Well, here it is. The official start of the most expensive task of my life. One hundred CD's. All bought. All listened. Here's the first. Number one hundred on Rolling Stone's hallowed (if a bit hapless) list is the very excellent
In the Wee Small Hours, by Mr. Sinatra. I'm not gonna lie, this is an amazing album. It was released in 1955, only a few years after the introduction of the LP record. (Although coming about more like '48, the LP took a while to take off) Of course, artists were at a loss, tihs was new and different, and all they had known were singles--disjointed collections of songs in a bulky portfolio they called an album. But of course, Sinatra's bad ass comes along and blows that to all hell and back. He was like. "Well, why don't we try making an album with a bunch of songs with similar instrumentation, similar ambience, and similar mood, put 'em together and make a coherent record?"Which is exactly what he did.
In the Wee Small Hours is a poignant introspective mix of melancholy sorrow amidst contemplations of loneliness, and loss. You can hear the sadness in his voice. That deep lounge croon. It's beautiful.These songs are some of the best Sinatra recordings I've ever heard. Extremely powerful. Definitely pick it up. It's gorgeous to be able to see how things were coming together in the early days of music. To see how artists were experimenting with the new technology they were faced with.My decision?Yea, it belongs on this list. It passes the test.
A-ok.
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