingle Bells (?) 3 O Little Town of Bethlehem (?) 4 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (?) 5 Christmas Dreaming (?) 6 Silent Night, Holy Night (?) 7 It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (?) 8 Adeste Fideles (O, Come All Ye Faithful) (?) 9 Santa Claus Is Comin to Town (?) 10 Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (?) |
| Christmas Dreaming : Allmusic album Review : With classic early Sinatra sounds, it includes his own hit version of "White Christmas." | ||
 | Album: 12 of 45 Title: Close to You Released: 1957 Tracks: 12 Duration: 44:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Close to You (03:40) 2 P.S. I Love You (04:22) 3 Love Locked Out (02:45) 4 Everything Happens to Me (03:22) 5 It’s Easy to Remember (03:37) 6 Don’t Like Goodbyes (04:52) 7 With Every Breath I Take (03:41) 8 Blame It on My Youth (03:00) 9 It Could Happen to You (03:16) 10 I’ve Had My Moments (03:50) 11 I Couldn’t Sleep a Wink Last Night (03:28) 12 The End of a Love Affair (04:10) |
 | Album: 13 of 45 Title: Where Are You? Released: 1957 Tracks: 16 Duration: 54:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Where Are You? (03:30) 2 The Night We Called It a Day (03:29) 3 I Cover the Waterfront (02:59) 4 Maybe Youll Be There (03:08) 5 Laura (03:28) 6 Lonely Town (04:14) 7 Autumn Leaves (02:51) 8 Im a Fool to Want You (04:52) 9 I Think of You (03:05) 10 Where Is the One? (03:14) 11 Theres No You (03:58) 12 Baby, Won’t You Please Come Home (02:57) 13 I Can Read Between the Lines (02:48) 14 It Worries Me (02:53) 15 Rain (Falling From the Skies) (03:24) 16 Dont Worry bout Me (03:08) |
| Where Are You? : Allmusic album Review : Following the hard-driving A Swingin Affair, Frank Sinatra released another all-ballads record, Where Are You? The album was the first he recorded at Capitol without Nelson Riddle, as well as the first he recorded in stereo. Where Riddles down beat albums are stately and sullen, Jenkins favors lush, melancholy arrangements played by large, string-dominated orchestras. Jenkins arrangements suggested classical textures, although the tempos alluded to Billie Holidays ballad style. Where Are You? primarily consists of torch songs, including "The Night We Called It a Day," "I Cover the Waterfront," and "Lonely Town." Throughout the record, Sinatra blends with Jenkins sumptuous strings, making his voice sound rich, relaxed and regretful. It doesnt have the stark despair of In the Wee Small Hours, but its luxurious sadness makes Where Are You? a majestic experience of its own. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 45 Title: A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra Released: 1957-09 Tracks: 12 Duration: 32:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Jingle Bells (02:01) 2 The Christmas Song (03:28) 3 Mistletoe and Holly (02:18) 4 Ill Be Home for Christmas (03:12) 5 The Christmas Waltz (03:03) 6 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (03:29) 7 The First Noël (02:43) 8 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (02:22) 9 O Little Town of Bethlehem (02:06) 10 Adeste Fideles (02:34) 11 It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (02:51) 12 Silent Night (02:30) |
| A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra : Allmusic album Review : It can be argued that Sinatra never sounded fully comfortable singing Christmas carols, and this record is no exception. While his other albums of the period are bursting with dash and sensitivity, this is a distant, even slightly lackadaisical performance. Its no dud on its own, but compared to the classic Christmas records of other artists, and especially to Sinatras best work, it is unusually somber. Gordon Jenkins adventurous arrangements are occasionally intrusive, but the album has touches of magic during "The Christmas Waltz" and "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear." | ||
 | Album: 15 of 45 Title: Love Is a Kick Released: 1958 Tracks: 12 Duration: 30:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 You Do Something to Me (02:30) 2 Bim Bam Baby (02:17) 3 My Blue Heaven (02:25) 4 When Youre Smiling (The Whole World Smiles with You) (02:26) 5 Saturday Night (Is the Lonelist Night in the Week) (02:42) 6 Bye Bye Baby (02:33) 7 The Continental (You Kiss While Youre Dancing) (02:30) 8 Deep Night (03:12) 9 Should I? (02:22) 10 American Beauty Rose (02:32) 11 Five Minutes More (02:35) 12 Farewell, Farewell to Love (02:38) |
| Love Is a Kick : Allmusic album Review : The music on this Frank Sinatra LP (which has been reissued as a CD) comes from recordings made for the Columbia label beginning in 1944 and running through 1952. Five of the cuts are from two sessions in April of 1950 with an orchestra led by George Siravo, who also did the charts. "Farewell, Farewell to Love" and "Deep Night" come from a 1951 recording by Sinatras first real boss, Harry James. The other cuts are led and arranged by the likes of Hugo Winterhalter, Mitch Miller, and Axel Stordahl. Virtually all the material is upbeat, displaying Sinatras considerable proclivities for swing. There are also examples of Sinatras fondness for fooling around with the lyrics, such as with "Bim Bam Baby." The program includes tunes that he was to record again during his career, "Five Minutes More" among them. Throughout his long career, Sinatra was able to attract the best in studio musicians and these cuts are no exceptions. In addition to the James orchestra, Billy Butterfield, Herman Shertzer, Jerry Jerome, and others of equally high caliber are part of these recordings. Sinatra also demanded and got arrangements which were way above the level of stock charts. Such salubrious accommodations are apparent throughout the album, but "Deep Night," which has a few solo bars from James, and "The Continental" are notches above the others. All of the cuts are archetypal Sinatra, parading his perfect pitch, phrasing, and timing, and is further evidence of his ability to make virtually anything he sang sound extraordinary, as if any additional evidence were needed. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 45 Title: Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely Released: 1958 Tracks: 12 Duration: 54:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Only the Lonely (04:11) 2 Angel Eyes (03:46) 3 What’s New? (05:14) 4 It’s a Lonesome Old Town (04:18) 5 Willow Weep for Me (04:49) 6 Good‐Bye (05:45) 7 Blues in the Night (04:45) 8 Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out to Dry (04:01) 9 Ebb Tide (03:17) 10 Spring Is Here (04:48) 11 Gone With the Wind (05:16) 12 One for My Baby (and One More for the Road) (04:26) |
 | Album: 17 of 45 Title: Come Fly With Me Released: 1958-01-06 Tracks: 12 Duration: 38:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Come Fly With Me (03:18) 2 Around the World (03:20) 3 Isle of Capri (02:28) 4 Moonlight in Vermont (03:31) 5 Autumn in New York (04:36) 6 On the Road to Mandalay (03:30) 7 Let’s Get Away From It All (02:10) 8 April in Paris (02:50) 9 London by Night (03:30) 10 Brazil (02:58) 11 Blue Hawaii (02:43) 12 It’s Nice to Go Trav’ling (03:50) |
| Come Fly With Me : Allmusic album Review : Constructed around a light-hearted travel theme, Come Fly With Me, Frank Sinatras first project with arranger Billy May, was a breezy change of pace from the somber Where Are You. From the first swinging notes of Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusens "Come Fly With Me" -- which is written at Sinatras request -- its clear that the music on the collection is intended to be fun. Over the course of the album, Sinatra and May travel around the world in song, performing standards like "Moonlight in Vermont" and "April in Paris," as well as humorous tunes like "Isle of Capri" and "On the Road to Mandalay." Mays signature bold, brassy arrangements give these songs a playful, carefree, nearly sarcastic feel, but never is the approach less than affectionate. In fact, Come Fly With Me is filled with varying moods and textures, as it moves from boisterous swing numbers to romantic ballads, and hitting any number of emotions in between. There may be greater albums in Sinatras catalog, but few are quite as fun as Come Fly With Me. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 45 Title: Come Dance With Me! Released: 1959 Tracks: 16 Duration: 41:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 Come Dance With Me (02:31) 2 Something’s Gotta Give (02:37) 3 Just in Time (02:24) 4 Dancing in the Dark (02:26) 5 Too Close for Comfort (02:34) 6 I Could Have Danced All Night (02:40) 7 Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week) (01:54) 8 Day In – Day Out (03:25) 9 Cheek to Cheek (03:06) 10 Baubles, Bangles and Beads (02:46) 11 The Song Is You (02:43) 12 The Last Dance (02:09) 13 It All Depends on You (02:03) 14 Nothing in Common (02:32) 15 Same Old Song and Dance (02:52) 16 How Are Ya Fixed for Love? (02:26) |
 | Album: 19 of 45 Title: No One Cares Released: 1959 Tracks: 15 Duration: 50:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 When No One Cares (02:42) 2 A Cottage for Sale (03:16) 3 Stormy Weather (03:20) 4 Where Do You Go? (02:34) 5 I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You (03:19) 6 Here’s That Rainy Day (03:34) 7 I Can’t Get Started (04:01) 8 Why Try to Change Me Now? (03:41) 9 Just Friends (03:41) 10 I’ll Never Smile Again (03:46) 11 None but the Lonely Heart (03:41) 12 The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else) (03:05) 13 This Was My Love (03:27) 14 I Could Have Told You (03:18) 15 You Forgot All the Words (03:20) |
| No One Cares : Allmusic album Review : Frank Sinatras second set of torch songs recorded with Gordon Jenkins, No One Cares was nearly as good as its predecessor Where Are You? Expanding the melancholy tone of the duos previous collaboration, No One Cares consists of nothing but brooding, lonely songs. Jenkins gives the songs a subtly tragic treatment, and Sinatra responds with a wrenching performance. It lacks the grandiose melancholy of Only the Lonely, nor is it as lush as Where Are You?, but in its slow, bluesy tempos and heartbreaking little flourishes, it is every bit as moving. | ||
 | Album: 20 of 45 Title: Nice ’n’ Easy Released: 1960 Tracks: 12 Duration: 39:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Nice ’n’ Easy (02:45) 2 That Old Feeling (03:33) 3 How Deep Is the Ocean (03:14) 4 I’ve Got a Crush on You (02:15) 5 You Go to My Head (04:26) 6 Fools Rush In (03:21) 7 Nevertheless (03:17) 8 She’s Funny That Way (03:55) 9 Try a Little Tenderness (03:20) 10 Embraceable You (03:22) 11 Mam’selle (02:46) 12 Dream (02:56) |
| Nice ’n’ Easy : Allmusic album Review : Breaking slightly from his pattern of a swing album following the release of ballads set, Frank Sinatra followed No One Cares with Nice N Easy, a breezy collection of mid-tempo numbers arranged by Nelson Riddle. Not only is it the lightest set that he recorded for Capitol, it is the one with the loosest theme. Sinatra selected a collection of songs he had sang early in his career, having Riddle rearrange the tunes with warm, cheery textures. Unlike his previous ballads albums, Nice N Easy doesnt have a touch of brooding sorrow -- it rolls along steadily, charming everyone in its path. | ||
 | Album: 21 of 45 Title: Ring-a-Ding Ding! Released: 1961 Tracks: 12 Duration: 30:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Ring‐a‐Ding Ding (02:46) 2 Let’s Fall in Love (02:12) 3 Be Careful, It’s My Heart (02:05) 4 A Foggy Day (02:17) 5 A Fine Romance (02:12) 6 In the Still of the Night (03:26) 7 The Coffee Song (02:52) 8 When I Take My Sugar to Tea (02:06) 9 Let’s Face the Music and Dance (02:59) 10 You’d Be So Easy to Love (02:24) 11 You and the Night and the Music (02:37) 12 I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm (02:53) |
 | Album: 22 of 45 Title: I Remember Tommy Released: 1961 Tracks: 13 Duration: 37:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I’m Getting Sentimental Over You (03:44) 2 Imagination (03:06) 3 There Are Such Things (03:15) 4 East of the Sun (and West of the Moon) (03:25) 5 Daybreak (02:45) 6 Without a Song (03:40) 7 I’ll Be Seeing You (02:51) 8 Take Me (02:21) 9 It’s Always You (02:50) 10 Polka Dots and Moonbeams (03:45) 11 It Started All Over Again (02:33) 12 The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else (02:48) 13 Reprise: I’m Getting Sentimental Over You (00:49) |
| I Remember Tommy : Allmusic album Review : As the title suggests, I Remember Tommy is an affectionate tribute to Tommy Dorsey, the legendary bandleader who helped elevate Frank Sinatra to stardom. Arranged by Sy Oliver, who also gained attention through Dorsey, the album contains a number of songs that were part of the Sinatra/Dorsey repertoire, given slightly new readings. Though the intentions were good, the new versions pale in comparison to the originals. Nevertheless, there are a handful of gems included on the record, making it worthwhile for dedicated Sinatra aficionados. | ||
 | Album: 23 of 45 Title: Come Swing With Me! Released: 1961 Tracks: 12 Duration: 31:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Day by Day (02:41) 2 Sentimental Journey (03:26) 3 Almost Like Being in Love (02:03) 4 Five Minutes More (02:36) 5 American Beauty Rose (02:23) 6 Yes Indeed! (02:37) 7 On the Sunny Side of the Street (02:42) 8 Don’t Take Your Love From Me (01:59) 9 That Old Black Magic (04:05) 10 Lover (01:54) 11 Paper Doll (02:09) 12 I’ve Heard That Song Before (02:31) |
 | Album: 24 of 45 Title: Swing Along With Me Released: 1961 Tracks: 12 Duration: 33:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Falling in Love With Love (01:52) 2 The Curse of an Aching Heart (02:08) 3 Don’t Cry Joe (03:08) 4 Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone (02:58) 5 Love Walked In (02:22) 6 Granada (03:40) 7 I Never Knew (02:17) 8 Don’t Be That Way (02:45) 9 Moonlight on the Ganges (03:23) 10 It’s a Wonderful World (02:26) 11 Have You Met Miss Jones? (02:34) 12 You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You (04:10) |
| Swing Along With Me : Allmusic album Review : Recorded with Billy May, Sinatra Swings was Frank Sinatras first straight swing album for Reprise Records. In terms of content and approach, the record is remarkably similar to his final Capitol swing effort, Come Swing with Me. In fact, Capitol thought the album, originally titled Swing Along with Me, was so close in its sound and title that they sued Sinatra. The record label won the suit, and the singer had to change the name of his Reprise album to Sinatra Swings. Of course, that didnt change the actual content of the record. Even though the tone was similar, there were some differences from Come Swing with Me -- the ballads have strings, there are saxophones on the record, and the material is more lighthearted on Sinatra Swings, much like the songs on Come Fly with Me. The restored sense of humor makes Sinatra Swings preferable to Come Swing with Me, even if it doesnt have the concentrated precision of the first two Sinatra/May sets. | ||
 | Album: 25 of 45 Title: Sinatras Swingin Session!!! Released: 1961 Tracks: 15 Duration: 34:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples AlbumCover | 1 When Youre Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You) (02:00) 2 Blue Moon (02:51) 3 S’posin’ (01:48) 4 It All Depends on You (02:02) 5 It’s Only a Paper Moon (02:19) 6 My Blue Heaven (02:03) 7 Should I (01:30) 8 September in the Rain (02:58) 9 Always (02:17) 10 I Can’t Believe That You’re in Love With Me (02:25) 11 I Concentrate on You (02:23) 12 You Do Something to Me (01:33) 13 Sentimental Baby (02:37) 14 Hidden Persuasion (02:25) 15 Ol’ MacDonald (02:41) |
 | Album: 26 of 45 Title: Sinatra and Swingin’ Brass Released: 1962 Tracks: 12 Duration: 30:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Goody Goody (01:50) 2 They Can’t Take That Away From Me (02:42) 3 At Long Last Love (02:16) 4 I’m Beginning to See the Light (02:35) 5 Don’cha Go ’way Mad (03:14) 6 I Get a Kick Out of You (03:14) 7 Tangerine (02:06) 8 Love Is Just Around the Corner (02:30) 9 Ain’t She Sweet? (02:10) 10 Serenade in Blue (03:01) 11 I Love You (02:18) 12 Pick Yourself Up (02:35) |
| Sinatra and Swingin’ Brass : Allmusic album Review : Sinatra and Swingin Brass, a collection of brash, bold up-tempo numbers, followed the all-ballads effort Sinatra and Strings. Working with Neal Hefti, Sinatra turned in a robust, energetic performance, which was infectious even when his voice was showing signs of wear -- he was suffering from a cold during the sessions. The record captures the spirit of the Rat Pack era nearly as well as Ring-a-Ding Ding!. [This album was later released with three bonus tracks]. | ||
 | Album: 27 of 45 Title: Sinatra Sings Great Songs From Great Britain Released: 1962 Tracks: 11 Duration: 37:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Very Thought of You (03:32) 2 We’ll Gather Lilacs in the Spring (03:13) 3 If I Had You (04:06) 4 Now Is the Hour (02:49) 5 The Gypsy (03:20) 6 Roses of Picardy (03:00) 7 A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (03:53) 8 A Garden in the Rain (03:23) 9 London by Night (03:20) 10 We’ll Meet Again (03:44) 11 I’ll Follow My Secret Heart (03:16) |
| Sinatra Sings Great Songs From Great Britain : Allmusic album Review : Sinatra Sings Great Songs from Great Britain is one of the oddest albums in Sinatras catalog. Recorded in the summer of 1962 and available only in the U.K. for a number of years, the album consists of songs by British composers, performed with British musicians, and recorded in Britain, while Sinatra was on tour. As it happened, Sinatra was tired and worn out during the sessions, and arranger/conductor Robert Farnon had written a set of charts that were ambitious, lush, ornate, and sweeping. Although the arrangements are provocative -- occasionally they are more interesting than the actual songs -- Sinatra was simply not in good shape for the sessions, which is clear from his thin, straining singing. As such, Great Songs from Great Britain isnt much more than a curiosity. | ||
 | Album: 28 of 45 Title: All Alone Released: 1962 Tracks: 12 Duration: 40:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 All Allone (02:42) 2 The Girl Next Door (03:18) 3 Are You Lonesome Tonight? (03:31) 4 Charmaine (03:17) 5 What’ll I Do? (03:15) 6 When I Lost You (03:43) 7 Oh, How I Miss You Tonight (03:21) 8 Indiscreet (03:52) 9 Remember (03:23) 10 Together (03:21) 11 The Song Is Ended (03:25) 12 Come Waltz With Me (02:54) |
| All Alone : Allmusic album Review : Originally, All Alone was going to called Come Waltz With Me. Although the title and the accompanying specially written title song were dropped before the albums release, the record remained a stately collection of waltzes, arranged and conducted by Gordon Jenkins. Out of all the arrangers Sinatra regularly worked with, Jenkins had the most overt classical influences in his writing, making him the perfect choice for the project. Nevertheless, All Alone is an uneven album, even as it is one of the most intriguing records Sinatra recorded. Divided between standards and relatively recent tunes, the most distinctive element of the album are the rich, neoclassical arrangements by Jenkins. Sinatra doesnt strictly follow Jenkins intentions. Instead of playing close to the vest, he wrenches the emotions out of the songs. Most of the time, the results are quite moving, especially on the opening and closing Irving Berlin ballads, "All Alone" and "The Song Is Ended." When the results arent quite as successful, they are still interesting, and the elegant, rumanative music makes All Alone a necessary listen for dedicated Sinatra fans. | ||
 | Album: 29 of 45 Title: Point of No Return Released: 1962 Tracks: 16 Duration: 51:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 When the World Was Young (03:48) 2 I’ll Remember April (02:50) 3 September Song (04:21) 4 A Million Dreams Ago (02:41) 5 I’ll See You Again (02:44) 6 There Will Never Be Another You (03:09) 7 Somewhere Along the Way (03:01) 8 It’s a Blue World (02:49) 9 These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You) (03:59) 10 As Time Goes By (03:17) 11 I’ll Be Seeing You (02:47) 12 Memories of You (03:53) 13 Day In, Day Out (03:19) 14 Don’t Make a Beggar of Me (03:04) 15 Lean Baby (02:34) 16 I’m Walking Behind You (02:58) |
| Point of No Return : Allmusic album Review : At the time he recorded his final Capitol album, Point of No Return, Frank Sinatra was no longer interested in giving his record label first-rate material, preferring to save that for his new label, Reprise. However, someone persuaded the singer to make the album a special occasion by reuniting with Axel Stordahl, the arranger/conductor who helped Sinatra rise to stardom in the 40s; he also arranged the vocalists first Capitol session, so his presence gave a nice sense of closure to the Capitol era. Even though the Voice gave a more heartfelt, dedicated performance than expected, the project was rushed along, necessitating the use of a ghost-arranger, Heine Beau, for several tracks. Point of No Return remains a touching farewell, consisting of moving renditions of standards like "September Song," "There Will Never Be Another You," "Ill Remember April," and "These Foolish Things," with only three charts being replications of their previous work ("Ill Be Seeing You," "September Song," "These Foolish Things"). Sinatra would never sing these standards with such detailed, ornate orchestrations, and, as such, the album has a feeling of an elegy. [The compact disc edition includes the first Sinatra/Stordahl sessions for Capitol.] | ||
 | Album: 30 of 45 Title: Sinatra & Strings Released: 1962-01 Tracks: 12 Duration: 41:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Hadn’t Anyone Till You (03:44) 2 Night and Day (03:38) 3 Misty (02:42) 4 Stardust (02:48) 5 Come Rain or Come Shine (04:06) 6 It Might as Well Be Spring (03:16) 7 Prisoner of Love (03:52) 8 That’s All (03:22) 9 All or Nothing at All (03:45) 10 Yesterdays (03:45) 11 As You Desire Me (02:52) 12 Don’t Take Your Love From Me (04:04) |
| Sinatra & Strings : Allmusic album Review : Sinatra & Strings, Frank Sinatras first album with arranger Don Costa, is an exquisite, romantic collection of ballads and one of his most sensual records. Costa has given the songs -- which consist entirely of standards -- exceedingly lush, heavily orchestrated arrangements that sound like updated, contemporary versions of Axel Stordahls ornate charts. Sinatra responds with smooth, nuanced, yet powerful vocals that make these traditional songs sound fresh. The pair take some chances with their arrangements -- "Stardust" never reaches the chorus, for instance -- but Sinatra & Strings remains a definitive ballads album, complete with impassioned readings and endlessly rich, detailed arrangements. | ||
 | Album: 31 of 45 Title: Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First Released: 1962-12-10 Tracks: 10 Duration: 33:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Pennies From Heaven (03:29) 2 Please Be Kind (02:43) 3 (Love Is) The Tender Trap (02:37) 4 Looking at the World Through Rose Colored Glasses (02:32) 5 My Kind of Girl (04:37) 6 I Only Have Eyes for You (03:31) 7 Nice Work If You Can Get It (02:37) 8 Learnin’ the Blues (04:25) 9 I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter (02:35) 10 I Won’t Dance (04:07) |
| Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First : Allmusic album Review : The long-awaited first collaboration between two icons, Count Basie and Frank Sinatra, did something unique for the reputations of both. For Basie, the Sinatra connection inaugurated a period in the 60s where his band was more popular and better-known than it ever was, even in the big-band era. For Sinatra, Basie meant liberation, producing perhaps the loosest, rhythmically free singing of his career. Propelled by the irresistible drums of Sonny Payne, Sinatra careens up to and around the tunes, reacting jauntily to the beat and encouraging Payne to swing even harder, which was exactly the way to interact with the Basie rhythm machine -- using his exquisite timing flawlessly. Also the members of the Basie band play a more prominent role than usual on a Sinatra record, with soloists like Frank Wess -- in some of the finest flute work of his life -- and tenors Frank Foster and Eric Dixon getting prominent solo opportunities on several of the tracks. The record was criticized by some as a letdown when it came out, probably because Neal Heftis charts rarely permit the band to roar, concentrating on use of subtlety and space. Yet the records restraint has worn very well over the long haul -- it doesnt beat you into submission -- and it concludes with its best shot, a wonderfully playful treatment of "I Wont Dance." | ||
 | Album: 32 of 45 Title: The Concert Sinatra Released: 1963 Tracks: 10 Duration: 37:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Have Dreamed (02:59) 2 My Heart Stood Still (03:03) 3 Lost in the Stars (04:09) 4 Ol’ Man River (04:25) 5 You’ll Never Walk Alone (03:09) 6 Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered (02:59) 7 This Nearly Was Mine (02:45) 8 Soliloquy (08:04) 9 California (03:38) 10 America the Beautiful (02:22) |
| The Concert Sinatra : Allmusic album Review : The Concert Sinatra is one of Frank Sinatras best records of the early 60s, an album that successfully rearranges a selection of show tunes, primarily those composed by Richard Rodgers, for the concert stage. Nelson Riddle arranged and conducted one of the largest orchestras that had ever supported Frank Sinatra, and his work is light and delicate. Despite the large number of musicians, the music is never overbearing -- instead, it is grand and sweeping, providing appropriately epic settings for songs like "Lost in the Stars," "Youll Never Walk Alone," and the stunning "Soliloquy." Sinatra is given the opportunity to demonstrate his full emotional range, from the melodrama of "Ol Man River" to the tender romanticism of "Bewitched," which helps make The Concert Sinatra one of his most fulfilling albums of the era. | ||
 | Album: 33 of 45 Title: Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra featuring Frank Sinatra Released: 1963 Tracks: 10 Duration: 23:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Ill Buy That Dream (01:17) 2 Mexican Hat Dance (02:19) 3 Ive Got a Restless Spell (02:25) 4 Arab Dance (02:59) 5 Is There a Chance for Me (02:50) 6 Ill Never Smile Again (02:13) 7 Juba Dance (02:14) 8 Spanish Dance (03:01) 9 Without a Song (02:07) 10 Anitras Dance (02:02) |
 | Album: 34 of 45 Title: Frank Sinatra Sings Days of Wine and Roses, Moon River and Other Academy Award Winners Released: 1964 Tracks: 11 Duration: 34:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Days of Wine and Roses (02:16) 2 Moon River (03:19) 3 The Way You Look Tonight (03:22) 4 Three Coins in the Fountain (03:46) 5 In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening (01:51) 6 Secret Love (03:54) 7 Swinging on a Star (02:53) 8 It Might as Well Be Spring (03:26) 9 The Continental (03:14) 10 Love Is a Many‐Splendored Thing (03:22) 11 All the Way (03:29) |
 | Album: 35 of 45 Title: 12 Songs of Christmas Released: 1964 Tracks: 12 Duration: 37:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 White Christmas (03:45) 2 Its Christmas Time Again (02:50) 3 Go Tell It on the Mountain (03:22) 4 An Old-Fashioned Christmas (03:44) 5 When Angels Sang of Peace (02:56) 6 The Little Drummer Boy (03:03) 7 I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day (02:35) 8 Do You Hear What I Hear (03:10) 9 The Secret of Christmas (03:45) 10 The Twelve Days of Christmas (03:50) 11 Christmas Candles (02:32) 12 We Wish You the Merriest (02:15) |
 | Album: 36 of 45 Title: America I Hear You Singing Released: 1964-04 Tracks: 12 Duration: 38:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 America, I Hear You Singing (00:53) 2 This Is a Great Country (02:41) 3 The House I Live In (03:41) 4 The Hills of Home (04:39) 5 This Land Is Your Land (03:25) 6 Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor (03:01) 7 Youre a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith (03:48) 8 A Home in the Meadow (02:50) 9 Early American (03:36) 10 You Never Had It So Good (03:05) 11 Let Us Break Bread Together (03:43) 12 The Stars and Stripes Forever (02:52) |
| America I Hear You Singing : Allmusic album Review : America, I Hear You Singing is a minor entry in Frank Sinatras catalog. Recorded with Bing Crosby and Fred Warings glee club, the record is a collection of patriotic songs that were recorded as a tribute to the assassinated president John F. Kennedy. Although the sentiment is respectable, the album isnt engaging, suffering from hackneyed arrangements and dull songs. | ||
 | Album: 37 of 45 Title: It Might as Well Be Swing Released: 1964-06-09 Tracks: 10 Duration: 27:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words) (02:29) 2 I Wish You Love (02:56) 3 I Believe in You (02:22) 4 More (Theme From Mondo Cane) (03:06) 5 I Cant Stop Loving You (03:02) 6 Hello, Dolly! (02:46) 7 I Wanna Be Around (02:22) 8 The Best Is Yet to Come (02:56) 9 The Good Life (02:27) 10 Wives and Lovers (02:48) |
| It Might as Well Be Swing : Allmusic album Review : Frank Sinatra and Count Basies second collaboration, It Might as Well Be Swing, was a more structured, swing-oriented set than Sinatra-Basie, and in many ways the superior album. The album consists of then-recently written songs, arranged as if they were swing numbers. The results work splendidly, not just because arranger/conductor Quincy Jones found the core of each of the songs, but because Basie and his band were flexible. Adding a string section to their core band, Basie plays a more standard swing than he did on Sinatra-Basie, but that doesnt mean It Might as Well Be Swing is devoid of jazz. Both Basie and Sinatra manage to play with the melodies and the beat, even though the album never loses sight of its purpose as a swing album. However, what makes It Might as Well Be Swing more successful is the consistently high level of the performances. On their previous collaboration, both Sinatra and Basie sounded a bit worn out, but throughout this record they play with energy and vigor. | ||
 | Album: 38 of 45 Title: A Man and His Music Released: 1965 Tracks: 32 Duration: 1:43:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Put Your Dreams Away (03:11) 2 All or Nothing At All (04:25) 3 Ill Never Smile Again (02:48) 4 There Are Such Things (02:56) 5 Ill Be Seeing You (03:05) 6 The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else (03:20) 7 Polka Dots and Moonbeams (04:32) 8 Night and Day (04:24) 9 Oh, What It Seemed to Be (02:28) 10 Soliloquy (08:04) 11 Nancy (04:29) 12 The House I Live In (04:42) 13 From Here to Eternity (02:46) 1 Come Fly With Me (02:11) 2 (How Little It Matters) How Little We Know (02:15) 3 Learnin the Blues (02:29) 4 In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning (02:43) 5 Young at Heart (03:16) 6 Witchcraft (02:42) 7 All the Way (03:54) 8 Love and Marriage (01:29) 9 I’ve Got You Under My Skin (03:31) 10 Ring-A-Ding Ding (01:08) 11 The Second Time Around (02:13) 12 The Summit (05:14) 13 The Oldest Established (Permanent Floating Crap Game in New York) (02:08) 14 Luck Be a Lady (02:26) 15 Call Me Irresponsible (02:46) 16 Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words) (02:29) 17 Softly, as I Leave You (03:00) 18 My Kind of Town (02:35) 19 The September of My Years (03:21) |
| A Man and His Music : Allmusic album Review : Released around his 50th birthday, A Man and His Music is an ambitious double-album set that provides a brief history of Frank Sinatras career. Though the concept sounds quite promising in theory, the execution is somewhat lacking. Instead of using the original recordings -- which were made for RCA, Columbia, and Capitol, not his then-current label, Reprise -- Sinatra re-recorded the majority of the albums songs. That in itself isnt bad. Many of the new versions are quite enjoyable, with lively, inspired vocals. However, there is also an intrusive narration from Sinatra that runs throughout the album. Although it does offer some amusing anecdotes and gives a sense of his long, complex history, the narration prevents the album from being a consistently engaging listen. | ||
 | Album: 39 of 45 Title: September of My Years Released: 1965-09 Tracks: 15 Duration: 52:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The September of My Years (03:15) 2 How Old Am I? (03:36) 3 Don’t Wait Too Long (03:08) 4 It Gets Lonely Early (02:59) 5 This Is All I Ask (03:04) 6 Last Night When We Were Young (03:36) 7 The Man in the Looking Glass (03:27) 8 It Was a Very Good Year (04:26) 9 When the Wind Was Green (03:23) 10 Hello, Young Lovers (03:44) 11 I See It Now (02:52) 12 Once Upon a Time (03:30) 13 September Song (03:34) 14 This Is All I Ask (live) (03:50) 15 How Old Am I? (03:43) |
| September of My Years : Allmusic album Review : September of My Years is one of Frank Sinatras triumphs of the 60s, an album that consolidated his strengths while moving him into new territory, primarily in terms of tone. More than the double-disc set A Man and His Music -- which was released a year after this album -- September of My Years captures how Sinatra was at the time of his 50th birthday. Gordon Jenkins rich, stately, and melancholy arrangements give the album an appropriate reflective atmosphere. Most of the songs are new or relatively recent numbers; every cut fits into a loose theme of aging, reflection, and regret. Sinatra, however, doesnt seem stuck in his ways -- though the songs are rooted in traditional pop, they touch on folk and contemporary pop. As such, the album offered a perfect summary, as well as suggesting future routes for the singer. | ||
 | Album: 40 of 45 Title: Strangers in the Night Released: 1966 Tracks: 10 Duration: 27:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Strangers in the Night (02:36) 2 Summer Wind (02:55) 3 All or Nothing at All (03:59) 4 Call Me (02:48) 5 Youre Driving Me Crazy (02:17) 6 On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever) (03:20) 7 My Baby Just Cares for Me (02:33) 8 Downtown (02:12) 9 Yes Sir, That’s My Baby (02:12) 10 The Most Beautiful Girl in the World (02:25) |
| Strangers in the Night : Allmusic album Review : Strangers in the Night marked Frank Sinatras return to the top of the pop charts in the mid-60s, and it consolidated the comeback he started in 1965. Although he later claimed he disliked the title track, the album was an inventive, rich effort from Sinatra, one that established him as a still-viable star to a wide, mainstream audience without losing the core of his sound. Combining pop hits ("Downtown," "On a Clear Day [You Can See Forever]," "Call Me") with show tunes and standards, the album creates a delicate but comfortable balance between big band and pop instrumentation. Using strings, horns, and an organ, Nelson Riddle constructed an easy, deceptively swinging sound that appealed to both Sinatras dedicated fans and pop radio. And Sinatras singing is relaxed, confident, and surprisingly jazzy, as he plays with the melody of "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" and delivers a knockout punch with the assured, breathtaking "Summer Wind." Although he would not record another album with Riddle again, Sinatra would expand the approach of Strangers in the Night for the rest of the decade. | ||
 | Album: 41 of 45 Title: Moonlight Sinatra Released: 1966 Tracks: 10 Duration: 32:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Moonlight Becomes You (02:49) 2 Moon Song (03:05) 3 Moonlight Serenade (03:29) 4 Reaching for the Moon (03:08) 5 I Wished on the Moon (02:55) 6 Oh You Crazy Moon (03:14) 7 The Moon Got in My Eyes (02:54) 8 Moonlight Mood (03:10) 9 Moon Love (04:19) 10 The Moon Was Yellow (and the Night Was Young) (03:10) |
| Moonlight Sinatra : Allmusic album Review : Driven by a set of lush, sparkling Nelson Riddle arrangements, Moonlight Sinatra is a low-key, charming collection. Although the basic concept is somewhat nebulous -- all of the songs have the word "moon" in the title -- Riddle wrote a series of charts that suggest a warm, lovely evening with a variety of tones and moods, from light Latin rhythms to sweet ballads. While the album is a minor entry in Sinatras catalog, it is nevertheless an enjoyable, romantic listen. Half of the songs on Moonlight Sinatra were originally associated with Sinatras idol Bing Crosby, making the album something of a loose tribute. | ||
 | Album: 42 of 45 Title: That’s Life Released: 1966-11-18 Tracks: 10 Duration: 25:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 That’s Life (03:07) 2 I Will Wait for You (02:17) 3 Somewhere My Love (02:17) 4 Sand and Sea (02:27) 5 What Now My Love (02:30) 6 Winchester Cathedral (02:36) 7 Give Her Love (02:12) 8 Tell Her (You Love Her Each Day) (02:42) 9 The Impossible Dream (02:31) 10 You’re Gonna Hear From Me (02:56) |
| That’s Life : Allmusic album Review : Following the across-the-board success of Strangers in the Night, Thats Life continued Frank Sinatras streak of commercially successful albums that straddled the line between traditional and contemporary pop music. Adding more pop music techniques to his repertoire of show tunes, Thats Life made contemporary pop concessions while satisfying Sinatras own taste for weightier, more respected material. Although it was a pop-oriented record, Sinatra had not begun to rely on rock-influenced productions; instead, arranger/conductor Ernie Freeman contributed charts that alternated between bluesy, brassy swingers and mildly schmaltzy string arrangements, supported by an overbearing backing chorus. While the title track was the hardest blues Sinatra ever tried, that approach wasnt attempted for the entire album. A few tracks -- particularly a rearrangement of the New Vaudeville Bands campy "Winchester Cathedral" and the static version of "The Impossible Dream" -- fall flat, but the album works when Sinatra is either tearing into the song (like "Thats Life") or coaxing life out of mid-level ballads like "Youre Gonna Hear from Me." | ||
 | Album: 43 of 45 Title: The World We Knew Released: 1967 Tracks: 10 Duration: 28:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The World We Knew (Over and Over) (02:47) 2 Somethin’ Stupid (02:39) 3 This Is My Love (03:34) 4 Born Free (02:03) 5 Don’t Sleep in the Subway (02:19) 6 This Town (03:05) 7 This Is My Song (02:27) 8 You Are There (03:28) 9 Drinking Again (03:13) 10 Some Enchanted Evening (02:35) |
| The World We Knew : Allmusic album Review : More of a singles collection than a proper album, The World We Knew illustrates how heavily Frank Sinatra courted the pop charts in the late 60s. Much of this has a rock-oriented pop production, complete with fuzz guitars, reverb, folky acoustic guitars, wailing harmonicas, drum kits, organs, and brass and string charts that punctuate the songs rather than provide the driving force. Many of the songs recall the music Nancy Sinatra was making at the time, a comparison brought into sharp relief by the father-daughter duet "Somethin Stupid," yet the songs Sinatra tackles with a variety of arrangers -- including Nancys hitmaker Lee Hazlewood, Billy Strange, Ernie Freeman, Don Costa, and Gordon Jenkins -- are more ambitious than most middle-of-the-road, adult-oriented soft rock of the late 60s. "The World We Knew" has an odd, winding melody supported by the toughest approximated rock arrangement Sinatra ever used, while "This Town"s pounding brass and harmonica are quite bluesy. Even the lesser pop tunes are well-crafted and produced; "Dont Sleep in the Subway" sounds as convincing as the Petula Clark original. Sinatra doesnt always sound engaged by the material -- he tosses off "Some Enchanted Evening," getting buried in H.B. Barnums ridiculously bombastic arrangement -- but he generally turns in fine performances throughout the record, capped off by an exceptional, nuanced version of Johnny Mercers ballad "Drinking Again" that ranks among the best songs Sinatra cut during the 60s. | ||
 | Album: 44 of 45 Title: Francis Albert Sinatra & Antônio Carlos Jobim Released: 1967-04 Tracks: 10 Duration: 28:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Girl From Ipanema (03:14) 2 Dindi (03:30) 3 Change Partners (02:43) 4 Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado) (02:45) 5 Meditation (Meditação) (02:55) 6 If You Never Come to Me (02:12) 7 How Insensitive (03:18) 8 I Concentrate on You (02:38) 9 Baubles, Bangles and Beads (02:35) 10 Once I Loved (02:37) |
| Francis Albert Sinatra & Antônio Carlos Jobim : Allmusic album Review : By 1967, bossa nova had become quite popular within jazz and traditional pop audiences, yet Frank Sinatra hadnt attempted any Brazil-influenced material. Sinatra decided to record a full-fledged bossa nova album with the genres leading composer, Antonio Carlos Jobim. Arranged by Claus Ogerman and featuring Jobim on guitar and backing vocals, Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim concentrated on Jobims originals, adding three American classics -- "Baubles, Bangles and Beads," "Change Partners," and "I Concentrate on You" -- that were rearranged to suit bossa nova conventions. The result was a subdued, quiet album that used the Latin rhythms as a foundation, not as a focal point. Supported by a relaxed, sympathetic arrangement of muted brass, simmering percussion, soft strings, and Jobims lilting guitar, Sinatra turns in an especially noteworthy performance; he has never sounded so subtle, underplaying every line he delivers and showcasing vocal techniques that he never had displayed before. Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim doesnt reveal its pleasures immediately; the album is too textured and understated to be fully appreciated within one listen. After a few plays, the album begins to slowly work its way underneath a listeners skin, and it emerges as one of his most rewarding albums of the 60s. | ||
 | Album: 45 of 45 Title: Cycles Released: 1968-11-12 Tracks: 10 Duration: 32:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rain in My Heart (03:21) 2 From Both Sides, Now (02:55) 3 Little Green Apples (05:00) 4 Pretty Colors (02:35) 5 Cycles (03:11) 6 Wandering (02:46) 7 By the Time I Get to Phoenix (03:55) 8 Moody River (02:33) 9 My Way of Life (03:07) 10 Gentle on My Mind (03:22) |
| Cycles : Allmusic album Review : Cycles was Frank Sinatras first full-fledged pop/rock-oriented album, concentrating on a more orchestrated variation on the popular folk-rock of the late 60s. The foundation of the arrangements on Cycles are guitars, bass, and drum kits, all played gently and unobtrusively; the strings are layered on top of the pop rhythm section. Appropriately, Sinatra sang a variety of material associated with folk-rock, particularly Joni Mitchells "Both Sides Now" and Glen Campbells "Gentle on My Mind and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix." Sinatra responds to the softer material by phasing out most of the edginess in his phrasing. He doesnt sing with the nuanced textures of his Jobim albums -- he is simply restrained. That doesnt result in an embarrassing album, yet Cycles isnt the successful rock and traditional pop fusion that it might have been. Some of the material isnt well-suited for Sinatra -- neither "Little Green Apples" or "Pretty Colors" sound convincing -- but the main problem is with Don Costas arrangements and production. There simply isnt enough variety to sustain interest throughout the course of the short, ten-song album. Certain sections work well, particularly the Glen Campbell numbers, but there isnt anything distinctive about the record. | ||