... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Tracks include "The Song Is You", "Star Dust", "Violets For Your Furs", "Fools Rush In", and "The Night We Called It A Day". CD

Sinatra at his lonely best – as emphasized by the cover image, which has him sitting alone at a bar, looking sadly into his drink. The album's got backings by Gordon Jenkins, a bit more flowery than some of Nelson Riddle's, but in that sad dreamy mode that Sinatra worked with on the Wee Small Hours album. The selection of tunes includes the Sammy Cahn/Jimmy Van Heusen original "When No One Cares", plus sublime readings of "Where Do You Go", "A Cottage For Sale", "I Can't Get Started", and "None But The Lonely Heart". Plus, the CD features 4 bonus tracks – "You Forgot All The Words", "This Was My Love", "The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else", and "I Could Have Told You". Great stuff! CD

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

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Tracks include "You'll Never Walk Alone", "Castle Rock", "April In Paris", "Laura", "You'll Never Know", "Stormy Weather", and "You Go To My Head". CD

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Sinatra-Basie is the inaugural effort from the 2 leaders and the stellar orchestra – and it's a great one. Sinatra is as charismatic and loose out front as he's ever been on record, and the Basie & his players swing brilliantly with arrangements by Neal Hefti. Titles include "Pennies From Heaven", "Please Be Kind", "My Kind Of Girl", "Learnin' The Blues", "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and more. CD

Sinatra-Basie is the inaugural effort from the 2 leaders and the stellar orchestra – and it's a great one. Sinatra is as charismatic and loose out front as he's ever been on record, and the Basie & his players swing brilliantly with arrangements by Neal Hefti. Titles include "Pennies From Heaven", "Please Be Kind", "My Kind Of Girl", "Learnin' The Blues", "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful little album that shows a whole new side of Sinatra! Frank's a bit late on the bossa game – but the record's a wonderfully gentle batch of bossa nova tunes, performed with musical and occasional vocal accompaniment by Jobim, and larger orchestral backings by Claus Ogerman. Far more than a gimmicky fake bossa album – this is a wonderful set of tracks that show that Sinatra could still hit a gentle ballad without going as over the top as he did on some of his other Reprise work. Jobim's talent is very respected – and the record is a true blending of musical styles, in a way that does justice to both artists equally. Titles include "Change Partners", "Dindi", "Meditation", "How Insensitive", and "I Concentrate On You". CD

... 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 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

The legendary concert – presented here on a gold disc! Loads of classic patter and changed-up songs from the glory days of the Rat Pack! CD

A gem of a 50s album from Frank – well-themed and swinging, with a batch of travel-related tunes that really groove nicely! Billy May handled the arrangements on this one, and he gives the record a nice jazzy finish that fits the globe-trotting tunes well – taking Frank around the world in a song, and returning him home peacefully by the end of the set. Titles include the great originals "Come Fly With Me" and "It's Nice To Go Traveling" – plus "Isle Of Capri", "Around The World", "April In Paris", and "Brazil". CD features 3 bonus tracks too! CD

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

Great late Frank Sinatra at Capitol Records – a set that still grooves in all the Nelson Riddle brilliance of the early 50s years, but also points the way towards the mature masculinity that Frank would find working at Reprise! The title tune, "Nice and Easy", is a classic swinger with great backing by Nelson Riddle – and the rest of the album's selection of tunes is a bit more in the sad late nite mode of some of Sinatra's other end of the 50s sessions, but handled with a bit more flair, a bit more of that ass-pinching machismo that would creep into his love songs in the 60s. Titles include "Dream", "She's Funny That Way", "Fools Rush In", "That Old Feeling", and his seminal reading of "I've Got A Crush On You" – one of the gems from the late Capitol years! LP, Vinyl record album

A rare live recording from 1962! The set is over an hour long and includes "Day In Day Out", "Second Time Around", "My Funny Valentine", "Chicago", and "One For My Baby" – 24 tracks in all. CD

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With 12 tracks including "Summer Wind", "Strangers In The Night", "That's Life", "This Town", and "Softly As I Leave You". CD

Material recorded before Frank Sinatra's famous appearance at The Sands with The Count! CD

One of the few albums ever cut by singer Frank D'Rone – an excellent vocalist in the Pal Joey mode! Frank hailed from Chicago, and was a second (or third) tier singer – a bargain basement Sinatra, with a rougher style that actually has a great edge, and which recalls the tougher days of barroom gigs for singers who weren't so lucky as those with their name in lights. Billy May handled the arrangements on the set, giving D'Rone a swinging, jazzy kind of feel that pushes the record a bit farther than his other Mercury album from the 50s – and the whole thing's brings a nice punchy kind of feel to tracks that include "It's You Or No One", "Warm All Over", "After The Ball", "Oh Look At Me Now", and "Why Can't This Night Go On Forever". LP, Vinyl record album

Keely Smith steps out at a more dynamic level than most of her solo recordings we remember from the old days – doing a pretty great job of here of paying tribute to Frank Sinatra during the height of his years at Capitol Records! The backings are lively and swinging – handled by the Frankie Capp Orchestra with a blend of strings and jazz that's right at home with the older Sinatra backings by Nelson Riddle or Billy May. But nicely, Keely doesn't just copy the modes of the old days – and instead, takes these tunes at her own level – swinging them a bit differently than Frank, but still with his classic sense of power and punch! The CD features a great introduction by Frank Sinatra Jr, and a whopping 20 titles in all – with tunes that include "Angel Eyes", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "I've Got A Crush On You", "Night & Day", "South Of The Border", "Without A Song", "All The Way", and "I've Got You Under My Skin". CD

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

Incredibly haunting early work from Peggy Lee! The record is one of her moodiest, and is essential listening for anyone who's ever though of Peggy only as a schmaltzy pop singer. The arrangements are fantastic, and they have a sad somber quality that we'd compare to those on Frank Sinatra's legendary Wee Small Hours album. The tracks are similar, too – and filled with pain, loss, and longing – really some of the deepest work of Peggy's career at this time! Titles include "So Blue", "What's New", "Street Of Dreams", "Too Late Now", and "Dancing On The Ceiling". 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", "The Folks Who Live On The Hill", and "If I Should Lose You". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of overlooked gems from singer Ed Townsend – a talent we'd rank right up there with Jesse Belvin or Arthur Prysock in his early years! First up is New In Town – 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". Glad To Be Here is another great album – every bit as wonderful as the first! Orchestrations are by Nelson Riddle, and the album's got a gentle swing that we really enjoy – Ed singing over some lesser known tracks, and bringing a raspy soulfulness to the more familiar ones. Titles include "What's Wrong With Me", "Golden Earrings", "I'm In Love", "Don't Ever Leave Me", and "On The Street Where You Live". CD

Music from Marty Manning & his Orchestra, Dimitri Mitropoulos ' New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Shadows, Lotte Lenya with Roger Bean & Orchestra, Barry Gray & his Spacemakers, Buddy Morrow & his Orchestra, Frank Sinatra, Frank Ifield, Francis Poulenc & more. CD

Music from Benny, Natalia Lafourcade, Frank Sinatra, Los Straightjackets, Fonseca, Monsieur Perine, Christian Basso, Los Hermanos Rigual & Agrupacion Carino. CD

Music from George Lewis, Kay Starr, Art Hodes' Hot Seven, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Modern Jazz Quartet, Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington & more. CD

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. Also included are two bonus tracks, "Indiana" and "B Flat Blues". 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

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