Frank Sinatra - New York, New York

MINE

Well, it's Frank.  I mean, what can you say about the man?  He's the guy who does for singing what Fred Astaire does for dancing - makes it look effortless and natural.  Until you try doing it, that is.  Which is why I ended up with a sore throat when I tried to sing along with Strangers In The Night. 

I bought this CD because I felt the lack of Frank in my collection.  And just because I don't play it that often, doesn't mean I don't love it - mostly.  OK, I'm not partial to the fact that he cuts the reference to cocaine out of I Get A Kick Out Of You.  His version of Yesterday is less than inspiring, and let's just draw a veil over Mrs Robinson, shall we?  But I love, love, love his duet with daughter Nancy in Something Stupid.

I have to share with you my thought process in listening to Summer Wind.  You see, I was on my way home from work to a meal which is cooked for me by YourZ.  My shift ends at 6.30 pm  and with a drive of anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour I'm usually pretty ready for dinner by the time I walk in.  And that night, with Frank in the background, I got to feeling all Mad Men about it.  I felt like calling him up and asking him to mix us a pitcher of martinis, and stopping off for some flowers to  show the little man how much I appreciate him. (YourZ sez: hmmm... careful now.)  Fortunately, I resisted the temptation, because Don Draper I ain't.  Much more Peggy Olson, actually, without the whole getting-pregnant-but-ignoring-it schtick she managed in Season One.

Um, I was writing a review, wasn't I?  Oh well, that's Frank for you. 

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

As Mine says, it's Frank Sinatra.  There are very few artists, either living or dead, who still inspire such passionate outpourings of devotion (Elvis, Miles Davis, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and John Lennon immediately spring to mind).  The sheer length of his career eclipses these, to say nothing for his multi-faceted talents as an singer, producer, actor and businessman.  And just talk to my mother if you want an opinion on his looks.  She will get a faraway look in her eyes and resorts to using words like 'dreamy'.  It is positively scary.

When listening back to this album of standards (and, in a few cases, substandards, as Mine also mentions), I can't help be transported back to a time when I was a pre-teen and my mother, who played piano and organ, would spend hours playing variations of many of these.  My parents were big Mancini fans and while I heard a lot of these tracks many times, none were ever sang as effortlessly as Frank seemed to do.  I doubt very much if there will be a voice like his again. 

The other thing about Frank is he didn't work with crap musicians.  Every note played, even on the dodgy covers, is played with absolute perfection.  A faultless band for a peerless voice.  It doesn't get any better than ol blue eyes himself.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.sinatra.com/

Dusty Springfield - Am I The Same Girl?

YOURZ

My experiences of Dusty, like Mine's, go back years. My love of music comes from my parents, who had a wonderful collection of LPs (remember those?) My Dad was also a reel-to-reel tape fanatic and spent many hours recording huge selections of music. He borrowed, bought and begged music from a large array of sources and my musical education began by picking my way through these tapes, song by song.

It was in front of that tape deck, as a pre-teen, that I developed a love of both rock and pop music, a love that continues to this very day.  It also opened my mind to an understanding of the wide variety of music being made and to the idea that I didn't have to restrict myself to a single genre.  In fact, it was here I first learnt to despise the way people would judge others by what they read, listened to or watched.  My parents loved all sorts of music, from contemporary rock to marching bands, from folk to funk and from polka to pop.  Oh sure, they had their favourites, both individually and collectively, but they never restricted themselves.

My mother loved the girl singers like Petula Clark, Connie Francis, Nancy Sinatra and, of course, Dusty.  I distinctly remember songs such as Wishin' and Hopin, I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself, I Only Want To Be With You and You Don't Have To Say You Love Me and more.  Ask anyone born in or before the 60s and they will know these songs. 

The shame of it is none of these appear on this album.  In fact, the only song on here I would consider a classic Dusty track is Son Of A Preacher Man.  The rest of this album is filled with songs you might recognise even if you aren't familiar with the Dusty versions, songs like the Carpenters classic (They Long To Be) Close To You, Bacharch and David's This Guy's In Love With You and Spooky.  It also includes her take on Windmills Of Your Mind, which brings something beautiful and quite sad to the song.  I particularly like the lovely acoustic guitar in this one. 

On the whole, this is a lovely album, particularly if you're a Dusty fan and looking to complete your collection with rare takes of songs.  And with a voice like hers, you really can't go wrong.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP



MINE

Dusty and I go way, waaaay back. My family spent most of 1973 on the road, in a Kombi van driving across Europe, through Iran, Afghanistan, (I know!) Pakistan and India. I spent most of the time either squeezed in next to my mother in a front-seat two-in-one seatbelt situation (that no doubt was just as highly dangerous and illegal then as it is now) or curled up in the back on top of our sleeping bags, listening to a bunch of cassettes my father had picked up in Singapore. They were all cheap knockoffs, mostly with typewritten labels. And while I feel a pang at the thought of the money we did Dusty out of then (among others including the Beatles and the Stones), I kind of feel better at the thought that I've spent a great deal of money on Ms Springfield's output since then. (Did you like the way I avoided the term oeuvre there?  Took a lot of restraint, you know.)

Lying in the back, reading or just watching the scenery go by, I fell in love with the white-soul diva. OK, the cassette also had Petula Clark on it, but Don't Sleep In The Subway will never compare to Son Of A Preacher Man for me. This particular album was purchased purely for the fact that I didn't own the title track on CD after coming to know it well on that cassette, all those years ago. In fact, this CD must contain the fourth or fifth Preacher Man and Breakfast In Bed I own. But it does have a bonus - never-before-heard versions of Spooky and Close To You.

I've previously mentioned my kitchen music - and this CD ordinarily resides on that shelf, for turning up and singing my heart out to while chopping, mixing and baking. I'd swear it makes the food taste better...

VERDICT: TURN IT UP (you know all the words)

For more information: http://www.dusty-springfield.com/

In our collection we also have The Ultimate Collection and Dusty In Memphis