"Let's Speed It Up, Nelson!"

"Sinatra's Swingin Session," the last up tempo album Sinatra recorded for Capitol is as muscially infectious as it gets.

Sinatra, furious at Capitol, for making him record after he had started his own label, instructed Nelson Riddle at the sessions to speed up the tempos on most of the tunes (Riddle, when asked about it many years later, still sounded annoyed).

The result is an album with many selections short enough to fit on a answering machine message.

No matter, the result is a jazz inflected romp that still holds up beautifully 44 years later.

Riddle's arrangements are brilliant and even an semi-disinterested Sinatra is better than most singers at their energetic best.

The remastered CD sounds sensational and Capitol has added some bonus tracks recorded at the same sessions, "Sentimental Baby".
"Hidden Persuasion" (a shining example of the twin geniuses of Sinatra and Riddle turning an undistingushed song into something memorable)and the ultra hip "Ol' Mac Donald".

Note--if you can get a hold of Sinatra's Australian concert of December 1961, you'll hear Sinatra perform "My Blue Heaven" in the slower tempo in which Riddle orginially devised his arrangement.

Always overlooked, unfairly

When Frank Sinatra decided to leave Capitol and start his own label (Reprise), he was disappointed to find out that, after all he had done for Capitol, they were not simply going to let him walk away. He was under contract for a few more albums, and he would have to do them. This is one of those albums, and the conventional wisdom is that, since Sinatra was so angry, his effort was a half-hearted one at best. And such may actually be true; but I differ greatly from the serious Sinatra-philes on this album, in that I think it is great fun to listen to. It doesn't try for the profound, but perhaps that is a tribute to Sinatra (and Riddle's) greatness--a "workman-like" performance is still better than most others best. And I STILL contend this is damn good fun! I have always enjoyed WHEN YOU'RE SMILIN', IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOU, PAPER MOON and BLUE HEAVEN...where exactly do these songs fall short? I remember reading once that someone said, "Look at how short the songs are on this album...he wasn't even trying." Some of Frank's best work has been songs barely 2:30 in length. Since when did that become a yardstick? (One of my favorite versions of "TOO MARVELOUS FOR WORDS" isn't even 2 minutes long!) If you are interested in a song that is clever and entertaining, albeit perhaps slightly politically incorrect, "OL' MacDONALD" would be that tune. (Yes, it's THAT "Ol' MacDonald"...with the farm, but this one has a classic, amusing Sinatra twist, and the tune really swings!) All in all, like the cheese, ultimately I stand alone on this, evidently, because conventional wisdom says this is not Sinatra at his most committed. Perhaps, but I say, if you like his uptempo stuff (especially with Riddle) this not only won't disappoint you, you'll be pleased indeed. This is a fun album! (Take that, you Sinatra snobs...I'm going to listen to it right now!!!)

Sinatra and Riddle Finally Cut Loose...Lucky For Us!

This was the shortest of all the full-length LPs Sinatra cut for Capitol, for one simple reason: Sinatra called for faster tempos on most of the numbers than Riddle's original charts. In a couple of cases, this trimmed the running times to under two minutes, but artistically, the results are intoxicating! In contrast to the more urbane and measured approach to swing in their landmark efforts "Songs for Swinging Lovers" and "A Swingin' Affair!" Sinatra goes for (and achieves) results that are pure and unrestrained celebrations of swing. Tracks such as "My Blue Heaven" and "Should I?" tempt one to "cut a rug" on the spot. New life is also breathed into such old standards as the lilting "Always" and "When You're Smiling," both given bracing treatments here. Two of the more relaxed efforts of the album are amongst the best on record: "Blue Moon" is beautifully delivered with just the right combination of romantic warmth and forward thrust, while "September in the Rain" captures the nostalgic air of a stroll down memory lane, a tinge of bitter-sweetness offsets the steady rolling tempo ideally. The three bonus tracks not on the original album (but recorded in the same sessions) add some welcome volume to the package, but aren't vital to the enjoyment of this gem. This is one of the lesser-known issues of the Sinatra catalog with Capitol, but is one of the half-dozen best collections he recorded in this period, and given the uniformly stellar quality of most of his recordings with Capitol, this is saying something indeed.

The Title Says it all!

Some people say that the 1960s began in 1960, while others argue -- legitimately -- that 1960 was just the last year of the '50s. I used to side with the former, but after hearing this album, I'm now inclined to side with the latter. Why? Because Sinatra's recording on this album retain that vigor heard on many of his 'swingy' cuts on Capitol from the '50s. In short, the recordings have just as much energy as any of his stuff throughout his Capitol years. Yes, I know, most of his early '60s stuff was more slow-tempoed, as is evident on his albums "Nice 'N' Easy" and especially "Point of No Return." While those are good albums in their own right, this one has more vigor this is in accordance with the swagger that accompanies the very mentioning of Sinatra's name. Needless to say, it's highly recommended! Furthermore, the picture on the front of the album can't be beat!