Frank Sinatra Albums (64)
'Learnin' the Blues'
Release Date 8/11/2008
Tracks 16
Label Universal
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What The Critics Say
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 Sinatra's 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 singer's 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) She's 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 Stordahl's overflowing string arrangements, yet quietly bold in its emotional content. It's that stretch of subtexts that, coupled with the beauty of Sinatra's instrument and Stordahl's arrangements, make the singer's 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 across the decades, but hearing The Voice anew is a reminder of just how overpowering Sinatra's sound could be, even in the early phase of his solo work. This album -- which was actually a re-editing (and something of a corruption) of his 78 rpm album The Voice of Frank Sinatra -- was a huge seller at the time of its release in 1955, and it's a sign of just how large it loomed in Columbia's history that it was among the earliest releases selected for inclusion in Sony Music's audiophile-oriented Mastersound CD series of the early '90s, deluxe packaging, gold CD and all. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
'Live Melbourne, Australia '55'
Release Date 1/1/2003
Tracks 14
Label Acrobat Music & Media
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What The Critics Say
In Philadelphia, one of the leading Frank Sinatra experts is a veteran DJ named Sid Mark, who hosts a local weekend radio show that plays Sinatra's recordings exclusively. When Sinatra died on May 14, 1998, the Philly media rang Mark's phone off the hook and asked him to comment on Sinatra's legacy -- and one of his most memorable comments was that the 20th century had officially ended with Sinatra's passing. Mark's point was that Sinatra, more than anyone, defined traditional jazz-influenced pop singing in the 20th century, and he would probably agree that Voice of the Century is an appropriate title for a collection of early Sinatra -- very early. When fans speak of early Sinatra, they often mean his Columbia period (which started in 1943). But there's early Sinatra and very early Sinatra -- very early as in the singer's pre-Columbia work with trombonist Tommy Dorsey. Spanning 1940-1942, this superb CD takes listeners back to a time when Sinatra had yet to record for Columbia and was still a featured vocalist for Dorsey's big band. A few of the tracks find Sinatra joining forces with Axel Stordahl & His Orchestra, including "The Song Is You" and "Night and Day." But most of the time, Ol' Blue Eyes is in Dorsey's employ -- and on several selections, Dorsey unites Sinatra with the distinctive vocal harmonies of the Pied Pipers (including pop goddess Jo Stafford). The Sinatra heard on sublime early-'40s performances of "I'll Be Seeing You" "Stardust," "Say It," and "Everything Happens to Me" isn't the strutting, swaggering Sinatra of the '50s, '60s, and '70s; in the early '40s, he was a boyish crooner with a strong Bing Crosby influence. Voice of the Century is easily recommended to anyone who is seeking a concise introduction to Sinatra's pre-Columbia period. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
'Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color'
Release Date 1/8/2002
Tracks 12
Label Capitol
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What The Critics Say
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. What's 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 May's "Purple" suddenly breaks through the opening strings into brassy Afro-Cuban daylight. Yet Riddle's "Gold" is totally unlike him, a dissonant rising crescendo that seems to depict the path of Apollo to midday (or maybe a cop on Respighi's "The Pines of the Appian Way"), while "Orange" adopts a habanera rhythm, then a waltz. Young's "White," the leadoff track, is the most enjoyable of the lot, with a fine tune and sleigh bells conjuring a winter's day, and "Black" has an even more gorgeous melody. Clearly Young's 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). Alexander's "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. Bernstein's "Silver" conjures the mood of Strauss' "Der Rosenkavalier" (the silver rose); and Previn's brash "Red" is the most harmonically daring of the set. The performances are as sure-footed and assured as on Sinatra's Wilder sessions, though without the restless, on-edge quality that marked Sinatra's 1945 conducting debut. Now on CD, this once-rare album certainly casts all of its participants in fascinating new colors. ~ Richard Ginell, All Music Guide
'Sharing the Holidays With Frank Sinatra'
Release Date 1/1/2002
Tracks 12
Label Medalist
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What The Critics Say
As one of the most respected and talented traditional singers of the 20th century, Frank Sinatra makes the 12 Christmas songs found here his own. With his familiar croon and distinct intonation, Sinatra delivers several spiritual classics as well as a few pop standards with his renowned elegance and style. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide
'Christmas Legends'
Release Date 1/1/2001
Tracks 10
Label Direct Source
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'Robin and the 7 Hoods'
Release Date 10/10/2000
Tracks 16
Label Artanis
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What The Critics Say
Robin and the 7 Hoods is one of the more obscure releases from Reprise Records to be associated with Frank Sinatra and a major project, in this case a movie from the tail-end of the Rat Pack era. It also isn't nearly as successful an album as its all-star lineup of talent would lead one to hope. Not that there aren't some worthwhile moments here -- it's just that between Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr., one might have expected two, or maybe three, great songs, instead of the good and fair moments spread across this album. It is true that the recordings, like the production of the movie, bridged a difficult time in the lives of everyone -- the Rat Pack itself was starting to fall apart; and Reprise Records, Sinatra's new business venture, with which he started the decade, was pretty much hemorrhaging money, except for his own recordings; and in the midst of the movie's production came the assassination of President Kennedy. So in retrospect, if everyone involved was a little off their game, it was understandable. Following the breezy, brassy overture, which already sounds a bit dated for 1964, we get the highlight of the original record, Sinatra's rendition of "My Kind of Town." With Nelson Riddle's arrangement and conducting, this is the kind of number that Sinatra's fans just devoured, and it's the reason a lot of people actually bought this album -- his intonation is fine, his cocky manner fits the lyric, and the music works (and it works even better when seen as a performance in the movie). Then we jump to the other extreme on the record, Peter Falk's version of "All for One and One for All" -- Falk at this point was not yet a star, but his was the kind of talent that endeared him to many a director and producer, and it's pretty plain that he must've done the same to Sinatra to get his spot on this album, raspy voice and all. Bing Crosby's contribution is confined to two songs, "Don't Be a Do-Badder" and "Mister Booze," neither representing the best that he was capable of, even at this late date in his career, though neither is a complete waste of time, either -- the influence of the earlier Sammy Cahn/Jimmy Van Heusen song "High Hopes" can certainly be heard woven through "Do-Badder." "Style" is a joint contribution of Sinatra, Crosby, and Dean Martin that is cute but hardly worthy of the three voices. "I Like to Lead When I Dance" allows Sinatra to range across his vocal persona, from his introspective side, recalling his then-recent work on Point of No Return, to his more extrovert voice. It's not his best work, but it would have made a good track on any of his albums from this period. And Sammy Davis, Jr.'s major contribution is "Bang! Bang!," which is a delightful romp. The 2000 reissue through DCC as a gold audiophile CD (produced by Steve Hoffmann) includes bonus tracks of studio chatter and an alternate, more lyrical, moody, and pensive (and much more interesting) rendition of "My Kind of Town." ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
'The Sinatra Family Wish You a Merry Christmas'
Release Date 11/9/1999
Tracks 10
Label Artanis
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What The Critics Say
Released in 1968, The Sinatra Family Wish You a Merry Christmas is certainly a relic of its time. The cover photo alone -- picturing Frank with Nancy, Tina, and Frank Jr., all dressed in white -- is a sign of Sinatra's post-Rat Pack times, as is the music inside. Nelson Riddle seems to take Don Costa's slick, lush orchestrations as his cue for the arrangements, which rarely show the subtle grace and wit of his best work. That's not a slight to Costa, whose big orchestrations had their own charm, but it's a little unfair to go into The Sinatra Family expecting something similar to Sinatra's past glories with Riddle. Then again, the title of the record signals that this an album about personality, not music. On that level, it's pretty fun, although it's quite slight and really dated. Frank doesn't have a huge presence on the record, soloing on the two highlights, Jimmy Webb's "Whatever Happened to Christmas?" and Cahn/Styne's "The Christmas Waltz." Apart from "The Bells of Christmas," which is delivered fairly seriously, the family tracks are a lark, especially the conspicuously modern reworking of "The 12 Days of Christmas," where Daddy gets nine games of Scrabble. "I Wouldn't Trade Christmas" shares a similarly lighthearted, consciously hep tone, and it's the next best thing here. Frank Jr. apes his father a bit too enthusiastically on "Some Children See Him," while Nancy's two tracks are enjoyable but ephemeral, as are Tina's "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" and the daughters' duet "O Bambino." But so what? This wasn't meant to be substantial -- it was just a seasonal laugh for 1968. It probably was an enjoyable trifle then, and decades later, it's still an enjoyable trifle, made all the more fun because it is a pop culture artifact. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
