Frank Sinatra - London (2014)

A new disc featuring classic live sets by Frank Sinatra performed in London will be released next month. Universal Muisc Enterprises have worked with Frank Sinatra Enterprises to create the appropriately titled London which focuses on projects from between 1953 and 1984, bringing to light more than 50 previously unreleased tracks.

Reviews: A sequel of sorts to the previous New York and Vegas box sets, London is in some respects a super-expanded version of 1962's Sinatra Sings Great Songs from Great Britain, with the record anchoring the first disc of this three-CD/one-DVD box and outtakes from the album showing up on the second CD; the rest of the set consists of BBC performances from 1953, spoken Sinatra introductions from a 1962 "Light Programme" special, and a full performance at Royal Albert Hall from 1984 on the third disc, while the DVD contains a previously unreleased filmed 1962 concert at Royal Festival Hall along with a 1970 performance at the same venue. It's a rather lavish celebration for a record that isn't wildly remembered as one of Sinatra's best. Frankly speaking, Sings Great Songs from Great Britain isn't remembered often at all, as it was something of a curiosity: it is the only album Frank recorded outside of the United States, working with arranger Robert Farnon and supported entirely by British musicians. Appropriately enough, the album only saw release in the U.K., in 1962, not appearing in the U.S. until a CD reissue in the '90s, where it wound up getting lost amidst all the other heavyweight '60s titles. Sings Great Songs from Great Britain isn't forceful, it's a subtle, insinuating record – the kind of thing to turn to once all the great Sinatra albums have dimmed slightly, because that's when it'll sound rich and fresh. And so it is here with the box: now that it's placed on a handsome boxed pedestal, the lushness of Farnon's arrangements contrast nicely with Frank's slightly weary, weathered voice. It's also interesting to hear the session tapes on disc two, as they offer insight on how the conductor and singer collaborated, but the BBC sessions are even better: bold, robust performances that capture Sinatra on the cusp of his '50s revival (the spoken sessions from the special are little more than period curios). Finally, the third disc is pure Chairman of the Board shtick, all swinging Vegas brass that is fun but seems a little gauche compared to the rest of this fine, understated box.

Tracklisting:

01. Introduction
02. Goody, Goody
03. Imagination
04. At Long Last Love
05. Moonlight In Vermont
06. Without A Song
07. Day In, Day Out
08. The Moon Was Yellow
09. I’ve Got You Under My Skin
10. I Get A Kick Out Of You
11. The Second Time Around
12. Too Marvelous For Words
13. My Funny Valentine
14. In The Still Of The Night
15. My Blue Heaven
16. April In Paris
17. You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You
18. Monologue and Band Introductions
19. They Can’t Take That Away From Me
20. All The Way
21. Chicago
22. Night And Day
23. Autumn Leaves
24. I Could Have Danced All Night
25. One For My Baby
26. A Foggy Day
27. The Lady Is A Tramp
28. Bows
29. Ol’ Man River
30. You Make Me Feel So Young
31. Nancy
32. Come Fly With Me
33. Bows
Live at Royal Festival Hall, London, England (November 16, 1970, recorded for ‘Night Of Nights’ on BBC TV and first broadcast on November 22, 1970, conducted by Bill Miller)

34. You Make Me Feel So Young
35. Pennies From Heaven
36. I’ve Got You Under My Skin
37. Something
38. The Lady Is A Tramp
39. I Get Along Without You Very Well
40. Didn’t We?
41. One For My Baby
42. A Foggy Day
43. I Will Drink The Wine
44. I Have Dreamed
45. My Kind Of Town
46. My Way




Thanks to the original releaser