SINATRA AT THE SANDS  -  FRANK SINATRA

YEAR:  1966
LABEL:  Reprise
TRACK LISTING:  Come Fly With Me,  I've Got a Crush On You,  I've Got You Under My Skin,  The Shadow of Your Smile,  Street of Dreams,  One For My Baby (and One More For the Road),  Fly Me To the Moon,  One O'clock Jump,  The Tea Break,  You Make Me Feel So Young,  All of Me,  The September of My Years,  Luck Be A Lady,  Get Me To the Church On Time,  It Was A Very Good Year,  Don't Worry 'Bout Me,  Makin' Whoopee,  Where or When,  Angel Eyes,  My Kind of Town,  A Few Last Words,  My Kind of Town (Reprise)
IMPRESSIONS:  I can't hear a live Sinatra album without thinking of my friend Paul.  Paul's family was a Sinatra household and on more than one occasion, I can remember a road trip during which a Sinatra concert was played on the car stereo -- particularly this one New Year's Eve in the late 1980s.  However, I don't think it was this one.  So this album doesn't really have anything to do with this story, does it?  Other than I always think of my friend Paul whenever I hear a live Sinatra album and this one is Ol' Blue Eyes' first live album.  It's usually considered to be a quintessential snapshot of this era of Frankie and who am I to argue?  Produced by the very young Quincy Jones and backed by the sublime Count Basie and his orchestra, Sinatra here is celebrating (?!) his recent 50th birthday and is full of mischief; particularly in his decision to do what amounts to almost 12 minutes of standup comedy in the middle of his concert!  While some of the jokes are a little wheezy, Frankie is rather funny with his delivery and brio.  But then it's the music which is the most important part of a live concert album and here we have some of the pinnacle of 60's era ring-a-ding-ding Sinatra on display.  Of particular note is the inclusion of more than a few of the slow, melancholy Sinatra songs I love so much and I appreciate their inclusion in his set quite a lot, actually.  Without them, the whole thing would seem rather flippant but the sad ballads really anchor the performance and give it a surprising depth amongst the clinks of cocktail glasses in the Sands casino.
MY FAVOURITE TRACKS:  Come Fly With Me,  I've Got a Crush On You,  I've Got You Under My Skin,  One For My Baby (and One More For the Road),  Fly Me To the Moon,  The Tea Break,  You Make Me Feel So Young,  The September of My Years,  It Was A Very Good Year,  Don't Worry 'Bout Me,  Where or When,  Angel Eyes
GUEST ARTISTS:  Count Basie (piano),  Quincy Jones (producer/arranger)
FACT SHEET:  SINATRA AT THE SANDS is Frank Sinatra's first live album.  It was recorded live in the Copa Room of the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The album was certified gold.  "Luck Be A Lady" did not appear on the original LP but was only included as a bonus track on the 1998 cd reissue; subsequent cd releases do not feature the track either.         

DUETS  -  FRANK SINATRA

YEAR:  1993
LABEL:  Capitol Records
TRACK LISTING:  The Lady Is A Tramp,  What Now My Love,  I've Got A Crush On You,  Summer Wind,  Come Rain or Come Shine,  New York New York,  They Can't Take That Away From Me,  You Make Me Feel So Young,  Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry/In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,  I've Got the World On A String,  Witchcraft,  I've Got You Under My Skin,  All the Way/One For My Baby (And One More For the Road
IMPRESSIONS:  The other duets album of 1993.  The genesis for this album may well have been the similar duet between Frank Sinatra and Cyndi Lauper of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" which appeared on the benefit cd "A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS VOLUME 2" in 1992.  Regardless, old blue eyes got some flak for not actually being in the room with his duet partners but having them sing to pre-recorded Sinatra vocals.  This frankly never bothered me.  The man was up there in age and only had another 5 years to live so I think a good deal of slack can be cut here.  And despite this fact, Frankie's vocals are surprisingly OK which leads to a rather enjoyable group of songs; the only downside is pairing Sinatra with execrable performers like Anita Baker and Kenny G (kryptonite to my ears).  Ah, the ignominy!  How could they do that to Frankie?!?!?!!!!  Again, this kind of album is bound to be something of a mixed bag.  Some of the performers seem to stiffen up a little when confronted with dueting with Sinatra but some manage to conjure a genuine warmth (Streisand, Minnelli) or good-natured humour (Bono).
MY FAVOURITE TRACKS:  What Now My Love,  I've Got A Crush On You,  Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry/In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,  I've Got the World On A String,  I've Got You Under My Skin
GUEST ARTISTS:  Luther Vandross (vocals on "The Lady is a Tramp"),  Aretha Franklin (vocals on "What Now My Love"),  Barbra Streisand (vocals on "I've Got A Crush On You"),  Julio Iglesias (vocals on "Summer Wind"),  Gloria Estefan (vocals on "Come Rain or Come Shine"),  Tony Bennett (vocals on "New York New York),  Natalie Cole (vocals on "They Can't Take That Away From Me"),  Charles Aznavour (vocals on "You Make Me Feel So Young"),  Carly Simon (vocals on "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry/In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning"),  Liza Minnelli (vocals on "I've Got the World On A String"),  Anita Baker (vocals on "Witchcraft"),  Bono (vocals on "I've Got You Under My Skin"),  Kenny G (cacophony on "All the Way/One For My Baby (And One More For the Road)")
FACT SHEET:  There's no way I'm gonna try and figure out what number Sinatra album this is!  The album features duets with performers from all different musical genres personally selected by Sinatra himself.  DUETS sold over 3 million copies in the U.S. and is the only Frank Sinatra album to date that has gone triple platinum.  The album was produced by Phil Ramone.  Sinatra's duet partners did not record in the same room with him but instead sang along to pre-recorded Sinatra vocals.  The album cover painting is by LeRoy Neiman specially commissioned by Frank Sinatra. 

SINGS SONGS FOR ONLY THE LONELY   -  Frank Sinatra

YEAR:  1958
LABEL:  Capitol
TRACK LISTING:  Only the Lonely,  Angel Eyes,  What's New?,  It's A Lonesome Old Town,  Willow Weep For Me,  Goodbye,  Blues In the Night,  Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry,  Ebb Tide,  Spring Is Here,  Gone With the Wind,  One For My Baby (And One More For the Road)
BONUS TRACKS:  Sleep Warm,  Where or When
IMPRESSIONS:  I've said previously the only Frank Sinatra I'm really interested is the suicidal one; the one that sounds like he's about to slash his wrists.  This album, perhaps more than any other, fulfills that function.  In the mid 1970s, according to John Rockwell's biography "SINATRA: AN AMERICAN CLASSIC", Sinatra unhesitating called ONLY THE LONELY his all-time favourite of all his albums.  This, along with the earlier masterpieces "IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS" and "WHERE ARE YOU?", is the perfect "late night" album.  Sinatra's singing is far from maudlin or wallowing but instead sounds easy and unforced.  I don't think he was in the mood to be melodramatic when he recorded this album since it was made just after Sinatra's divorce from Ava Gardner was finalized.  The emotions and delivery we hear from the singer are all too real.  Also, arranger Nelson Riddle's mother and daughter had both just died.  "If I can attach events like that to music," Riddle proclaimed, "perhaps ONLY THE LONELY was the result." 
MY FAVOURITE TRACKS:  Only the Lonely,  Angel Eyes,  What's New?,  It's A Lonesome Old Town,  Willow Weep For Me,  Goodbye,  Ebb Tide,  Spring Is Here,  Gone With the Wind,  One For My Baby (And One More For the Road),  Sleep Warm,  Where or When
GUEST ARTISTS:  Nelson Riddle (arranger),  Felix Slatkin (conductor)
FACT SHEET:  SINGS FOR ONLY THE LONELY is Frank Sinatra's tenth album for Capitol Records.  Originally Gordon Jenkins (producer of the previous magnificent WHERE ARE YOU? album) was intending to produce this album but he was unavailable so Sinatra returned to his previous Capitol Records producer Nelson Riddle (who also did arrangements).  Three tracks were recorded for this session with Riddle conducting but they were not used; after Riddle went on tour with Nat King Cole, Felix Slatkin conducted the songs ONLY THE LONELY.  An aborted attempt of "Lush Life" was attempted by Sinatra for this session; it exists only as a bootleg and the singer would never officially record the song.  The cover painting of Sinatra as a Pagliacci-like clown is by Nicholas Volpe and won a Grammy for "Best Album Cover" and the album itself was nominated for "Best Album" at the first Grammy Awards. 

STORMS - Various Artists

YEAR: 2003

LABEL: Cerpts Productions

TRACK LISTING: Storms - Fleetwood Mac, Knowing Me Knowing You - ABBA, Every Little Thing About You - Raul Malo, Lovesong - The Cure, Winter Kills - Alison Moyet, Blue - Sarah McLachlan, If I Could Reach You - The 5th Dimension, Back To Then - Darius Rucker, Blue - Barry Manilow & Sarah Vaughan, Don't Take Your Love From Me - Frank Sinatra, Neither One of Us (Wants To Be the First To Say Goodbye) - Gladys Knight & the Pips, No More Drama - Mary J. Blige, This Train Don't Stop There Anymore - Elton John, If I Could Only Stay Asleep - Patsy Cline, Ghost In This House - Allison Krauss, Trouble - Cat Stevens, Black - Pearl Jam, Who Am I Foolin' - Cheryl Wheeler, Two Star - Everything But the Girl

IMPRESSIONS: It was never my intention to put up a cd mix I made myself however there's no other I would consider before this one. The only cd mix I've made which has a fan base; everyone who has heard it declared it a classic. So who am I to argue with them? I would certainly say this is the one cd mix I consider a perfect jewel. Made on the 7th of January 2003, this cd was the result of a breakup and a broken heart ripped out of my chest and trodden on with golf shoes. Not only was the year 2002 a tough one for myself but for others I knew and this cd resonated strongly with all of us. Not only does it contain my number one favourite song of all time (Pearl Jam's "Black") but it also contains my number TWO favourite song (Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama"); both songs won Song of the Year Penguin Awards in their respective years. It features the song which had the most ever plays on my first ipod "City Lights" (Everything But the Girl's "Two Star" which had racked up 18 plays before I got my new ipod "Podzilla"). The cd also features the second saddest song ever recorded: The 5th Dimension's "If I Could Reach You" (the number one saddest song ever recorded, in case you're interested, is Stan Rogers' "First Christmas"). I am still extremely proud of the mood I managed to sustain on this cd and consider it my finest programming job.

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Storms - Fleetwood Mac, Lovesong - The Cure, Winter Kills - Alison Moyet, Blue - Sarah McLachlan, If I Could Reach You - The 5th Dimension, Blue - Barry Manilow & Sarah Vaughan, Don't Take Your Love From Me - Frank Sinatra, Neither One of Us (Wants To Be the First To Say Goodbye) - Gladys Knight & the Pips, No More Drama - Mary J. Blige, This Train Don't Stop There Anymore - Elton John, Ghost In This House - Alison Krauss, Trouble - Cat Stevens, Black - Pearl Jam, Who Am I Foolin' - Cheryl Wheeler, Two Star - Everything But the Girl

FACT SHEET: STORMS is a Cerpts CD Mix which was compiled on January 7, 2003. The cover art is by Edward Gorey.

IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS - Frank Sinatra

YEAR: 1955

LABEL: Capitol

TRACK LISTING: In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning, Mood Indigo, Glad To Be Unhappy, I Get Along Without You Very Well, Deep In A Dream, I See Your Face Before Me, Can't We Be Friends?, When Your Lover Has Gone, What Is This Thing Called Love, Last Night When We Were Young, I'll Be Around, Ill Wind, It Never Entered My Mind, Dancing On the Ceiling, I'll Never Be the Same, This Love of Mine

IMPRESSIONS: The only Sinatra I really like is the "suicidal" Sinatra still smarting after his horrendous breakup with Ava Gardner. Here we have one of the most perfect example of song sequencing ever captured on tape. The perfect album title and the perfect sombre cover painting to evoke the perfect mood of late night melancholy. But its thankfully not mawkish but almost wistfully sad without resorting to hysterics. The tone of the album is quiet and subdued: a resigned assignation of a broken heart. The very sound of the album brings to mind the open window with billowing curtains looking out into the black night air as a tumbler of whiskey sits on the night table next to a smoldering cigarette in the ashtray. The perfect late night album. It contains the best version ever recorded of both "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" as well as the sublime "Dancing On the Ceiling"; a particular favourite of my late friend Peg. I will never hear "Dancing On the Ceiling" again without thinking of her.

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning, Mood Indigo, Dancing On the Ceiling

FACT SHEET: When the long-playing record came into being in 1948, it took a while for it to catch on with consumers. At first, the LP was thought to be merely a way to collect individual 78s onto one record and LPs were initially groupings of unrelated songs. However, Frank Sinatra and his producers determined that the new format could be a wonderful way to combine songs of a certain theme or mood so that an entire LP would present illustrate a certain emotional or thematic concept. With IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS, Sinatra basically created the "concept album" by collecting a series of emotionally consistent songs programmed in such a way as to evoke a particular mood of "elegiac melancholy". The mood is aided by tasteful arrangements of conductor Nelson Riddle.