Customer Reviews

Sinatra & Company

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I usually maintain that Sinatra albums are of such a thematic and artistic wholeness that to issue them in the form of sampled collections is to a grave disservice to the original projects. If so, "Sinatra and Company" is the exception that proves the rule. Despite a happily conceived Sinatra reading of "Being Green," the second side of this album is benignly irritating (on the other hand, had the material been sung by an Engleburt Humperdinck, Jerry Vale, or Andy Williams it could have been downright nauseating).

Not just Don Costa but Sinatra must share some of the blame for the lapses in judgement that are 50% of this album. The tunes and lyrics are so lame, so much a part of '70's pop culture, that it's almost understandable why Costa would overscore them in garish colors. And whoever the engineer was who mastered the album--washing out Sinatra's voice in the mix and pumping up the bass to ridiculous levels (I can't even reduce it sufficiently when I back off the bass tone control as far as it will go) certainly had to receive Sinatra's approval. In the 50's Old Blue had the integrity not to even pretend to meet the Elvis challenge. So in the 70's why was he trying to emulate Herb Alpert, Burt Bacharach, and the Fifth Dimension?

Side One is also overly loud and thickly textured (the Claus Olgerman session with Sinatra and Jobim is clearly superior), but it contains some indispensable musical moments by the Master Storyteller. No one else has come close to matching Sinatra's passionate reading of "Someone to Light Up My Life" (which should be a popular standard based on the evidence here), to probing the depths of the ocean (a resonant bottom D) on "Wave," or elevating "One Note Samba" from a facile ditty to a musical main event (just dig Blue's vocalese on the second chorus--a rare Sinatra moment).

In short, don't bother with this album unless you already own at least 25 Sinatra albums. Instead, go with "Frances Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim" or, since this latter album is quite short (25-30 minutes?), simply wait for the inevitable release of "Best of Sinatra and Jobim."

On the one hand, you have the first seven tracks, consisting of bossa nova tunes performed with the composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. As good as a previous album Sinatra did with Jobim was, these seven songs are even better. Eumir Deodato's arrangements are a little more aggressive than Claus Ogerman's on the first Sinatra/Jobim album. Combined with three songs that didn't make it, "Bonita", "Song of the Sabia", and "Desafinado", all of which are available only on the Reprise box set, this might have been on a top three list of all time Sinatra albums. There are several tracks like "Wave", "Agua de Beber" and "This Happy Madness" that are astonishingly good. "Agua de Beber" is an interesting fusion of swing and bossa nova, in which Sinatra actually sings in Portugese.

Unfortunately, instead of those unreleased bossa nova tracks, Sinatra grafted some mediocre soft rock tunes from the early 1970's onto the second half of the album. "I Will Drink the Wine" is not bad, but "Leavin' on a Jet Plane" and most of the others are just woeful. Sinatra sounds disinterested, and it's not surprising he retired shortly after this album came out.

So you have an album with a split personality. The first seven songs are as good as anything Sinatra ever did, while the last several songs are unworthy of such a great singer. Still, even bad Sinatra is worth hearing.

And it's worth tracking down "Bonita" and "Song of the Sabia" if you can find them. Add those tunes to the songs on the first half of this album, and you will have discovered a lost treasure.

I had this lp years ago and lost it in a flood. I am so happy to finally find it on CD. Sinatra's recording of Wave is the best ever done by anyone and that track alone is worth purchasing this collection. Sinatra - probably the greatest singer to ever grace the planet, knew how to handle the Jobim material with complete artistry. A must for any serious fan of Sinatra and especially for any serious singer.
Andrea Baker

Although Frank Sinatra's 1967 collaboration with Antonio Carlos Jobim is considered one of the high points of the singer's career, it's not always noticed how fundamentally incompatible both artists are - against the sunny twilight of the bossa nova backing, Sinatra's American straightness can sound alien. The attempt to meld Bossa nova with swing sometimes results in an awkward dilution, but more often creates a tension that makes for fantastic listening.

Among the highlights on a stunning set (comprising out-takes from the 1967 session) are: the famous 'Aqua de Beber', made fresh by the overlapping of Sinatra and Jobim's vocals; the wide-eyed orchestral epiphany that lights up 'Someone to light up my life'; an astonishing 'Wave', still popular music's greatest tribute to the fantasy of love-making, with a gorgeous string surge at mentions of waves, and a knowing nod to 'Makin' Whoopee'; and a witty 'One note samba', that lush urge to minimalism. And these are out-takes!

The second half of the album consists of tracks arranged by Don Costa, and include songs written by John Denver. Many listeners find this creates an imbalance in quality, and certainly this second half, with schmaltzy orchestration lacking the Jobim nuance, and Sinatra's sometimes disengaged singing, misses the magic of the opening eight songs. We can certainly live without another version of 'Close to you', definitive though Sinatra's is.

Nevertheless, there are four songs here that are as good as anything Sinatra has done. 'I Will drink the water', 'Sunrise in the morning' and 'leaving on a jet plane' have all the Vegas drama, unexpected grooviness and melodic rush of late Elvis. 'Lady Day', however, is a staggering, living epitaph to Billie Holiday: strings and harpsichord like the soundtrack to a lost 60s French movie, passion and empathy from one great singer to another.

One of the few tragedies in this craze of Sinatra issues is the reluctance to bring back the 1971 album "Sinatra & Company". I was fortunate to have found it in Canada after years of hunting for it. On tracks 1-7 the Chairman collaborates with Antonio Carlos Jobim once again. This session was arranged by Eumir Deodato and top the other CD with Jobim (simply called Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim). Sinatra's voice is in top form and the arrangements are beautiful. "Wave" stands out in my personal opinion as one of Sinatra's all time best performances. As for the Don Costa arrangements that make up the secound half, they could have been better. They are too mixed up and disturb the easy flow of Jobim's bossa nova. Not to say they are bad but they just don't fit. It's like putting big band swing at the end of "In the Wee Small Hours". Yet still the folks over at Reprise need to make sure they get this album out (preferably along with "She Shot Me Down"). Its just too good to remain a lost Sinatra album.

People would be sick of reading that this is half a good album , but it's true .
It's for the first half that you should buy it - why miss out on the lovely interpretations Frank gives , especially if you love his earlier album with Jobim . It is true his pitching is more unsure on this album when he sings the Jobim songs , but the arrangements are superb and help you to forget that aspect of it . The lyrics are also exceptional as one would expect , which always brings the best out of Frank .

Make a compliation with the first Jobim album and you've got a nice little collection !

When I say there are three master albums of Bossa Nova vocals:
- the first Sinatra/Jobim album on Warner sung in English;
- Elis Regina/Tom Jobim album sung in Portuguese; and
- "Amoroso", the Joao Gilberto/Claus Ogerman collaboration, sung in Portuguese, English, Italian, Spanish!

... maybe I mean the fourth one would be the sequel to the first Sinatra/Jobim album which was recorded with its 10 tracks but somehow has never been issued.

A songbook project in Sinatra's career was rare to see. More than that, it's a point to be made clear that two songbook albums were produced with Brazilian Jobim. As far I remember, only Rod McKuen had a songbook album by Sinatra (with arrangements by Don Costa).

Another point to be made clear is why this album has never seen the light of day! (Except for the 20-CD box 'sinatra complete studio recordings on reprise' issued many years later).

Also interesting to notice was that arrangements were written by Deodato but the orchestra conductor was Morris Stoloff, the great violin master.

This 'Sinatra & Co' offers only half the original program in the second Sinatra-Jobim with arrangements by Eumir Deodato and rhythm section by Jobim on guitar and famous Joao Palma on drums, replacing Dom Um Romao who played in the first project.

Sinatra's choice on Jobim's standards was once again a kill as well as his precise romantic approach subtle for the material. Refer to the hard to sing 'Wave' which Sinatra performed with master command.

Side A of 'Sinatra & Co.' shows a singles compilation of neglectable commercial tracks although produced and arranged by the great Don Costa.

This is a mandatory album for a serious Bossa Nova collection just for its side B.

All right, just about all the contemporary USA "Hits" on this album are duds, but at least Frank and his collaborators give them their best shot. BUT, once again when Frank gets into the Brazilian Sound with the late great JOBIM, you know this is one of his finest, if unknown, performances! In fact, every tune with JOBIM is A+, even if the rest at best may be a B-. DONT EVER GO AWAY is IMO one of FS's finest recordings ever. Compare it to the drivel played on any top-40 station, then or now, and you know you're totally in the hands of a Master, and his musicians! Same with WAVE, and the others. Also, LADY DAY,here in its slow version, is another barely known, but beautiful job done by the Master, and his associates! So even with the 6 or 7 duds here, the rest are easily worth the price and time!

Perfect music for when you're in the mood to unwind. Sinatra's immaculate phrasing is a joy. The laid back atmosphere allows Sinatra's warmth to fill songs such as One Note Samba and Sunrise In The Morning. I Will Drink The Wine illustrates his fondness for "statement songs" but in a less confrontational manner than others from his career including The House I Live In.

The two greatest Sinatra albums are Wee Small Hours and this. "This Happy Madness" is amazing in melody and Sinatra's incredible acting in his delivery. I have a copy already but am dying to buy copies for the friends that keep wanting to borrow mine. I don't lend it!