Customer Reviews

Everything Happens to Me

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I looked at the song titles and thought: "Hmm . . . I have most of these already. Wonder if there's another reason to buy this compilation?" As it turns out, yes indeed there is! For new Sinatra fans I'd make this CD my second purchase, after "The Very Best" double-CD collection. It's that good, that important.

Start with the fact that each song (and its exact sequence on the CD) was selected by Sinatra himself. More precious still, are his last words to us (literally) on the subject of his greatest accomplishment. He wrote the most interesting liner notes for this 1996 release, (see excerpt below) shedding light on the importance he placed on loyalty to those who love you, singling out one particular friend you may never have heard of (I hadn't).

Tina Sinatra, who contributed more than half the wonderful liner notes, identified her father's paramount virtue Loyalty (as distinct from `faithfulness') in her bittersweet book, "My Father's Daughter: A Memoir" (Simon & Schuster 2000). I now highly recommend that book. I read it at one sitting, for the first time last night---frequently overcome with emotion, and taking a break long enough to listen again, with deeper understanding, to the songs on this collection.

In the CD liner notes Tina relates how father and daughter, on a summer's day at the Sinatra's Malibu beach residence (mid-July 1995) "walked along the sand dunes, and counted stars on a moonless night." Then they got down to the business of reviewing his entire, 450-song Reprise catalog. The next day her father came up with this list of 19 all-time, personal favorites. "I was relieved" Tina tells us "each time Dad passed over the more obvious choice (in favor of) the more obscure. After all, this was to be more than another greatest hits album . . . and it is."

Examples? Well, who among those of us who consider ourselves musically literate (thanks in large part to Sinatra himself) would ever have picked Lennon & McCartney's "Yesterday" over Jerome Kern's "Yesterdays"? Really, put up your hand if you'd ever have guessed the Beatles' tune would be Frank's own pick for better material? And when you listen to this recording of February 20, 1969 (his last great singing year?) you realize how much the singer appreciated arranger Don Costa, who helped him transform one of the lesser `standards' of the last century into a `silk purse' of such beauty. (It's been decades since McCartney's "Yesterday" surpassed Hoagy's "Stardust" as the most recorded song in history, and you find yourself wondering whether the surviving co-author ever heard a better rendition of his best song? (Wish that left-handed bass player would volunteer an opinion.)

Just as revealing is Sinatra's choice of all-time favorite arrangements: He recorded "If I had You" for example, three or four times, but this was his all-time favorite version. Arranged and conducted by Robert Farnon, on the night of June 12, 1962, this was the `second take' of the first song recorded during the first of three nights of their unique studio session in London, for the "Great Songs from Great Britain" album. When the piano broke down for Bill Miller during the first take, Sinatra asked: "Have we got another piano? No? Okay then we'll do it on the celeste." The result (if you're like me) could be your surprise favorite of this entire CD---although true fans will treasure every selection here, knowing these 19 were his absolute favorites. An interesting sidebar for those who care about such things: Nelson Riddle accounted for four of these arrangements; Claus Ogerman did three and Gordon Jenkins two; Bob Farnon, Billy May and Torrie Zito, one apiece; Don Costa took the podium seven times. (Is the singer telling us something?)

"Everything Happens to Me" was the perfect choice for album title, as this 1981 version of the Tom Adair/Matt Dennis classic-of-the-same-name, (with Gordon Jenkins conducting) could never have been done with such feeling during his younger days. The pure vocal skills may be less at age 66, but then the older interpretive genius really brings `gravitas' (as the Latins call it) to updated lyrics like these: "but pal you don't find rainbows in the bottom of a glass." And only an older and wiser man could deliver that believable blend of irony and humor dripping from the penultimate words: "(I) telegraphed and phoned, I sent an air mail special too, your answer was goodbye, and there was even (pause) ----postage due."

"My singing career" (to quote from his own notes) "really began with two-dollar vocal lessons from John Quinlan, a crusty, Irish drunk who agreed to work with this skinny dago. His operatic training and knowledge of the human throat have guided me for sixty years. I owe him more than I can ever say. To this day, before EVERY performance, I use his vocal exercises to warm up, like a runner stretches, and I think of his lectures on respecting this delicate instrument: "Abuse it and you'll lose it!" Whenever I have neglected his advice, I've always paid a big price. If I was in pain, I would call Quinlan and John would mutter, "Shut up"----he knew his business.

"Just as simple and direct was his advice about material: `You can't sing what you don't understand.' All of us start out trying to sing like Crosby or Jolson, older and more experienced in life's struggles. So, `Stormy Weather' really didn't hit for me until later. You get the picture. But I learned fast and emotionally graduated to the songs of love, loss joy and despair, expertly conveyed by the best lyricists and songwriters in the world. These are the songs of the soul. These are my songs."

(Now, can anyone think of a higher recommendation for buying this CD?)

This is a very special CD, as the songs to go on this collection were picked by THE MAN himself. In the liner notes, he implies that these songs are the way he felt about his life - his personal take on the great body of work by Sinatra. This is a Reprise collection - therefore, it covers songs from about 1961 to 1981. There's no New York, New York here, or swingin' Sinatra - this is the introspective music of a complex man. I have over 100 Sinatra CDs, and because of the inclusion

of some GREAT lesser known songs, and the song selection and sequence, it is one of my favorites. If you want to hear rich, warm music that means something and will reach your emotions, this is an excellent Sinatra CD for that (well, they ALL are...), but it is extra special because he selected the tracks in 1995 or 96, and this is really is own personal last word musically.

Sinatra, in his later years, still had his great ear, if not the pipes, and he could pick his best work from 35 years of ballads recorded on Reprise. Like so many other Sinatra fans who will buy this CD, I have most of the recordings scattered here and there, but I wanted a new CD, new Sinatra packaging, and a new arranged ordering of songs the chairman made his own the minute he recorded them. Example: The Second Time Around was a Crosby song from a movie called "High Time," in 1960, but it became a charted hit for FS when he released it--the definitive version of this song. Pretty much ditto for the others. Liner notes include dates and locales for all recordings, and interesting introductory writing by Tina, describing how in 1995 her father went about selecting songs for this particular collection. The result is a wonderful album and maybe the last in which FS himself had input in music choices. Put this wonderful CD on the player, grab a drink, put your feet up, and be reminded why he was the greatest popular singer of the 20th century.

Frank Sinatra's music can be incredibly difficult to review. There are so many wonderful things to potentially say about it that your mind goes into a dizzy spell when determining what exactly to put down in printed word.

The 19 songs on "Everything Happens To Me" are no exception. These tracks were chosen personally by The Master himself in the summer of 1996, when he was approached his favorite tracks from his days at Reprise, the record label he founded in 1960. Every song on here is the ultimate in pop music, 19 songs that define music as in art form, sung by its Picasso.

Sinatra weaves 19 tales of love and loss like no other. The delicacy of his phrasing and the beauty of his breath control are second to none. Frank lives his songs rather than merely sings them. He performs them in such a convincing and personal manner that the most apt comparison would be to a skilled Shakespearean actor who sets his performances to music. Frank Sinatra does not merely emit words from his throat when he sings. He pours them out of his soul.

Whether it is a song of uninhibited heartbreak or regret ("The Gal That Got Away / It Never Entered My Mind", "Everything Happens To Me", "Once I Loved", "If You Go Away", "Yesterday" (one of the best Beatles covers ever), "I'll Only Miss Her When I Think Of Her", "How Insensitive", "Didn't We"), bittersweet nostalgia ("Once Upon A Time", "Summer Wind", "Drinking Again"), romantic longing ("If I Had You", "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?", "More Than You Know"), or sheer romantic splendor ("The Second Time Around", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "I Hadn't Anyone 'Til You", "All My Tomorrows", "Put Your Dreams Away"), each song is sung by a man who understands his material, a man who's lived it, experienced it, in good times and bad, doing it his way through it all.

The liner notes (not to mention the cover art, with the best picture of Frank ever) are lovely and atmospheric, and this cd is overall an utter must-have.

This cd is a sophisticated tender compilation of Frank's greatest musical Valentines. The selection and grouping is perfection."Once Upon a Time" gets a great reading here.The selections couldn't be more romantic and tender. Frank selected them and they reveal his aching soul. What a collection. Buy it and have a quiet hour to reflect...

Sinatra's Reprise recordings are usually held to be lesser than the Capitol sets, but this album has some of the most affecting songs from the later library. The best part is that these are not all the standards that appear on every other Sinatra collection, making it a wonderful collection to listen to at night.

Some tracks -- "All My Tomorrows", "Summer Wind", "The Gal Who Got Away" -- are remarkable. Sinatra sounds uncertain on "Yesterday", but the great far outweighs the "almost great".

Recommended!

Of course I gave it 5 Stars......it's SINATRA, for God's sake! And even if it is a rehash, it's still a beautiful collection of The Master's best work.....certainly low-key and sentimental, no Count Basie backing up a rousing "HOT DAMN I wish you love" on this one!

Have to admit, though, I'm a little suspicious....did Ol' Blue Eyes himself REALLY pick out these particular songs as the best cross-section of his work during the last quarter of a century? How could "It Was A Very Good Year" and "Make It One More For My Baby (and One More For the Road)" not be included? Were they too 'GARDERISH' for Barbara...or Nancy's children...to approve? Even dropping "My Way" is questionable. I had that song played at my Dad's funeral...it fit both him and Sinatra like a glove!

But what we do have...whoever actually hand-picked the numbers...is a diverse group of magnificent Sinatra classics that maybe had one major competitor..."The Gal That Got Away" (Judy, of course); "Once Upon A Time" (Brook Benton or Eddie Fisher); "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life" (Jaye P. Morgan); "Come Rain Or Come Shine" (Garland again!); "If You Go Away" (gosh, I have to choose between Damita Jo and Lana Cantrell...); "Drinking Again" (well, there was Dinah Washington...there was Bette Midler.)

But did you notice, the majority of his 'competitors' are women....'cause few, if any, male singers could hold a candle to the REAL King. And on this CD he will lay away anyone who even tries to compete on the title song, "Everything Happens To Me," plus "Once I Loved," "Summer Wind," "More Than You Know," "Yesterday," "How Insensitive," and "All My Tomorrows."

While his Tomorrow's may have run out, there were plenty of Yesterdays to keep us loving him and admiring him and paying him homage for many eras to come!

Who better to hold your hand (with pinkie ring and gold watch)and walk you through the heartache in slim leather Ballys than Frank? This later-careeer collection of some of Sinatra's most emotive tunes is number one for nursing that Scotch & tears. And if you don't find yourself making a new answering machine message using bits of "Drinking Again," you must really not be hurting.

It is a pity this album is out of print, it was such a good collection. The only real bum song on it is "Yesterday" (he really had no idea how to sing this kind of music). And unlike a lot of other albums it is not puffed up with his egocentricity -- actually there's a kind of humiliated streak running through a lot of the songs (see the cover for evidence), which suits him much better than the other persona. It is very reflective, moody and quiet: it is the only Sinatra album I play over and over again. Except perhaps for the Capitol hits, but those are for a different, jazzier, mood.

Well, as the liner notes day, Sinatra picked these songs late in his life for a "favorites" album. It's hard to define what made Sinatra so memorable. He prospered and endured slumps, performing almost to the end. His difficult-to-emulate timing and breath control, his excellent enunciation, his ease in front of an audience and his command of a big band, and his superb ability to act a song, all contributed to his reputation. But for me, it was his ability to reach out to his audience in a ballad, even on a record (remember those), that certain tenderness, each note gently caressed before it was finally released, that made him the greatest popular singer of the 20th century.

"If You Go Away" is an example of this, Frank almost going below his range, but bringing off the song brilliantly, almost choking with emotion with the line "leave me just enough love". It's hard to imagine anyone doing the song as well, as is so often the case with a Sinatra cover.

A great album for a blue evening. My favorites are "Drinking Again", "If You Go Away", and "Once Upon A Time", the last being the truly definitive cover of that song. Great duet with Tom Jobim on Jobim's "How Insensitive" (Insensatez). Lots of jewels from a magnificent career.