Great Great Music

I am one of a very few who do not particularly care for Sinatra's work with Columbia, Reprise and such. My favorite Sinatra is the music he made with The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra from 1940 - 1942 (See "The Song is You" boxed set). I also love the first recordings that Frank made in 1939 with The Harry James Orchestra (also available on disc). However, the material on this cd is beautiful. It is a wonderful bridge between Frank with Tommy Dorsey and the Frank Sinatra that is mostly played on radio. This collection is obviously historic for it features songs that Frank would never record again (with the exception of one or two). It is also historic in the fact that these recordings were not meant for the public. They were part of special albums that were shipped to our service men and women overseas, so, for the first time in over 50 years these recordings are for public consumption. I would advise any Sinatra fan -- casual or serious -- or any collector of war era music to get this collection.

Surprise: this is essential!

A collection of the fifty or so V-disc recordings Sinatra made at Columbia Records doesn't seem like it should be at the top of anyone's list. But look again! This two disc set actually fills in a major gap in Sinatra's career. You see, when Frankie went solo, and left Tommy Dorsey's band, the American Federation of Musicians was on strike. So even though Sinatra had a contract with Columbia, he really couldn't record anything for almost a year-- until the middle of 1944. He did record nine songs with an a cappella choir, but these Stordahl-less attempts aren't his best stuff. And, at the time, Sinatra's voice was in peak form. So it's a thrill to hear him on these V-disc recordings, where he was allowed to use strings. That means we get the definitive treatment of classics like "I Couldn't Sleep A Wink Last Night" and "A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening," both from the movie "Higher and Higher." And, at last, we hear the young Sinatra with gorgeous strings on "Close To You," the first song he recorded commercially for Columbia. We also hear songs Sinatra did not record commercially for Columbia: "There'll Be A Hot Time In The Town Of Berlin" (written for Frank, but "stolen" by Bing when Decca settled with the striking musicians first), a sweet and slow version of "The Way You Look Tonight" (which he would later swing with Riddle at Reprise), Johnny Mercer's "My Shining Hour" (not revisited until 1979), and "Come Rain Or Come Shine" (which Sinatra and Costa would put the definitive stamp on in 1961). And we find some amazing treasures in the songs Frank *never* recorded commercially-- "Speak Low," a haunting, lovely tune, "Some Other Time," "Long Ago and Far Away," "And Then You Kissed Me," "You've Got A Hold On Me." These are all first-rate ballads, and Sinatra's voice was never so deliciously smooth and beautiful. Some of the tracks fade out a little soon, because they're taken from live airchecks, and quite a few only last a minute or so. But that's really not a problem. In addition to these stunning ballads, we hear some fun up-tempo numbers like "Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are" (Frank never sounded so cute), Bing's "Aren't You Glad You're You" (that almost beats out the Old Groaner!) and a parody of "Sunday, Monday or Always" where Sinatra pokes fun at Bing, Perry Como, Dick Haymes and a forgotten crooner named Dick Todd. Funny stuff (of Bing, Frank says, "I'll grant that he's got voice, if he grants that I've got hair"). Bob Hope introduces Frank on one track, and Sinatra talks to the soldiers at the beginning and in other places. So it's a relaxed, nostalgic journey-- with a great essay by Will Friedwald and plenty of excellent photos. To hear the young Sinatra at his best, grab this fabulous box!

V as in "Voice"

Sinatra still has detractors who, whatever their actual reasons, choose to impugn his vocal quality. But more disturbing are the Sinatra defenders who casually accept and dismiss criticisms of the voice, insisting that phrasing and emotion are what count. In a way, they're right, but the sum effect is regrettable if Old Blue's singing comes to be seen as all about "attitude" rather than vocal production.

If any one has doubts about the quality of his instrument, listen to "If You Are But a Dream"--or better yet, "Where Is My Bess." Both are all-out, impassioned performances in which nothing can be held back or covered up. The musical weight is entirely on the quality of that "bel canto" voice and the forcefulness of its underlying breath stream. Even Caruso and Pavarotti would have to stand back.