Customer Reviews

Sinatra Swings

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Swing Along With Me has some incredible numbers sung by The Chairman Of The Board, Mr. Frank Sinatra. Frank's voice is in excellent form--as always--and this CD gives his fans something to be happy about! The quality of the sound is excellent and the artwork is very nicely done.

"Falling In Love With Love" is a number Marlene Dietrich often sang but when Frank Sinatra sings it he really swings brightly to make this number take off like a jet! The brass section is wonderful and the music accompanies him to perfection! I really like "Falling In Love With Love" and I think that you will, too. "The Curse Of An Aching Heart" also gets the royal treatment from Frank as he performs this with panache--and how's about that musical interlude? The big band style arrangement still sounds great all these years later; and Sinatra fans will love hearing this very well done tune.

"Don't Cry Joe" has Frank singing his very best; his uncanny sense of timing and his excellent diction enhance his performance; and listen also for a sublime rendition of "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone." I always loved "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone;" this tune is truly timeless and Frank sings it out like the champ he always was! The brass and the percussion work wonders for "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone," too. In addition, "Love Walked In" is a cover of an older song that sounds so fresh and new when Frank Sinatra sings it--wow, how he could sing a song! This song and the others on this album truly prove just how well Frank could take a song and massage the lyrics to get just what he wanted out of the number; and that's very impressive. Few artists are ever able to accomplish this goal.

"I Never Knew" again features Frank squarely front and center-and that's OK with me! The brassy arrangement works well and Frank never sings a superfluous note. "Moonlight On The Ganges" is another well done number; and Frank gives us a wonderful interpretation of "It's A Wonderful World." "It's A Wonderful World" is a relentlessly upbeat ballad with a splashy musical arrangement that works well; and the album ends with Frank Sinatra performing "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You." "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You" is a number I first heard when Dean Martin sang it; and Frank's rendition shines just as brightly. "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You" makes a strong ending for this CD and it leaves you wanting more!

Overall, Frank Sinatra fans will consider this a must-have for their collections; and this album is also wonderful for people who enjoy classic pop vocals. Newcomers to Frank Sinatra should also consider this as a fine starter CD to whet their appetites for more.

I was led to believe for all these years that "Swing Along With Me" was one of Sinatra's lesser efforts. No way! A couple of the song selections are questionable ("Curse of an Aching Heart," "Don't Cry Joe," "Moonlight on the Ganges") and the occasional introduction of strings is awkward (especially the attempt to make "Granada" both operatic aria and jazz swinger). But this is minor carping about another masterpiece from the Master Storyteller.

Rank this above "I Remember Tommy" or "Ring-a-Ding Ding" and right up there with "Songs for Swinging Lovers." That Benny Goodman swing staple, "Don't Be That Way," is sung in a manner that reminds us exactly of where Sinatra draws his inspiration from--the straightahead 4/4 meter of the best the big band era had to offer.

And none of these "swing" tempos is the same. "I Never Knew" (one of Sonny Stitt's favorite tunes) is taken way up tempo, whereas "It's a Wonderful World" (not Satchmo's "What a Wonderful World" but the old standard Peggy Lee and Zoot Sims used to do) is right in the pocket, instantly locating that elusive middle groove.

Sinatra consistently "locks in" the time but not until he's taken sufficient liberties with it to make realignment a rewarding experience. And dig his command of register--his rich but so natural, so "realistic" and "present" baritone knocks off G above middle C at the end of "Granada" with effortless but dramatic effect. Finally, of all the versions of Gershwin's "Love Walked In," this must be the definitive one--not too fast, not too slow. He gets it just right--love walking on a steady walking bass.

The CD doesn't list personnel, but besides May I hope the bass player and drummer (catch his fills on "Curse") got some share of the royalties.

From the opening of "Falling in Love with Love," SWING ALONG WITH ME is a keeper. I don't know who plays the bass, but they're incredible - these big, fat swaggering notes dominate most of the tracks on the album.

The whole thing is spectacular - strings, saxophones, and above all, Billy May - aside from two novelty numbers that would've been more at home on "Come Fly With Me;" "Granada" and "Moonlight on the Ganges." The former is just the typical hokey Sinatra ode to a city and the Spanish-style sounds of the orchestra make it hard not to laugh, though the brass section is to be commended. The latter, however, is one of the worst Sinatra numbers I've ever heard as he sings it to "my little Hindu" and some verses are often embellished with a Chinese(?) flair on the vibraphone (dinky-dinky-ding-dong-dong-dong-chow!) and a huge gong crash - maybe they meant to call it "Moonlight on the Yangtze." The sheer badness makes it simultaneously the worst and best song ever - much like "Ol' MacDonald" from SWINGIN' SESSION.

As I said, one of the best Reprise titles, laregly due to its similarity to the Capitol material (thanks again to Billy May, though not as strong as COME DANCE WITH ME). Once you hear this album, however, you need to own it.

As I read the previous 14 reviews, I found it very interesting that all , except one , like this CD immensely in varying degrees. What is there not to like about it? It rivals any album Sinatra did for Capitol. The Billy May band was in particular very good form, which leads me to believe that these tracks were all made in a couple of days with minimal takes. The great thing about this re-issue is that,as one reviewer mentioned early on, it has the complete version of Granada. The only other time the complete version was issued was back on the original monoural pressing of the LP way back in 1961. For some reason, ( I don't buy the lack of space on the vinyl excuse)it was not on the stereo version. I just think somebody goofed and put the Granada single(yes this song was a minor hit for Frank) on the stereo version and Reprise was to lazy to change it.Until 1999,that is, when Lee Herschberg who mastered the album in 20 bit found the original stereo version and put it on the CD.It only took close to 40 years to do it but it's there now and glorious to be heard. I don't even believe the mammoth 20 CD complete Reprise Sinatra studio recordings have this track in toto. Oh yeah, the other 11 compositions swing their little tushes off too.

By the way, someone inquired who the bassist was in May's band for this record .....well it was jazz stalwart, the underated Joe Comfort.

Reprise has remastered roughly 20 of Frank Sinatra's most monumental records from the 50s and 60s. Sinatra's output during the Reprise years consisted of some of the most extraordinary music of his career. One of these remastered CDs is "Swing Along With Me," recorded with Billy May and his Orchestra and orginally released in 1961. Although the record is not quite as stellar as his work with Nelson Riddle, "Swing Along with Me" is marvelous.

The CD gets off to a sublime start with the Rogers and Hart composition "Falling in Love with Love" - the song really does swing and is perhaps the best selection on the CD. Other highlights include "Love Walked In" (Gershwin), "I Never Knew" (Benny Goodman), the breezy "It's a Wonderful World," and the laid-back "You're Nobody `Til Somebody Loves You" (which would become a signature song for Sinatra pal, Dean Martin). "Granada" is also interesting, with a dramatic pseudo-Spanish sound and a "cha cha cha" ending - it was the only song from the record to hit the Top 100 (#64).

In with these gems, though, are a few relative duds. "The Curse of An Aching Heart" is so manic that Sinatra's vocal gets overshadowed at times. "Don't Cry Joe" is more melancholy than swing and sounds out of place here, and "Moonlight on the Ganges" has a fairly cheesy Egyptian intro. In fact, most of the songs are simply not as memorable as the selections from similar Sinatra CDs from the period, such as "Songs For Swingin' Lovers!" or "Come Fly with Me." Of course, those records are indisputable masterpieces. However, overall "Swing Along with Me" is an above average Sinatra CD, which means that it's still pretty exceptional!

I'm a very big Sinatra fan. And this CD is somewhat perplexing for me. Its seems that half of the tunes i enjoy completely with out any hesitation. and the other half i either dislike or enjoy but need to quantify my enjoyment with a comment of reasoning. I've come to the conclusion that its because Frank has at some point changed from the young hip swinger to a mature sophisticated balladeer. This CD i believe captures the essence of that time when he was in transition. Believe me, you would have to pry this CD from my dead cold hands before i gave it up, but i simply don't believe this is some of his best work. Obviously we have classic Frank numbers like "falling in love with love" and "your nobody til somebody loves you" wich no Frank collection should be with out. But also in the mix are tunes like "don't cry Joe" and "moonlight on the ganges" which i simply can't listen to because of there slow plodding along tempo and dry emotionless lyric. Overall a recommend this CD because the good out way the bad, and because it is a slice of history that shouldn't be overlooked.

Once again,three stars from this reviewer,though it would be a sure five Starrer for probably anyone else. There are two not to be missed Frank whiz-rompers here,the incredible "Granada",which needs to heard to be believed,and "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You",a show stopper that really rises to the occasion,and completely blows away Dino's version,or anyone elses probably.By the way,this is available on many Reprise Collections."It's a Wonderful World" is arranged much like "You're Nobody" with a strong brassy countermelody coming right before the vocal,but does not quite hit the peak of "You're Nobody"."Have You Met Miss Jones" has this type of buildup,too,but again does not,IMHO,quite reach it as a Sinatra essential. The others here are worthwhile,but simply not up to the highest Sinatra/May treatment,which can be heard on "Come Dance With Me",an incredible supercharged tour de force. Buy only after you've bought about fifteen other absolute essentials

(4.5/5 stars) This one has some great stuff! Other reviewers pretty much summed it up accurately when stating both that this sounds more like the Capitol years than later Reprise and that there is a fairly weak song here, namely "Moonlight on the Ganges." "Granada" isn't all that great, but it isn't terrible and at least it is energetic. Most of the other songs are fantastic, though. My favorites are "Falling In Love With Love," "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone," "I Never Knew," "Don't Be That Way," "It's A Wonderful World" and "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You." Sinatra's voice is in peak form and the songs complement his style perfectly. As always, I really like Billy May's arrangements, and his orchestra more than holds its own. The sound is very clean and crisp, as though it were recorded recently. This is another short one though, running only about thirty minutes. Reprise could easily pair two albums on one CD if they wanted. Nonetheless, this is one to buy.

"Swing Along With Me" was the first Reprise album Sinatra made after leaving Capitol Records. In fact he was sued by Capitol because the title of his last album "Come Swing With Me" was too similiar to the New Reprise release, and the title was changed to "Sinatra Swings". Years later as it has reached CD it has been changed back to its' original title. There is a noticeable difference in Sinatra in the last Capitol effort and the first Reprise Album. He seems much more cut-loose uninhibited in his singing, much more daring and reassured in his execution. He is now in total control as he records on his own label.Even Billy May sounds a great deal different when ironically he had arranged the final Capitol album. My favorite cuts are "I Never Knew", "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone", and "Don't Cry Joe", a carry over from his Columbia days. If you like Swing, you simply must own this CD.

What can you say about the greatest singer that ever lived? For one thing, there is so much hoopla over his Capitol recordings that his Reprise recordings always seem to get taken less seriously. There is a self-confidence and attitude that you don't get on the Capitol recordings that you get on the Reprise recordings. That's why the big band Reprise recordings from the early 60's are so much fun to listen to. This recording is a perfect example of the later Sinatra. The phrasing is more prounouned and the conviction is more mature. These are things you can only get from experience. After all, he was singing for his own label. He didn't have to worry about record contracts and controlling producers. All these things make this Reprise recording all the more fun and enjoyable to listen to. The arrangements by Billy May are outrageous at times, but never overpower "the voice." The more elaborate and intense the arrangement, the more Frank gives. Billy May deserves as much credit as Nelson Riddle in creating unforgettable arrangments. Just listen to "Grenada" which is not even a pop song. At first it sounds a bit dated with the overblown horn arrangement, but then, in a moment of pure musical genious, it slips into a swinging and horn stabbing tribute to the big band era. A bit more complex than Riddle and always hip, this Sinatra recording is also a remastering masterpiece that sounds like it was recorded yesterday. If you like the mature, swaggering, and more self-confident Sinatra swinging with some of the most indelible big band arrangements ever created, then don't miss this recording. It really deserves landmark status.