Customer Reviews

Nothing But The Best [The Frank Sinatra Collection]

5 star:		(76)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'll be honest. When I first heard about this cd through The Sinatra Family Forums back in February, I was ready to tear it to shreds. I thought to myself, "Frank's gone 10 years now, and they're marking the event with yet another compilation with same songs repackaged for the umpteenth time?" Even when it was announced that the songs were to be digitally remastered and a never before released bonus track was to be included, my anger and resentment towards this compilation still stuck.

However, as the release date grew nearer and I got word from several people who were able to hear it before it officially hit the market told me it was totally worth it, I slowly warmed up to it and by last week was all set on buying it.

When I received the cd this afternoon, I was extremely excited, even though I thought myself, "I heard these songs thousands of time before." The first thing that struck me was how beautiful the packaging was: the cd comes in a cardboard case with one of the best pictures of Frank ever taken. The cd's booklet is made from a elegant, smooth velvet like material and the liner notes by Charles Pignone as well as the various rare photos of Frank at work are excellent. Honestly, the packaging alone is enough to grab your attention.

But enough about the artwork. What about the music?

As stated already, my biggest concern with this collection was that I heard all these songs before. I had already received the mammoth "Complete Reprise Studio Recordings" boxed set, which had all these songs (except one) as well as over 400 additional tracks, all of which featured more than satisfactory sound quality. Still, undaunted, I popped the cd onto my Ipod and went for a listen.

Needless to say, I was blown away.

The sound quality is INCREDIBLE. To hear the opening notes of "Come Fly With Me" bristle with sharpness and clarity is in itself a major thrill, and to hear Frank's voice with such depth and range only adds to the fun.
Seriously, there were parts of certain songs I never noticed before. Listen to how beautiful the harp sounds on "Bewitched" (remastered from the original 35MM tapes) or how sharp and clear Count Basie's classic piano ticklings on the intro to "The Best Is Yet To Come" sound, or how fresh and powerful the horns on "New York, New York" blaze through the speakers. Sonically, the album is as close to flawless as humanly possible.

Furthermore, knowing that many fans would be concerned with the whole "I've heard these songs before" stigma, the producers included several little bonuses on certain songs to surprise faithful listeners:

(WARNING: If you don't me to spoil these surprises, skip this section!)

-The tag on "Come Fly With Me" has been changed from "And don't tell your momma" to another line from an alternate take, "Pack a small bag."
-Though sources say otherwise , "The Best Is Yet To Come" seems to be a different mix (possibly spliced together from another take). Listen to how Frank phrases "Come the day you're mine" on the bridge, it's different from previous releases.
-"Strangers In The Night" is extended, with a few more "Do be do be do's."

But the real surprise, however, is the never before released track. "Body And Soul," an old standad Frank first recored for Columbia in 1947, dates back to the "L.A. Is My Lady" sessions in 1984 with Quincy Jones. For whatever reason, Frank was dissatisfied with the initial take on the song, and left it off the album.

24 years later, however, Frank Sinatra Jr. dusted off Frank's vocal track, removed Jones' arrangement, and instead recorded a new orchestral backing that fits the song beautifully. Listening to this new majestic chart for the song, you'd never guess it was initially planned for the overly produced "L.A. Is My Lady" (a potential masterpiece marred by too many slick, 1980s' style production values). It sounds like it was supposed to be on "Sinatra & Strings."

And if the orchestration isn't enough, what about The Man himself? Here's Frank, in the autumn of his years, still better than anyone around, punching out a timeless stanard with the same passion and fury that permeated through his most beloved recordings. It is a truly tour de force performance that was worth the wait.

For all the pros for "Nothing But The Best," there are, however a few cons. My main gripe, and it might be asking for a bit too much, is that it could've been two discs. There are a lot of Frank's best recordings from the Reprise era missing, such as "In The Still Of The Night," "The Coffee Song," "You're Nobody 'Till Somebody Loes You," "Come Rain Or Come Shine," (or anything from "Sinatra & Strings," which is undeservedly snubbed), "They Can't Take That Away From Me," "Ol' Man River," (arguably his best recording ever), "I Have Dreamed," "Soliloquy," "All Or Nothing At All," (either the 1961 ballad rendition or the thrilling 1966 swing version would have sufficed) and many others could've been included, to give the cd a bit more diversity instead of the typical hits. Also, while they were arguably done better in their initial Capitol incarnations, his redoings of "I Get A Kick Out Of You," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "All The Way," "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning," "How Little We Know," and others are still excellent renditions and are worth including.

But in the end, this nitpicking adds little. The fact of the matter "Nothing But The Best" is still an excellent compilation with unbeatable sound with 22 songs ung by the greatest singer popular music has ever heard.

I'm really surprised at all the five star reviews posted here and especially taken aback at the raves about the sound quality. I was looking forward to this disc because Sinatra's Reprise catalog has never sounded as good as it should on CD and once I saw the track listing for this disc, and assumed that it would be mastered properly, I knew it was something I wanted to buy the day it hit the shelves. A lot of the tracks do sound better than ever and the most glorious example of sonic improvement is on "Summer Wind". It's obvious that some tweaking was done on this stereo mix to improve the sound and this track really does sound incredible! But some of the remixing (which I'm assuming was done by going back to the original master tapes and making some recording soundboard adjustments) is far from an improvement to my ears. While I'm happy to have the extended fade on "Strangers In The Night", the way the tambourine has been buried in the mix makes it sound like something's missing. And holy Manhattan, what the frank happened to "New York, New York"? It sounds terrible! You can hardly tell that there was a drummer present at the recording session at all! After Frank's "A-number one" line and before the track's tempo slows and he sings, "These little town blues...", there's supposed to be a snare roll. I can't hear it at all. Why would they ruin this song by covering up the entire drum track?? It makes no sense. The power and driving energy of the arrangement has been zapped and it sounds like just another cover of an overplayed showtune (albeit one with an outstanding vocal!) So while overall this disc contains a great song selection and should be a no-brainer 5 star release, I think it's shortcomings barely qualify it for 3 stars.

Nothing But The Best is a Frank Sinatra album of just some of his best; this really can't be called a "best of" album because it has a mere twenty-two songs on it--and The Chairman certainly had more than twenty-two hits on any of his record labels! However, Frank's fans will love this album anyway; it does contain a few extra seconds here and there to capture Frank's comments. There is a very fine USPS commemorative stamp and, just as they say, there's a previously unissued rendition of "Body And Soul."

The CD starts off with Frank Sinatra performing "Come Fly With Me." "Come Fly With Me" is the perfect upbeat start to this album; and Frank's voice is in excellent form. The big band style arrangement works well for this number and it whets your appetite for more--great! Similarly, "The Way You Look Tonight" has Frank again singing at his best with a more mature voice; but yet he uses this opportunity to showcase the magnificent qualities of his voice. Frank's excellent diction and his uncanny sense of timing enhance his singing even more.

Frank gives "The Good Life" a very fine treatment and the music that accompanies him is very pretty but they never drown out Frank as he sings this very well. "The Girl From Ipanema" retains its usually bossa nova treatment but when Frank sings this you'll swear nobody could ever have sung this as well as Frank did! Frank takes ballads and puts his own stamp on them with his sublime interpretations of them; and this impresses me greatly.

"Strangers In The Night" sounds fresh and new when Frank sings this so very well; and the strings are used to great advantage. I love it! "Call Me Irresponsible" shines equally bright when Frank performs this with sensitivity; his voice remains in excellent form and it's truly a pleasure to hear him sing.

"That's Life" is actually one of my personal favorites on this CD (believe it or not); and Frank sings this with passion and all his might. The chorus that backs up Frank enhances the beauty of the number even further. Of course, "My Way" is a classic Sinatra tune; and I always love it when I hear Frank sing this. "My Way" is easily a major highlight of this album and I predict you'll enjoy this version of "My Way," too.

The theme from New York, New York gets the royal treatment from Frank Sinatra--he was born to sing songs like this! WOW! The CD also ends nicely with Frank Sinatra performing "Body And Soul;" this previously unissued interpretation of this ballad is worth the price of admission alone!

Sure, this CD contains just some of Frank's best from his later years; but I have a feeling many of his fans may want this after all. This is also a possible starter CD for newcomers to Frank's artistry and people who enjoy classic pop vocals will enjoy this as well.

I bought this with great anticipation, but I'm very disappointed. It's just loud and bombastic with Frank's voice brought up to compensate - there is very little dynamic contrast or sense of stage space or "air." Maybe this is good for car or ipod listening, but on a high-fi system it's sounds very artificial. Not recommended.

No doubt most Sinatraphiles will have the original albums, always the better bet with an artist who, along with Riddle, Jenkins, May and Co., saw the album not as a random collection of songs but a carefully conceived whole. Each of these songs was meant to be an integral part of organically developed tone poems, or suites, in which the individual selections are microcosmic movements of a sonata or symphony (the hallmark, above all, of the earlier Capitol recordings, whether swingers or "suicide" songs). To my mind, only the material from the Columbia period of the 1940s before the long-playing album (a format which Sinatra was the first to exploit artistically) is ideally suited for anthologizing.

Ignore the liner notes' suggestion that Sinatra's best period--vocally or artistically--was during the '60s for his own Reprise label, the primary source for the tracks on this anthology. And take with a grain of salt any suggestion that songs like "Somethin' Stupid," "Strangers in the Night," "Nothing But the Best," "Drinking Again," "My Way," even "NY, NY" and "That's Life" are, however worthy, representative of Sinatra's "best" among his Reprise treasures. Nor are even the Capitol recordings the last word: as we approach another Independence Day, his sublime, still politically-relevant 1945 Columbia recording, "The House We Live In," is the one deserving the American public's (and world's) attention.

But any like-minded Sinatra fan who's read this far would do well to scroll down to #22 on this collection and download it to their computer. When Sinatra revisited "Body and Soul" in 1984, the #1 popular song of all time was still considered to be "Stardust." Had he known that it would soon be overtaken and eclipsed by "Body and Soul," he might have felt differently about electing not to release this version, recorded 40 years after Ole Blue's earlier recording of the tune.

Several years ago former President Clinton revealed, during a public conversation with Wynton Marsalis, that he knew as much, mentioning that his iPod held more versions of B&S than any other tune. If you look up the number of recorded versions of a song (at allmusicguidedotcom or at jazzstandardsdotcom), you'll discover that B&S is decisively out in front, with well over 2000 recorded versions by different artists. Primarily the Excalibur for any musician who's played a tenor saxophone, the tune has never done as well by vocalists (the lyric is quite awkwardly written), Billie Holiday remaining the acknowledged standard-bearer among the vocal interpreters of the tune.

Sinatra's performance rivals hers on this occasion, a point in his career when he was 70 years old (Billie died at age 39). Without going into a close analysis of how he does it, it's at least worth considering why he may have dismissed it at the time. On the final chorus he suddenly moves out of a comfort zone in the C below middle C range and reaches for a beautifully executed Eb above middle C. Then in the song's final cadence he returns to that note. The execution isn't as flawless this time but, if anything, it's more expressive--nevertheless with a hint of strain that might discourage a perfectionist. Then he precipitously drops down an octave and a half and misses--ever so slightly--the target of Ab. The breath reserves aren't quite adequate, the pitch a bit unsteady--however, he practically instantaneously corrects himself, adjusting the note so deftly that only a cold analysis like this would think it worth mentioning, or presume to separate a mere technicality from the overall spell cast by the singer and the song on this singular occasion.

But here it is for the first time, 61 years after his first recording of the tune--and perhaps the timing couldn't be better.

Granted any definitive Sinatra 'greatest' collection would have to include seventy or eighty songs, this collection is a good starting point for those who may not have much of Sinatra's music already. The CD contains only work from his Reprise years, nothing earlier. No Columbia or Capitol stuff at all, so to say it's nothing but the best is a misnomer. You can get a complete Reprise collection for about forty bucks with a lot more stuff on it.

Granted also that Sinatra's work is best in its original concept album format. The songs lose some of their punch when they are not surrounded by the original album songs because the thematic thread is lost.

That having been said, I found the remastering to be quite excellent. The music is bright and jumps out at you as only the original vinyl does. As someone who has almost all of Sinatra's stuff on vinyl and CD, I am still glad I bought this, not only for the clarity and the good song selection, but for the free United States postage stamp bearing a first-day cancellation from Las Vegas, Nevada on May 13. What self-respecting Sinatraphile can pass up such a neat piece of memorabilia?

Recommended for: anyone without remastered Sinatra on CD
anyone who is just getting interested in Sinatra's music
anyone looking for a good compilation to listen to in
the car on the way to work.

Not Recommended for: anyone looking for a career-spanning collection
(this one is Reprise only)
anyone who already has Sinatra's albums remastered
and is looking for new material
anyone who has the complete Reprise collection (this
new album is totally redundant, with the exception
of the bonus song).

Five HUGE Stars!!! The magnificent, multi-Grammy-winning Frank Sinatra is caught singing some of the FINEST popular music and jazz performances of his legendary career, many of which are the DEFINITIVE versions of these songs. Unquestionably one of the GREATEST pop and jazz singers of all time. Jazz? Yes, Sinatra started with swing bands, won many jazz polls over the years, and Count Basie's jazz band (found here twice) was one of his favorites, but he never altered his style: it just fit both categories perfectly, forcing fans in each genre to bend to his singing mastery. And by no means are these tunes ALL of "the best" Sinatra, but it contains 'many' and it arrives, remixed and remastered, on the tenth anniversary of his passing from the new Frank Sinatra Enterprises. In addition, the CD contains a previously unreleased bonus version of the classic "Body and Soul". Some versions of this CD contain a collectable postage stamp and a bonus track on the US Postal Service CD of "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" (available through your post office), and yet another contains a DVD of a live concert, so read the CD technical descriptions carefully.

Some of the 'best of the best' include a stunning, classic "Come Fly With Me", under Nelson Riddle's musical glow and Billy May's baton, with that signature string and brass intro. "The Best Is Yet to Come" is top-drawer Sinatra with Count Basie's Orchestra and his inimitable swinging piano coloring the proceedings. The seldom heard "All My Tomorrows" is pure vocal poetry in a poignant version that is somewhat different from another faster one that I heard years ago. Beyond this "Luck Be a Lady","It Was A Very Good Year" (Grammy), "That's Life", "My Kind of Town", "My Way", the "Theme from New York, New York" and "Strangers in the Night" (double Grammy) are all as some of us will remember them, some with extended endings: outstanding performances with "Ol' Blues Eyes" coming up BIG, over and over. Yes, "Young at Heart", "Nice N' Easy", "Witchcraft", "All the Way", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "I Get A Kick Out of You", and many others are missing which immediately challenges the nebulous title "Nothing But The Best". To those new to Sinatra, the depth of the Sinatra treasure trove from his Capitol Records years await you! Still, this CD captures a cross-section of the legendary Chairman of the Board's greatest performances which are absolutely not to be missed. Remixed and remastered with outstanding sound. My Highest Recommendation. Five CLASSIC Stars!!!!!
(This review is based on an iTunes download.)

"Frank chose quality material and great musicians. He had an innate talent within himself and unbelievable musical instincts." ~ Neal Hefti ~

What's so special about this CD?

There is something new
As well as something old
There is something poignant
As well as something blissful
But everything is simply beautiful

When I think of this newly-released compilation Frank Sinatra CD, "Nothing But The Best," I think of one of my favorite quotes that aptly describes this music - it is from a German poet, playwright, novelist, philosopher from the Romantic Era, Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, and I quote:

"The effects of good music are not just because it's new; on the contrary music strikes us more, the more familiar we are with it."

The songs here are some of the most familiar Frank Sinatra music that we have been enjoying all these years, with the exception of a previously unreleased track, a heart-rending, poignantly beautiful song from a trio of songwriters Johnny Green, Edward Heyman and Robert Sour, "Body And Soul." This is an old classic song that is widely-recorded amongst singers and instrumentalists, but the novelty of this version alone is enough reason to own this compilation CD. Kudos to Torrie Zito for the exquisite and lush strings chart arrangement with a classical touch, and to Frank Sinatra, Jr. as well for ably conducting the orchestra. Mr. S sings it with heartfelt emotion and tender perfection that is almost impossible not to be deeply moved by it. The vocal session was recorded in New York City in 1984 and the orchestra session was recorded in Hollywood late last year. To my ears, this is absolutely the best vocal interpretation ever produced.

This tasteful collection has been carefully selected from different recordings that were conducted by some of the most brilliant breed of arrangers and orchestrators whom I call "The Elite Sinatra Arrangers" - Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, Claus Ogerman, Billy May, Don Costa, Quincy Jones, Ernie Freeman, Billy Strange, Skip Martin and last but not least, Torrie Zito. All the songs are true representations of the Chairman's exceptional vocal flair that speaks of timeless elegance and sheer perfection. My choicest cuts include my all-time favorites "Moonlight Serenade," "The Way You Look Tonight," "The Girl From Ipanema," "Fly Me To The Moon" and Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen's "Come Fly With Me."

"Come fly with me, let's float down to Peru
In llama land there's a one-man band
And he'll toot his flute for you
Come fly with me, let's take off in the blue"

This is one of the best compilations CDs ever produced, and a worthy addition to your Sinatra collection. If you're happy with this new compilation, you'll also enjoy The Great American Songbook, and two newly-released compilation CDs: Beautiful Ballads & Love Songs and Sinatra At the Movies.

A beautiful CD to enjoy forever and a day.

To mark the 10th anniversary of Sinatra's passing and the issuance of the commemorative FS postage stamp, Warner Rhino gives us "Nothing But The Best,' a collection of Reprise releases which, with a few exceptions, every Sinatra fan has 62 times over again on prior re-issues...

But wait.....there's a few surprises here!--Sinatra afficinado, Charlie Pignone, who produced the package, gives us alternate 'takes' of "Come Fly With Me" and "The Best Is Yet To Come..." as well as the complete take of "Strangers In the Night" with Sinatra scat singing (buh-buh-buh-boo) well after the famous 'doobie doobie doo'..it only amounts to 5 seconds or so, but what you hear was edited out of the famous 1966 single release........

The bonus track of "Body and Soul" overlays Frank's 1984 vocal (intended for "L.A. Is My Lady", but not issued) on a new arrangement by Torrie Zito that was recorded last year, conducted by Frank Jr, replacing the original Quincy Jones chart---it's not top drawer Sinatra, but buffs will want to have it..........

The remastering and packaging is excellent and in this day and age with aging rockers like Rod Stewart and Michael Bolton making fortunes, with limited vocal abilities, trying to sing great standard tunes, it's nice to have "Nothing But the Best" demonstrating what great popular singing is all about...............

There's good and bad news regarding the new Reprise Sinatra release.

The good: alternate takes of "Come Fly With Me" and "The Best Is Yet to Come" are both treats. It remains clear why the originally released masters were preferred (they were superior in phrasing in the case of the former and note choices and intensity of swing in the latter), but it's great to hear these musical moments. It's also nice to hear the extended scat on "Strangers In The Night." Kudos to the producers.

The bad: Reprise engineers have clipped the beginnings of two tracks: the
first note of the cymbal's famous triplet in "New York, New York" and,
astonishingly, the initial sibilant sound of the word "she" in Bewitched" (as in, "She's a fool and don't I know it," rendering it instead dangerously close to "He's a fool...").

The remixed sound is uneven and shows every symptom of the negative effects of the so-called "loudness war" that's a fact of life in the recording industry today. If you're unfamiliar with this phenomenon, do an Internet search on "loudness war."

Basically this means that the dynamic range is reduced to allow for a
"louder" CD in order to catch more ears on the radio. The fact that
compression is already applied to radio broadcast signals isn't factored in. Have you ever noticed that some CDs are simply "louder" on your iPod? This is why. The fact that those "louder" CDs are the more recently mastered ones is no coincidence.

The result is that the voice is much more forward on many tracks and the
entire mastering is very "hot" in the manner of contemporary pop CDs that
show annoying noise inflation. This loudness is often just that -- loud and harsh. The balance often suffers, as though engineers (and, presumably, Sinatra himself) didn't know what they were doing when the balances were initially set back in the 60s. The notion that an acoustic band or orchestra supporting a vocal needs a broad dynamic range is a concern of past generations. The most egregious example of this is what seems to be an unfinished remix of "That's Life": the strings are boosted to be louder than the now distant-sounding brass and indeed compete with the vocal in spots; Sinatra's vocal sounds like he's singing through a toilet-paper tube. Play this track side-by-side with an earlier Reprise CD release and, once you've adjusted the volume knob, you'll hear a very different sound. The original is much warmer and cohesive.

"Body and Soul" is a mixed bag. Its inclusion is a true bonus and a
great decision on the part of the producers. The string arrangement by
Torrie Zito is discreet and charming; his choice is appropriate since he was involved in the sessions from which this unreleased vocal derives. Sinatra's vocal is touching and warm in the first chorus. It's clear that (as was decided in 1984) the key is maybe a step too high, and the crescendo is strained (yelling, not singing, by the final "surrender"). Since the song was originally to be part of a big-band album and Sinatra's own phrasing had become less seamless (and more jazz-oriented) by 1984, perhaps a band with horns would have been more appropriate and made the shouting and questionable intonation of that crescendo less jarring.

The liner notes are great but it's odd to have an interview with Neal Hefti (fully justified) and not include a single one of his charts. This
considering the fact that at least three of his arrangements were sung by
Sinatra until the very end ("I Get A Kick," "I Won't Dance," and "Pennies
from Heaven").