By
Kristin Battestella
Ring
a ding ding! Let's takes some time during this festive season to
honor what would have been The Chairman of the Board's 100th
birthday. Collectors or completists and longtime listeners can always
enjoy these sets, and budding fans can be gifted with some Sinatra
education here. Now, on with the swing!
Capitol Collector Series
– From “I've
Got the World on a String” and “Young at Heart” to “High
Hopes” and “Witchcraft,” this 1989 hour is brimming with
fifties biggies be they brooding or brassy. Soft
notes begin “I'm Walking Behind You” and the earlier, crooning
sounds continue with “From Here to Eternity,” “Don't Worry
'bout Me,” and “Melody of Love” featuring bandleader Ray
Anthony. “South of the Border” adds some swanky flavor alongside
“Three Coins in the Fountain,” but despite its title, “Learnin'
the Blues” remains a peppy hit. “Same Old Saturday Night,”
“(Love Is) The Tender Trap,” and “Hey Jealous Lover” provide
more catchy, and I think just about everyone can sing along to “Love
and Marriage” of course thanks to Married...with
Children.
I must also confess, among other sports connections, my recently late
and oldest cat was named after “Chicago.” A cute little dialogue
leads into “(How
Little It Matters) How Little We Know” while more romance anchors
“Can I Steal a Little Love?” and “All the Way” before "Nice
'n' Easy" sends the session out on a breezy, finger snapping
note. These twenty shorter tracks make for a great mix of more
recognizable Sinatra staples, a few acclaimed film tunes, and songs
that ironically carry a whiff of his Swoonatra, pre-Capital era – a
fine blend for the veteran fan or would be listener.
Duets
– No, this 45 minute later day revisit is not the purest in the
titular sense. The stars here are at times practically singing along
to Sinatra on the radio thanks to spliced vocals and an arranged
production. Thus, I hate to say it, but not everybody can sing how
Frank is asking them to do, and Julio
Iglesias on “Summer Wind,” “You Make Me Feel So Young” with
Charles Aznavour, and gasp Bono on “I've Got You Under My Skin”
don't
quite match. It's also odd to have men singing together in this
uneven, tandem sense – perhaps all ladies would have been a better
balance instead. Fortunately,
the smooth works with Luther Vandross on “The Lady Is a Tramp,”
“Come Rain or Come Shine” with Gloria Estefan, and for Natalie
Cole on “They Can't Take That Away From Me.” The breezy ballad
“What Now My Love” makes room for Frank's light and Aretha
Franklin's big notes while the crooning pace is just right alongside
Barbra Streisand in “I've Got a Crush on You.” Carly Simon
accompanies more mellow in “Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry/In
the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,” and Anita Baker provides sway
for “Witchcraft.” “New York, New York” with Tony Bennett
feels a little too strained to start, but I'll be damn if it isn't
still rousing as is “I've Got the World on a String” with Liza
Minnelli. “All the Way/One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)”
featuring Kenny G is the longest track here – almost twice as long
as most of the other 12 songs. Admittedly, it's an odd choice to go
with an instrumental pairing, too. But is this a brooding, befitting
last call finale? Heck yeah. Granted, for die hard fans, these
versions won't be as
good as the originals. However, this session proves that the classics
can swing in any era and that today's titans respect such standards –
something I'm not so sure the millennial pop artists heavy on
spectacle but light on true vocal talent are able to do. Thankfully,
there's something
for everyone here to pick and choose for their playlist rotation.
Frank Sinatra's Greatest Hits: Volume 2 – This 1972 Reprise compilation gathers some late
sixties and early seventies suave, and of course starts with “My
Way” – a somber but stirring indication of this session's more
mature tone alongside “A Man Alone,” “Cycles,” and “Bein'
Green.” Naturally, there's an air of soft, sweeping romance in
“Love's Been Good to Me” and “I'm Not Afraid” as well as in
the catchy covers of “Going Out of My Head” and George Harrison's
“Something.” One of the longer songs of the 11 tracks here,
“What's Now is Now” from the Watertown concept
album still sounds fresh and swanky good. Though also quite
fine, “Star!” feels a little bit too ritzy heyday and out of
place both between two more serious tunes and in the set's overall
melancholy theme. “The September of My Years” is a slightly
earlier song, but a nonetheless fitting ode to wrap this swift but
smooth 37 minutes. Yes, the bigger name staples are on the previous
1968 Frank Sinatra's Greatest Hits. However,
those grossly uninformed who think Ol' Blue Eyes is nothing more than
his fifties hepcat hip may be quite pleasantly surprised by these
reflective measures, and Volume 2 matches
its predecessor as a slower companion collection. Be it the
soundtrack to an empty nest dinner for two or just some toe tapping
mellow relaxation, older and wiser audiences will delight here.
Reprise: The Very Good Years
– At 67 minutes, this 1991 single CD consolidation of the more
extensive 4 disc The
Reprise Collection is
still relatively chronological and pretty all encompassing with
expected Sinatra staples such as “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Strangers
in the Night,” and “Love and Marriage,” plus live renditions of
“I've Got You Under My Skin” and “The Lady Is a Tramp.” More
swanky hits include “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “Luck Be a
Lady,” and that
ritzy Chicago ode “My Kind of Town.”
“The
Last Dance” brings a whiff of earlier
wartime suave while “Night
and Day” and “The Way You Look Tonight” provide some cheek to
cheek alongside “Summer
Wind” and
“All
or Nothing at All.” “The
Best Is Yet to Come” adds more breezy while we sing – or at
least try to sing along with “That's
Life” and “My Way.” There are only a few slow, softer tunes
here such as “It
Was a Very Good Year,” “Send
in the Clowns,” and “Nancy (With the Laughing Face).” Great
songs though they are, their melancholy tone may feel out of place
compared to the otherwise hip majority present. That always swinging
indicative written on the sleeve is indeed compiled here with much of
what we've come to know and love from the fifties and sixties Frank
heights. Naturally, this hour goes out with a showstopping “New
York, New York,” and somehow all is made right with the world
because the Yankees won, teehee. This session is both a fix with all
the essentials and provides some uniqueness thanks to that live
sprinkle – making for a great starter set to get you going down the
rabbit hole for more.
No comments:
Post a Comment