Watertown [Import]

Frank Sinatra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 22, 2010)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: 101 DISTRIBUTION
• ASIN: B003H695GY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,344 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2010 reissue of his 1970 album including one bonus track, 'Lady Day'. From his days in the '40s fronting Big Bands through his enormously successful recording and acting career and right up to his early '90s duets albums, Francis Albert Sinatra was, and remains, the most beloved and respected male vocalist of the 20th Century. While Elvis and The Beatles may have defined the true spirit of Rock 'n' Roll, it was Sinatra who ushered in the era of cool. From the Rat Pack to Vegas, the East Coast to the West Coast, it's Frank's world, we're just living in it. 11 tracks. Universal.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Neglected, Overlooked,Underrated TRUE GEM!!!!, January 13, 2002

By 

S. Henkels (Devon, Pa United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Watertown (Audio CD)

This rare FS CD should not be rare! It tells the musical story of a factory man in a town where "nothing much happens", except that his wife has walked. It must be listened to track by track to tell the full story. It was an original concept album in 1969-70, all new songs, and these songs are all, for an unexplained reason, practically unknown today, along with the album itself. Starting out with the folk/rock sounding WATERTOWN, each track is part of the story. The best here are GOODBYE SHE SAYS, FOR A WHILE, ELIZABETH, SHE SAYS (sung along with the two sons that are part of the story,MICHAEL AND PETER). THE TRAIN, similar to Glenn Campbell's "Gentle on My Mind", but more sad, and the add on LADY DAY, which is about the best "extra" any CD has ever had. This CD is completely unique both in the Frank canon, and probably anywhere else. My only minor complaints to this as a total listening experience is that Frank's voice occasionally cracks,and I don't much care for WHAT'S NOW IS NOW, inexplicably on a FS GREATEST HITS collection. An essential in showing how Frank adjusted to the current (1969-70) sounds, and in that this holds up better than just about any other material of that or any time.

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sinatra's 'Sgt. Pepper', July 18, 2001

By 

"franksoprano" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Watertown (Audio CD)

In March of 1970 Sinatra issued his first album of original material written especially for him and hardly anyone noticed.

"Watertown" sold poorly (only getting to 101 on the Billboard charts) and dissapeared quickly.

Warner Brothers reissued "Watertown" on CD in 1994, but that too is now out of print.

Unfortunate.

"Watertown" remains to me one of the all time great (and underrated) Sinatra albums.

Written by Bob Gaudio (of 4 Seasons fame) and Jake Holmes, "Watertown's" seamless collection of songs tells the everyday story of a small town railroad worker whose wife leaves him and their two kids to make a life for herself in the big city.

It's hard to put into words the pain that Sinatra's superb singing and phrasing evoke in this album.

For example in "Michael and Peter," a song written in letter form, from husband to wife ,Sinatra sings the line

"John Henry came to cut the lawn again he asked me 'where you'd gone' Can't tell you all the times he's been told-- But he's so old..."

And Sinatra's voice almost cracks with anguish.

To the general public "Watertwon" is unknown. To Sinatra afficiandos, it remains a rare work of art and in many ways the bleakest album of Sinatra's career (even considering "Only The Lonely").

I notice that Amazon is selling a British import issue of "Watertown"

Do yourself a favor, order it and give yourself a musical experience.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning!, January 17, 2006

By 

Raymond A. Belliotti (Fredonia, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Watertown (Audio CD)

The haunting narrative of a man whose wife has left him and their two sons in Watertown, NY. Sinatra interprets the pain, self-deception, self-transformation, and lack of ultimate redemption flawlessly. The album demands and richly rewards attentive listeners. My only complaint is that I wanted more -- more songs, more information about the family. But our imaginations fill in the blanks. In this relatively obscure album, Sinatra cements his reputation as our greatest stylist.