RSSFrank Sinatra: The Capitol Years (Capitol) andFrankSinatra: The Reprise Collection (Reprise) are the proof.Sinatra's albums were "conceived, arranged, and produced as cohesiveunits." Because Nelson Riddle oversaw 57 of its 75 tunes, the Capitolthreefer is relatively consistent, but its intensity soars withevery run of songs from the likes ofSongs for Swingin' Lovers(available, hint hint, as an audiophile CD all its own), and catchysingles likeLove and Marriage orHey! Jealous Loversound out of place. When Sinatra became his own boss at Reprise,the concepts just kept on coming--an inset depicts 98 LP covers.So with Riddle contracted to Capitol at the outset and Frank's voicegoing at the end, the 81-song, four-disc Reprise set changes gearsconstantly--even if you think Don Costa'sSinatra with Stringsis "lovely," it's a sickening shock after the hard swing of BillyMay'sSinatra Swings.
There are hours of great singing for the tapes I'm making here.Star of my repackage will be Capitol's newly unearthed piano-accompaniedrehearsal ofOne for My Baby. Nelson Riddle earned his rep.But he never commanded an instrument a tenth as expressive as hisboss's voice.
Playboy, Dec. 1990
 | Nov. 1990 | Jan. 1991 |  |