... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Frank Sinatra's first run of Christmas work – material recorded for Columbia Records in the late 40s, but quite similar to his better-known Holiday sides for Capitol in the 50s! As with that work, the style here is quite respectful of the spirit of the season – more reverent than playful, although always with an undercurrent of sadness that makes the tunes especially nice – that Christmas longing that would show up in the best Holiday records, which Sinatra always seemed to get. Heck, even the version of "Jingle Bells" sounds a bit melancholy – and pretty darn nice, too – next to tunes that include "Christmas Dreaming", "Winter Wonderland", "Let It Snow", "Santa Claus Is Comin To Town", and "White Christmas" – plus a medley of "O Little Town Of Bethlehem/Joy To The World/White Christmas", which begins with a cool spoken introduction. CD

An oft-forgotten gem in Sinatra's catalog – a sad, somber late 50s session conducted by Nelson Riddle, with additional backing by the Hollywood String Quartet, who give the record all the weepiness it needs to make the songs hit home. Sinatra's in that post-revival mode vocally, hitting a mature tone that really brings the best emotional quality out of titles like "Love Locked Out", "PS I Love You", "Close To You", "Don't Like Goodbyes", and "Blame It On My Youth". Still entirely at the top of his game – and more proof that there never was a better singer! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest Christmas albums of the 20th century – a rich tapestry of sadness and longing from Ol' Blue Eyes himself! Sure, most folks think that Christmas albums are supposed to be cheery and celebratory – but Frank, coming off of his best Wee Small Hours years at Capitol, rightly chose the sadder side of Christmas – and put together an album full of songs that really get at the bluer side of the holiday. Side one of the set includes some tremendous secular songs – the kind of mid-century tunes that often had a dark undercurrent of separation and unfulfilled desire – masquerading as holiday tunes, but in Frank's hands, coming off more like smokey late night tunes of lost love and wasted life. Side two's got some more spiritual-oriented tunes – but again, done by Frank, with arrangements by Gordon Jenkins, these tunes come off with a lot less celebratory spirit than you'd expect. Titles include "The Christmas Waltz", "Mistletoe & Holly", "The Christmas Song", "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear", and "I'll Be Home For Christmas". CD

One of the greatest Christmas albums of the 20th century – a rich tapestry of sadness and longing from Ol' Blue Eyes himself! Sure, most folks think that Christmas albums are supposed to be cheery and celebratory – but Frank, coming off of his best Wee Small Hours years at Capitol, rightly chose the sadder side of Christmas – and put together an album full of songs that really get at the bluer side of the holiday. Side one of the set includes some tremendous secular songs – the kind of mid-century tunes that often had a dark undercurrent of separation and unfulfilled desire – masquerading as holiday tunes, but in Frank's hands, coming off more like smokey late night tunes of lost love and wasted life. Side two's got some more spiritual-oriented tunes – but again, done by Frank, with arrangements by Gordon Jenkins, these tunes come off with a lot less celebratory spirit than you'd expect. Titles include "The Christmas Waltz", "Mistletoe & Holly", "The Christmas Song", "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear", and "I'll Be Home For Christmas". Includes bonus versions of "The Christmas Waltz" and "White Christmas" – arranged by Nelson Riddle. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of Frank Sinatra's last great ballad albums for Capitol – a sad and dreamy batch of tunes that kicks off with the incredible "Only The Lonely" – one of those Sinatra torch songs that's so great, so sad, nobody else has ever been able to record a better version, nor have they really tried! The rest of the album's great, too – with arrangements by Nelson Riddle that are very much in the Wee Small Hours mode – expressive, but subtle and sophisticated – at that level that set Sinatra so far apart from most other male singers of the 50s. Despite the creepy cover, there's a mature, adult approach to the whole thing – a new level of emotion that most other singers wouldn't find for a decade. Titles include "Only The Lonely", "Angel Eyes", "What's New", "Ebb Tide", "Spring Is Here", "Goodbye", and the sublime "One For My Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Sinatra's final album for Capitol – a contemplative set of tracks that reunites him with arranger Alex Stordahl, a frequent partner during the Columbia years, and an artist who's matured as much as Frank by this point, making a perfect fit for the sadder tone of the material. Tracks are in that "older man let alone" style of some of the Reprise recordings, and selections include "These Foolish Things", "When The World Was Young", "I'll Remember April", "September Song", "A Million Dreams Ago", and "Somewhere Along The Way". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

This was Sinatra's first swing record for Reprise and his third collaboration with Billy May who arranged and conducted this 1961 recording. It features some standards from the likes of Rodgers & Hart ("Have You Met Miss Jones?") and George & Ira Gershwin ("Love Walked In"), plus some others like "Granada" and "Moonlight on the Ganges." There is a charming photo of Frank on the back cover swinging a golf club in fine form. (This is the record that was later changed to Sinatra Swings.) LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

A classic Vegas moment for Sinatra – with accompaniment by Count Basie, and arrangements from Quincy Jones, to boot! The set features some great spoken bits – really one of the first chances the American mainstream got to taste the Vegas vibe – and titles include "It Was A Very Good Year", "Fly Me To The Moon", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Come Fly With Me", "Street Of Dreams", "One For My Baby", and "My Kind Of Town". CD

A great set of Christmas classics – five albums, each represented with LP-styled artwork in a box of 5 CDs! First up is Jolly Christmas by Frank Sinatra – one of the greatest Christmas albums of the 20th century – a rich tapestry of sadness and longing from Ol' Blue Eyes himself! Sure, most folks think that Christmas albums are supposed to be cheery and celebratory – but Frank, coming off of his best Wee Small Hours years at Capitol, rightly chose the sadder side of Christmas – and put together an album full of songs that really get at the bluer side of the holiday. Side one of the set includes some tremendous secular songs – the kind of mid-century tunes that often had a dark undercurrent of separation and unfulfilled desire – masquerading as holiday tunes, but in Frank's hands, coming off more like smokey late night tunes of lost love and wasted life. Side two's got some more spiritual-oriented tunes – but again, done by Frank, with arrangements by Gordon Jenkins, these tunes come off with a lot less celebratory spirit than you'd expect. Titles include "The Christmas Waltz", "Mistletoe & Holly", "The Christmas Song", "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear", and "I'll Be Home For Christmas". Next is A Christmas Gift To You – Phil Spector's classic Christmas album – a swirling delight of 60s pop and soul numbers, still one of the greatest full Christmas LPs ever recorded! The whole thing is wonderful – a mix of soul, rock, and pop – all produced with that classic "wall of sound" style that made Phil Spector such an early production genius in the 60s! The music is from those magical times when boundary-busting art and craft were mixed perfectly with pop styles that anyone could instantly fall in love with – and titles include "Frosty The Snowman" by The Ronettes, "Here Comes Santa Claus" by Bob B Soxx & The Blue Jeans, "Marshmallow World" by Darlene Love, "Sleigh Ride" by The Ronnettes, "Winter Wonderland" by Darlene Love, "Santa Claus Is Comin To Town" by The Crystals, and "Silent Night" by Phil and other artists on the set! Next is Elvis Christmas Album – an early Holiday gem from Elvis Presley – a set that had RCA Records wisely rushing the young singer into the studio to cut a host of Christmas tunes – which ensured that Elvis would be spinning on the turntable for many seasons to come! Titles include "Here Comes Santa Claus", "Silent Night", "Blue Christmas", "White Christmas", and "Santa Bring My Baby Back". Next is Merry Christmas from Bing Crosby – which may well be THE Christmas album of the 20th century – a 50s issue of 40s singles cut by Der Bingle, packaged in a cover with a classic cover image that's ensured that the record stayed in print for dozens of Decembers in years to come! Given that Bing virtually owned Christmas on TV during the 50s, 60s, and 70s, the album's place in popular music is well-earned – and honestly, Bing's "aw shucks, I'm just reg'lar folks" sort of approach to these tunes really helped create a kind of common man secular side to the Holidays that forever transformed America's celebration of the season. Or maybe we're going to far with this one . . . But whatever the case, the album's a standard, and one we were certainly raised on. Titles include "Silver Bells", "Jingle Bells", "Silent Night", "White Christmas", "Adeste Fideles", "Faith Of Our Fathers", "I'll Be Home For Christmas", and "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas". Last up is Ella Fitzgerald Wishes You A Swinging Christmas – a wonderful Holiday album that's stayed fresh for years! Ella's got a perfect style to interpret these numbers – working with Frank DeVol and Russ Garcia in a set of lightly jazzy versions of Christmas favorites like "Sleigh Ride", "Jingle Bells", "Winter Wonderland", "White Christmas", "Frosty The Snowman", and one of the best versions of "What Are You Doing New Years Eve" ever recorded! CD

Billy May's got Frank nicely swinging on this one – working on a set of older numbers, retuned for the Sinatra sound of 50s Capitol! The band is tight, the sound is right, and Frank steps out nicely on songs that he sung years before in other settings – but quite possibly never so well or as perfectly timed as on this LP! Titles include "Baubles Bangles & Beads", "The Song Is You", "Something's Gotta Give", and "Dancing In The Dark" – as well as the sublime album bookends "Come Dance With Me" and "The Last Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

Arranged by Don Costa – with tracks that include "Rain In My Heart", "Both Sides Now", "Cycles", "Pretty Colors", "Wandering", "Moody River", and "My Way Of Life". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest Christmas albums of the 20th century – a rich tapestry of sadness and longing from Ol' Blue Eyes himself! Sure, most folks think that Christmas albums are supposed to be cheery and celebratory – but Frank, coming off of his best Wee Small Hours years at Capitol, rightly chose the sadder side of Christmas – and put together an album full of songs that really get at the bluer side of the holiday. Side one of the set includes some tremendous secular songs – the kind of mid-century tunes that often had a dark undercurrent of separation and unfulfilled desire – masquerading as holiday tunes, but in Frank's hands, coming off more like smokey late night tunes of lost love and wasted life. Side two's got some more spiritual-oriented tunes – but again, done by Frank, with arrangements by Gordon Jenkins, these tunes come off with a lot less celebratory spirit than you'd expect. Titles include "The Christmas Waltz", "Mistletoe & Holly", "The Christmas Song", "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear", and "I'll Be Home For Christmas". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Everybody Has The Right To Be Wrong", "Luck Be A Lady", "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "Without A Song", and "Have You Met Miss Jones". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare live recordings! 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of the most popular of the early collaborative LPs of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood – the soundtrack album to the legendary Movin' With Nancy TV special from 1967 – featuring the eerie masterpiece "Some Velvet Morning" and more! The aforementioned tune is as incredible a track as either Nancy or Lee ever produced, but the album features other duet gems including "Jackson" with Lee, "Things" with Dino, and "Younger Than Springtime" with Frank – plus Nancy's sweet solo tunes "I Gotta Get Out Of This Town", "Wait Till You See Him", "Friday's Child", "This Town", and "What I Say". LP, Vinyl record album

Way before Sinatra first grabbed the "Chairman Of The Board" title for his own musical persona, Basie laid great claim to the tag with this tight little album for Roulette! The album's got the 50s Basie band working at the height of their powers – with original compositions written and arranged by Frank Foster, Ernie Wilkins, Thad Jones, and Frank Wess – all of whom play in the bad, along with other all-stars like Freddie Green, Billy Mitchell, and Al Grey. The sound is tight, soulful, and searing Basie all the way through – with tunes that include "Segue In C", "Blues In Hoss' Flat", "Who Me?", "The Deacon", "Half Moon Street", "Mutt & Jeff", "TV Time", "Speaking Of Sounds", and "HRH". LP, Vinyl record album

Two early 70s albums from Shirley Bassey – back to back in a single set! Never Never Never is a warmly-crafted 70s album from the great Shirley Bassey – a set that continues that great move she was making at the end of the 60s – shaking off some of the bolder, brassier styles that famously got her going at the start, but which were maybe sounding a bit dated after the James Bond soundtracks got too much play! Instead, Bassey's opening up in a nicely mature mode – maybe making the same sort of shift between soul and adult modes that Johnny Mathis was hitting during the same period – and working with great UK maestros Johnny Harris and Arthur Greenslade, both able to balance strings and soul on titles that include "Never Never Never", "Make The World A Little Younger", "No Regrets", "Going Going Gone", "Somehow", "I Won't Last A Day Without You", "The Old Fashioned Way", and "Someone Who Cares". On Good Bad But Beautiful, Shirley Bassey is at her mellow best – sounding very different than the brassy vocalist who first rose to international fame with "Goldfinger" – yet still able to work through all the rich aspects of her great vocal range! Arthur Greenslade handles the backings, and the style is mature, and updated in maybe the way that Frank Sinatra was hitting at the time – both in the choice of songs, and in the way that Greenslade sets Shirley up for the best reading of the lyric. Titles include "I'll Be Your Audience", "Emotion", "Good Bad But Beautiful", "Jesse", "Run On & On & On", "Feel Like Makin Love", and "I'll Be Your Audience". CD

A near-lost album from Sammy's years at Reprise – and an album that's got that nice bouncey style that the label was using with Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra in the 60s! A lot of the thanks goes to producer Sonny Burke, who inflects Sammy's vocals with a punched-up set of rhythms that makes even the most familiar numbers come out groovy – a factor that Sam's certainly aware of, as he reaches to the top with that "yeah, man" style that helps to completely transform some of the tunes. Titles include great versions of "The Days Of Wine & Roses", "Not For Me", "I Wanna Be Around", "It's All In The Game", "Fools Rush In", and "Choose". LP, Vinyl record album

Bob Dylan takes on the American songbook once again – revisiting the territory of classic 20th century songwriters that he touched on the Fallen Angels album, but in an overstuffed mode that definitely warrants the Triplicate title! The triple-length format really has Dylan going to town on the material – and maybe doing a lot more than just trying to ape an older singer like Frank Sinatra – as the arrangements are often surprisingly fresh, and almost hit the kind of country/standard mode that Willie Nelson hit with his Stardust recording. In fact, given the rasp and world-heavy tone of Dylan's voice, and the strong use of both acoustic and steel guitar on some of the tunes, the whole thing maybe feels more like a vision of midcentury, seen through a lens that gives the sound of Nashville a lot more importance in the canon. The set was recorded at the Capitol Studios, which seems a great place to capture this vibe – and titles include, not surprisingly, "Stardust", plus "This Nearly Was Mine", "Stormy Weather", "Once Upon A Time", "The Best Is Yet To Come", "As Time Goes By", "Imagination", "Day In Day Out", "There's A Flaw In My Flue", "These Foolish Things", and "You Go To My Head". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest writers on singers presents his essential collection of albums from the 20th century – all served up with the kind of loving detail that's always made the prose of Will Friedwald so great! Will's written the book on Frank Sinatra – literally – and on Tony Bennett, and a number of other singers too – and you've no doubt stumbled across his words in liner notes for reissues over the years. This time, Friedwald expands that later genre – and offers up full chapters that go in depth to some key vocal jazz classics – including Something Cool by June Christy, My Gentleman Friend by Blossom Dearie, Ella In Berlin by Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman, Rain Or Shine by Dick Haymes, Lady In Satin by Billie Holiday, Black Coffee by Peggy Lee, and even Belly Of The Sun by Cassandra Wilson! There's a few dozen more titles covered in the book – which has 51 chapters in all – and the heavy book also features an album cover reproduction for each title, and a discography as well. 402 pages, hardcover. Book

A very cool mix of sounds and styles here – hardly the sort of record we'd normally expect from funnyman Neil Hamburger, and instead this wonderful mix of short comedy bits and well-chosen music put together by the Numero Group! Neil does one of his offbeat routines at the start of each track, then the music takes over – and tracks are a mix of rare soul, oddball Americana, and even a jazzy number from Frank Sinatra's son – with an overall vibe that's funkier and groovier than we might have guessed. Titles include "Number One" by Bill Moss, "This Love Of Mine" by The Extensions, "Animals In The Zoo" by Leah Devorah, "Black Night" by Frank Sinatra Jr, "It Makes You Feel So Bad" by Insight Out, "Lost Angeles" by Nun Plus, and "It's Too Late" by Bob Desper. LP, Vinyl record album

Quite a rare album from Peggy Lee – and a strange one too! The album features backings "conducted" by Frank Sinatra, done in a moody, flowing, dreamy and sad style – similar to his own work of the late 50s Capitol years, especially the more melancholy albums that we love so much. Frank's probably not doing the bulk of the work, though, as the record also credits Nelson Riddle with arrangements – and Riddle's sound here is very strong, again in the mood of his best sad work with Sinatra – territory explored on albums like Wee Small Hours or Only The Lonely. Titles include "That's All", "Please Be Kind", "He's My Guy", "Then I'll Be Tired Of You", "The Folks Who Live On The Hill", and "If I Should Lose You". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprising Bud Powell album for Reprise Records – and one of the label's hippest jazz titles ever! When Frank Sinatra first started up the Reprise imprint, he let Duke Ellington do a bit of A&R for the jazz division – and one of the first things Ellington did was capture the great Bud Powell in his then-local setting of Paris – in this rough edgey session that turned out to be one of Powell's last albums, and one of his best from the 60s. The record is nothing fancy on the outside – just simple piano trio versions of jazz standards like "Parisian Thoroughfare", "I Can't Get Started", "Jordu", and "Dear Old Stockholm" – but Powell's dark genius turns the tracks into jagged little razors, cutting with an emotional depth that's quite surprising. Duke Ellington produced – and trio members include Gilbert Rovere on bass and Carl Fields on drums. CD

One of the greatest, straightest sets from Mel Torme – an all-classic batch of tracks that's quite different than his other album for Columbia! Torme checks in as a totally committed, totally serious jazz vocalist here – with an impeccable approach to the music that puts this album right up there with the best work of Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett – very mature, but very personal too – in a way that really transforms familiar tunes. Arrangements are by Robert Mersey, who handles Torme with the best care he's had since the classic 50s recordings with Marty Paich – and titles include "PS I Love You", "The Nearness Of You", "Haven't We Met", and "Ho Ba La La". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure early session from Ed Townsend – an artist who's perhaps better known as a songwriter of hits for others, and slightly less as a 70s soul singer on Curtom and Casablanca! Yet here, Ed's starting out his career as a mainstream crooner – cast by Capitol as a sepia Sinatra, and even working with arrangements from Frank's Capitol mainstay, Nelson Riddle! There's a bit more drama here than you might hear on a Sinatra album – a slightly deeper range that slides towards more conventional pop vocals of the period – but the whole album's pretty darn compelling, especially the overall package. Titles include "Symphony", "I Am", "New In Town", "Goin My Way", "Till The End Of Time", "Mam'selle", "Do Nothin Till You Hear From Me", and "Lover Come Back To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Ethel Waters, Bucks & Bubbles, Billie Holiday, Al Jolson, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Dick Hymen, Mel Torme, Sarah Vaughan & more. CD

Really fantastic work from Teddy Randazzo – the man who put the "up" in uptown soul during the 60s – and who went on to a fantastic legacy of really great music in a variety of different styles! Teddy was always a real cut above the usual pop songwriter – as his songs were fuller, richer, and not afraid to bring some lush aspects to the production – yet always with a way that could still groove – clearly a key step on the path towards more sophisticated soul styles that others would pick up on strongly in the 70s! These tunes have a beautiful way of balancing emotion with a need to be catchy and groovy – all while avoiding modes that would sound way too overdone in the hands of other pop talents of the time – moving past the too-emotive or too-weepy styles that dominated the record racks a few years before. Most of the tracks here are soul singles, but there's also a few jazz and rock numbers too – all supported by the usual deep detailed notes that we love from Ace Records. Titles include "You Better Go" by Derek Martin, "I'm On The Outside" by Little Anthony & The Imperials, "Or Not At All" by Jimmy Rice, "Good For A Lifetime" by Al Hibbler, "Better Use Your Head" by Mel Torme, "Rain In My Heart" by Frank Sinatra, "Can't Stop Running Away" by Timi Yuro, "A Million To One" by The Manhattans, "Think Before You Act" by Tony Orlando, "Goin Out Of My Head" by Dionne Warwick, "Hurt So Bad" by The Delfonics, "I Watched You Slowly Slip Away" by Howard Guyton, "Think Twice Before You Walk Away" by Porgy & The Monarchs, "Baby Are You Puttin Me On" by The Royalettes, and "You Don't Need A Heart" by Teddy Randazzo himself. CD

A really great overview of the V-Discs label of the 40s – the imprint started by the US Army as a way of circulating the jazz and swing sounds of the time to soldiers overseas! As you'd guess from the dates, the label was started during the American involvement in WWII – but then continued as a key part of its work in rebuilding the European scene of the postwar years – almost as a musical extension of the work of the State Department! Yet despite that governmental tie-in, the music here is all pretty darn great on its own – and given that most V-Discs titles were not available for commercial sale, they also represent a unique slice of the 78rpm market of the time. The 4CD set features detailed notes in French and English, 92 tracks in all, and some songs even include messages from the artists too – with work by Don Redman, Jo Stafford, Louis Prima, Duke Ellington, Earl Robinson, Frank Sinatra, Carson Robinson, Carmen Miranda, Frankie Carle, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Glen Gray, Les Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Randy Brooks, Kay Starr, Buddy Rich, Charlie Barnet, Spike Jones, Bob Crosby, Lionel Hampton, Benny Carter, Cab Calloway, Harry James, and many more! CD

Sweetly cascading strings from Nelson Riddle – in a style that's quite different from his work with Frank Sinatra! The Nelson Riddle on this set is much more of a mood music maestro than a jazzy vocal arranger – using more strings than usual, and going for a wonderfully fluid sound that's very fitting for the "underwater" mode in the set! There's no studio tricks or weird production used on the set – but Riddle manages to create a beautiful mood – the shades of sunlight in blue water, the caress of light waves upon a coral reef, the gentle ebb and flow of the tide as the day turns to dusk – all served up with warm Capitol production that somehow makes the tunes sound even better! Titles include "Till The End Of Time", "Caravan", "Solitude", "Take Me In Your Arms", and "Santana". LP, Vinyl record album