"It's one of the best love songs, I believe, to be written in 50 or 100 years, and it never says 'I love you'."
-- Frank Sinatra on George Harrison's classic 'Something'

A Man And His Music

One of the questions I’m asked most is “What’s your favourite Sinatra song?” and it’s one I can never answer. There are so many wonderful songs Frank Sinatra recorded, that narrowing it down to just one or two is no easy task.

Unlike today’s artists, Sinatra’s studio albums were not just a collection of singles. In fact, many of the singles he released did not appear on his albums at all. He pioneered what we now refer to as the ‘Concept Album’ – a record of songs linked by a particular theme or creating a specific mood. When listened to in the context of the album, these songs achieve far more artistically and emotionally than they do individually.

Those who were introduced to this kind of music through Robbie Williams’ 2001 album Swing When You’re Winning may be familiar with Capitol Records, as Robbie recorded his album in the record label's famous Capitol Tower in Los Angeles. It was there where Sinatra made many of his best studio albums from 1953-62, prior to forming his own Reprise record label. Many of my own favourites are from the Capitol years – and here are just a few of them…

Songs For Swingin’ Lovers!  (Capitol - 1956)  Arranged by Nelson Riddle 

My personal favourites include You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me, Too Marvelous For Words and one of Frank’s finest recordings of all time – I’ve Got You Under My Skin. The latter song in particular is a marvel, partly due to the fact Nelson Riddle was still putting the finishing touches to it while his wife drove him to the studio where the recording was cut. The musicians were given the charts with the ink still wet, and after playing it, the entire orchestra stood and applauded Nelson.

In the fifty years since it’s original release in 1956, this album has never been deleted from UK catalogues – a feat no other record can boast, and probably never will.

A Swingin' Affair!  (Capitol - 1957)  Arranged by Nelson Riddle 

Frank's voice is in top form on this album, as is his ability to phrase a song like no other - there is no doubt as to who is singing when Sinatra stamps his mark on a song. There are a few tunes here that will be familiar even to newcomers - the fabulous Night And Day, I Won't Dance and At Long Last Love are prime examples.

Like all of the Concept albums, this record is best listened-to from start to finish, and this is when the other songs really start to get under your skin. I'm hard-pushed to pick favourites from this album, 'cause there are just so many I could choose - I Wish I Were In Love Again, the awesome From This Moment On, and Oh, Look At Me Now! are undoubtedly among the best. Special mention goes to I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good for the line "Lord above, make her love me, the way that she should" which is a great lyric on its own, but Frank delivers it in a way that knocks me out every time I hear it!

Come Fly With Me  (Capitol – 1957)  Arranged by Billy May 

The glorious title track aside, my choices here include Moonlight In Vermont, On The Road To Mandalay and Let’s Get Away From It All. Worthy of special mention is April in Paris – Sinatra’s delivery of this song is impeccable; his phrasing and breath control on this recording are simply stunning!

The CD release of this record contains three recordings in addition to the original set list, that follow the same theme. Notable among these, is Chicago, which replaced On The Road To Mandalay on the original British LP of Come Fly With Me. Frank's playful lyrics on that song, which were adapted from the Rudyard Kipling poem, were not received well by Kipling's family, and the song was prevented from being played anywhere in the British Empire.

Only The Lonely  (Capitol – 1958)  Arranged by Nelson Riddle

The title song, What’s New and Good-Bye are among the stand-outs for me, in an album full of stand-outs. One For My Baby is probably Sinatra’s most famous saloon song, and closes the album in true smoky bar-room style. Angel Eyes, however is my very special favourite.

This is probably the darkest album of Frank Sinatra's career, almost to the edge of despair, but it's nothing short of a masterpiece. Bruce Springsteen named it as his favourite Sinatra album, and Frank himself cited it as his best work with Nelson Riddle. Anyone who considers themselves musically literate should have heard this album at least twice.

Come Dance With Me  (Capitol – 1958)  Arranged by Billy May

It’s too hard to pick out favourites on this album as they are all fantastic, and in keeping with the theme of the album, the aptly titled 'The Last Dance' rounds off the album with a slow ballad. If you can listen to this record and sit still, you’re dead baby, D-E-D!

Ring-a-Ding Ding!  (Reprise – 1961)  Arranged by Johnny Mandel

In 1960, Frank Sinatra formed Reprise Records, a label that is still a force in music today (Madonna, My Chemical Romance, Michael Bublé and other artists beginning with 'M'). This was the very first album cut on Reprise, and it set the benchmark high for the three dozen or so Sinatra albums that followed it.

Ring-a-Ding Ding, one of Frank's many colourful little phrases turned into a song by Cahn & Van Heusen, is a fresh and confident sounding Sinatra and is easily among his best Reprise albums. This is one of those albums that you will listen to right the way through without even realising it - try listening to just one! In The Still Of The Night swings the hell out of Cole Porter's great lyric, while Let's Face The Music And Dance just goes to show how Sinatra could take a tune that was so well known by another singer, and make it completely his own.

I cannot recommend this album highly enough.

The Concert Sinatra  (Reprise – 1963)  Arranged by Nelson Riddle 

This Reprise release, unlike the title may suggest, is not a live album. Instead it is a collection of very grand songs from Broadway musicals, that Sinatra often used as the big numbers in the middle of his concerts. In keeping with the scale of the songs, so large was the 62-piece orchestra used to record them that they needed a Hollywood sound stage in which to record.

My picks from this album are My Heart Stood Still and Ol’ Man River (another vocal lesson from the master!). The best however, is saved for last in the form of Soliloquy from Carousel. This song is a marvel, and Frank’s eight minute plus reading of it is one of the finest pieces of music I've ever heard. Nancy Sinatra considers this to be her Father's finest album, and it's not hard to see why!