Customer Reviews

Reprise Collection

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's tough to add to some fine and wise reviews I've read here.It is very obvious listening to this collection how Frank's voice slowly gets raspy and sometimes harsh,but that is part of his monumental career.Remember on these recordings he is between about 46 and 69 years of age (from 1962 to 1984).To think that the man could continue at such a rate with thousands of concerts,sessions,movies etc. almost seems unbelievable.The famous great songs are all here,except "Call Me Irresponsible",and maybe a few others.The rare ballad "Theme from the Cardinal" was also omitted.Other rarities that are omitted are "I Like the Sunrise" and "Poor Butterfly" from the Francis and Duke album.Two gems from "Watertown","The Train", and "Lady Day" (not to mention "Goodbye") are also not here.This just shows that picking the best Frank from any period is virtually impossible,but always makes a good discussion.Still,there's more than enough here to suit anyone's taste,especially some really great balads like"What are you Doing...","A Man Alone","Empty Tables",and the astounding "A Long Night",with eerie strings backing Frank's crusty,edgy vocals about a man who has "seen what the street corners do to things like love and dreams.Seen what the bottle can do to a man with his hopes and his shemes." This album may be the only one with 1962's "Me and My Shadow",another neglected gem,and the only studio recording of Frank and Sammy Davis,Jr.This also has the full length version of "Luck Be a Lady",among the all time show stoppers..Possibly this 4CD Collection is a dash below the Capitol Collections,but is a great intro into the recording legacy of the greatest popular singer ever, during his middle and older years...One more thing: "I Have Dreamed",an astonishing performance by Frank and Nelson's orchestra, is thankfully included,and there are many other treasures here,"Forget to Remember" perhaps the greatest lesser known number that I have forgotten to mention!!

I agree with a lot of the reviewers of 'The Reprise Collection': Frank's best work is to be found on his Capitol releases. But Frank did record a lot of great stuff for his own label, Reprise, and this beautifully packaged four-disc set is full of classic singing. In particular, I think the later work needs defending. True, Frank's voice in the seventies and eighties was starting to sound a little bruised, and big tub-thumpers like 'My Way' are a far cry from the intense ballads of the fifties and early sixties, but there's a great deal of very affecting music on Disc Four, and the cracks that can be heard around Frank's pipes only add to the drama. 'Empty Tables' and 'Send in the Clowns', both sung with only veteran pianist Bill Miller for accompaniment, are masterpieces, and wouldn't have been nearly as effective during Frank's tenure with Capitol. And the version of 'Mack the Knife' that closes the set (with an vocal track recorded two years after that originally released on 'L. A. is My Lady') shows that even though he might have been eligible for an aged pension, Sinatra could still out-swing anybody. Anyone who wants an entree into the Sinatra universe would be well-advised to start here.

This was the first Sinatra Box set I ever purchased. It's a great one to own. I'd say that it's the second box set you should purchase. Sinatra is only in good voice, however on the first 2 1/2 discs. Much of the material on disc 3 & 4 is from the 70's. Frank decided to enter retirement in 1971 because he felt his voice and recordings were not up to his standards from the late 50's (with Capitol) and first 10 years on his own label (Reprise) during the 60's. Cigarettes have gotten to his voice by disc 3 and changed it to a croak by disc 4. Sinatra is in his best voice on the Capitol Years, and the tunes reflect a "prime-of-life" feel. The Reprise Collection reveals and older, more reflective and egomaniacal Frank, more akin to Joe Piscopo and Phil Hartman's parodies. The smart money is on the Capitol Years. Trust me on this one...I own nearly everything Sinatra's recorded.

Well, a few years ago I bought the single cd sampler of this set, and I realized I needed more, so I bought this wonderful boxed set from Reprise. At the time that was all the Sinatra I had. It got me addicted, and I continued to buy the larger boxed sets during the following years (The Complete Reprise, The Columbia Years, and the 21 CD British import "Capitol Years", which I highly recomend). But this was a great starting point for me, as it contains a variety of styles and arangements of his best songs. You'll hear songs from the early sixties through the late eighties, witnessing the great transformation of his voice as he aged through the years. (Don't let anyone tell you that disc four is not up to par, it contains some of his best work of his later years. There are so many highlights in this set I won't even mention them, just buy it and you won't regret it. The booklet is also very informative and contains pictures of many single and album sleeves. I highly recommend this set.

When I got this four cd boxed set nearly 10 years ago, I was pretty heavily into Sinatra and already owned the excellent "The Capitol Years" boxed set, but I always leaned slightly towards the Reprise years, since those were the first Sinatra recordings I've ever heard.

"The Reprise Collection contains the best work from Sinatra at Reprise Records, the record company he started in 1962 and made a lot of his best work at. This four cd collection is the best representation of his career released. Sinatra was always like fine wine, getting better with age, and here, in his autumn years, was never finer.

Here is where you'll find a lot of Sinatra's best songs. Indeed, songs like "Fly Me To The Moon", "Strangers In The Night", "The Summer Wind", "Somethin' Stupid", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "My Way" and "(Theme From) New York, New York" rank among Sinatra's best and most popular works. Of course, there are a number of underrated gems here that really deserve to be heard, especially the stuff on the latter half of the third disc. And I would also like to reply to the reviews to say his voice was not in top form on the fourth disc. Well, Sinatra was much older at this point, plus he smoked, so it was only fitting that his voice changed. However, it worked in his favor. A lot of the songs Sinatra sing in this period, like "There Used To Be A Ballpark", "Send In The Clowns", "The Gal That Got Away/It Never Entered My Mind" and "Here's To The Band", were meant to be sung from an older person's perspective, and Sinatra performed them perfectly. So it ends here.

My only complaint is that some great songs were omitted. For example, Frank's undisputed best album from Reprise, "September Of My Years", is barely represented. The three tracks included are indeed worthy, but to leave off the title track as well as" Hello Young Lovers" and "Last Night When We Were Young" is a crime.

Also, while they may not quite be as good as their Reprise versions, Frank's Reprise redoings of "(Love Is) The Tender Trap", "Learnin' The Blues", "(How Little It Matters) How Little We Know", I've Got You Under My Skin", "Young At Heart", "Witchcraft", "Come Fly With Me", "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning" and "All The Way" are all worthy of inclusion, while Frank's 1961 Tommy Dorsey tribute album, "I Remember Tommy" does not get represented at all.

On top of all that, great songs like "The Girl From Ipanema", "The Very Thought Of You", "The Girl Next Door", "You Will Be My Music", and Frank's final studio recording, "My Foolish Heart", missed the cut. Had I been in charge of putting this set together, I would've omitted filler songs like "The Coffee Song" and "What Are You Doing For The Rest Of Your Life", the five live tracks from "Sinatra At The Sands" and a good chunk of disc three save maybe the hits and a few other tracks to make room for more worthy tracks.

Other than that, I have no complaints.

The booklet is flawlessy put together. Very informative with some great photos. This boxed is an absolute must for all Sinatra fans or anyone with any taste in music whatsoever.

Even before Frank Sinatra's death, several box sets and collections had been dedicated to facets of his career. His big band years with Tommy Dorsey, his crooner years on Columbia, his legendary term at Capitol have all been anthologized on everything from single-disc budget lines to the 30-disc "Concepts" box set. This four-disc collection is the most rewarding among these because it covers so many styles and shows a performer trying to make new friends (the 60s teenagers and record buyers who kept his records playing in "Beatleland") yet keep the old (the standards that take up most of the first disc and begin creeping back in by Disc 4.)If you believe as so many do that Frank Sinatra could sing anything and make it move and moving, this box is Exhibit A.

Few vocalists pack the drama, emotion, and swagger of Frank Sinatra and "The Reprise Collection" compiles Frankie at his best during that era. You couldn't possibly pack EVERYTHING her recorded on Reprise into a box set...it would be enormous! This covers the gravy of his recordings for Reprise from 1960 to 1986 and shows his career trajectory during those many years, going from a middle-aged pro to the twilight of his years. Anything and everything is pretty much here, from "Something Stupid" to pop classics like "New York, New York" all delivered in the inimitable Sinatra style. Reading over the track listing is a trip down memory lane and so many of these tracks were signature songs Sinatra defined and owned. Of course there's the age-old debate about whether his Capitol or Reprise years were his best; I say who cares! Pop these CDs in and you'll see Frankie was still the consummate artist until almost the end.

If u want a rich sampler, go and get this one. If u want a small sampler go for the VERY GOOD YEARS. For hardcore fans, get the COMPLETE REPRISE box.

I purchased this in 1990 and have enjoyed it. However, had I known that REPRISE was subsequently going to release so many albums (the way they came out) on individual CDs, I would have passed this one up. I simply prefer to purchase Sinatra the way he intented it: THEME ALBUMS.

This is a 5 star box set, but in relation to the best of Frank's music it is only a 4 star set. For my money, the Capitol Years is far superior. Not only in the selection of songs but in sound quality. This set would sound a lot better remastered (it doesn't seem as bright as the single remastered CDs). Sinatra's voice is not as good as during the Capitol years either. But as I said at the beginning (and to paraphrase a quote I heard somewhere) -- Frank at 1/2 voice is still twice as good as anybody else. If you can afford it, the way to go is to get the UK Import 21 CD Capitol Years Box Set. I nervously shelled out for it and haven't regretted it for a second.

Francis Albert Sinatra was as good as it gets. No one could phrase like The Chairman of the Board. The Reprise collection may be the best multi-disc grouping of his work.

There are so many good selections here, that the 1,000 word limit is insufficient. Suffice it to say that whether he is doing one of his signature pieces (like "Strangers in the Night") or putting his inimmitable stamp on a remake of someone else's (like "Something") you are going to get special music.

Many of these are lushly orchestrated by Nelson Riddle, and Sinatra's voice sounds just like one of a score of very fine instruments. Check out the fine live version of "I've Got You Under My Skin" to hear what I mean. In some others, we find his voice so far out in front, you'd swear that he was in a dark studio alone, cigarette in one hand and glass of scotch in the other, as in "September Song".

He was the best, and this is much of the best.