Cycles [Import]

Frank Sinatra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 17, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Warner Bros UK
• ASIN: B000006L3W
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #192,920 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Rain in My Heart

2. From Both Sides, Now

3. Little Green Apples

4. Pretty Colors

5. Cycles

6. Wandering

7. By the Time I Get to Phoenix

8. Moody River

9. My Way of Life

10. Gentle on My Mind

Editorial Reviews

Out of print in the U.S.! This 1968 album saw Sinatra stepping outside his comfort zone, embracing the Pop/Rock and Folk/Rock sound of the late '60s and creating an album that was most certainly created for Sinatra fans but also for a new generation of listeners that came of age during the '60s. On Cycles, Sinatra tackles Glen Campbell's 'Gentle On My Mind' and 'By The Time I Get To Phoenix', Joni Mitchell's 'Both Sides Now' and other hits of the era (including 'Little Green Apples'). A different and brave step for Sinatra and a treat for the listener. Universal. 2010. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Frank's Soft-Rock Cycle, July 25, 2005

By 

Lawrence E. LaRocco "Sinatra Fanatic" (Berwyn, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cycles (Audio CD)

"Cycles" is Frank's first serious foray into the soft rock/folk music scene in the late sixties. It is an eclectic mix of tunes ranging from "Little Green Apples" to "By The Time I Get To Phoenix". The real standout, however, is "My Way Of Life" which Frank infuses with musical passion and his instinctive feel for the emotional message and tone of the lyric. There are no classic standards here from Cole Porter or Johnny Mercer or any of the other great songwriters that Sinatra revered. This is clearly new musical territory for Frank, and he stamps each song with his own unique interpretation that makes the album work. The mood is mellow and reflective, and Don Costa's soft strings provide the perfect backdrop for Sinatra's vocals. This is not a great album compared to his incomparable body of work with Capitol and his early work with Reprise, but it is still a five-star effort. Sinatra's voice is still excellent, and his timing, phrasing, and diction are flawless. Buy it if you can find a copy, and enjoy the greatest vocalist of all time as he ventures into a new musical universe and once again demonstrates what true musical genius is.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Chairman of the Board tackles New Music in '68, August 12, 2005

By 

zombieH (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cycles (Audio CD)

Conducted by Bill Miller, and arranged by Don Costa, "Cycles" finds Sinatra tipping his hat to Joni Mitchell & some Nashville songwriters, among others. Nothing here swings, nor is it meant to.

Sinatra tears into the opening track, "Rain In My Heart," in bombastic fashion, his baritone strong. And he turns in an oddly-infectuous, nicely-phrased "From Both Sides, Now," though I wish he would have told the organist/harpsicordist to go scram. Other good tracks include a smooth, reflective "Cycles," a sincere "By the Time I Get To Phoenix," and a nicely-orchestrated, nicely sung "Gentle On My Mind."

Regretfully, "Moody River" found its way onto a Sinatra album...

Lastly, the album's cover is one of the great Sinatra shots ever. Either a dame has just broken his heart, or he's wondering why he puts up with all us clowns.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Overlooked Sinatra album provides great reflective music, August 25, 2001

By 

Dino (Scotland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cycles (Audio CD)

The mainly contemplative material that Sinatra recorded for the 1968 release of Cycles did not produce a big hit that could have drawn a larger audience to the album. It does remain one of his stronger efforts from the period. The mood is almost exclusively melancholy, livened only by a rather pointless cover of Pat Boone's Moody River, delivered in a derivative fashion by Sinatra. That aside, I still regard this as a 5 star album because there is a definite theme to the album, supported by strong melodies. Sinatra rarely attempted recognisably country music material, but his rendering of By The Time I Get To Phoenix is superb: slowed down from the Glen Campbell original, sung with great sincerity and imagination - listen to the phrasing on the line "by the time I reach Oklahoma" - completely different from any other version I've heard. Little Green Apples is equally well performed, possibly the definitive version. The album's title track can be ranked alongside other memorably reflective Sinatra songs from the late 60s including I Will Drink The Wine and Love's Been Good To Me (from Sinatra & Company and A Man Alone, other albums worth your consideration). I enjoyed this album greatly - it's not the Sinatra of Songs For Swinging Lovers, but those who appreciate Frank in ballad mode won't be disappointed.