Frank Sinatra Set from Sony/Legacy, 1935-1955 Radio Performances, "A Voice on Air"*

I had a free 3 months of Sirius when we bought the latest car. It expires tomorrow.....and that will be it. Nothing against anyone who might like it but not my cup of champagne. I listened to the FS channel a bit. Not bad but I rarely heard any Capital era cuts. Maybe just timing. They seemed to concentrate on the Reprise era, which I like but not nearly as much. Also the sound of Sirius is way below other formats on my car stereo. That didn't help!

 

I’ve been a listener to the “Nancy For Frank” weekly programs for more than ten years, and I haven’t noticed any increase in the number of TBPF recordings being played. Note that Nancy’s producer is Chuck Granata, who produced the A Voice on Air set. Occasionally (not often) they will air some of these recordings, but I don’t think the Sinatra estate owns the rights.

Certainly, they would not prevent CD releases in favor of the satellite radio broadcasts. If you believe the motive is monetary, playing these on Nancy’s show would only promote CD sales. If you have any evidence that they are using these to attract paid subscribers to Sirius/XM, I would like to hear it. I believe the assertion is unfounded.

 

Oh yes, I well know disc 4 tracks 16-20 of Voice On Air! Just incredible. Plus, that recording of A Hundred Years From Today is truly one for the ages. That one just stopped me in my tracks!

Yeah I'd love to read more about the Perfectly Frank sessions "if the mods say it's okay."

Would be really fun to have a complete official set of these. Looking forward to the "Standing Room Only" though.

 

Please don’t turn this into an anti-Sirius/XM (or anti-Nancy Sinatra) thread. There is at least one already elsewhere. My mouse is hovering over the Report button.

 

I prefer the Smithsonian single disc release to Voice on Air. A bit less chatter and the song selection is really good. Hopefully more of these recordings will be released.

 

But they're brothers. The Smithsonian disc is like a disc 5 in A VOICE ON AIR.

I've never heard Sirius and didn't know Nancy had a program until a few days ago.

It is not my intention to turn this into an anti-anything thread. I have no opinions or beliefs on the matter, but I do share in the frustration of fans who can't get a response as to the status of the recordings. I remember going to a site in 2005 and reading a discussion about the program and how the Sinatra estate was ignoring queries. People have asked the Sinatra estate about TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK recordings for a long time -- before I came along -- and get no response. People have pressed them about a release for a long time and get no response. Obviously they are aware of the recordings and know more about them, because the liner notes in A VOICE ON AIR states recording dates that were not previously known and names musicians who were not previously identified. Until the estate clarifies the status of the recordings TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK will remain a big frustrating question mark. I mean, SAY SOMETHING. All the more frustrating because the quality of the performances is so high.

My theory is that NBC owns the program and the Sinatra estate own the recordings. But that's just a theory.

 

Me too.
That track receives unanimous praise in the backpages of this thread.
It's on the PERFECTLY FRANK CD (Bravura 103) (a public domain label for old time radio and broadcast jazz) released in 1991 but it sounds harsh and shrill compared to the mastering on A VOICE ON AIR. I wonder what was the source. mmm & team work a miracle with it.

 

Have you tried asking Nancy yourself? As for opinions, I believe you expressed one earlier in this thread:

And I expressed my opinion:

We’ve been through this before, Richard. My latest caution was meant to avoid having the entire thread destroyed (like others in the past).

 

FWIW… I did a quick scan of the weekly program logs at the Sinatra Family Forum, and unless I missed some, Nancy and Chuck have not played any “To Be Perfectly Frank” tracks since 2015, when the box set was previewed on her show:

NFF SHOW #305 - Week of 11-15-2015 

 

Yes it is. But is has less chit chat than the 4 disc CD consistently has. I like the 4 CD set but listen to the Smithsonian more because of this.

 

My apologies if I've upset you, Bob F. I have no idea what you are referring to when you talk about destroying threads, but there's no danger of that here.

There are four tracks from the radio program TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK on A VOICE ON AIR. So discussing them is relevant to this thread, I'm sure you'll agree.

Ordinarily I don't read the Sinatra Family Forum (this place is overwhelming enough for music), but I've been reading through the various links you provided on TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK in order to start a thread here. In one of those chat rooms people talk about hearing TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK tracks on Nancy's program, which is the first I'd heard that she had a program and was playing the tracks, but I didn't make a note of the names and dates. Nor do I have access to Sirius, or I'd never miss her program.

Why don't you clear the matter up, Bob F.? Why don't you ask Ms. Nancy and Mr. Granata who owns the NBC studio recordings for TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK, who owns the program, whether or not the sessions survive on tape, whether or not there any plans to release the songs or the episodes, has there been further mastering aside from the four tracks on A VOICE ON AIR, etc.? These questions have been asked for a long time -- two decades, that I know of -- and nobody has been able to get so much as "I don't know" out of the Sinatra Family. Everybody gets ignored. Perhaps they will answer you.

 

Thanks for blowing that up.

So NBC Universal Media owns the studio recordings made for TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK, as I theorized above.
More to the point, the recordings are available for licensing. That still leaves several outstanding questions.

 

Note also these posts in another thread: Sinatra on Columbia (Official/Authorized Releases)*

 

Not upset, Richard. You made some pretty strong accusations, and I just wanted to set the record straight. Bashing Nancy and her Sirius/XM show (produced by Chuck Granata) is not only unwarranted, it’s illogical. Perhaps you should try to listen online, the next time they offer a free trial?

 

Aren't you being overly sensitive? No one bashed Nancy and her Sirius/XM radio show. Accessing Sirius is not possible at this time. It's not a matter of choice. Besides, my plate of music is full.

The four tracks on A VOICE ON AIR are the first indication in decades that the songs recorded for TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK survive in official hands and can be licensed for official release. You seem reluctant to admit, Bob, that this has been issue for a long time, with fans pressing the Sinatras for information and being stonewalled. This situation started long before I became aware of it. That's all I'm saying. Let's stop arguing.

Okay, now let's establish in what form the recordings survive, whether or not there are session tapes or just the takes that aired, or if the radio station discs are the only source for the recordings, if more songs were recorded that weren't aired or that haven't come out on the public domain labels. Further, let's establish if any other tracks have been restored and mastered. Finally, let's find out if the Sinatra Family has plans to release them, or if they have no intention of releasing them.

Are these four tracks out of 72 songs all we're going to get?

 

You/we don't have any right to any of that information.

Would it be nice if the information was available and publicly commented on by someone "in the know"? Sure, but they aren't obligated to tell us anything at all.

 

No, they're not obligated. But it would be nice.

In any case, I didn't want to go down this road, it just escalated. Let's stop discussing this and move on.

 

Maybe you should start a new thread on "Perfectly Frank"? Might be some valuable information would turn up.

 

Good idea.

 

Others have expressed a similar reaction. I like how an atmosphere of time and place is created by the intros and outros and asides. But I admit sometimes I would like to hear the performances without them. Some of it is so interwoven into the performances that it can't be separated. Yet the songs are so strong they're worth waiting for. The exceptional clarity and presence of sound make one realize that all 1940s recordings could sound better if mastered the way A VOICE ON AIR was mastered. Let's hope the team that did this will be called upon to do more in the Sinatra catalog or even for other artists 1940s catalog.

 

there is one more CD that has tracks from TBPF that are not on any other CD. Title: "Got the World On A String " 20 classic tracks, Starburst CDSM 007 (UK) 1988 The song, I believe never released anywhere else is : "Platinum Blues " not on any other CD.

 

the weavers kumbaya - Bing video