The Best of the Capitol Years is an effective distillation of the three-disc set The Capitol Years. Featuring singles and album tracks, the disc contains a fair number of highlights from one of Sinatra's most creative periods. Although the albums really are more effective as individual works -- and, therefore, straight singles compilations would be ideal -- The Best of the Capitol Years gives a good introduction to this pivotal phase of Sinatra's career.
With his contract to Capitol Records expired in 1962, Frank Sinatra was finally able to record the music he wanted for his own label. Along with him came his three greatest arrangers: Billy May, Gordon Jenkins and Nelson Riddle. With Riddle, Sinatra recorded "Sinatra's Sinatra," the songs being re-recordings of Sinatra's greatest hits as selected by his son, Frank Jr. The two recording sessions...
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Much has been written about this Cole Porter song when books and articles are written about Frank Sinatra and Nelson Riddle. Essentially, the story goes that this was one of four songs recorded to complete the album. All of the songs including this one were written at the last minute with "Skin" being the last one as Riddle finished the orchestration in the backseat of his car which was driven ...
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"Three Coins In The Fountain" was the big hit movie of 1954 with a title song written by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Julie Styne, becoming part of the whole of this wonderful 1954 Academy Award winner. Frank Sinatra sang the title song on the soundtrack and subsequent recording and here repeats his performance with Nelson Riddle. The opening depicts the gushing of the Trevi Fountains with ...
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In late October 1955 and the rest of January 1956, Frank Sinatra and Nelson Riddle went into the Capitol Records studios to record what many consider a career enhancing recording, namely "Songs for Swingin' Lovers!" The arrangements were all extroverted, happy realizations of when love is bright and beautiful and so is the rest of the world. Things can't get any better than with a rousing versi...
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The 1957 biography picture of comedian Joey Lewis, "All the Way," found Frank Sinatra the right property to showcase his new found style. Lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jimmy Van Heusen wrote this marvelous tune about the memorable qualities of a true love. Once again, Nelson Riddle turns in a masterful re-arranging of his own chart, substituting a big band instrumental break with that of a p...
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"The Lady Is A Tramp" was bumped from the original album and replaced with "No One Ever Tells You" which had been recorded several months earlier. It was not put back onto the album until the CD era where both songs were included with the album. The song itself comes from that song filled stage musical "Babes in Arms" of 1937 with honors going to lyricist Lorenz Hart and composer Richard Rodger...
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"Witchcraft" was written especially for Frank Sinatra in 1957 by the husband and wife team of Carolyn Leigh (lyrics) and Cy Coleman (music). The lyrics showcase the gentle spell a woman weaves on a man of her choosing and its delightful influence on his mind and emotions. This is the second recording, the first was in 1957. By far this is the best version which includes Sinatra's ad-libbed "You...
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As a total contrast to their "Only the Lonely," Frank Sinatra and Nelson Riddle came up with a great album where the emphasis outwardly was on ballads in an optimistic mood for adults. Each ballad save one served as a special showcase for a soloist, the soloists being George Roberts (bass trombone), Plas Johnson (tenor sax), or Don Fagerquist (trumpet). The sessions were held on March 1, 2, 3 a...
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Mr. Musikfriend has been on a pop standard posting kinda mood lately, posting successive Sinatra tunes with some interesting backstory on most to enlighten this fan. When you live in Las Vegas, the myth of Sinatra and the Rat Pack looms large, and I was not immune to it while living there. This song in particular sticks with me, and hearing the trombone break out midway always kills me. And t...
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They make life so simple!Suddenly, I'm smokin' which is pretty cool. Must be a new look at logarithms - which is way beyond my pinhead...I got lost when a+b=c in about grade 9.[1]I'm back to chillin' - oh, well...Next thing I need to figure out is 1- connecting with more people and getting on trusted lists, 2 - spreading the MOG vibe, and 3 - posting something from youTube. obviously, I figure...
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My entire adult life i have been looking forward to this trip, ever since that movie, "What Women Want" came out. I used to daydream about crowded sidewalks, everyone brushing past eachother someone occasionally darting into a bright yellow cab and zipping off into the maze of streets that makes up downtown. Suave businessmen buried in the pages of the Wal Street Journal. Rain drizzling down fr...
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 "The Best of the Capitol Years")
