Search - Frank Sinatra :: Sinatra Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein

Sinatra at Columbia

Mark Reynolds | Montclair, NJ United States | 07/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great album - but be aware that this is Sinatra in the 1940's recording for Columbia. This is not the "swinging" Sinatra on the later Capital and Reprise labels. As regards Sinatra performing songs from Carousel note that the selections on this albim were recorded with Axel Stordahl conducting in 1946. There is a later recording of "Soliloquy" on the album "The Concert Sinatra", this was done with Nelson Riddle conducting in 1963. It is not the same "Soliloquy" as is on this album as another reviewer claims. It is interesting to note that when this Sinatra recording of "Soliloquy" was released in 1946 it was done as two songs with two different melodies, in two different keys, which were divided onto two sides of the original 78 rpm record. According to the liner notes of this CD, the "entire passage (bridging the two sections of the soliloquy) was cut from the original poduction of Carousel, before it even hit the Broadway stage. Although it was included in the original cast recording of the show (sung by John Raitt), it has not appeared on any subsequent recording, from either stage or film. It has only been heard on Sinatra performances from the 1940s: for his Concert Sinatra album, the singer deleted this section, making the original Columbia rendition all the more precious."



As far as this album goes, these are wonderful recordings of a young Sinatra beautifully interpreting some of the best Broadway showtunes ever written. Pay particular attention to "Oh What A Beautiful Morning" and "People Will say We're In Love" - Sinatra recorded these songs as part of his premiere solo recording session at Columbis (i.e. not as boy singer for Tommy Dorsey) which was during a musicians strike. That's right, Sinatra had to interpret these two songs without the benefit of an orchestra, instead it was recorded with an "a capella" choir!! There's also lots of other interesting tid-bits in the liner notes written by Will Friedman.



As an aside also note that Sinatra, prior to walking off the set of Carousel, supposedly recorded several songs as "Billy Bigelow" in 1956. Hopefully some day these tracks will be available on an official realease someday.





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