Superb Sinatra Program & at a very attrative price

"Sinatra's Sinatra" is a superb CD. The songs for this album were selected by "Mr. S" himself. These Reprise-era versions generally surpass the versions that Sinatra recorded for Capitol. The songs are elegantly arranged by Nelson Riddle. This CD can also be paired with "Sinatra Reprise: The Very Good Years". Together, these two CDs provide a very good intro/overview to Sinatra's best during the Reprise years.

Special listening tip: Like some other Sinatra albums, this is a CD best listened to in the evening hours. The song selection provides a very relaxing listen especially after a rough day at work.

You won't be disappointed! Extra bonus: This CD is very reasonably priced. Grab it while you can.

Underrated (4.5 stars, really)

Contrary to popular belief (it seems, going by the other reviews), I think many of the re-recorded versions are superior or very close to the originals. "I've Got You Under My Skin" is much like the original (and every bit as good, I say). The only glaring difference is FS's substitution of "baby, I know damn well" for "know so well". "Wee Small Hours" is softened a little, but still very good. "Oh! What It Seemed to Be" is a beautiful song that BADLY needed a modern update from the 1945 Columbia version, which seems dull in comparison.

The new "Nancy" is great with the new lyric, but FS did even better with the song in 1977 (I think) with a "One for My Baby"-esque arrangement showcasing Bill Miller. "All the Way" is great as well. "How Little It Matters" and "Witchcraft" top the Capitol single versions with sped-up arrangements. And of course, "Call Me Irresponsible" is a classic. The disc spins to a close with THE BEST recording of "Put Your Dreams Away."

I give this CD 4 stars because of 2 problems: the inclusion of "Pocketful of Miracles," a children's song in which the annoying points of "High Hopes" are exaggerated by a children's chorus. Also, the revamped "Young at Heart" isn't nearly as good.

My recommendation is to get all the Capitol albums and maybe the Capitol singles collection first, then a few early Reprise albums before this one. It's still a whole lot better than ANYTHING recorded in Sinatra's godawful "Watertown" era.

Frank's greatest hits-- sort of.

At twelve tracks and only about thirty minutes of music, the brevity of this collection can be forgiven, for it is actually an original Sinatra album from 1963. The title is taken from "Picasso's Picasso" and I can see why many of these tracks might have been among Frank's favorites. Certainly the first song, Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin", was near the top of the heap. But "Pocketful of Miracles"? A cute children's number complete with children's choir, but I'm inclined to think it's the "poor man's" version of "High Hopes." "Call Me Irresponsible" also appears on a Frank album for the first time, and it very well could have been one of his favorites, with its simple yet sophisticated lyric and haunting melody. "Oh! What It Seemed to Be" is a Nelson Riddle-arranged update of the 1940s hit. And "Nancy" is also dressed up in a new Riddle arrangement with a few new lyrics ("Keep Audrey Hepburn and keep Liz Taylor/Nancy's the feature, they're just the trailer"). Sinatra's voice is showing signs of wear and tear, but he doesn't allow this to get in the way of swingin' like mad through the uptempo numbers "Skin", "Witchcraft", and "How Little We Know." Many of these songs would appear again on "A Man And His Music" from 1965, but it's nice to hear them without the stiff and sometimes corny dialogue. It's true, the original Capitol versions of "Skin", "In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning", "Young At Heart" and "All the Way" are superior, but this amounts to a greatest hits collection, with some subtle new effects from arranger Nelson Riddle, and excellent stereo sound. Plus you get the original liner notes-- the ones on Sinatra albums are always a treat to read-- and the original album cover. That makes this a better collection than some of the more recent ones. You can listen and know for a fact that Sinatra himself picked these songs and put them in this order-- closing, for instance, with his theme song "Put Your Dreams Away."