Sinatra, Frank A VOICE IN TIME: 1939 – 1952
Before he was The Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra was just a skinny kid from New Jersey with a big voice and bigger dreams.
And while there are plenty of compilations devoted to Old Blue Eyes’ later years and greater hits, the young Frank often gets short shrift.
Not any more. That Sinatra is the one in the spotlight on the superior new box set A Voice in Time: 1939 – 1952. And an illuminating work it is. Over the course of 80 songs on four CDs, this stylish box follows Frank’s evolution from youthful big band crooner to the most famous and acclaimed singer of his generation.
Disc 1: The Big Band Years covers 1939 to ‘42, when he began his career singing with Tommy Dorsey and Harry James, handling hits of the day like All or Nothing at All and I’ll be Seeing You. Some of Sinatra’s first studio and live recordings are gathered here. Disc 2: Teen Idol picks up the story in 1943, when Frank became the first pop star, crooning for throngs of bobbysoxers whose piercing screams drown out the band on some of the live cuts. Disc 3: The Great American Songbook concentrates on the standards Frank cut in the mid-’40s. All of Me, I Get a Kick out of You, That Old Black Magic, It Had to be You are all here, with plenty more where they came from. Finally, Disc 4: The Sound of Things to Come follows Frank from ‘49 to ‘52, his final years with Columbia before he signed with Capitol and took his career to the next level.
If that doesn’t paint a portrait of the artist as a young man, nothing will.
Category :
Leave a Reply