Customer Reviews

Sinatra 101: 101 best recordings and the stories behind them

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Sinatra's approach to lyrical interpretation and his unique sense of tempo is what set him appart from the rest. Sinatra 101 is an excellent compliment to any Sinatra record collection. Too bad there is not a CD Box set of all the songs listed in the book so that readers could read along as they listen to the master at work. As a vocalist and student of Sinatra's sound, I have greatly benefited from Sinatra 101. Sinatra 101 has expanded my knowledge of the music and provides an excellent reference source which I have used to educate audiences during live performances. STRONGLY RECOMMENDED READING FOR ANY SINATRA FAN.

While the popularity of the Sinatra persona will rise and fall as fashions change, the music is timeless. "Sinatra 101'' spotlights the songs and the stories behind them. In concise, to-the-point language, the authors, Ed O'Brien and Robert Wilson, offer the sort of critical insights that will send you rushing back to the songs themselves, giving you the chance to fall in love with the music all over again. What more can you ask?

"Sinatra 101" by O'Brien and Wilson is a wonderful combination of three elements: information about American music, the details of Sinatra's contribution to the world of song and the personal, behind-the-scenes stories found no where else. Arranged in an easy-to-read (and reurn to) format, this book serves also as a thorough reference source for Sinatra buffs. It should be first on your must read list.

This is indeed "Sinatra 101," as in a basic introduction to some of Sinatra's best work, but it does not live up to the back cover hype, which proclaims it "...essential for anyone who wants to know more about the legend's greatest recordings." The book has uneven thumbnail sketches of the 101 best recordings of Sinatra (the choice of 101 songs out of 1,414 of Sinatra's recordings is, of course, a matter of taste) as chosen by a blue ribbon panel, including among others: Billy May, Sinatra's long-time pianist Bill Miller, Sinatra's long-time guitarist Al Viola, and Jonathan Schwartz.

I don't really have much in the way of a quibble with the choices; rather, I found the way the book was written to be disappointing. Some entries had fascinating insights while others contained little more than a track listing, composer and lyricist attributions, recording dates and the name of the album--in other words, things that could be found on the liner notes. In short, the entries were very uneven in their quality. And for some inexplicable reason, the Rodgers and Hart classic "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" is simply referred to as "Bewitched." Why? You tell me.

The table of contents divides the songs into the label on which they appeared: RCA/Columbia/Capitol/Reprise, and appear in order of the date on which they were recorded. This is fine, but why not an index with songs listed alphabetically by title?

The book does contain some fascinating trivia, but not much that isn't found elsewhere, especially if you have the required texts by Friedwald and Granata. Essential to your Sinatra collection? Only if you are a completist. Not a bad book, not a good book. Worth owning if you can find it for a low price. I have seen some vendors ask upwards of $100 dollars for it; it's worth maybe a tenth of that.

The music of Frank Sinatra is timeless and though the title contains the words "the 101 Best Recordings", you may find that it is just a starting point and find your own 101 favorites. You have over 1000 songs to choose from so your picks are bound to be different than the authors. The book lays out 101 excellent songs, gives information to listeners (date recorded, album it can be found on, arranger, etc.) and tells the background of the song and sometimes an anecdote about when it was recorded. The book is not only for longtime fans of Sinatra's work (though they will be more familiar with all the names, etc.). If your Sinatra cd collection extends to one cd of his greatest hits, then this book can help you figure out where to go next. The stories and anecdotes may not mean much but you can figure out if you want to explore Frank's Columbia, Capitol, or Reprise years. For the experienced Sinatra listener, the book is excellent for starting debate with fellow Sinatra fans or perhaps rediscovering a gem you've forgotten or never really listened to before. Obviously, it is not a biography so don't expect stories about Frank the man, just Frank the singer. My only complaint is that I wish they gave more detail to the songs. I realize they had 101 songs to review, but I wanted more background about the recording session and Frank's opinions and views of the songs. However, there are other books for that.

How do you pick the 101 greatest Sinatra recordings? The authors certainly came up with arguably the definitive list,and presented it in a most enjoyable read.Another reviewer wished there was a CD boxed set to accompany the book. I did the next best thing. I have an extensive Sinatra collection and I happen to have all the 101 songs(the correct versions). I bought some high quality cassettes and simply went through my CDs and tapes and put together the audio to the book..three 90 minute and one 60 minute tape covered the 101 songs.Needless to say, it was a labor of love putting these songs in order and is fascinating to read the descriptions and history of the songs as they are playing.

While this slight volume can't hold a candle to something like Will Friedwald's comprehensive analysis of Sinatra's recorded career, it's quick and handy. Moreover, while the authors' selections will inevitably produce disagreements, their choices are unlikely to provoke incredulity (no "My Way," or recommendations from the "Duets" albums). And when there are multiple versions of the same tune, which is more often than not the case, the authors give helpful rankings of the best choices. But just to give you an idea of how necessarily inadequate a collection limited to 101 recordings is, Sinatra's absolutely sublime, definitive Reprise recording of "I Hadn't Anyone Til You" is not mentioned. Still, I find myself making more use of this book than any other about Old Blue.

Even if you don't consider yourself a major Sinatra fan, you have heard many of these songs & there have to be mroe than a few that you love. This neat book will give you a little glimpse into the history of these recordings - year recorded & with what band, CDs it appeared on & a capsule summary. Most interesting to me is where the song first appeared - show tune, earlier film & who recorded it. Because of the way Frank later took that song & made it his own, it is hard to belive it had a prior life! An enjoyable companion piece worth owning.

I am amazed how wonderful this book is to read. It is informative and yet very enjoyable, It is a must read for any Sinatra fan

There is only one word that can truely describe this book By: Ed O'Brien with Robert Wilson...MESMORIZING. It is amazing the work that Ed O'Brien has done on the Recording Career of Francis Albert. This book(Ed's 5th) is a must have for any Sinatra fan.