Customer Reviews

Swingin Affair

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the very best, one of those Ur-Sinatra masterpieces, in Gary Giddins' phrase. Every bit as good as Songs For Swingin' Lovers and even more exuberant, from the flag-waiving "Night and Day" to an almost delirious "Oh! Look At Me Now." There's a bonus track stuck on the end, "The Lady Is A Tramp," more appropriate than usual in that it was recorded during the Swingin' Affair sessions but was left off the album at the last minute for inclusion in the soundtrack to Pal Joey. It's nice to hear it, but you may want to make a tape with "Tramp" somewhere in the middle because "Oh! Look At Me Now" is the perfect ending to an album so well programed it seems almost like a suite. The few ballads on this album don't dampen the celebratory atmosphere one whit; in each case they build and build in loudness and swing as they gon on, as if Sinatra just can't contain himself. Even "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" does this, though it goes quiet again at the end. Make no mistake, the word "swingin'" is in the title for a very good reason.

I think Nelson Riddle's arranements reached a peak of color, taste, and cleverness here. He had perfected and seemed to revel in his patented subtle fade-in ---- listen to the beginnings of "Lonesome Road," "From This Moment On," "You'd Be So Nice to come Home To," and "Oh! Look At Me Now" to see what I mean. If you want to see how good Riddle was, compare this album to almost any other Sinatra Capitol record arranged by Billy May or Gordon Jenkins. You'll miss Riddle.

Finally, so many of the Sinatra/Riddle Capitols of this period were not only astonishingly high quality in song selection, sequencing, arranging, and execution, but were amazingly generous in sheer number of songs. Fifteen on Affair as well as Swingin' Lovers, SIXTEEN on the all-ballad In the Wee Small Hours. Back then, the average for most LP's was ten or eleven songs, twelve tops. Also, the new 20-bit remastered edition recently released---it's supposed to be a sonic mess. Get the older CD or a vinyl import.

Five stars isn't sufficient for an album that contains "Stars Fell on Alabama," "I Won't Dance" and "I Wish I Were in Love Again," thre of the great vocal tracks ever sung by Sinatra. Many consider this album one of Sinatra's greatest up-tempo albums and Nelson Riddle's arrangements are nothing short of electric. This is an album where you can put it on, hit play and never fast forward, all the songs are eminently Sinatraesque and every single arrangement has a touch of genius.

Frank's phrasing is (as always at this stage of his career) letter perfect. Listen to "At Long Last Love..." never a particular hit, Frank rarely sang it live, but who cares? It's immortalized here, forever.

If you love Sinatra, you will already have had this on vinyl and cassette (maybe even eight track). If you're new to Frank, don't hesitate one moment: grab it and listen to it for the rest of your life.

Where to begin. Many people put Swingin' Lovers ahead of this as his best, but I don't this because the songs are more varied in tempo and emotion. Nelson Riddle's arrangements are also in top form on this release. Another reason I love this album is it's superior song selection. Every song is a classic standard from the best writers (i.e. Porter, Rodgers/Hart, Gershwin, etc.) They are (rated from 1-10, 10 being the best:

1. Night and Day- exuberant and powerful. evrything an opener should be. **10**

2. I Wish I Were in Love Again- a lite swinger, the best on the disc. Best lyrics I've ever heard. **10**

3. I Got Plenty of Nothin'- solid. **10**

4. I Guess I'll Have to Change...- Another great lyric (too bad he didn't do the verse). Really picks up at the end. **10**

5. Nice Work...- The Basie version can't compare. Great song to play on piano, by the way. **10**

6. Stars Fell on Alabama- Listen for Sinatra's lyrical embellishments toward the end. Starts at an almost ballad tempo. **10**

7. No One Ever Tells You- EXTREMELY underrated blues number. **10**

8. I Won't Dance- a Sinatra classic. **10*

9. Lonesome Road- the album's low point. Too gospel-ish for FS. One to skip. **7.5**

10. At Long Last Love- Luckily the low point doesn't last. Another amazing song. **10**

11. I Got It Bad...- Starts off as ballad, but picks up. **9**

12. You'd Be So Nice...- Not the greatest arrangement on the disc, but works just fine. Another Porter lyrical masterpiece. **10**

13. From This Moment On- Really strong finish to this song. **10**

14. If I Had You- Not my favorite songever written, but by this team, they can't really go wrong. **9.5**

15. Oh! Look at Me Now- Great closing song. Suave, clever lyrics, and Riddle's backing beats the Dorsey version by a mile. **10**

16. Lady Is A Tramp- Quality bonus track, but tepid compared to later version on 'the Sands' album. **9.5**

There you have it. Waste no time in making your purchase.

Determined to acquire a near-complete Sinatra collection, I had decided not to duplicate my original LP's. What a mistake that proved to be in the case of this album. My copy of the vinyl album excluded both the delightful Sinatra treatment of "I Wish I Were in Love Again" as well as the "definitive" Sinatra studio version of "The Lady Is a Tramp." Apart from space limitations on the vinyl format, Capital wanted to wait for the release of the motion picture, "Pal Joey," before putting out these two Rodgers and Hart tunes.

Besides omitting key songs, the original album had electronically added reverb that made Sinatra sound like he was singing in a tunnel. So hands down, this may be the most indispensable CD addition for the Sinatra collector.

But of course the musical quality also makes this album essential to any first-time listener. In fact, were it not for the inclusion of "I've Got You Under My Skin" on the celebrated predecessor album "Songs for Swinging Lovers," this follow-up session would be a clear choice over the highly acclaimed earlier album. As it is, the presence of both "Night and Day" and "Lady Is a Tramp" may be sufficient to place "Affair" above "Lovers" on the Sinatra priority list.

One tiny caveat: the decision to do "I Got It Bad" as a swing tune was not at all a bad one, even though Old Blue could easily have made it work in its traditional ballad tempo. But hearing it on this occasion does rub some salt in the wound left by the 1960's Sinatra-Ellington session, on which Sinatra for the most part merely uses the Ellington band to play his, and not Duke's, tunes and arrangements.

After "Songs for Swingin' Lovers" and "Only the Lonely", this one is next! I love this damn record!! All the songs are great, and it has my favorite version of "Night and Day"! Just listen to it, his voice is nothing short of amazing! He almost overloads the mic at the end of the song!!

This CD is a snapshot of Mr. Sinatra at the peak of his career. His voice resonates to the bone. The overall sound is brassy and powerful, especially on my favorite track, "Night and day". Other great moments are "I won't dance" and "You'd be so nice to come home to". The bonus track "Lady is a tramp" is the second best version around. Sorry, but Ella Fitzgerald owns that song.
Songs I just can't feel? That would be "Stars fell on Alabama" and "Lonesome road", with "road" not seeming to fit the theme of the CD. Anyway, every music fan should own this one.

This album is a classic. The songs are superb and fun to dance to. Nelson's arrangments are top notch..... GET THIS ONE and u will have a fun way to learn more about the great PRE-ROCK songwriting.

This is absolute required listening for anyone with even a passing interest in Sinatra. If you've wondered what all the fuss was about, the whole story is here. A perfect selection of tunes, with Nelson Riddle still letting his swing side keep his elevator music side in check. Every cut on this disc is a miniature masterpiece; taken together they show Sinatra's awesome range of expression and swing. At cut-out prices, we should all buy a case of these and give one copy to every single person we know...

Sinatra's best swinging set, "A Swingin' Affair" demonstrates both the singer's masterful voice and his impeccable taste in choosing music. While there is simply not a weak track on the album, "I Won't Dance," "I Got it Bad And That Aint Good," "The Lady is a Tramp," and "Night and Day" are the standout performances. Sinatra never sounded so alive.

When I was growing up my folks played the best music on our hi-fi, Frank and Ella and Erroll Garner et al. "A Swingin' Affair" was one of their favorites and now some forty years later it is one of my favorites. From the first cut to the las,t it is Frank and Nelson Riddle at their swingin'est. A must for your collection.