Sinatra 80th: All the Best

Frank Sinatra

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 14, 1995)
• Original Release Date: November 14, 1995
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000002U1E
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #117,058 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Frank Sinatra turned 80 in 1995, and Capitol released this two-disc "best of" in celebration. Sinatra's initial tenure at Capitol, which lasted from 1953 to 1962, is generally considered to be his artistic watermark. His voice and technique had improved considerably since his initial peak of popularity in the mid-'40s (the "swinging" phrasing most commonly associated with Sinatra's style really came to the fore during the Capitol years); he also had the good fortune to work with Nelson Riddle and Billy May, whose inventive arrangements certainly brought out the best in Sinatra's singing. This set's song selection is tough to argue with, but you'll really need to get all of Sinatra's Capitol albums to gauge the true measure of the man's artistry. --Dan Epstein

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sinatra + Capitol = 5 stars, May 15, 2000

By	Jon Warshawsky "Sinatra Guru" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sinatra's Capitol years were so good that it is hard to give this anything less than five stars. From 'I've Got the World on a String' to 'I've Got You Under My Skin', the Sinatra magic works no matter how you sequence it ... which may be the only shortcoming of this set. Many of the numbers here were originally released on the legendary concept albums of the 1950s and it can be strange to hear 'Nice n Easy' right after the wrenching 'Blues in the Night' and 'Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry'. Three great songs, but not one after the other.

Also appreciated -- a few songs like 'Same Old Saturday Night' that are otherwise difficult to find on currently available albums. And, casual Sinatra listeners can rest assured these are the classic recordings of his big songs, although the later Reprise versions have their appeal as well. 'Witchcraft', 'I Get A Kick Out of You' ... it's a hall of fame tour.

Big gripe: The 'Christmas Song' "duet" tacked on at the end is a studio-made track in the (awful) tradition of the Duets I/II albums. With two CDs of some of the best popular music made, do we really need this rubbish?

Overall, recommended, but if you have the 3-CD Capitol set this album may duplicate much of what you own. Eventually, anyone who spends time listening to Sinatra will want the original concept albums anyway.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Sinatra album you can get, June 19, 2003

By	Andy Agree "jackrabbit79" (Omaha, NE) - See all my reviews

Song for song, this is the best Sinatra album you can get. And that's saying quite a lot, isn't it? It's unbelievable to me that other reviewers have found fault with the order of the songs (a happy tune following a sad one - as if Sinatra never did that in concert!) and the fact that it's not the same as getting each of Sinatra's 50s "concept" albums individually (none of which, with the possible exception of "Only the Lonely", includes songs so consistently outstanding as here). Quibble all you want, folks, but this is a stellar compilation of the most prolific period in Frank Sinatra's career. I own several other Sinatra albums, but when I want uninterrupted classics from the 50s, this is the one I play. Of course there are a few song substitutions I would have made if I were designing this album, but so what? Speaking as someone who loves Sinatra's music but does not intend to buy his entire 50s repertoire, there is no substitute for "Sinatra 80th". It is truly "All the Best". I recommend combining this with "Sinatra Reprise - The Very Good Years", providing an excellent overview of his 60s work, to get a truly outstanding overview of both decades of Sinatra's peak years. If you truly love Sinatra, these will not be the only two albums of his that you buy - but they will be the two best!

5.0 out of 5 stars Sinatra 80th: All the Best, October 13, 2009

By	Stephen H. Doerr - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This is one the best collections of Sinatra's music but doesn't really contain "all the best." Still, for the money, it's a very good start for fans of Sinatra's music and should definitely be part of any Sinatra collection. Just keep looking for the Sinatra songs you like that aren't among these and add them.