Well, sometime ago I posted a thread concerning the man I consider as the greatest singer of all time: a gentleman by the name of Francis Albert Sinatra.

When I first started to listen to Frank I imediatley knew he had an incomperable voice yet as time went by I became a more serious listener and as of late I am building up my Frank collection purchasing all of his original albums.

He sang so that he could create any mood from extreme happiness, to loging and passion, to pain and suffering. He was the most consitantly great singer, and although his voice evaded him in the twilight of his life he was always giving it his all.

His best alumbs include: In The Wee Small Hours
Songs for Swingin' Lovers
The Concert Sinatra

Of course my personal favorite is "Frank Sinatra sing for Only the Lonely". It is a collection of toarch songs but they differ from his more famous album "In the Wee Small Hours".It is one of more disparing, sparse albums ever and along with Frank is Nelson Riddle conducting and arranging all of the songs.

His best songs include: One For My Baby (and More for the Road), I've Got You Under My Skin, Night & Day (1961 Reprise Version), It Never Entered My Mind, Witchcraft.

I know we've got some fans on here like SC and Zia. COme on and post.

Reprise is a fantastic collaboration of his many great songs! Many a sunday morning I will go to the pork store, get a fresh mozzarella, a loaf of italian bread, come back home, put on reprise, pop a bottle of wine open and sit in my yard in all my glory!


Don Cardi

The greatest, along with Dean Martin, Hollywood glamour performer. I find it hard to describe what I mean, but the singer, 60's/70's Vegas type of thing like Dean Martin had on his variety show. Singing and swaying to the music and such.

However, I can't put Sinatra ahead of other artists that write their songs and whatnot. There are better, although Sinatra is one of *the* best singers.

My favorites are New York, New York, Summer Wind, Strangers in the Night, My Way.

I can easily put him ahead of the artists that write their songs and I'll tell ou why: He intrepreted other peoples music so damned well that he brought in unforseen layers to a song.

When a singer can do that, you know your the best. Acctually, Frank contributed to a few songs but alas, his work was to interpret good music, something he himself said that he loved to do.
Funny Thing is that Frank said later in his career his least favorite song was "Strangers in the Night", the song that got him his first number 1 single since 1953's Learning The Blues.

If you look deep into his catolouge you'll find true treasures that no Greatest Hits compilation can give you.

I agree, Frank Sinatra would definitely have to be one of the greatest singers of all time.

More than just having a superb voice, Sinatra's greatest asset was his impeccable timing.

He oozed confidence in most songs but you could still hear his vulnerability in many of his ballads.

I prefer his music from the late 50's (the Capitol years) but my favorite album of his came later on on Reprise - "Ol' Blue Eyes is Back". With the possible exception of The Beatles' "Rubber Soul" its the best album ever produced.

Lest we forget - he was a gifted actor, too.

Best singer of all time? Up there, for reasons already explained. But normally (to me) that means best voice, and for that I say: No!, not even vaguely within 1000 miles. Don't get me wrong -- of COURSE I love Frank! But in my book he gets Most Charismatic Personality. Not best vocalist or singer. And he would probably even agree w/ me. :p


But he rules, of course!

Let's not get carried away.

Frankie evolved into quite a good actor and even won an Academy Award, though the role of Maggio (originally to be played by Eli Wallach) in 'From Here to Eternity' was so meant for Sinatra that not a great amount of skill needed to be involved for him to play it.

But 'gifted' is not quite the status I'd give his acting chops.

Incidentally - one of my all time FAVORITE Sinatra songs is "The Summer Wind".

Apple

No question that Only the Lonely is one of the greatest albums of all time. I have it on vinyl and it is amazing.

As for his acting, he was decent....I think his performance in Manchurian Candidate is underrated, but later inhis life, starting with Oceans 11, he basically appeared in a lot of bad films inn which he was simply having fun and cashing a paycheck.

What is amazing about Sinatra is that he had number one singles in five different decades.

Sinatra is THE MAN

XM Satalite radio is doing a special on his vegas shows this sunday 6/12 on the "50's" channel

the chairman of the Board is missed

Actually, Sinatra was a pretty good actor when he did care. I mean when I finally saw Frakenheimer's THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE a few years back, I was stunned to watch not the famed grey-haired Sinatra or the same man with reputed mob ties or the same sex machine that reportedly at the time ate a bowl of WHEATIES inbetween "Fun Time"....I watched Sinatra playing a man trying to save a fellow soldier that while he really hated and yet grow to like him....

But yes in his later years, he seemed to read the prompter and cashed the paycheck.

I agree Ronnie. I don't think he produced a great film following Von Ryans Express. He always was charismatic but in the end he never pulled off a truly great role again.

dontomoso, you've got to understand that the "Summit" movies weren't meant to be oscar winners. They were intended to be good, solid entertainment and in the end that is what they were.
However, I agree with you. Only the Lonely is perhaps the greatest album ever produced and the most solid of his "Concept" albums. Although some credit Sgt. Peper's Lonely Hearts Club Band to be the first "Concept" album many historians credit this to Sinatra's "IN the Wee Small Hours".

SC, I've looked at "Ol' Blue Eyes is Back". It's a good album and I'm glad Frank discovered "Send in the Clowns" but I couldn't find it to be his best. Just an opinion of course.

I don't know what more I can say about Frank... Great movies, great music, everything about this guy was fascinating. He lived in his own world, and everything in that world revolved around him. As fun as it must have been, I'm sure it also got annoying to his friends. But still, it's interesting.

I agree that his voice wasn't always perfect, it wasn't trained, and he hit the notes flat sometimes... but that rawness added character. Also, as for the voice itself, not counting the technical stuff, it was amazing. Not to mention sexy.
Like for example, (you can laugh at me now if you want) listen to the very first note he sings in "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and then tell me if he didn't have a rich, beautiful voice. So I agree that technically speaking, it wasn't perfect and there are many who are better; but that aside, it was exceptionally good.

Besides, like someone already mentioned, the emotion in all his songs makes you think he's really feeling it, and then it makes you feel it too.

I totally agree. The quality of his acting is totally underrated by film snobs because of the fact that he is best known for his "fun" movies. But has everyone forgotten about The Man With the Golden Arm?? I think he was amazing in that. I cried when I saw that movie... and I hardly ever cry in movies.

My favorites of his songs are "More" and "How Little We Know." However, everything else is a close second. :p

I also love his "old guy" songs like "September of My Years" and that stuff... I can't think of any other ones at the moment, but you know what I mean.

Essentially you mean anything from the "September of my Years" album and alot of things that came later...

His songs from later on all took their own life and all had a sense of immpending mortality and such things.

Zia, sure i remeber "The Man With a Golden Arm". Although I enjoyed "Marty" and like Ernest Borgnine, Frank was robbed of his second Oscar. His scene where Frank's charecter is in withdrawl in masterful.

Sinatra had a ten year stretch of good roles in which he showcased his acting abilities (very well). From the mid 50's to the early 60's (his "renaissance") he excellently portrayed a variety of roles in a variety of different movies -

musicals - "Young at Heart", "Guys and Dolls" and "The Joker is Wild".

dramas - "From Here to Eternity", "Suddenly", "The Man with the Golden Arm", "The Manchurian Candidate" and my personal favorite, "Some Came Running".

comedy - "A Hole in the Head"

Some of the movies listed here weren't the best but you can't deny Sinatra's talents in them.

Nothing wrong with differing opinions. I have a somewhat emotional attachment to that album and thats why I feel so strongly about it.

Sinatra had actually retired for awhile and this was his "comeback" album. He had realized he loved performing too much to stay away from show biz and many of the songs on the album reflect some nostalgia and "searching". They're not HIS songs (made popular by him) but his rendition of them, even with his then slightly weaker voice, is priceless. (My favorite is "There Used to be a Ballpark", a wonderfully nostalgic song about the past).

The thing that actually made me like him in the first place without knowing much about him was his voice. It is manly, flawless and deep. He gave life to rhythms. These are my first recollections of his songs even when I wouldn't understand a word of it ...

I can't deny Sinatra's talents in ANYTHING and haven't tried. I only had issue with the term 'gifted actor'.

Spencer Tracy was a 'gifted actor'.
Robert Donat was a 'gifted actor'.
Gary Cooper was a 'gifted actor'.

Sinatra was a 'good actor'. There is a distinction.

Sinatra's gift was as a singer. In fact he is one of the few who could surpass the description of singer and proceed to 'artist'. That is why after his death he was awarded the 'unofficial' title...Voice of the Century.

Apple

Frank was a gifted and a damned good actor. However, as with man actors from the older days of Hollywood he dosn't get enough credit. He doesn't need to use the whole "method acting" idea. He was a profesional actor who got his scene does within one to two takes.

That said, his achivements were in singing. I really think his music trancends popular music an become a work of art.

Revival of an old thread: as a rule, I don't look at the little "cards" Chuck Lorre inserts at the end of his sitcoms, but I notice the name "Sinatra" by reflex. Lorre wrote:



http://www.chucklorre.com/index-mom.php?p=446

I actually like all four of the songs mentioned, although I might like the first and last for the wrong reasons. Lately I've been listening to Sinatra Live at the Sands (1966), with the Count Basie Orchestra. Songs I listen to a lot now are "Witchcraft" and the mostly overlooked "Angel Eyes":

Last year I put "The Best Is Yet to Come" and "I Think of You"on my iPod. Two great songs, beautifully sung. Superb arrangements.

I had a chance to meet him in the early 70s. The guy I was with fucked it up for me.

Frank had more clout and connections then most Made members...... A Legend in so many ways.

njcapo35 he had connections, but he was a punk ass bully.

I've never been keen on Sinatra, i like a couple of his songs but he's nothing on Elvis..

TB, I like his rendition of Summer Wind.

Apples and bowling balls, DeNiro. I love them both as singers, but for very different reasons .

My top 5 Sinatra songs (in no order)

1. My Way- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egY8rUpxqcE

2. Strangers in the Night- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlSbSKNk9f0

3. My Kind of Town- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1rt7RXE0KU

4. I've Got the World On a String- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cPG1t52GgI

5. The Way You Look Tonight- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9ZGKALMMuc

Notable Mentions- That's Life, Nancy, You Make Me Feel So Young, It Was a Very Good Year

Any news when Scorsese is planning on releasing his movie on Sinatra? I see it's in development according to imdb. Will Scorsese show us the REAL Frank? I bet just trying to pick which songs he will play in the movie is keeping Scorsese up at night. He really is the master when it comes to his selection of music. Imagine the great soundtrack for this film...it's going to be amazing.

There's an urban myth that Sinatra once said that Something by the Beatles was his favorite Lennon/McCartney song when it's actually a George Harrison song..

That's another movie that gets announced once a year. Scorsese has a very bad habit of announcing films too far ahead of time. Then you find out that he's committed to three films before the supposed Sinatra biopic. So figure two years each to make, Marty will be pushing 80.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see it happen. But I'm not holding my breath.