Dylan's "Sinatra" albums: Why no song from three essential Capitol albums by Sinatra?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Wata, Jun 17, 2018.

Tags:
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Wata

    Wata Poller Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    Lately I'm wondering why Bob Dylan selected NOTHING from three highly regarded, essential Capitol albums by Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours, Songs for Swingin' Lovers and Only the Lonely - for his "Sinatra" albums.

    First, let's see what he picked up from each Capitol records.
    Songs for Young Lovers - None
    Swing Easy - None
    In the Wee Small Hours - None
    Songs for Swingin' Lovers - None

    Close To You - P. S. I Love You, I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night, There's a Flaw in My Flue (outtake)
    A Swingin' Affair - I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plans
    Where Are You - Where are You, The Night We Called It A Day, Maybe You'll Be There, Autumn Leaves, I'm a Fool To Want You, Where is the One? (hey, Bob seems to really like this one!)
    Come Fly with Me - None
    Only the Lonely - None

    Come Dance with Me - Day In, Day Out
    No One Cares - Stormy Weather, Here's That Rainy Day, Why Try to Change Me Now
    Nice'n'Easy - That Old Feeling, How Deep is the Ocean, You Go To My Head, Nevertheless
    Sinatra's Swingin' Session - None
    Come Swing with Me - That Old Black Magic, Sentimental Journey
    Point of No Return - When the World was Young, Somewhere Along the Way, These Foolish Things, As Time Goes By

    Dylan ignores several other Capitol albums than those three, but it stood out to me that he didn't pick up anything from critically-acclaimed, objectively essential albums of Sinatra. It looks like he avoided covering songs from them deliberately, while trying to pick up at least one song from every album, even swinging ones. He simply doesn't like anything on them much, or has some intentions? Let me hear how you guess.
     
  2. lightbulb

    lightbulb Not the Brightest of the Bunch

    Location:
    Smogville CA USA
    My wild guess -
    The Zimmermans just never got around to buying those albums from the local Woolworths.
     
    dalem5467, Bob F, George P and 2 others like this.
  3. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    I once posted a song-by-song rundown of the Sinatra sources for Dylan’s choices. No time to dig it up now, but it seems to me that many of his songs were from the Columbia and Victor years, including some of those listed above which Sinatra remade at Capitol. I.e., Dylan was more a fan of the early Sinatra stuff which he first heard as a youngster in the ’40s.

    There are exceptions (including a few Reprise-era recordings), but I think Bob was more influenced by the origins of the songs than by which Sinatra album they appeared on. Although many people equate Sinatra’s artistry with his Capitol years, his singing career spanned a much larger time period.
     
  4. curbach

    curbach Some guy on the internet

    Location:
    The ATX
    I doubt you'd get a meaningful and coherent answer if you asked Dylan himself.
     
    Wata and George P like this.
  5. Ronald Sarbo

    Ronald Sarbo Forum Resident

    Location:
    NY, NY, USA
    Perhaps because Dylan records for Columbia. It should be noted that many of the songs from the Capitol albums Sinatra recorded previously recorded on Columbia.
     
    CBackley, Wata and George P like this.
  6. qwerty

    qwerty A resident of the SH_Forums.

    One review of Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour suggested that he approached his radio show not only as an entertainment vehicle, but also as a means to provide some musical history and highlight some music that is obscure or forgotten. Perhaps his approach to the Sinatra albums was to give voice to many of Sinatra's songs which are overshadowed by the more commonly known classics.
     
    Wata and S. P. Honeybunch like this.
  7. Wata

    Wata Poller Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    These posts?:
    Bob Dylan Album, "Fallen Angels" (05/20/2016) *
    Bob Dylan Album, "Fallen Angels" (05/20/2016) *
    "Triplicate" - New Bob Dylan album March 31, 2017
     
    Bob F and qwerty like this.
  8. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
  9. adm62

    adm62 Senior Member

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    But he was just the presenter. He didn't choose the songs and his links were scripted.
     
  10. qwerty

    qwerty A resident of the SH_Forums.

    Yes he was the presenter, and there is no doubt a lot was scripted. However, from what I have read, I believe he contributed a substantial input into each episode and the overall presentation/format of the show.
     
  11. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored


    I think @Bob F is right here (no surprise!). A big hint is the fact that Triplicate was designed to look like an old 78 album, at least in terms of the vinyl (I’ve never seen the CDs).

    And this just makes sense. Dylan would have grown up listening to the older material. Sinatra’s classic Capitol “concept” albums came out only several years before Dylan’s own first album. I’m sure he played some of those albums in his teens, but still...
     
    rangerjohn and Bob F like this.
  12. rangerjohn

    rangerjohn Forum Resident

    Location:
    chicago, il
    I think that Bob and Dimitri are basically right. However, that explanation doesn't account for the fact that Dylan's band arrangements mimic the Jenkins-Capitol orchestrations of many of these songs.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine