Customer Reviews

Some Nice Things I've Missed

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This album, recorded a mere 5 days after his nation-wide tour that celebrated his coming out of retirement, shows a middle aged Sinatra singing songs of the day, 1974 to be exact. With the exception of 'You Turned My World Around', 'The Summer Knows', 'If', and 'What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?', this album is all upbeat. This is an album that is actually fun to listen to. In my opinion, the best songs include Satisfy Me One More Time (his most sexually explicit song), I'm Gonna Make It All The Way (semi-country), If (much better than the original), and Bad, Bad Leroy Brown. While the songs on this album are not the best choices for him to sing, he sounds like he is having a blast singing them. And, to me anyway, if the singer sounds like he is enjoying himself, it makes the album a pleasure to listen to. This is a must for anyone who likes Sinatra's later material.

The initial excitement over Frank Sinatra's return caused by "Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back" dissipates somewhat with his next effort, "Some Nice Things I've Missed." As the title indicates, most of the tracks on this album are songs that were popular during the period of Sinatra's retirement such as Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," Jim Croce's "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown," David Gates' "If," and Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life." However, there are some bad choices in terms of how some of these songs are produced. Apparently in keeping with the idea of Sinatra doing things his way, most of these songs are turned into big band efforts. I suppose "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" can work as a big band number, but "Sweet Caroline" does not. The end result is that the better tracks are those that are slowed down and scored simply, such as "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" The other decent tracks are "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," "If," "The Summer Knows," and "You Turned My World Around," only the two of which actually fit the motif of the album. On both albums there are two arrangers, Don Costa and Gordon Jenkins, and the results are the same both times. Jenkins provides the 5 star material and Costa the 3 star; the balance tips up on the first album but down on this one, resulting in a 3.5 album where we have to round down. Put all the Jenkins tracks together and you would have the last great album of Frank Sinatra's career. Instead you have one above average and one below average effort.

When Frank Sinatra decided to build upon the momentum from the critically-acclaimed October 1973 comeback album - Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back - he did it with a style that was truly befitting of the Chairman of the Board.

In 1974, Sinatra undertook a tour, which included opening the Richfield (OH) Coliseum and a televised extravaganza from Madison Square Garden, chronicled in the release, The Main Event: Live.

And with arranger/conductor Don Costa, Sinatra tackled 10 contemporary numbers that were adopted for big bands, but had a cool swing to the musical vibe from the early 1970s.

Sinatra is too hip with the hop he puts into Jim Croce's Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, and is the leader of the pack with his interpretation of Stevie Wonder's bittersweet, You Are the Sunshine of My Life. Both numbers were mainstays in his concert play-list.

The nearly 29 minutes of music also features solid vocal interpretations of Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline, Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree and You Turned My World Around.

This is a relaxed Sinatra, having fun in the studio and with renewed confidence. That this CD is out-of-print and only available on import just shows how the music industry works in mysterious ways.

With 1974 being a banner year for this American entertainment icon, it seems fitting that at some point this studio release and the live CD are issued together in a package that celebrates the return of Sinatra to the bright spotlight of center stage.

Listening to this, one cannot help but think that Sinatra had lost his way, musically speaking. He wanted to remain relevant, but at the same time there were few songs being written that were suitable to him. On this album, there's two tracks I like very much, one that's a lost opportunity, and the rest are pretty much unworthy of such a great singer. "The Summer Knows" is a great Michel Legrand song, well arranged by Gordon Jenkins. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" is one of the few songs written during the seventies good enough to be called a standard, and Don Costa writes a nifty, swinging arrangement. The lost opportunity is "What Are you Doing the Rest of Your Life?," a great song which I don't think has ever been definitively interpreted by any singer. But the rest of the album is pretty much dreck, though there are amusing moments during "I'm Gonna Make it All the Way." If you must have Sinatra singing LeRoy Brown, the Main Event Concert version is better.

For completists only.

This album was Sinatra's first all out commercial attempt after his retirement and does not stand up to OL BLUE EYES IS BACK or TRILOGY. Plus this record didn't sell very well; I think it hit No. 48 on the charts.

If I could I would rate it 3.5 stars. The songs IF and WHAT ARE YOU DOING THE REST OF YOUR LIFE stand out as Sinatra once again shows that he is a master of phrasing plus the arrangements on those two songs are top notch. The CD is worth the money for those two songs alone. IF blows the original by BREAD out of the water.

The rest of the tunes are mostly fun to listen to but not very deep or emotional. The song YOU TURNED MY WORLD AROUND just doesn't sound right for Frank - the melody is too weird.

Frank was probably just trying to record some 70s stuff he liked and didn't worry too much about creating a classic. Perhaps if he would have done some of uptempo tunes with Basie, the album would have fared better.

This album is a bit of a disappointment, bar one track. 'Sweet Caroline', the Diamond 'Diamond' dazzles here like a superior rock. What's more, Diamond is on record as saying that this version of the song is the best cover version done of all his songs. Buy it for that, when you can get it.

Ok, I will admit it. This is not the greatest Sinatra album. I bought it because I wanted the studio version of Bad, Bad Leroy Brown and because this cd is very hard to find! Thanks to Amazon I own it!!! Crank ol' Leroy Brown to your rock'n roll pallies and they just might dig it!!!! HEY, if rock stars like Brian Setzer can swing, why can't Frank Sinatra rock once in a while????? I personally think Sinatra should've recorded a blues album during this period. Frank's voice became rougher and raspy in the late 60's/early 70's, which is perfect for singing the blues!

This is really a potpourri of, as the title suggests, some nice things I might have missed. I really think Mr. Sinatra was at his best in his '70's recordings. His voice is at its truest sound. Whenever I hear his earlier recordings, it sounds a bit tinny...and during his later years, not as strong. However, this is just a fun recording to listen to. It sounds as if HE'S having fun and laughing as he sings some of the songs. "I Think I'm Going To Make It," will make you laugh out loud at the end. I guarantee! So will, "Satisfy Me One More Time." They're hilarious. I have never heard them anywhere else...ever. In fact, I can't imagine anyone else getting by with them except, possibly, Dean Martin. I guess that kind of explains the magic of the Rat Pack, hmm? [As a young adult, I was fortunate to see Frank Sinatra perform at Caesar's Palace AND Dean Martin at the Riviera. What a great memory.] All the songs are very good. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

I own well over a hundred Frank Sinatra CDs, and am definitely a fan; I have enormous respect for Frank Sinatra's talent, and for his phenomenal body of work, which virtually defined popular music in the twentieth century. Frank's influence was so wide-ranging that it has continued to resonate to this day, even in an age dominated by hip hop and rap. That said, this horrendous album may well be the low point of his seven-decade career; I own it only because I am admittedly a fanatical completist. This flacid, ill-advised collection of covers of early 70s light pop tunes was one in a series of attempts to make the aging lion relevant for the younger generation; all such albums (and there were several) failed to varying degrees. "Some Nice Things I've Missed," however, is easily the very worst of the lot; it is substantially weaker than its immediate predecessor, Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back (1973),which was a pleasing, and surprisingly strong, comeback after several years of retirement. The present album, however, sounds like Sinatra trying to be John Denver. This is a bad idea to begin with, and is poorly excecuted, to boot. Even an admitted Sinatra fanatic like myself is likely to be disappointed by this half-hearted collection. If you are a neophyte, for God's sake, avoid this. You might want to try Songs for Swingin' Lovers! or In the Wee Small Hours instead. For an excellent overview of Frank's glory days on Capitol records, I also recommend Classic Sinatra. Any of these monumental albums will offer a worthier introduction to a legendary singer than will this misbegotten effort.