The *Frank Sinatra* recordings thread

Moral of the story: You cannot take everything on the Internet as truth.

 

here are some shots of the booklet

 

I'd be wary of accepting anything posted from the History In Pictures Twitter account as gospel. They've come under a lot of criticism recently for playing fast and loose with attributions (as well as facts - this is far from the only photo that's been represented as something it wasn't).

Some additional background:

http://www.theatlantic.com/technolo...ly-popular-twitter-feed-historyinpics/283291/

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/...tory_pics_why_the_wildly_popular_twitter.html

http://petapixel.com/2014/01/24/make-money-twitter-ignore-copyright-creative-credit/

http://mashable.com/2014/02/19/history-in-pics-business/

 

As I was listening to Frank's Columbia track called "Bop! Goes My Heart", I was thinking how this sounded more like a song that Nat King Cole would have done. It seems to emulate Nat's style. What do you think? Even the intro screams out "this is a Nat Cole Trio track". I like this one quite a bit.

 

October 22, 1947 — Columbia recording session for "Laura" at Liederkrantz Hall, NYC
Frank Sinatra with orchestra conducted by Axel Stordahl
(Public domain photos by William P. Gottlieb from The Library of Congress)

 

Not sure this is the best place, but I wanted to drop in this YouTube video for the US holiday weekend. (The quote is from a Buddy Rich thread.)

 

While I'm at it, might as well toss in the 1945 Oscar-winner.

(You'll notice in the 1982 clip above that Sinatra sings about the dream that's been growing "for more than two hundred years." The original lyric was "150 years." It was adjusted appropriately several times over the course of his career.)

 

Today marks the 75th anniversary of Frank Sinatra's first commercial studio recording, with Harry James and his Orchestra: "From the Bottom of My Heart" b/w "Melancholy Mood"...

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More at the SFF —> A Significant Anniversary: July 13, 1939

 

One of these days I'll have my copy...... A collector's work is never done.

 

Any idea of the SQ on these 2? They say "digitally remastered" and 1 says "1984," which was pretty early for digiremast.

http://www.vinyltap.co.uk/frank-sinatra-come-fly-with-me

http://www.vinyltap.co.uk/come-swing-with-me

and any idea about this one?:

http://www.vinyltap.co.uk/frank-sinatra-the-gold-collection

 

77 years ago today:

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Last year this recording became one of my absolute favorites, by anybody. I love his singing here. As far as I know, he didn't re-visit this song.



"Why do I lie awake all night and dream all day long?"

 

"If I Didn't Care" (written by Jack Lawrence) was not a studio recording. This is actually from a radio transcription of a live performance at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC—July 10, 1939—ten days after Sinatra joined the Harry James band, and three days before the first recording date celebrated today.

 

Thanks Bob! Much appreciated. WOW, 10 days after Frank joined the band. Amazing!

Yes, it's a great live track, and the excitement just flies out of the speakers at me! It's tremendous! To me, this recording represents "lightning in a bottle"!

The Entertainer of the Century is on stage!

-- David

 

Repost: Anniversary of Frank Sinatra's first commercial studio recording

Thursday, July 13, 1939: I didn't want the date to pass without a mention. Seventy-eight years ago, 23-year-old Frank Sinatra entered a New York studio for his first commercial recording session. He did two sides with Harry James and his Orchestra, which he had joined as a professional singer just two weeks earlier.

"From the Bottom of My Heart" and "Melancholy Mood" were issued on a 78 rpm single on the Brunswick label (#8443). This was Sinatra's first commercial record release.

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At the time of these recordings, the James band was performing at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. Musicians in the 16-member group: Harry James (leader); Harry James, Jack Schaeffer, Claude Bowen, Jack Palmer, Claude Lakey (trumpet); Russell Brown, Truett Jones, Dalton Rizzotto (trombone); Dave Matthews (alto sax); Claude Lakey (alto and tenor sax); Drew Page, Bill Luther (tenor and baritone sax); Jack Gardner (piano); Brian "Red" Kent (guitar); Thurman Teague (bass); Ralph Hawkins (drums); Frank Sinatra (vocals). Arrangements by Andy Gibson.

Two takes each of the two songs (primary and alternate takes) have been digitally restored and are available on the 1995 Columbia/Legacy CD, Harry James and His Orchestra featuring Frank Sinatra: The Complete Recordings 1939. A third previously unissued alt. take of "From the Bottom of My Heart" first appeared in the 2007 4-CD set, A Voice in Time 1939–1952 (Disc One: The Big Band Years 1939–1942). The latter box set is a highly recommended retrospective of Sinatra's early years.

» The Complete Harry James And His Orchestra featuring Frank Sinatra - Spotify
» Harry James and His Orchestra featuring Frank Sinatra: The Complete Recordings 1939 - YouTube

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Good Lord! I remember making a big fuss over this when it was the 50th anniversary of the recording. Tempus Fugit!!!!

 

@Bob F - what & when was Frank's next recording? And was From The Bottom... a hit?

 

Next recording session was August 17, 1939: "My Buddy" and "It's Funny to Everyone but Me." If you follow the Spotify and YouTube links I supplied above, all of the Harry James/Sinatra studio recordings (first 10 tracks) are on that CD in chronological order.

None of the Harry James sides were "hits" in 1939–40. That includes "All or Nothing at All" (which only became a huge hit four years later when it was reissued by Columbia during the musicians strike). Only after Sinatra joined Tommy Dorsey's band in 1940 did his records receive major public attention.

 

Right. I used to know a lot of this stuff but I studied it so long ago and most of my research books and bios are in storage. It was just blind luck that made me grab the boxes w/ Frank's records out of storage. I have everything here but the (very few) Columbia LPs that I own.

Apropos of nothing, my mom (who will be 82 next week) grew up in Brooklyn and loves to tell the story about how she & a friend snuck out one night to see Frankie at the Paramount. She was about 14-15 at the time, and would have gotten away with it, but ended up telling my grandmother about it a few days or weeks afterwards - the thought being that if she didn't cop to it, and my grandma found out, there would have been hell to pay! So she got off easy. My parents saw him in Vegas a few times in the 60's & 70's. By the time I got interested, I felt his voice was really gone and didn't want to see that. So, then as now, I play the records.

 

I recently saw mention of a studio recording of "Something Stupid" which is not the hit duet, but a Frank Sinatra solo. No further details. I have no recollection of ever hearing such a recording (or alternate take). I am left to wonder if it could be an isolation of Frank's vocal (& deletion of Nancy's). Or perhaps, contrary to word of mouth, it is not a studio recording? ... Or am I being forgetful?

I just found the clip below. Maybe this is it ...

 

Sounds like Mr. S's mike isolated during the actual recording of the released take. I hear no differences in his delivery at all.

 

This. It's the released studio duet and orchestration with Nancy removed from the mix. (I.e., something stupid.)