Customer Reviews

Trilogy

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I remember being very excited when this album was first released. It had been a few years since his previous album and if memory serves me correctly, the single "Theme from New York, New York" was on the verge of being Frank's biggest hit in over a decade. I bought the original three record set for myself and as a gift to my parents, as well as treating myself to the three reel-to-reel set from Columbia House (oh, what memories!).My favorite of the three discs has always been "The Future." To this day the lush orchestration always puts me in a relaxed mood as my imagination always envisions what Frank is singing about (e.g. "I like to sit outside on a summer night with a drank in MY HAND"). I've never grown tired of this very long medley and can listen to it over and over.As for the rest of the album, the "Present" disc with such songs as "Something" and "Just the Way You Are" is nice to listen to (a cover of the Carpenters' "Close to You" is noticably missing somehow), and "Past" introduced me to another style of music I might never have known.This album was really up to date at the time and some twenty years later I still find the album very fresh and new. I've introduced the "Future" disc to some of my rock oriented friends who have since turned into Sinatra fans (really!). What can I say? The guy's cool.I highly recommend this album.

Well,I confess that I'm amazed by the awful critics to this album. Maybe there is another TRILOGY album that I don't heard by now.
What the hell?
Figure it,it's the eighties,and here we have Frank trying to keep running against the times and crazy changes in music and world.He entered the studio and recorded a big number of songs,ones best suited than others to him and makes a great,grand-sounding album that through three discs -now two cd's- transports us in a wonderful travel trough forty years of music. It's a big and priceless effort of an old saloon singer in a time when his old pals and rivals vegetated in forgetness.Everyone seems to love the first part (aka THE PAST,perfect in its entirely) because obviously shows THE MAN at his best,melting himself with the old saloon songs and the sweet Dorsey textures,this time with Billy May arrangements.
Well,that's easy and requires a little to appreciate it.But with the PRESENT and FUTURE sections the people shows a negative criticism that I don't understand at all. I agree with all of whom say that SONG SUNG BLUE or JUST THE WAY YOU ARE (from THE PRESENT,A&C by Don Costa,genius that conceived the glorious,glamorous and all that stand by -amorous SINATRA AND STRINGS) aren't between the Sinatra Classic Songbook,but renditions as YOU AND ME,MAC ARTHUR PARK,SUMMER ME,WINTER ME or of course,NEW YORK,NEW YORK,outweight the "weaker" parts.His vision of the current hits since the mid-sixties suffered the controversy from critics and some fans.Don't forget,thanks to this experimental side of Sinatra,we can enjoy NEW YORK NEW YORK,MY WAY,STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT and a lot more gems.
And the suite that Gordon Jenkins created for Frank...I think it's simply thrilling and outstanding,a wonderful piece of music and lyrics,too deep and revelative.The occasional weakness in his voice only gives more dramatic sense and makes more credible the story he tells.It's a shame that Sinatra never did a television special or a tour based in this marvellous musical fantasy.It could be a peak in his career.FIVE STARS,NO DOUBT.But don't belive me,just hear it.

This album is NOT for the beginning or casual Sinatra fan but MUST have for the serious music critic.

Perhaps one is overhelmed by the amount of music. Perhaps the fact that this album sold VERY well influences ones review.

But I simply LOVE almost all the music on the PAST and PRESENT and I am amused by the FUTURE which was defintely influenced by STAR WARS which came out a few years before this album.

Frank's singing on all albums is strong; his voice now older but still dramatic and very effective and romantic. The arrangements are ALL top notch and yes while some of them remind us of the 1940s a bit (so what??), they are updated and fresh which places them into the timeless category. Plus, the sound quality of 1940s recordings was of course nothing near what we had 1979 and since. Overall the sound is good; perhaps a bit bright but other than that, the albums sounds fat and solid..which it should, they're huge orchestras on here. If only DUETS I and II had sounded like this....

The songs themselves vary from classic (e.g. STREET OF DREAMS) to 2nd rate material (e.g. THAT'S WHAT GOD LOOKS LIKE) and some of the contemporary songs were already OLDIES by 1979 e.g. LOVE ME TENDER which came out in 1954. It just shows that standards are TIMELESS - a song can be written in the 20s and still sound fresh 50 plus years later when Sinatra sings it. JUST THE WAY YOU ARE on the other hand sounds dated by today's standards - it is an oldie reminding us of the late 70s - but a good one it is and Sinatra does one heck of a job swinging it hard. Perhaps when Sinatra sings a song it becomes a standard. YOU AND ME and MAC ARTHUR PARK are stunning and Costa outdid himself on the arrangmenents..same goes for SUMMER ME WINTER ME.

SINATRA's heart is in all the songs whether they're from the AMERICAN songbook (1920-1965) or from the rock era.

Granted, the FUTURE is a bit hard to digest at first but it will grow on you. Think of it as a movie on record....and then use your imagination......

I LOVE Frank, and this album has some my absolute contemporary favorites, including YOU AND ME (which by the way I first heard in the film IRRECONCILIABLE DIFFERENCES...) and SUMMER ME WINTER ME...but the experimentation on Disc 2 is really not successful, and is difficult to stay with. Disc 1 more than makes up for this lapse in musical judgement however -- I just skip Part II completely and settle into the perfection of one of our most treasured pop singers doing what he does best with some of the best material of all time.

When I first heard this recording nearly twenty years ago I knew for sure that this singer was the master of the lyric. Franks phrasing and the great big band sound on Billy Joel's hit "just the way you are" brings an excitement to this ballad. All the material on this album is consummate Sinatra, I recommend getting this cd.

When first released in March of 1980, Sinatra's 'Trilogy' was literally an event.

It was Sinatra's first studio album in six years (1974-1979 produced a minimal amout of mediocre singles and an album project with Nelson Riddle
that was aborted).

The "Trilogy" project was comprised of three discs with attempted to capsulize Sinatra's musical and personal persona in three tenses--Past, Present and Future.

Disc 1 "The Past" has FS performing a number of standards he had never recorded before plus re recordings of "The Song is You" and "Let's Face The Music and Dance." Billy May supplied the charts after Nelson Riddle turned down the project owing to some personal conflicts between Riddle and Sinatra

Disc 2 "The Past consisted of much lightweight pop material spanning the rock era--going back to "Love Me Tender" out of 1956, and including songs by Carole Bayer Sager, Peter Allen, Kris Kristofferson and Jimmy Webb. Ironically enough, including "New York New York" completely out of phase with the rest of the disc musically, but gave Sinatra his first hit single in years and a signature song to replace "My Way."

The 3rd Disc entitled "The Future" was an autobiographical suite composed for Sinatra by Gordon Jenkins....Savaged by critics and ignored by most fans, it became the most controversial musical project of (at that time) the four decade long Sinatra career....."The Future" resulted in WNEW's Jonathan Schwartz being forced off the air for a period of time...Schwartz told his listeners "The Future" was a 'narcissistic mess' and a 'shocking embarrassment'...........(Sinatra called the head of Metromedia to complain and Schwartz was suddenly on sabbatical--Schwartz also claimed Sinatra called and screamed at him for 2 solid minutes)..

During the course of "The Future" Sinatra finds romance on Venus, mob buddies on Pluto and Pizza on Uranus............He makes a last charge at Vegas with Dean Martin and "Sarge" Weiss and does one last great imaginary recording session with Jenkins........

Listening to The Future now, 25 years after the fact and 8 years after Sinatra's passing is a curious personal and musical experience. Though "The Future" sounds more dated than "The Past" and "The Present" because of Jenkins'approach, Sinatra does his best singing of the entire package--

Frank: "And when the cat with the scythe starts tuggin at my sleeve..
I'll be singing when I leave!!!!"

CHORUS 'SINATRA..SINATRA.... SINATRA!

To hell with the critics, this is powerful stuff and today moves me to tears.....

The only reason to buy this Frank Sinatra Cd for me was the very underrated ballad YOU AND ME(WE WANTED IT ALL).This song is simply the greatest love song Sinatra has ever sung .Ole Blue Eyes mystical voice range is shown off in this little known classic gem! His voices rises and dips as does the metaphor in this song about a love affair gone bad, but we are told was once the best!Mark my words if you don`t enjoy this Sinatra ballad you just have no heart.This 2 cd set is all best explained on disc 1 with the formentioned song.The Chairman Of The board also gives us his rendition of the Neil Diamond hit Song Sung Blue. And then theres the always powerful New York New York theme that will simply knock your socks off!Disc 2 is quite forgettable as Sinatra tries to take us on some journey through time in 6 stanzas of quite forgettable tunes.Overall a good cd for Francis Albert fans!!

most of the recording is very introspective, and can at times become very dark, compared to the usual sinatra swing. for me though the song "You and me" (we wanted it all) alone, is worth the price of admission. If you've never heard this track, heres your chance,and you get to hear a side of Frank that is not so well known.

This album is like an old friend. After not hearing it for a long time, I'm glad we have it back.

Frank Sinatra hadn't released an album in almost five years when he began working in "Trilogy" in August of 1978. It was his most ambitious project to date: three dsics, with three different arrangers, each covering a different theme. The three themes were Past, Present, and Future, with songs correlating to each time period.

Upon its release, it greatly overwhelmed and polarized fans, especially the third section, a concept album of sorts that had Frank speculating about his nearing winter years and fantasizing about what the future holds for him. This section got the brunt of most journalists' criticisms, including several who referred to it as pompous and self-indulgent.

Nearly 30 years later, however, "Trilogy" has aged excellently, and as far as I'm concerned is his best effort from 1973 onward (along with 1981's "She Shot Me Down"). Each section of the album has its share of excellent material, even The Future, which is far as I'm concerned is an artistic triumph for Frank as well as arranger Gordon Jenkins.

Before reviewing each of the three discs, one thing I would like to point out is that Frank's voice is EXCELLENT. Anyone who believes Frank never got his voice back after 1973 is sorely mistaken. Frank sounds ever bit as good here as he did in 1942, 1956 or 1963: clear, tough, dramatic, powerful, able to hit a wide range of strong notes at both upper and lower register, combined with intricate phrasing and forceful breath control. The rasp that plagued him at 1974's "The Main Event" is almost completely nonexistent on this album.

The first section, The Past, is often recorded as the best of the three, and it's definitely excellent. On this section, Frank tackles songs he either never recorded or hadn't done in years, all arranged by the wonderful Billy May, who does some of his best work with Frank on this set.

From the opening track, a brand new rendition of "The Song Is You," it is clear Frank, at 63, is still at the top of hs game. May's arrangement explodes with energy, as Frank's voice dances around a torrent of furious horn lines and swirling strings, punching out notes and lyrics as forcefully as he did in 1958 (the last time Frank had done the song, with May as well, on "Come Dance With Me"). Frank recorded this song five times, but this version is definitive.

The rest of the album upholds the quality of the first track superbly, as Frank gives off definitive readings of classics he hadn't visited or visited in awhile, including a passionate "But Not For Me," a magical "I Had The Craziest Dream," a wonderfully dramatic updating of "Let's Face The Music And Dance," a roaring "Street Of Dreams," a soaring "My Shining Hour," a sincere "More Than You Know," and a fantastic "They All Laughed."

One other track worth singling out is "It Had To Be You." Many had sung this song before Frank, and many after, but no one has ever done a lovelier, more passionate and sincere rendition than Frank did on this album. It is one of his finest love songs and best latter day recordings.

The Present is a set of contemporary material, some newly written for Frank, some covers of other artists' hits. The contemporary numbers are excellent. "You And Me (We Wanted It All)" is a singularly beautiful and heartbreaking ballad that only Frank can sing. Frank pierces the very heart and soul of this song, as he details the rsie and fall of a romance that once was "the best" as he only he can. "Summer Me, Winter Me," in contrast, is one of his best love songs ever. Tender and warm, with an evergreen reading by Frank and a soaring, atmospheric Don Costa arrangement, it is one of the most underrated Frank recordings and is one of his shining hours on record. His voice is excellent on this one, especially as he punches out the refrain after the instrumental break. Finally, there's "That's What God Looks Like To Me," about discussing the identity of our Creator to his small child. It could've come across as silly and lightweight, but Frank turns it into a sincere and beautiful performance, very gentle and moving. If you have small child who has any questions about God, play them this song.

The covers of other artists' songs go over quite well. Billy Joel's "Just The Way You Are" is turned from a plain ballad into a fiery swinger, while Elvis's "Love Me Tender" is an excellent tribute to The King. And "MacArthur Park" is simply grand and recalls the 1961 recording of "Stardust" that Frank did on his first record with Costa, "Sinatra & Strings." Some recordings don't go over quite as well: Neil Diamond's "Song Sung Blue" is ruined by unnecessary backing vocalists, and Kris Kristoferson's "For The Good Times" would've been better without the annoying Opera singer.

There are two recordings on this set, that most be singled out. One is Frank's rendition of The Beatles' "Something." Often called by Frank "The Greatest Love Song Ever Written," Frank gives one of his most soulful and haunting performances ever on this track, backed by a breathtaking string arrangement by Nelson Riddle. As much as I love The Beatles' version, Frank takes this song to a whole other level, and creates the definitive version.

The other recording worth noting is "New York, New York." Okay, so everyone knows the song, it's Frank's most popular recording, blah, blah, blah. But regardless of the fact that for many it's overplayed, it's still a landmark recording for Frank. Here's Frank The Legend sounding as good as ever, 40 years after he made it, still punching through long, furious notes like a pro, right up to the grand finale, a crashing, operatic finish that only he could accomplish. The fact that at 64, Frank could still score a song that would become among his most well known gives ample creedence to his appeal, influence and legacy.

"The Future" is a bit of a hard section to review, but I love it. Gordon Jenkins' arrangements are some of his beautiful - lush, soaring string lines, subtle, pensive horns, beautiful backing vocalist adding further atmosphere - and Frank does his best singing on this section. His voice is dramatic, grand and ascends to almost operatic peaks. His singing is not dissimilar to the style he used on his 1963 classic "The Concert Sinatra," and he sounds just as good as he did at 47 at 64. Some songs, like "World War None" are a bit too pretentious, but Frank's passion and dedication more than make up for the lack of meter. "What Time Does The Next Miracle Leave" is an epic masterwork that has Frank's storytelling abilities at their zenith, as he takes through Outer Space and back, leading us on an atmospheric journey through our Solar System. The closing "Before The Music Ends" is a magnum opus, a summation of Frank's life that will leave you breathless by the song's end, and gives a grand powerful closing to the album.

Ignore the naysayers and purchase this album. "Trilogy" is a fantastic effort, and while not as good as his Capitol material, is in the Top 20 Best Frank Albums and is an essential purchase.