Most of you probably figured that it was just a matter of time for Ole Blue Eyes to be AOTW. Well, you were correct. Thoughts on the man:1. I didn't discover Sinatra until university, but when I did, there was no going back. The first album I had was the Best of the Capitol Years. A very solid compilation with favorites like New York New York, Summer Wind, All or Nothing at All, The Way You Look Tonight, etc. This said, it was when I saw footage of the Rat Pack on stage that I realized how amazingly talented those guys were...and leading the way was Frank.
2. When thinking about Sinatra and his career, most focus on the persona, or public personality, that was created. In fact, everything we know about him says that Sinatra wanted it this way, as he was extremely private and protective about his personal life(especially after that whole divorce and Ava Gardner thing). Yet, something must be said about the sheer talent of the man. His career traversed five decades, and for four of them, he remained a standard for artistic creation. Among his other accomplishments, his greatest contribution, as far as I can see, was his making the standard a personal experience for the masses.
3. If one is looking for the Frank Sinatra album, look no further than Sinatra: Live at the Sands, 1966. It is a live show in Vegas with the Count Basie Orchestra and a 21 year old Quincy Jones as the conductor. Simply, Frank at his finest. The clip found below is the studio recording of my favorite Sinatra song One for my baby, One for the Road. On the Sands album this song is the highlight, and one gets the feeling that Sinatra was singing from a place that he rarely showed the public(his marriage to Mia Farrow had just ended). The studio recording is a bit sterile by comparison, but is still very good. Ladies and Gentlemen....The Chairman of the Board.
1 comment:
My Sirius is starting a Sinatra channel tomorrow...nice.
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