Close to You & More [Original recording remastered]

Frank Sinatra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 8, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00005UMTB
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,288 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

One of the most conceptually daring of Sinatra's Capitol albums returns to print in this 24-bit remaster. Close to You put the singer and arranger Nelson Riddle together with the Hollywood String Quartet, a small rhythm section, and guests including Sinatra regular Harry "Sweets" Edison for one of his most intimate sets. The delivery is very conversational and especially suits lyrics like "Blame It on My Youth," "I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night," and Johnny Mercer's wry "P.S. I Love You." These emotionally generous ballads are often relaxed but are no less intense for it. Three bonus tracks complete the 1956 Close sessions and include a straight-faced reading of the Bing Crosby novelty number "There's a Flaw in My Flue." A marvelous disc that both stands on its own and demonstrates the flexibility of the era's downbeat Sinatra. --Rickey Wright

Product Description

The intimate 1957 classic recorded with the Hollywood String Quartet.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the wait., February 10, 2002

By 

Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Close to You & More (Audio CD)

Why this album has been out of print for the better part of 15 years defies credibility. The album was a labor of love for Sinatra, who required 8 months and 5 recording sessions to make everything--the song selections, nuanced orchestrations, sensitive readings--just right. These are not the "suicide songs" of the better-known ballad collections such as "In the Wee Small Hours" and "Only the Lonely." The spare orchestration--usually string quartet with the addition of one other instrument, whether a French horn, clarinet, flute or oboe--complements the nuanced, ironical yet fully sincere, readings Sinatra brings to each lyric. The tunes range from the familiar ("It's Easy to Remember," "With Every Breath I Take") to the under-recorded ("Close to You") to the esoteric (Arlen/Capote's "No More Goodbyes," my personal favorite). As for "There's a Flaw in My Flue," the real gag here is that Sinatra is able to render the lyric with such persuasive emotional rhetoric that the listener doesn't know whether to laugh or cry--perhaps we just smile with deep appreciation, sensing that moments this intimate and revealing are hard to come by in American popular song. Even the best song lyrics can sound false and silly in the repertory of lesser singers, no matter how resplendent their vocal equipment. It's Sinatra's singular believability that makes these songs plus the delicate arrangements come to life, that makes them feel unbelievably close.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Frank's most unique and delicate collection., January 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Close to You & More (Audio CD)

"Close To You" is one of the few classic Capitol concept albums that has previously not been issued as a single title with 24 bit remastering (though it was available in the "Concepts" box in 24 bit). It was, however, previously available on CD and, as stated before, in the "Concepts" box. So, unless you're desperate for superior remastering, please note that the there are no additional bonus tracks on this new re-release. As for the music itself, it is, like all the Capitol albums, fantastic. It is also the most unique of the Capitol titles as it features SInatra backed by only a string quartet (the Hollywood String Quartet). The sound, as one can imagine, is much more sparse and, as a result, Frank's singing is much more delicate than on any other release of his career (with the possible exception of Reprise's "Sinatra/Jobim" album). Every selection is quite beautiful, which should not come as a surprise when one considers that Sinatra's finest arranger, Nelson Riddle, is once again at the helm. Though a ballads-only collection, the mood is a bit more upbeat and optimistic than on the doom and gloom titles "In the Wee Small Hours," "Where Are You?," "Only the Lonely," and "No One Cares." Why this particular album hasn't been as popular as it's contemporaries is beyond me - it really does feature some of Frank's best vocals (which is REALLY saying something). There's nothing else like it in the Sinatra cannon. Grab it before it goes out of print for ANOTHER decade!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Companion Piece, October 2, 2006

By 

Dion Wright (Flagstaff, AZ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Close to You & More (Audio CD)

This album is the other book-end to go with "Only the Lonely". Frank Sinatra did much, much work, but never exceeded these albums in artistic quality, i.e. addressing the human condition in universal terms, and with a maximum of un-forced feeling. Sweets Edison, of course, is the constant commentator through his muted horn who never fails to synch in with judicious sensibility and right-on sensitivity. "Close to You" equals "OTL" in nostalgic chops, but floats more serenely above the depths. In this album the depths are plainly there to contemplate, while in the other one you are IN the depths.