Where Are You? [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED]

Frank Sinatra

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 23, 1996)
• Original Release Date: 1957
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Indent Series
• ASIN: B000005JM0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #262,061 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Underrated, at least in comparison to the better-known In the Wee Small Hours and Sings for Only the Lonely, 1957's Where Are You? is another excellent collection of melancholy torch songs, including "Lonely Town," "The Night We Called It a Day," "I Think of You," and "Maybe You'll Be There." As on those records, Sinatra doesn't sing so much as breathe, never overwhelming the fragility of the compositions with excessive displays of emotion. Of course, this approach just makes the songs sound that much sadder. This was also the first record Sinatra recorded in stereo, and Gordon Jenkins's lush string arrangements are obviously designed to take advantage of the new medium. --Dan Epstein

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sinatra and Jenkins at their dramatic best, November 12, 2001

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

This review is from: Where Are You? (Audio CD)

Among Sinatra's favored arrangers -- the legendary Nelson Riddle, Billy May, Axel Stordahl and others -- Gordon Jenkins seems to take a few more critical blows than the others. Jenkins favors curtains of strings, lending a melancholy backdrop to Sinatra's vocals that contrasts sharply with Riddle's lighter woodwinds and reeds and May's fast brass. While Riddle and May are undoubtedly better arrangers, Sinatra clearly preferred Jenkins when he wanted to record albums of torch songs and dramatic loneliness, and this album especially bears out the singer's wisdom when it came to orchestration.

This is an immensely rewarding album to listen to, in part because it was Sinatra's first stereo recording -- and very nicely engineered (the more famous 'Come Fly with Me' is almost bombastic in comparison, due to the overemphasized channel separation.) The title track is magnificent. 'Maybe You'll Be There' finds Sinatra's voice complementing Jenkins' lush strings to perfection. 'I'm a Fool to Want You' simply aches. 'Where is the One?' is especially fine, with a lyric that never fails to put a lump in my throat: "The journey's long, much longer than I reckoned. In any throng, I'd know her in a second." Perfect rhyme, perfect timing -- and set like a diamond among Jenkins' golden string section.

There are other Sinatra albums that are more accessible, or popular in their style. While not all of the Sinatra/Jenkins recordings are this good, the artistry is without peer, and the intricacies of 'Where Are You?' make it extremely rewarding for those who share Sinatra's fascination with the brooding side of the lonely heart. Strongly recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wistful, haunting masterpiece..., June 6, 1999

By	"songlife" (Dayton, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where Are You? (Audio CD)

I think this and Only The Lonely are Frank's two best records in his career. On these records he reaches a level of passion and intensity that's unmatched not only by him, but anyone else in the history of popular singing. This is a masterpiece: absolutely flawless, with amazingly perfect song selection; tender, sympathetic orchestration by Gordon Jenkins; and caring, emotional, soul searching vocals, just as on Only The Lonely, though not quite as gloomy. This is THE cd to put on during those reflective moments when it's autumn, the air is crisp, the leaves are dying, and your mind wanders back to times that used to be. "There's No You" is stunningly beautiful and will leave your jaw on the floor; this is as beautiful a song as anyone could ever write about a lost loved one. "Autumn Leaves" and "Laura" are incredible, and are the definitive versions of those songs, despite the hundreds of others that exist. "Maybe You'll Be There" is a fairly unknown song with perfect lyrics. All in all, these songs' lyrics tell the tales of a lonely, haunted man deep in a wistful dream, oblivious to the world around him as he stares at the trees and lets his mind drift like the falling leaves. These songs are about loss and the resulting confusion that accompanies it when you lose someone you care about, especially by death. What we hear is how this intelligent, sensitive man, though deeply troubled, is dealing with those feelings; sometimes he's delusionally optimistic (I Cover The Waterfront, Maybe You'll Be There), other times he's sadly accepting (The Night We Called It A Day, There's No You, Autumn Leaves). In short, when you select some of the best songs that have ever been written about loss, and have a talented and passionate singer to sing them, you get a dramatic masterpiece: one of the greatest albums ever recorded in any era: Where Are You.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sinatra and Jenkins at their Best, October 14, 1999

By	Eric Crane ([e-mail]) (Boston MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where Are You? (Audio CD)

Among Sinatra's concept albums, "Where Are You" does not usually receive the attention reserved for "Only the Lonely" "Wee Small Hours" and "No One Cares". "Where are you" is, however, as wonderful an album as any of those three. The arangements by Gordon Jenkins are beautifully understated, never overwhelming either the singer or the lyric. Sinatra's vocals are among his best, striking just right note of longing, without losing the sense of truth he conveys in these lyrics. the song selection including "The Night We Called it a Day" and "Laura" along with the splendid title cut are perfect for teh Sinatra-Jenkins treatment. There is simply not a bad cut on the CD-an absolute classic.