Comments on: Classic Sinatra

By: Jon Warshawsky "Sinatra Guru"

Jon Warshawsky "Sinatra Guru" — Sun, 21 Jul 2013 08:50:15 +0000

Nice repackaging of classic Sinatra tunes… There is probably no way that anyone can take 20 songs from Sinatra’s Capitol years and NOT come up with a five-star album. That said, this is one of the better Best of packages, and I would recommend it to anyone who has not already bought the Best of the Capitol Years or, better still, the original concept albums. Songs like It Happened in Monterey and Put Your Dreams Away are more imaginative and deserving selections than those on the numerous other Capitol Sinatra compilations. This set also earns high marks for original recordings, avoiding the awful studio-engineered duet trap that marred the otherwise okay Sinatra 80th 2-CD set.

By: Ben Alba

Ben Alba — Sun, 21 Jul 2013 08:30:44 +0000

At the Top of His Game I came of age musically in the 1970s, which is when I first became acquainted with Frank Sinatra. By this time, his voice had long been in decline, and he was experimenting with questionable contemporary material like “It’s Not Easy Being Green” and that hideous disco version of “Night and Day.” I did like him then, but he sounded tired bellowing his way through latter-day concert versions of his 1950s-era hits. Yes, he sang as if he had lived his songs, but I still wondered why his longtime fans consistently used superlatives to describe him.

By: Lawrance M. Bernabo

Lawrance M. Bernabo — Sun, 21 Jul 2013 08:22:26 +0000

Remastering some of the best of Sinatra’s Fifties songs First, kudos to Bob Norberg for his great job of remastering the twenty songs collected on “Classic Sinatra.” I rarely notice the quality of recordings when I listen to them, so if I actually sit up and pay attention to the crisp clarity of these classic recordings then you know they have to be pretty good. This 2000 collection is one of the albums in the running for the title of the best one-disc compilation covering Sinatra’s Capitol period (1953-1960). With the music arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle, these are songs that reflect the period when Sinatra cemented his reputation as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century (I have no problem with handing him the top spot, but enjoy friendly debate).