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

Bring it on!

 

All right! PRE-ORDERED!

 

I heard from Chuck Granata re your disappointment, Kenny. He asked me to post this:

 

The Amazon link is not working anymore

 

They've probably taken it down temporarily to correct mistakes and/or to wait for the official announcement by Sony this week. Since I already pre-ordered the box, I'm sure the page will be back soon at —> Amazon.com.

Track listing is now fixed at —> Amazon UK. (You may need to copy-and-paste that link to avoid "viglink" redirection by SHF.)

 

Wow. $80 USD for four discs from amazon.co.uk.

 

The initial price at amazon.com is $69.98 (pre-tax). I assume that's the list price, and it will certainly drop for pre-orders before the November 20th release date.

 

This set looks fantastic! Putting it on my Christmas list!

 

The discs are filled to their edges with musical goodness. We sprinkled them with muffin dust.

 

It's been announced on the —> Frank Sinatra Enterprises Facebook page.



Note: The Amazon link is no longer broken, although it still has the faulty track listing.

 

Do you have to be on Facebook Bob, only it won't let me in.

 

Not sure, Tina. It may be a regional limitation. The Facebook blurb doesn't say anything more than has already been posted in this thread and at Amazon:

 

Press Release!

—> Legacy Recordings Commemorates Frank Sinatra's 100th Birthday with…Frank Sinatra: A Voice On Air (1935-1955)

See also:

—> Legacy Recordings
—> Broadway World Music
—> Smithsonian Magazine

 

The Smithsonian will also be offering a companion CD of Sinatra recordings that aren't in the box set! OH MY GOD!

 

Legacy Recordings
Commemorates Frank Sinatra's 100th Birthday with…
Frank Sinatra: A Voice On Air (1935- 1955)
A new 4-CD collection featuring 100 rare Sinatra tracks
including 91 previously unreleased live performances - recorded
during the ‘Golden Age’ of radio!

Available Friday, November 20th​

NEW YORK, Sept. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In a matter befitting the 100th birthday of an American icon, Sony Music's Legacy Recordings announces the November 20th, 2015 release of Frank Sinatra: A Voice on Air (1935-1955), a historic 100+ track, 4-CD deluxe box set culled from an invaluable collection of rare radio broadcasts and rehearsals – immaculately restored from the original recording masters for unprecedented high-fidelity sound. The set is available for pre-order on Amazon here: http://smarturl.it/Sinatra_AVOA_amazon

Luxuriously packaged with a 60-page book, Frank Sinatra: A Voice on Air (1935-1955) is an essential addition to Sinatra's voluminous discography, offering a unique glimpse into the formative period of America's first teen idol: Frank Sinatra, the man who became known the world over as "The Voice." Included in the book are an introductory essay by renowned singer, pianist and archivist Michael Feinstein; a personal remembrance by Frank's eldest daughter Nancy Sinatra and detailed essay by foremost Sinatra historian, author and box set producer Charles L. Granata. The package was designed by noted Art Director Maria Marulanda, who created the landmark 2007 Columbia/Legacy box set Frank Sinatra: A Voice in Time.

In assembling this groundbreaking box set marking the first official release anthologizing Frank Sinatra'sseminal radio performances, the producers have mined treasures from their own extensive Sinatra broadcast transcription collections and the world's most prestigious archives and sound recording repositories including The Library of Congress, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, the Paley Center for Media, the Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook Initiative archive and The University of Colorado's Glenn Miller Archive. Included are dozens of rare photographs and recording artifacts that help to illustrate the scope of Sinatra's incredible radio career.

Meticulously restored and remastered in high-resolution from the original glass and aluminum radio transcription discs and magnetic tape masters by three-time Grammy winning recording engineer Andreas Meyer and Sinatra producer Charles L. Granata, these vintage, historic recordings – most of them unheard since their original broadcast in the 1940s and 1950s – sound more rich and vibrant than ever before. All of the warmth and vibrancy that are hallmarks of Frank Sinatra's vocal brilliance have been preserved, and showcased with unprecedented fidelity.

This breathtaking overview charts Frank Sinatra's evolution as a vocalist, and includes samples of his radio work from the first twenty years of his amazing career, from his first radio performance in 1935 (singing "S-H-I-N-E" with the Hoboken Four) to his last weekly series in 1955 (The Frank Sinatra Show, featuring ultra-rare performances with an in-studio quintet). From beginning to end, Frank Sinatra: A Voice on Air (1935-1955)envelops the listener in the atmosphere surrounding the creation of these masterful radio performances in the 1930s, '40s and '50s.

This box set holds special significance – both in Frank Sinatra's body of work, and as a special 100th Birthday tribute – as it includes dozens of songs that were never officially recorded by Frank Sinatra, and dozens of unusual (and unrecorded) arrangements of Sinatra's most prized songs. Among the treasures included on the collection are Cole Porter's "Don't Fence Me In," Frank Loesser's "I Wish I Didn't Love You So," Jerome Kernand Ira Gershwin's "Long Ago and Far Away," Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen's "Aren't You Glad You're You" and Richard Whiting, Leo Robin and Newell Chase's "My Ideal" – all important classics from the Great American Songbook that Sinatra never recorded.

Then, there are priceless duets with Nat 'King' Cole ("Exactly Like You"), Benny Goodman ("I Only Have Eyes for You"), Peggy Lee ("You Brought A New Kind of Love to Me"), Metropolitan Opera star Dorothy Kirsten ("A Fine Romance"), Doris Day ("Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and "There's No Business Like Show Business" and Milton Berle ("It's De-Lovely") – as well as songwriters Irving Berlin ("Alexander's Ragtime Band"), Johnny Mercer ("Ac-Cen-Tchu-Ate the Positive") and Louisiana Governor Jimmy Davis ("You Are My Sunshine"). Also included are seldom-heard program openings, closings, announcements and commercials – PLUS twelve surprise bonus tracks that are sure to delight even the die-hard Sinatra fan!

Frank Sinatra: A Voice on Air (1935-1955) was produced by Charles L. Granata, Didier C. Deutsch, Michael Feinstein and Andreas Meyer in cooperation with Legacy Recordings, Frank Sinatra Enterprises and the Smithsonian Institution. Executive Producers for the project are Nancy Sinatra, Adam Block and John Jackson. Editing, restoration and mastering are by Andreas Meyer and Charles L. Granata.

Befitting the historical importance of these irreplaceable American musical treasures, Sony Music's Legacy Recordings has partnered with The Smithsonian Institution to create a single CD consisting of an additional 26 rare, previously unreleased radio recordings (not available on the box set) to be offered exclusively at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and through their website. Visit http://www.smithsonianmag.com/sinatra/ for information regarding this companion release.

—> www.legacyrecordings.com

 

No Sinatra collection is complete without these 26 remarkable recordings, including 23 previously unreleased broadcast performances, and 12 songs that have never been commercially released. Each and every Sinatra performance on this exclusive CD was specifically chosen for its rarity and importance. At the request of the Sinatra family, this CD is available exclusively from the Smithsonian. We expect this CD to become available in mid November.

Commentary about this album by producer and Sinatra historian Charles L. Granata:

"The greatest pleasure that a record producer, music historian or recorded sound archivist can experience is the thrill of unexpectedly stumbling upon lost gems: elusive performances that an artist may have performed at home, sung in concert, on the radio or television or committed to tape during a rehearsal or recording session. Often, these non-commercial tracks are one-off performances that represent the sole examples of the artist interpreting particular songs. These recordings can offer tremendous insight into artistic development and creative process. Such rarities are American treasures: tangible nuggets that help to smooth out and magnify the infinitely complex talents of our most iconic performers.

The selections presented on this CD represent a handful of the very best Sinatra radio performances,curated from a vast pool of original master transcription discs and tapes that have been located, preserved and meticulously archived – thanks to the foresight of several noted collectors, historians and institutions, and the Sinatra Family themselves. The fragility of the original glass and aluminum-based lacquer discs that hold these precious recordings (some more than seventy-five years old) is such that many are in peril of imminent disintegration. Once irreparable deterioration sets in, the music will be lost forever. It's fitting, then, that the Smithsonian Institution – America's national repository for the nation's most important artifacts – has selected the Frank Sinatra recordings on this collection for their Lost and Found Sound series, and given them a proper 'debut.'"

—> www.smithsonianmag.com/sinatra

 

13 bonus tracks?! An exclusive album of unreleased material being sold by Smithsonian? HOLY ****!

 

Will there be any preview tracks? Not that I need any enticing to purchase this set...

 

I like this Smithsonian approach to releasing recordings that might not make the mainstream muster but still have a value for those interested in adding the material to their collection.

 

Thanks, Bob. Much appreciated.

 

Thanks. And good liner notes and photos, I presume.

 

Bob and Martin wore me down. I've preordered the set from amazon.com and have signed up to be notified when the Smithsonian disc will be available.

 

I hope the 12 surprise bonus tracks are on a disc and not on a download.

 

Bob: As I read the press release the 12 surprise tracks are included with the box. However the Smithsonian press release talks of 26 songs. 23 previously unreleased and "12 songs that have never been commercially released".

This is somewhat confusing. Are these the same 12 songs are they 12 different songs?

 

Ron: The AVOA press release says the Smithsonian CD tracks are "not available on the box set."