# Frank Sinatra's music - where should I start? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 14, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934 "2013-11-14T21:48:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/1 "2013-11-14T21:48:25Z")
I’ve heard a few Sinatra songs, My Way, Love & Marriage, Come Fly With Me. I have his Christmas Album. He recorded for over 40 years. Whats a good album that really defines why he was a Superstar? I’ve read the stuff he did for Capital Records in the 50’s was very good. I’ve looked at Amazon. Theres so many Sinatra’s greatest hits there. Some look like cheap cut out bin specials. I’m not sure what has been remastered and represents him the best. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/2 "2013-11-14T21:51:01Z")
Songs for Swingin’ Lovers Songs for Only the Lonely Come Fly With Me someone else needs to recommend an early-era, teeny-bopper hearthrob stuff. What a voice. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/3 "2013-11-14T22:20:01Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > What a voice. [Indeed](http://www.discogs.com/Frank-Sinatra-The-Voice/release/1954540). [And again](http://www.amazon.com/Frank-The-Voice-James-Kaplan/dp/0767924231). ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/4 "2013-11-14T23:34:07Z")
I started with [this one](http://www.amazon.com/The-Very-Best-Frank-Sinatra/dp/B000002NFI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384471908&sr=8-1&keywords=best+of+sinatra) several years ago and it served as an excellent introduction. No idea why it’s $45 on Amazon; you can find it for $10 or less on ebay. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/5 "2013-11-15T00:13:06Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I started with [this one](http://www.amazon.com/The-Very-Best-Frank-Sinatra/dp/B000002NFI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384471908&sr=8-1&keywords=best+of+sinatra) several years ago and it served as an excellent introduction. > > No idea why it’s $45 on Amazon; you can find it for $10 or less on ebay. Heck, right now you can find used copies for as low as $0.99+shipping on that very page you linked to. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/6 "2013-11-15T00:18:36Z")
I’d go with the (1950’s Capitol) complementary pair of “In the Wee Small Hours” and “Songs for Swingin’ Lovers!”. > **[In the Wee Small Hours](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Wee_Small_Hours)** > > In the Wee Small Hours is the ninth studio album by American vocalist Frank Sinatra. It was released in April 1955 by Capitol and produced by Voyle Gilmore with arrangements by Nelson Riddle. All the songs on the album deal with themes such as loneliness, introspection, melancholy, desolation, lost love, failed relationships, depression, and night life. The cover artwork reflects these themes, portraying Sinatra alone on an eerie and deserted city street at night awash in blue-tinged street light... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs\_for\_Swingin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_for_Swingin)’\_Lovers! ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/7 "2013-11-15T00:27:58Z")
I reckon the _September of My Years_ album is the highlight of his Reprise Records period. Also very good is the first one he did with Antonio Carlos Jobim in '67. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/8 "2013-11-15T00:46:05Z")
If you want to totally immerse yourself in his voice, get the “100 Hits Legend” collection (5 discs). ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/9 "2013-11-15T02:19:10Z")
I like [this one](http://www.amazon.com/Frank-Sinatra-Come-Dance-Me/dp/B002LBGBE0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1384481800&sr=8-4&keywords=frank+sinatra+swing) - you can listen to samples and see if you do, too. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/10 "2013-11-15T07:24:28Z")
thank you for the recommendations. Going to Ebay now to see what I can find. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/11 "2013-11-15T07:44:46Z")
I have this box set [The Capitol Years](http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/FRANK-SINATRA-THE-CAPITOL-YEARS-3-CD-SET-BOOKLET-PRESSED-IN-HOLLAND-1990-/141113915796?pt=AU_Audio_CDs&hash=item20db0b7994). Awesome. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/12 "2013-11-15T07:57:52Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’ve heard a few Sinatra songs, My Way, Love & Marriage, Come Fly With Me. I have his Christmas Album. I was like you once. I had only heard songs he recorded when he was over 40, and I didn’t think he was that great — the music was good, the voice was meh. Then one day I heard [this song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTdwFYxv_ro) just by chance, recorded when he was 30, and I understood why he was such a big deal. His vocal chords were damaged around 1950, and after that he was good, not great. But in the 30’s and 40’s, he was The Voice. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/13 "2013-11-15T09:38:00Z")
You’re right, his younger voice is a lot different. Much smoother and higher pitched. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/14 "2013-11-15T09:59:07Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > His vocal chords were damaged around 1950, and after that he was good, not great. Really? Where did you get that? [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNimAqD0f5U) he is live at the age of 65. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/15 "2013-11-15T11:02:52Z")
For me [Sinatra at the Sands](http://www.amazon.com/Sinatra-At-Sands-Frank/dp/B000006OBQ)is just a perfect album. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/16 "2013-11-15T11:07:24Z")
There’s no need not to let YouTube help. Start with [Frank Sinatra- I’ve got you under my skin](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1AHec7sfZ8) For other important clues, check all his work with Nelson Riddle. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/17 "2013-11-15T21:07:23Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Really? Where did you get that? [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNimAqD0f5U) he is live at the age of 65. The vocal chord damage is just a fact; it’s in any decent biography of him. The good vs great is my opinion, although I think the difference would be obvious to Marlee Matlin. But very, very few singers sound as good at 60 as at 30, even without vocal chord damage. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/18 "2013-11-15T21:21:43Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > The vocal chord damage is just a fact; it’s in any decent biography of him. > > The good vs great is my opinion, although I think the difference would be obvious to Marlee Matlin. But very, very few singers sound as good at 60 as at 30, even without vocal chord damage. Too late to edit, but to follow up a bit: There are great singers, and there are great songs. Sinatra sang some great songs later in his career, but IMO he wasn’t that great a singer. He had hits though a combination of great songs, the big band covering up his flat notes, and just his reputation carrying him. But in the 30’s and 40’s, he could have sung a grocery list a capella and it would have been captivating. I see Paul McCartney or Brian Wilson on shows singing live, and for me it’s excruciating to listen to, but people will still line up around the block for it, because of who they are, and what they did when they were younger. Sinatra was a lot better at 60 than they are, but nowhere near the way he used to sound. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/19 "2013-11-15T21:26:22Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Too late to edit, but to follow up a bit: There are great singers, and there are great songs. Sinatra sang some great songs later in his career, but IMO he wasn’t that great a singer. He had hits though a combination of great songs, the big band covering up his flat notes, and just his reputation carrying him. But in the 30’s and 40’s, he could have sung a grocery list a capella and it would have been captivating. > > I see Paul McCartney or Brian Wilson on shows singing live, and for me it’s excruciating to listen to, but people will still line up around the block for it, because of who they are, and what they did when they were younger. Sinatra was a lot better at 60 than they are, but nowhere near the way he used to sound. Wow. Take a shot at Tony Bennett or Roy Orbison, why don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-sinatras-music-where-should-i-start/673934/20 "2013-11-15T21:40:59Z")
Thanks for the advice. This album looks good. _Sinatra: the nelson riddle years the essential collection_ > **[The Nelson Riddle Years: The Essential Collect... | AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-nelson-riddle-years-the-essential-collection-mw0000575642)** > > The Nelson Riddle Years: The Essential Collection by Frank Sinatra released in 2007. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at A... > [@Zeldar](#): > > There’s no need not to let YouTube help. > > Start with [Frank Sinatra- I’ve got you under my skin](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1AHec7sfZ8) > > For other important clues, check all his work with Nelson Riddle.