Frank Sinatra – FRANK SINATRA***

The World We Knew(Over & Over)/Somethin’ Stupid/This Is My Love/Born Free/Don’t Sleep In The Subway/This Town/This Is My Song/You Are There/Drinking Again/Some Enchanted Evening

This was a little remembered Sinatra album, the high point being the duet with his daughter, Somethin' Stupid, which topped the American and British singles charts. (US:24 UK:28)

"Other than Somethin' Stupid, none of the songs are associated with Sinatra and few of them were ever performed live, but in many ways the album reflects a typical Sinatra concert, mixing uptempo swingers like This Town and Don't Sleep In The Subway, romantic torchers like This Is My Love and This Is My Song, and the obligatory saloon song in Drinking Again. But while Sinatra concerts were seamless affairs, the album has a disjointed feel, arising no doubt from the fact that it was recorded over many sessions, with a number of different arrangers and conductors."

"It has too few really good, worthwhile, emotionally affecting performances - the reasons many people listen to Frank. There's something weird about hearing a bad album from a person who recorded his fair share of masterpieces."

"This was another collection of contemporary songs and famously contained the duet between Frank and his daughter Nancy, Somethin' Stupid' a #1 chart hit, a perfect pop song and perennial favourite among fans."

"Sinatra was, in his way, trying to connect with this zeitgeist by mixing some contemporary compositions into his conventional catalogue of material. The results are interesting, and certainly tuneful, even if not distinguished in the accustomed Sinatra way. Somethin' Stupid proved to be a #1 hit, which must have tickled Ol' Blue Eyes for no other reason than this duet provided additional momentum to daughter Nancy's singing career."

"In sum, the unevenness of song quality and a multiplicity of arrangers makes for a collection that sounds like the montage it is. Still, Sinatra produces enough winners here to make the purchase of this LP worthwhile."

"The tracks I return to are The World We Knew and You Are There for the melodies, Drinking Again for the arrangement, atmosphere and delivery, as well as This Town which is tough and punchy. As for the rest, it is really disappointing."