Desert Island DisKs III
Okay, so coming up with a mere 20 songs didn’t even begin to summarize my favorites from the 1,000+ recordings and various bootlegs I own. Here, then, are a couple more that are definitely worth a listen:
Someone To Watch Over Me (1954), Classic
Sinatra: His Great Performances 1953-1960.
One of the most powerful and
sensitive recordings of this Gershwins’ classic. It was also performed
in the Sinatra-Doris Day film Young At Heart (available on the four CD
set The Complete Capitol Singles Collection), but a recently discovered
alternate mix for the film was released on the Frank Sinatra in Hollywood
collection.
Apple "Think Different" ad
Adelaide (1955), Frank
Sinatra In Hollywood.
A great swinging ballad
from the movie Guys and Dolls that was not performed in the Broadway
musical. Instead, the song was written for the movie specifically to
highlight Sinatra's vocal skills and give him his own show-stopper since
Marlon Brando's Sky Masterson had been given all the good songs.
Stars Fell On Alabama (1957), A Swingin'
Affair!
This great, exuberant reading of this classic tune takes the
mood of Swingin' Lovers! and turns it up a notch.
Here’s That Rainy Day (1959), No
One Cares.
A perfect metaphor for lost love perfectly realized by one all
too familiar with the subject. Haunting and full of despair and also
a personal favorite of that other king of late night, Johnny Carson.
The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else (1959).
Gordon
Jenkin's lush arrangement is the perfect backdrop for Sinatra's rueful
interpretation of this aching ballad that was unreleased until appearing
on the EMI album Sinatra Rarities in Britain. Also recorded
as a swinging number on the 1961 tribute album I Remember Tommy with
Sinatra having some fun with arranger and pal Sy Oliver, this ballad
version tagged on as an extra track to the CD No
One Cares is required
listening.
Lush Life (1958). But wait...Sinatra recorded Lush Life? Sort of. This is a very rare, unauthorized release of the recording that consists of several false starts and an incomplete take. An inventive Nelson Riddle arrangement that tries to recreate a Parisian piano bar is too much for the exhausted Sinatra (he had already recorded six other songs that night before attempting this number and his recording dates never started before 8 p.m!) and he gives up in frustration several minutes into the recording never to return to the song. An interesting historical curiosity and glimpse of what might have been one of the singer's great interpretations. On this recording date, Riddle was touring with Nat "King" Cole and concertmaster Felix Slatkin was at the podium that night trying to help his singer find his way through the arrangement. Although regarded as a more proficient conductor, Slatkin wasn't able to help Sinatra find his way through the arrangement and it was sadly set aside and never revisited. Available only on the private circulation CD From The Vaults II.
It’s Alright With Me (1960), Frank
Sinatra Sings The Select Cole Porter.
An unusually sensitive and
slow performance of the Cole Porter standard that aches with a sense
of inevitability and regret that no other performer ever explored.
Porter himself suggested the slow tempo to Sinatra.
The Way You Look Tonight (1963), Frank Sinatra:
Classic Love Songs.
Sinatra and Riddle take on the 1937 Jerome Kern-Dorothy
Field tune that was first sung by Fred Astaire in the musical Swing Time.
Although Sinatra's voice is not in top form on this song, Riddle's sparkling
arrangement and the singer's gleeful interpretation make this song a
standout on an uncharacteristically mediocre album. Apparently Michelob
Beer thought the song was a standout also as they used it in an advertising
campaign over 20 years after it was recorded. Originally recorded for
the Frank Sinatra Sings The Days Of Wine And Roses
And Other Academy Award Winners album, it is also available on The
Very Best of Frank Sinatra.
Luck Be A Lady (1961), The
Very Best of Frank Sinatra.
An exuberant
song from the musical Guys And Dolls that really should have been sung
by Sinatra instead of Marlon Brando in the film. Sinatra made up for
it, however, when he and Billy May paired up on a turbocharged version
of the number for the Reprise Musical Repertory Theater
Presents "Guys
And Dolls" album. In a career filled with innumerable high
points and signature songs, Frank Sinatra owns this song.
The Summer Wind (1966), Strangers
In The Night.
A gently swinging tune with Johnny Mercer lyrics that reflects
on lost love and lost youth as explored by the 50 year-old Sinatra and
his long-time arranger Nelson Riddle. Although Mr. Mercer had an uncanny
gift for capturing American vernacular and infusing southern charm into
his lyrics, this Sinatra-Riddle cover evokes images of a Mediterranean
summer more than Mercer's beloved Georgia. Also available on The
Very Best of Frank Sinatra.
Follow Me (1968), Francis
A. & Edward K.
Billy May had his
hands full as he tried to lead the great Duke Ellington orchestra when
they didn't want to work for anyone but Duke, but somehow it all came
together and this chart shows the singer could still swing a song better
than anyone.