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Frank Sinatra - The Capitol Years
CD DetailsArtist: Frank Sinatra Edition: Music CD Audio: English (Original Language) Format: Box set CD Release Date: 1990-12-13 Music Label: Capitol Soundtracks: Music CD 1- I've Got The World On A String
- Lean Baby
- I Love You
- South Of The Border
- From Here To Eternity
- They Can't Take That Away From Me
- I Get A Kick Out Of You
- Young At Heart
- Three Coins In The Fountain
- All Of Me
- Taking A Chance On Love
- Someone To Watch Over Me
- What Is This Thing Called Love
- In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
- Learnin' The Blues
- Our Town
- Love And Marriage
- (Love Is) The Tender Trap
- Weep They Will
- I Thought About You
- You Make Me Feel So Young
- Memories Of You
- I've Got You Under My Skin
- Too Marvelous For Words
- Don't Like Goodbyes
- (How Little It Matters) How Little We Know
Music CD 2- Hey! Jealous Lover
- You're Sensational
- Cose To You
- Stars Fell On Alabama
- I Got Plenty Of Nothing
- I Wish I Were In Love Again
- The Lady Is A Tramp
- Night And Day
- The Lonesome Road
- If I Had You
- Where Are You
- I'm A Fool To Want You
- Witchcraft
- Something Wonderful Happens In Summer
- All The Way
- Chicago
- Let's Get Away From It All
- Autumn In New York
- Come Fly With Me
- Everybody Loves Somebody
- It's The Same Old Dream
- Put Your Dreams Away
- Here Goes
- Angel Eyes
Music CD 3- Ebb Tide
- Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
- Only The Lonely
- One For My Baby
- To Love And Be Loved
- I Couldn't Care Less
- The Song Is You
- Just In Time
- Saturday Night Is The Loneliest Night
- Come Dance With Me
- French Foreign Legion
- The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else
- Here's That Rainy Day
- High Hopes
- When No One Cares
- I'll Never Smile Again
- I've Got A Crush On You
- Embraceable You
- Nice 'N' Easy
- I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
- On The Sunny Side Of The Street
- I've Heard That Song Before
- Almost Like Being In Love
- I'll Be Seeing You
- I Got A Right To Sing The Blues
Music reviews of The Capitol YearsMusic Review: Brilliantly Executed Sinatra Collection Is A Must Have For All Fans Rating: 5 Stars
Anyone who doubts the assertion that Frank Sinatra was at his artistic peak during his Capitol years need to simply purchase this three cd compilation of his best recordings from the label. From start to finish, every song on this album is pure brilliance, from Frank's flawless breath control and phrasing techniques to the superbly crafted musical arrangements by such great geniuses as Nelson Riddle, Billy May and Gordon Jenkins to the wonderful melod and lyrics composed by giants such as Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Huesen and many other geniuses of the field.
Disc 1 begins with the timeless, boastful swagger of "I've Got The World On A String", and boasts other timeless classics such as "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "Young At Heart", "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning", "Learnin' The Blues", "Love And Marriage", "(Love Is) The Tender Trap", "You Make Me Feel So Young" and "I've Got You Under My Skin", as well as lesser known gems such as "South Of The Border" (with a brilliant arrangement by Billy May), "Taking A Chance On Love", and "I Thought About You" that more than hold solid ground against the familliar favorites.
Despite still being fairly early in his career, Frank's trademark diction skills and breath control have already been perfected. Listen to the way he digs into every emotion professed in "I've Got You Under My Skin", latching onto each syllable as if he were saying his last words. Frank's versatility as a vocalist is also on full display, as his songs manage to cover a range of emotions more vast than any other singer in history. He captures the true joy of romance on "You Make Me Feel So Young" and "(How Little It Matters) How Little We Know", the feeling of loss and anguish on "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning", the hope of love being found on "Three Coins In The Fountain" (which boasts one of Mr. Riddle's finest arrangements), and a welcome sense of acceptance on ""Our Town".
One track that needs to be singled out among this great list of classics is Frank's unforgettable 1954 rendition of "Someone To Watch Over Me". This is a song recorded numerous times by nearly hundreds of artists, but this is by far the definitive version. With its pensive trumpet, distant strings and Frank's longing, caressing vocal performance, this beautiful classic has never sounded better.
Disc 2 is where the magic really began. As far as I'm concerned, Frank was at his absolute peak between 1957 and 1959. Frank fired off a string of consistantly excellent albums, such as "A Swingin' Affair", "Come Fly With Me" and "Sings For Only The Lonely", highlighted by timeless gems as "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Witchcraft", "All The Way" and "Come Fly With Me", all of which are regardless as some of the best as well as most popular songs in Frank's whole catalogue. Once again, lesser known gems like the playful "I Wish I Were In Love Again", the longing "I'm A Fool To Want You", the gorgeous "Something Wonderful Happens In Summer" and the blissful "Here Goes".
As with Disc 1, Disc 2 has a solid, inarguable highlight for me. This would be the gorgeous "It's The Same Old Dream". Beginning with swirling strings and a tolling bell, this lovely ballad quickly eases into a lilting Nelson Riddle arrangment and Frank's somber, hearttugging vocal as he conveys the longing nature of the song. This is a brilliant recordings and one of my favorite Ol' Blue Eyes recordings of all time.
Disc 3 begins with Frank's achingly beautiful rendition of "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry". This disc has a heavy emphasis on ballads compared to the first two discs. Not this is a bad thing, since songs such as "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)" (presented here in a stunning demo version), "Here's That Rainy Day" and a bonechilling "I'll Never Smile Again" rank among Frank's finest recordings.
This disc is not a total downer, however. 1959's swingin' "Come Dance With Me" album is represented by four tracks, including its finger-snappin' title track and blistering versions of "The Song Is You" and "Saturday Night Is The Loneliest Night". 1960's "Nice N' Easy" gets fair treatment as well, with its effervescent title tune as well as tender renderings of "I've Got A Crush On You" and "Embraceable You".
Closing the disc is Frank's final song recorded for Capitol, "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues". Frank does not leave with a whimper. This was a truly a great way to end his tenure from his best label.
The accompanying booklet is truly a gem. Beginning with a lovely intro by daughter Nancy, Pete Klein and Will Freidwald each dissect Frank's appeal and legend, while Klein and Ric Ross give an excellent track analysis of each of the featured songs.
The sound quality on this cd is one of the few complaints I have. Because this cd was issued in 1990, and the technology of sound remastering had not yet reached the sonic peaks it has today, the cds do not sound as if they are as a big an improvement over the original recordings as they should be. This is especially true for Disc 1 and everything before "Witchcraft" on Disc 2. However, if you have a great sound system or top notch pair of head phones, this won't be too much of a problem.
My other complaint is that there are some great songs missing. The one that stands out most for me would be Frank's widely acclaimed and absolutely gorgeous rendition of "When Your Lover Has Gone" from the "In The Wee Small Hours" album. Also, "It Happened In Monterey" from "Songs For Swingin' Lovers" missed the cut for some unexplained reason, as did the marvelous "Oh! Look At Me Now", the swinging "Can I Steal A Little Love" and the stunning "None But The Lonely Heart".
But overall, these omissions do not hurt the quality of the album overall.
This collection is from start to finish an excellent compilation of what are truly Frank's best recordings from his best years. This is one album that belongs in everyone's recording collection. A must have in every sense of the word.
More The Capitol Years free music reviews: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Description of The Capitol Years Franks Sinatra Photos More from Ole Blue Eyes  Classic Sinatra |  In the Wee Small Hours |  Nice-n-Easy |  Romance: Songs From the Heart |  Songs for Swingin? Lovers |  Come Fly with Me | Including Sinatra's finest recordings from the most consistently accomplished era of his career, The Capitol Years includes three discs and 75 songs worth of swinging standards and bittersweet saloon pop, the music Sinatra made after his career and personal life had crashed and singing was all he had left. His masterful baritone and remarkable phrasing here work in perfect combination with arrangements that swing and swell to the heartbeat of loves lost and found. It is these performances for which Sinatra will be forever remembered, for surely, no one has ever created music more beautiful than this. --David Cantwell
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