Sinatra Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein

Frank Sinatra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 16, 1996)
• Original Release Date: July 16, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002AAI
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #270,460 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sinatra at Columbia, July 16, 2007

By 

Mark Reynolds (Montclair, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sinatra Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein (Audio CD)

This is a great album - but be aware that this is Sinatra in the 1940's recording for Columbia. This is not the "swinging" Sinatra on the later Capital and Reprise labels. As regards Sinatra performing songs from Carousel note that the selections on this albim were recorded with Axel Stordahl conducting in 1946. There is a later recording of "Soliloquy" on the album "The Concert Sinatra", this was done with Nelson Riddle conducting in 1963. It is not the same "Soliloquy" as is on this album as another reviewer claims. It is interesting to note that when this Sinatra recording of "Soliloquy" was released in 1946 it was done as two songs with two different melodies, in two different keys, which were divided onto two sides of the original 78 rpm record. According to the liner notes of this CD, the "entire passage (bridging the two sections of the soliloquy) was cut from the original poduction of Carousel, before it even hit the Broadway stage. Although it was included in the original cast recording of the show (sung by John Raitt), it has not appeared on any subsequent recording, from either stage or film. It has only been heard on Sinatra performances from the 1940s: for his Concert Sinatra album, the singer deleted this section, making the original Columbia rendition all the more precious."

As far as this album goes, these are wonderful recordings of a young Sinatra beautifully interpreting some of the best Broadway showtunes ever written. Pay particular attention to "Oh What A Beautiful Morning" and "People Will say We're In Love" - Sinatra recorded these songs as part of his premiere solo recording session at Columbis (i.e. not as boy singer for Tommy Dorsey) which was during a musicians strike. That's right, Sinatra had to interpret these two songs without the benefit of an orchestra, instead it was recorded with an "a capella" choir!! There's also lots of other interesting tid-bits in the liner notes written by Will Friedman.

As an aside also note that Sinatra, prior to walking off the set of Carousel, supposedly recorded several songs as "Billy Bigelow" in 1956. Hopefully some day these tracks will be available on an official realease someday.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Sinatra from some bad originals,, June 25, 2010

By 

Jesse R. Litten "bobalong" (So Cal desert) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sinatra Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein (Audio CD)

Sinatra does well with this composer, as he did with most; but some of the originals are of poor quality and the whole disc is badly equalized. Occasionally shrill highs and too much bass is missing. Great music,, many poor transfers to CD. Could have been better with proper handling.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For the completist..., August 20, 2006

By 

Michael D. Kelley "Ex-Genius" (Leesburg, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sinatra Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein (Audio CD)

Let's get one thing straight right away -- this album isn't the only place to get "Soliloquy" or even the best place. The version on this album is *exactly* the same as the one on "The Concert Sinatra". That's a Reprise album, and I'm going to guess that it was lifted for this release -- same running time and I've listened to them side by side and it is the same track.

Indeed, if you don't have "The Concert Sinatra" you need to get it first. It's a far superior, if shorter, album, and contains in addition to "Soliloquy" the equally extraordinary "This Nearly Was Mine" and a slightly different (but better) version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" than is on this album.

"It Might As Well Be Spring" here has also been done better on "Sinatra and Strings", "Some Enchanted Evening" is done by a more informed Sinatra on "The World We Knew", etc. But for those folks with extensive Sinatra collections, this album does contain songs available nowhere else, particularly the songs from "Oklahoma" that begin the album.

Since he'll never create any new songs it's always a treasure to find things not easily available, and this is the album for the Sinatrophile who thinks he has it all.