All-you-can-eat Sinatra

“YOU like Sinatra. What’s a good Sinatra album?” My friend Ben asked me in all innocence. Having thought that all it’d take was to rattle off a quick e-mail, it took me a weekend.

This is a personal walk through my Sinatra collection; I don’t include anything before his Capitol Records era began in1953 – and there’s a ton of his forties stuff on the market, but I don’t go for it.

Then I stop as the seventies begin – and he first retires. Some later albums like “LA is My Lady” and “Duets 1 and 2” appeal – but I don’t have those, just the Capitol and Reprise era.

In no particular order and leaving out compilations, live and Xmas albums, my Sinatra collection started when I first left home in 1978. I found a great comfort in something that made me feel almost amniotic…

there’s a wisdom in his voice, some kind of emotional A to Z that a youth may need on his journey into manhood. ‘The Voice’, set in these orchestral dream world miniature symphonies, provided an instant escape from reality while at the same time being utterly familiar from my earliest of musical memories, having been born in 1960, when Frank was still the pop music you got on the radio.

Parents and grandparents of friends, one by one, lined up to deliver a vinyl amnesty of EPs, LPs, reel to reel tapes and cassettes, all with a certain look in there eye – I was looking for tradition and they were looking to give it.

“Twenty Golden Greats”, by the way, was released in 1978 and it is still the best starter pack if you don’t want to do the whole menu.

I hope this little lot helps next time you’re in Oxfam or HMV and you need to buy your grandparents a kick out the jams banging crooner album.

Just don’t go getting the wrong one that could send them over the edge, life is hard enough!

ONLY THE LONELY

Released in 1958 on Capitol Records this 98% cocoa solids is dark madness indeed. Frank, recently split with second wife Ava Gardener, records this totally broken hearted. Nelson Riddle was also depressed over his daughter and mother’s death at the same time, so they go all the way with this atlas of misery.

Commit to this album , do the whole thing from start to finish, but maybe only once a year otherwise you may need Prozac.

It evokes a misty, enveloping gaslight fog. The horrible cover of a Pierrot is self portrait by Frank ans while “Angel Eyes” is awesome, there’s also the classic “One For my Baby”.

POINT OF NO RETURN

The last of his albums on Capitol, arranged by Axel Stordal. Boasting the luminous sound of the Capitol recording studio in Hollywood, this is middle aged Sinatra: reflective and complete with its dreamy arrangements, luxury strings – very posh! – and added autumnal qualities.

SWING EASY

An early Capitol album which sounds like a small jazz group with vibraphone and guitar to the fore, and a jaunty, up-beat mood. Sounds earlier in tones than its 1954 vintage – like a hand tinted photo – but it’s Frank reborn and in full control.

SONGS FOR YOUNG LOVERS

Early Capitol again, 1953 – the smallish orchestra’s strings sound close and quartet-like as guitar and clarinet give a chamber group feel. Contains not only the classic version of “I Get A Kick Out Of You” but the best version of “A Foggy Day”.

“Violets For Your Furs” is a great track; this album has an early post-war musk about it but that dissipates soon after.

A SWINGING AFFAIR

Nelson Riddle is the arranger of some classic stuff here even though this is never included in the top 5 best Sinatra albums.

It’s his fifties glamour; up-beat without being brash. There is effortless swing from a sizable orchestra and highlights include the essential “Night and Day”, “The Lady Is A Tramp” and hidden gem “Lonesome Road”, which has a goose-bumpy climax. A very good album which was hidden in the shadow of the monster “Songs For Swinging Lovers” – the one that might just be the essential album itself...

SONGS FOR SWINGING LOVERS.

THE classic Sinatra album: perfection. Nelson Riddle is in an upbeat mood; a champagne hew of golden horns and lush strings joins the rhythm section up loud with room for some personality playing from pianist Bill Miller and trumpeter Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison. There’s also a brilliant solo by Milt Bernhart on “I’ve got You under my Skin” that’s an unsurpassed ‘air trombone’ moment! It has a cohesive post war glow because life is very good in Frank’s world at this point and we can all live it too just by putting this on.

And down again!20 Chimp | column

IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS

The best and first example of his concept albums, feeling sorry for himself all the way through – and Nelson Riddle gets all the colours spot on.

Loads of Celeste (a chime-like keyboard) and the Gloom Tubes (clarinets) come to the front while strings and brass are used as washes with tones somehow less icy than on “Only the Lonely”. As dark as a Joy Division album and one of his best heart-breaker discs; coloured pencils rather than oil paint.

CLOSE TO YOU

Esoteric doom courtesy of the Hollywood String Quartet – a classical flavoured session decorated with Cor Anglais, bassoon and clarinets. This feels like he’s singing directly into your ear; Frank Unplugged.

Favourite track is “Every Breath I Take...” Very nicely put to tape but do it on vinyl.

WHERE ARE YOU

A lush, gloomy bath from 1957 – the first Sinatra album in stereo; Capitol era, Gordon Jenkins doing the orchestrations and he is more your string specialist: big strings, classical chops, a panoramic sound with deft song choices making it a once in a while chocolate treat. Favourite tracks: “I cover The Water Front” and “Laura”.

They’ve stuck on some older Jenkins arrangements to augment the CD reissue, “Rain”, which comes in handy on your iPod when you live where we live.

COME FLY WITH ME

One of his big, classics albums – all killer, no filler. Billy May can always be relied on to add some upbeat slamming brass, but his string arrangements are very different, stratospheric in fact, throwing great shapes in the clouds.

He can also drop some special musical effects like the shimmering of street lights with the vibraphone chromatics at the end of “London by Night” and the cut-off gong on “Mandalay”.

An evocative implication of Hawaiian perfumes without resorting to cliches in “Blue Hawaii”... It’s a glamorous travelogue, compulsory on any in-flight noise cancelling jaunt or sun lounger. Favourites: “Brazil”/“Autumn In New York”/“Nice to go travelling”. Best Siantra cover art by far as well, Frank being yanked off a TWA jet (see my Night & Day poster reproduced here).

COME DANCE WITH ME

Billy May does his big band bashment thing. Swinging all the way, it’s a dance album, albeit a bit too ballroom for me. Maybe I’m put off by the sickly green cover of Frank in a tweed hat?

Favourites: “Something’s Gotta Give” and “Baubles Bangles and Beads” for proper party tunes.

Frank used to be a big band singer as a job and its familiar stomping territory makes it a little too easy for him – fun, if ultimately throw-away.

Won a Grammy in 1960 so what do I know? Wait, I do know! Follow me..

COME SWING WITH ME

In a similar vein to “Come Dance with Me” – Billy May again, The brass sounds really well recorded; loads of Blat, and addition low end from tubas; the ultra-stereo sounds like he’s got two orchestras in two rooms and Frank’s in a good mood once more, giving rise to this cocksure, macho performance. If anything a bit weak on the song choices, I’d pick at it rather than do this whole.

NO ONE CARES

Hardly an inviting title, but then I guess proto fifties Goths must have loved these bottom lip albums! Gordon Jenkins brings the rainclouds down into your speakers, and it’s as if they are hand painted purple and sepia... It’s real bleak, so enter with caution! A top shelf, once in a while 1959 weepy.

NICE AND EASY

Title says it all: it’s a Frank ambient, good mood, chilled-good Sunday afternoon album coloured in by Nelson Riddle.It’s worth £10 to hear the bass trombone solo on “How Deep is the Ocean” alone, has the classic “Fools Rush In” also makes an appearance. Mellow.

SINATRA’S SWINGING SESSION

Swinging but not his swingingest – it’s just alright, like he’s treading water.

Nelson Riddle’s arrangements of some of Frank’s earlier repertoire come off deliberately up-tempo and not always appropriate. Great cover shot of the band in action at Capital Studios, though.

SINATRA -BASIE

Franks and Splank – Count Basie’s nickname – prove an ideal combination, with hipper beats that bring out Frank’s sheer cockiness. The mood is testosteronic... And the brass pops out like a boxers left hook – Blam! Basie does some of his trademark one-finger zen stuff on the piano – altogether brilliant!

IT MIGHT AS WELL BE SWING

His second collaboration with Basie’s band, plus Quincy Jones at the helm.

Very sixties: think Palm Springs, Vegas and Florida for that hard sunshine throughout. Strings are added to the band here, which helps smarten them up a whole lot.

“The slam, bang tang reminiscent of gin and vermouth”, sings Frank.

Here’s Hip sixties Frank; married to Mia Farrow... it’s a goody! “Fly Me to the Moon”, “More”, “The Good Life”, “Wives and Lovers”, which, fact fans, was Buzz Aldrin’s choice for cassette to the moon in 1969.

FRANCIS A AND EDWARD K

If the Count Basie collaboration is a Martini, this Duke Ellington collaboration is Armagnac.

Recorded on Frank’s birthday in 1967, everyone sounds all wily and worldly wise – a true gathering of veterans. The emotional tone is honest and inner-circle casual.

The sun is shining outside but they’ve shut the blinds, shafts of light disect the fag smoke as afternoon boozing pervades.

It’s a brown and tangerine nylon world, but it’s kind of great. Bad golf trousers with polo necks to be worn, no exceptions, while the music smells of aftershave and fried chicken.

Duke Ellington alone is a whole world of music, some of which is insanely beautiful and some of which leaves me mentally damaged. I wouldn’t start with this album.

RING A DING DING

Sinatra’s first self-financed breakout on his own Reprise label finds orchestrator Johnny Mandel knowing how to keep the ball bouncing – here’s Frank finger popping, high kicking and also coming out fighting, with something to prove.

Highlights include “The Coffee Song”, “In the still of the Night” and “Let’s Fall in Love”. Zingy and tart!

SINATRA AND STRINGS

One of Frank’s own favourites apparently; Don Costa does the strings, and that’s a lot of fiddles – which are nothing short of majestic. He’s defo got a tuxedo on, there’s such a formal vibe here. Sinatra, generally, is just in one mood per album, be it cocky, sad or lusty – but here it’s kind of humble, looking skyward; universal.

SINATRA AND SWINGING BRASS

Does what it says on the tin – not a classic but it’s a rocker nonetheless.

Neil Hefti adds some youth to the big band format (it’s 1962), and “Goody Goody” is indeed good, while “Tangerine” is a belter! Some patchy song choices overall, however.

GREAT SONGS FROM GREAT BRITAIN

But not THAT great – it’s more a damp Tuesday in Maida Vale. Recorded in London, and only ever released here originally, making it a collector’s album for years. For fans only, there’s a bit of a dreary WW2 Vera Lynne vibe in the choice of songs. It may be more Mayfair than Soho but Robert Farnon a Brit does some nice enough orchestrations and the picture of Big Ben on the cover adds some biscuit tin chic. No Welsh or Scots tunes included, be warned!

THE CONCERT SINATRA

This one is a big, posh album with a huge 80-piece orchestra too big for a normal studio, so they hired a Hollywood Sound Stage and recorded it on film stock so that it’s HI HI FI.

“Lost In the Stars” is truly cosmic and I love it, while “Old Man River” is a vocal tour de force. A true singer’s singer singing here.

ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS

Quite an odd collection of songs from Hollywood films, which takes me back to my own sixties summers. “Would you like to Swing on a Star”, “It Might As Well Be Spring” and “Days of Wine and Roses” are good choices for a nice, light Frank album – a sixties American housewife vibe for which you’d need a radiogram to do it justice. Domestic stuff.

SEPTEMBER OF MY YEARS

Title sums it up; it’s reflective, a flavour of mid-life crisis, OK maybe not crisis, but a bit more tweed and cologne. The voice has extra oak tones here thanks to the fags and whisky, and overall it’s far from essential with only a couple of great ones: “September Song” and “It was a Very Good Year”. Gordon Jenkins returns to give good orchestra.

MOONLIGHT SINATRA

Bit off the boil, this,and every track mentions the Moon… While it’s not awful it’s just coasting. I once made a tape collage of Sinatra by collecting the word “Moon” from all his records and it was about five minutes in before it repeated.

SINATRA SWINGS (SWING ALONG WITH ME)

It’s a Billy May bomb dropper. Pow! Biff! Blam! Bit late to be called classic, this covers familiar territory, and boasts the definitive “Have You Met Miss Jones”, while I retain a soft spot for “Moonlight on The Ganges”.

THAT’S LIFE

Title track is a survivor anthem – easily as good as “My Way” – which I can’t be bothered with; too much baggage; same with “New York New York” thanks to too much function fatigue… I hate that those tunes are his polarised legacy. See how I fight it with my stupid blog. There is a bit of an RnB vibe on this album, and it even has some Hammond organ going off. Ray Charles was by now showing a direction Sinatra could lean on here in the late sixties.

FRANCIS ALBERT SINATRA AND ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM

Get your shades on, this is jet set Frank. Made balmy and urbane by orchestrations from Claus Ogerman...

Frank would never wear Speedos but the string section does sound like they’re by a pool... lots of alto flute and warm, tropical night tones – this is the affluent sixties. While I guess it’s a bit heavy handed compared to Jobim’s own versions, this does amount to more than merely jumping on the sixties Bossa Nova craze. Duende is a term used in latin music that encompasses joy and pain at the same time, or the sweetness of pain. It’s not easily translated but Sinatra is Duende Man – I just wish he could have spent a lot more time in this territory. This is a truly essential Sinatra album containing the best of his 1960s stuff.

WATER TOWN

Weird 1970 concept album about divorce in the suburbs; very difficult to get into but worth it when you get there, it’s more like a Scott Walker album. Mid-life Ttherapy sessions set to an orchestra. Brave, poetic but no radio hits.

SINATRA AND COMPANY

Schizoid album, this. Side two is one dull, weird soft rock collection and even has a couple of John Denver tunes, while Side one is a second collaboration with Brazilian music legend AC Jobim.

This time Deadato handles the arrangements – all very modern for the time and a great set of songs. Some of my all-time favourite Frank. Is right here as this music hangs in the air like jet vapour trails. I’m very fond of “This Happy Madness” – it would be on my Dessert Island Discs, since you ask.

He entered his first retirement after releasing this album in 1971.