Customer Reviews

Frank Sinatra - Greatest Hits, Vol. 2

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

And most of the other reviewers seem to agree. "Cycles" is again Frank as "everyman", though it's hard to think he "got fired" from any job. "Love's Been Good to Me" is the other,a wistful look at a man who is probably alone,but looking back at past loves and travels.Both belong in the ultra Sinatra collection."My Way" ,okay maybe it helps sell the album. "A Man Alone" also very fine,but on the big Reprise collection. "Star" reasonable enough,and hard to find elsewhere. "Sept of my Years" an all-time misty eyed nostalgic beauty,available on many Reprise collections. The rest is mainly forgettable,especially "Going Out of My Head",another big hit of the time (Was it Dionne Warwick?),which seems embarrassing today. But yes,a treasure, if only for the first two terrific rarities.

Some critics say that "She Shot Me Down" or "Only the Lonely" or "No One Cares" are Sinatra's really "sad" albums. However, I beg to differ. Listen to this album if you want to hear sad. Maybe not sad in the traditional sort of way. I think some of Sinatra's other blue albums become bogged down in technique or trying too hard to be sad. With this album, the compilers have unwittingly gathered a collection that my girlfriend says is too sad to listen to. Is it the age? the maturity? the knowledge and pain Sinatra brings to these songs? I don't know, but the one Sinatra song guaranteed to bring tears to my eyes is "Cycles". Add this one to your collection and see if you can find your life in these lyrics.

This album covered the short period from the release of Frank Sinatra's first Reprise Greatest Hits album to his short-lived 1971 retirement. There's much to muddle through here: the revered version of "My Way," the lesser version of "Something" (which he did much better w/Nelson Riddle on "Trilogy") some movie songs and his strange but lovely version of Joe Raposo's "Bein' Green." But then you get to "Cycles," originally the title track of an album of 60s covers. This song, featuring a piano fill which recalls Floyd Cramer, sports the sad, resilient elegance of his 50s blue concept masterpieces like "Only The Lonely." When Sinatra sang, "So I'll keep on trying to sing, but please...just don't ask...me now." it carried a bit more resonance in light of what had occurred but months before.

I bought this album for two songs: CYCLES (which was a top 40 single, GOLD album) and LOVE'S BEEN GOOD TO ME (the album it was on hit TOP 40). Besides those two, MY WAY and SEPTEMBER OF MY YEARS the rest is commercial stuff.

Buy this CD if it's on sale ..., otherwise don't waste the money.

If you think you have never heard of some of these songs because the title is not familiar, that's because this collection has been (rightfully) forgotten. If you are an occasional Sinatra listener (shame on you, by the way) looking for a Sinatra collection because you do not want to invest a small fortune for original albums on CD, look elsewhere. There is only one essential song here, which is "My Way," which can be found on "Sinatra Reprise: The Very Good Years." The remaining ten songs are quite good, but would probably appeal only to his biggest fans. (Only a Sinatra fan would take his version of Kermit the Frog's "Bein' Green" seriously) If you are a Sinatra fan (congratulations, by the way), you will likely purchase the individual albums on CD. Whatever your category, there isn't really any reason to purchase this CD. It isn't digitally mastered and the running time is short, as if you need more reasons to not purchase this. Despite my preceding negative review, I must also say that it is better to have even an inferior Sinatra CD than no Sinatra CD at all.

There are many fine Frank tunes on this CD..."Cycles," "My Way,"...but there are also a few glaring pitfalls, the worst of the bunch being his covers of "Goin' Out of my head" and "Something." Nonetheless, this is still a good collection, and a fine companion album to Greatest hits vol. 1.

Frank Sinatra was, without question, the greatest male vocalist of the 20th century and if they don't agree, you don't appreciate talent. I never get tired of "Stranger In The Night", "Summer Wind", "That's Life", "Softly As I Leave You' and "It Was A Very Good Year", I loved it when I was 10, 20, 30, 40, now 52, when I'm DEAD, I'll still love his stuff. Frank was HARDLY a saint, by any means, but what he did have was style, swagger and, when he wanted to, a certain charm that was irresistable. He was ONE OF A KIND, God Bless Him. Plus, his daughter Nancy was a fox! GET THIS CD NOW OR ELSE! Just kidding!

I love this CD. This is the second time I purchased it. I left the first one on the train while on vacation. Cannot live without it.

hi
great cd was used for background music for slide 35mm of our overseas holiday

The title of this album is misleading because most of these songs were not hits for Sinatra. "My Way," and "September of My Years," being the hits. The rest are fine covers of contemporary numbers "Goin' Out Of My Head," and "Somethin'" Sinatra surely made something out of "Something," much better than the original.

The rare recording here is "Star," I have not been able to find it anywhere else, and is probably worth the price of this album alone, I really like this song, it is very classy, very much a Sinatra song.

"Love's Been Good To Me," and "A Man Alone" are excellent songs, and Sinatra gives fine performances.

Reprise could have also included Sinatra's 1969 recording "Forget To Remember" to even out the 11-song album. The latter is a very moving performance and would have fit nicely here.

This is a good album for a new Sinatra fan.