Customer Reviews

Sinatra Sings Cole Porter

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

Sinatra Sings Cole Porter is another fine album by a young Frank Sinatra whose voice made bobby socksers swoon and men jealous of his "stealing" their sweethearts! Frank's voice is in excellent form here; and the quality of the sound is really rather good. The artwork is very nicely done as well.

"Night And Day" starts the CD with Frank singing along with a very lush musical arrangement. The strings sound so sweet--but Frank is in charge here and he's the one who makes this number fly! His voice is excellent, very sweet and full of the warmth that made so many people happy. "Begin The Beguine" features Frank Sinatra singing a rarely heard vocal version of this tune alongside the usually heard musical arrangement. The tempo is kicked up a little to add some zest to this tune and it all holds its own very well. Impressive! In addition, there's also "I Get A Kick Out Of You." "I Get A Kick Out Of You" is one of my favorite numbers on this album and the tune is one I could never tire of; Frank sings this with panache and the music is very beautiful. I really like "I Get A Kick Out Of You."

Listen for Frank Sinatra to perform a lovely medley of "Easy To Love/I've Got You Under My Skin." "Easy To Love/I've Got You Under My Skin" showcases Frank's voice and he never misses a beat. This is truly Frank Sinatra at his very best; his voice made everyone stop and listen and there's no need to explain his incredible popularity even as he got older through the years.

"Don't Fence Me In" has Frank clowning around a bit. I first heard this song performed by The Andrews Sisters and Bing Crosby; but Frank also manages to put his own mark on this great ballad with some improvisation and a great upbeat burst of energy that is unmistakable. Great! Similarly, "I Concentrate On You" is a tender love song that many sweethearts danced to in their living rooms all alone at night; Frank does this brilliantly and it leaves you wanting more.

And that's precisely what you're going to get. "Just One Of Those Things" is a fantastic Cole Porter tune that Frank sings in great spirits and the tempo is just right to make this rendition of "Just One Of Those Things" a highlight of this album. "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" has some surface noise but this duet Frank does with Rosemary Clooney really shines brightly just the same. "Cherry Pies Ought To Be You" features Rosemary Clooney doing an electric duet with Frank; they sound great together and this is a strong duet that makes both Rosie and Frank look great.

"You Don't Remind Me" is another very sensitive ballad that Frank sings with lots of feeling; and that turns "You Don't Remind Me" into one of the better songs on this CD. Just for good measure, there's another version of "Begin The Beguine" and the CD ends with another version of "Night And Day." Wonderful!

Frank Sinatra could have sung them all--and we'd have stayed all night! His treatment of Cole Porter tunes must have made Porter very happy--they're all THAT good. I highly recommend this CD for Sinatra fans and people who enjoy Cole Porter music.

Another winner from an ongoing series from Columbia/Legacy "Sinatra Sings Cole Porter", all the brilliant songs from Porter done in the Sinatra style. Listen to the swooning and screaming girls in the audience when Frank sings the tune "I Love You", you can relive all those wonderful moments through the magic of digitally remastered original recording sessions.

Stand outs are "I CONCENTRATE ON YOU", as Sinatra's lyric interpretation grabs you and your heartstrings are being tugged ~ "WHY CAN'T YOU BEHAVE", featuring the Phil Moore Four and Frank's laid back style with a hint of Johnny Mercer coming to the surface ~ "SO IN LOVE", haunting arrangement by Axel Stordahl as the power of the vocalist is right on.

Highlight has to be "CHERRY PIES OUGHT TO BE YOU", featuring a singing duet of Rosie Clooney and Frank give out a super-duper performance, sounds as if they enjoyed themselves...I know we did.

And Sinatra fans, when Frank sings "I AM LOVED", we know what he's trying to say...we loved you Frank, and still do and always will...you have left us a legacy that will go on forever ~ great job Didier C. Deutsch, Charles L. Granata and Andreas Meyer are the folks who compiled this wonderful selection of tunes that we are enjoying ~ a must have collectible collection for all Sinatra and Porter Fans!

Total Time: 53:17 on 18 Tracks ~ Columbia/Legacy 61058 ~ (7/22/2003)

After all the collections,bests of and others pieces of nostalgia available under the name of FRANK SINATRA,we could ask ourselves is their anything left worth buying?Buy judging with this cd,it seems that the COLUMBIA vaults are still full of hidden treasures.These are not leftovers,they are worthwhile recordings that will pleased both FRANK SINATRA and COLE PORTER fans.Those radio era recordings have a spontaniety that make them special.The duet with ROSEMARY CLOONEY:CHERRY PIES OUT TO BE YOU is certainly the highlight because all the other songs if you except YOU DON'T REMIND ME are of course well known by PORTER devotees.Don't be ashamed to buy this,you should not regret it.My little finger tells me that the collection won't stop with PORTER and GERSHWIN...

I enjoy listening to this tremendously. Though not particularly a Sinatra fan, the album provides a good playlist of Porter tunes and Sinatra's interpretations. Some songs come from live performances and the screaming girls in the background distract to some extent. Nevertheless, it's a great collection of well known and not so well known Porter tunes. I especially love "Cherry Pie Oughta' be You" which isn't normally part of Porter retrospectives. Listening to this almost always elevates my mood.

Sinatra Sings Cole Porter collects Frankie's Porter recordings from his 1943-1952 era, including a large number of previously unreleased radio and TV broadcasts. All of Porter's signature songs are here, including Night and Day, I Get A Kick Out Of You, Don't Fence Me In, Cherry Pies Ought To Be You, and Begin the Beguine.

The earliest songs are from 1944 (Begin the Beguine, I Get A Kick Out Of You, Easy To Love / I've Got You Under My Skin, Begin the Beguine), and the latest from '50, so there's a fairly narrow range here. Arrangements are by the consistent, constant Columbia-era collaborator Axel Stordahl.

Sinatra's not breaking any new stylistic ground from his Columbia roots, but the many broadcast recordings capture a live playfulness, such as the sassy tit-for-tat exchange with Rosemary Clooney on Cherry Pies Ought To Be You or the exasperated "Too many words!" ad-lib on Don't Fence Me In. Sinatra allows himself more breathing room on the live tracks, and even the band sounds like they're having fun. That's important, since that element of playful spontaneity is largely lost on studio recordings. On Why Can't You Behave, the jazz backing verges on blues, and Sinatra's delivery is molasses-slow but loaded full of sultry, wistful longing.

The perfunctory liner notes by Sinatra historian Will Friedwald lack the usual in-depth tidbits of his Sinatra notes. There are several vintage photos that, again, seemed to sparkle less than usual. Finally, there is a tracklisting with original recording / release dates, and sources.

As these are live recordings, there are the predictable infatuated screams from the bobby-sox crowd, which are distracting, but not a fatal flaw. Due to the rarity and age of some of the source material (lacquer discs and tapes, glass, aluminum and vinyl transcription discs, and film elements), tracks 6, 11, 12 and 18 contain audible flaws that were not able to be fully restored, but as a historical record, they're priceless.

Verdict: Sinatra Sings Cole Porter is a must have for both fans of early Frank Sinatra and for fans of Porter and the Great American Songbook. Sinatra was at his finest when recording Porter under Columbia, and these many rare, previously unreleased performances are a testament to his versatility, subtle phrasing, and utter understanding of the material.

"The relationship between Frank Sinatra and Cole Porter cut much deeper than that of your average singer and songwriter. Not that Sinatra's connections with any of the great composers were anything less than special, but with Porter it was something else entirely....For all the sophistication, there's nothing like the beauty of Porter and Sinatra at their simplest....There are three crucial elements in a Cole Porter song--passion, wit and rhythm--and no one was better than Sinatra at utilizing all of these." ~ Will Friedwald ~

First off, my kudos to Project Director/Compilation Producer Charles L. Granata, and Compilation Producers Didier C. Deutsch and Andreas Meyer for the brilliant idea of producing this classic of an album, "Sinatra Sings Cole Porter." It is a compilation of Cole Porter songs that Frank Sinatra recorded from 1944 through 1950 and were taken from various sources. The arrangers/conductors featured from this collection include Billy May, Mark Warnow, George Siravo, Phil Moore, Skitch Henderson and Axel Stordahl for the most part. Guest singers and performers like Rosemary Clooney, June Hutton, Vimms Choral Group, Hit Parade Orchestra and Phil Moore Four graced this presentation.

The collection boasts eighteen tracks which Ol' Blue Eyes rendered in various range of emotions. The sophistication of Cole Porter songs were given more than justice by Sinatra who can deliver with "passion, wit and rhythm." But to me, the selling point of this compilation album is its previously unreleased and rare performances taken from radio/TV broadcast recording such "Begin The Beguine," "Night And Day," "I Concentrate On You," "I Love You," "You Do Something To Me" and a medley of "Easy To Love/I've Got You Under My Skin," to mention a few remarkable tracks.

For fans of Sinatra who love to listen to his young voice and would like to discover previously unreleased Sinatra performances, this is one of the perfect CDs to own. Wholeheartedly recommended!

The songs are original 40s and 50s recordings and are great. Service was fast and as promised.

This is a terrific CD! I absolutely love it! Cole Porer is undoubtedly one of the great songwriters of our time, and with the brilliancy of Sinatra's singing, how could it be anything less than amazing? If you are a Great American Songbook fan and/or a Sinatra fan, this is one you must have in your collection.

I love Cole Porter's music and love Frank Sinatara. While this CD is not the best quality recording by today's standards, if you are a Frank Sinatra fan like myself it is a must to have it in your collection.

Although I love the sound of Frank Sinatra and love Cole Porter songs, I did not appreciate the sound quality of this CD. It does not sound as if the songs have been remastered at all. The sound is fuzzy and low, actually in the insert there is an apology for the sound quality of certain tracks (e.g 6, 11, 12, and 18).

However it was nice to go back in time and hear some of those forgotten songs of Cole Porter sung by Sinatra. My favorite song on this CD is "So in Love", a must hear. Sinatra in his usual genius perfoms this song beautifully with rich vocals, one can feel through the speakers. My recommendation-try to find these songs on a better remastered album or buy it as a collector's item.