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Sinatra's Capitol output divided itself nicely into two distinct entities: the legendary albums (Only The Lonely, Songs For Swingin Lovers, Come Fly With Me et al) and the quick 2 and a half to 3 minute shots at hitting the top 40.
While Sinatra oversaw every aspect of his albums, he had a staff of song pluggers and Capitol A&R men helping to choose the singles material.
The quality of the singles varied greatly-- from the ultra hip "Witchcraft," to the seductive "Talk To Me" right through Frank's only (thank goodness) attempt at the rock market:
"Two Hearts--Two Kisses"
In this sensational box set, Capitol has issued every commercial Capitol single recorded by Sinatra over a 7 year span.
Though the quality of the material varies, Sinatra's performances remain uniformly superb....he sings "Ol Mac Donald" with the same energy and conviction as he demonstates on "Witchcraft" and "Nice N Easy."
Though he occasionally experimented with different arrangers for his singles output, the vast majority of the material was arranged by the twin geniuses: Billy May and Nelson Riddle.
Capitol has outdone itself with his box...the mastering of the original material is superb and the booklet by Will Friedwald (from whom I lifted the title of this review) is filled with sensational anecdotes and some hip inside references.
Owning this package and the Complete Reprise Studio Recordings from Warner Brothers is like having a Mercedes and a Rolls in the same garage.
The man was the finest popular singer of our time.
There are, technicaly, three different Frank Sinatras. The first, the skinny pompadoured honey-voiced crooner that made many a girl swoon in the 30's and 40's can be encapsulated by his recordings with Columbia records, and is sure satisfy your need for nostalgia with its mono recordings and the youthful immaturity of emotion which he sings. The second, exemplified by this set, shows Frank as he enters into middle age. His voice has aged somewhat and the depth of all life's emotions is evident in these recordings. The third (and, in my opinion, the best) Frank Sinatra is the Reprise Sinatra. Older, weathered, his singing shows that he has reached the bottom as well as the top in his life.
If you are new to Sinatra and have some extra cash to burn, buy the Capitol or Reprise box set, both of which come with many songs that will be familiar to you as well as some new treasures to discover. Once you're a seasoned veteran, by all means, open up your pocketbook and send Amazon.com some cash, because you NEED this set.