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Here Goes: Frank Sinatra's "Platinum" Offers Retrospective of His Capitol Recordings

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Frank Sinatra Platinum

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70 years ago, in 1953, Frank Sinatra made the move from Columbia Records to the Capitol label.  Having chafed under the direction of Columbia's pop guru Mitch Miller, the future Chairman of the Board sought - and received - creative freedom at the Tower on Hollywood and Vine.  Co-founded by songwriter Johnny Mercer, Capitol provided an artist-friendly environment in which Sinatra could, and would, thrive.  On October 27, the label will release Frank Sinatra: Platinum, a 2CD, 4LP, or digital overview of The Voice's time on the Capitol roster.  The remastered collection will also debut a handful of alternate takes.

Between April 1953 and September 1961, Sinatra recorded over 300 songs for Capitol Records.  (One final Capitol track, "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues," would be cut at a Reprise session in March 1962 but issued on Capitol.  It's among the songs included here.)  These recordings, for his landmark series of concept albums and standalone pop singles alike, teamed him with some of the greatest arrangers of the era including Nelson Riddle, Billy May, Axel Stordahl, and Gordon Jenkins.  Each one had a style that brought out a different side of the singer, from brashly swaggering to painfully vulnerable.  Platinum culls the Capitol years down to just 44 tracks in loose chronological order, but includes a cross-section of familiar triumphs ("I've Got the World on a String," "I Get a Kick Out of You," "You Make Me Feel So Young," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "Love and Marriage," "The Lady Is a Tramp," "All the Way") and somewhat lesser-known gems (his debut Capitol single "Lean Baby," "A Cottage for Sale," "River, Stay 'Way from My Door," "I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night," "September in the Rain") of the same high quality.

The fourth LP (the contents of which are included on the second CD) rounds up bonus material including previously released session versions of "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry," "Lush Life," "One for My Baby," "Just in Time," and "I've Got a Crush on You" alongside never-before-released session takes of "Here Goes" and "Memories of You," and radio spots for the film A Hole in the Head.

In 1960, Sinatra formed Reprise Records, though he continued to record at Capitol through the next year to fulfill his contractual obligations.  With Reprise, Sinatra would ultimately be final arbiter of his own musical destiny.  But his Capitol recordings collectively remain arguably the finest of his entire career and some of the greatest in the entire popular music canon.  Platinum samples that extraordinary body of work.  It's due on October 27.  You'll find the track listing and pre-order links below.

Frank Sinatra, Platinum (Capitol/UMe, 2023)

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

CD 1 / LP1 - Side A

  1. Lean Baby -- April 2, 1953 / Heinie Beau (Billy May-Roy Alfred) (Capitol single 2450, 1953)
  2. I've Got the World On a String -- April 30, 1953 / Nelson Riddle (Ted Koehler-Harold Arlen) (Capitol single 2505, 1953)
  3. I Get a Kick Out of You -- November 6, 1953 / George Siravo (Cole Porter) (from Songs for Young Lovers, Capitol H-488, 1954)
  4. Young At Heart -- December 9, 1953 / Nelson Riddle (Carolyn Leigh-Johnny Richards) (Capitol single 2703, 1953)
  5. Just One of Those Things -- April 7, 1954 / Nelson Riddle (Cole Porter) (from Swing Easy, Capitol H-528, 1954)
  6. I Get Along Without You Very Well -- February 17, 1955 / Nelson Riddle (Hoagy Carmichael) (from In the Wee Small Hours, Capitol W-581, 1955)

LP 1 / Side B

  1. In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning -- February 17, 1955 / Nelson Riddle (David Mann-Bob Hilliard) (from In the Wee Small Hours, Capitol W-581, 1955)
  2. Learnin' The Blues -- March 23, 1955 / Nelson Riddle (Dolores Vicki Silvers) (Capitol single 3102, 1955)
  3. Love And Marriage -- August 15, 1955 / Nelson Riddle (Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn) (Capitol single 3260, 1955)
  4. (Love Is) The Tender Trap -- September 13, 1955 / Nelson Riddle (Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn) (Capitol single 3290, 1955)
  5. You Make Me Feel So Young -- January 9, 1956 / Nelson Riddle (Mack Gordon-Josef Myron) (from Songs for Swingin' Lovers, Capitol W-653, 1956)
  6. I've Got You Under My Skin -- January 12, 1956 / Nelson Riddle (Cole Porter) (from Songs for Swingin' Lovers, Capitol W-653, 1956)

LP 2 / Side A

  1. I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night -- November 1, 1956 / Nelson Riddle (Harold Adamson-Jimmy McHugh) (from Close to You, Capitol W-789, 1957)
  2. The Lady Is a Tramp -- November 26, 1956 / Nelson Riddle (Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart) (from Pal Joey: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Capitol W-912, 1957)
  3. Night and Day -- November 26, 1956 / Nelson Riddle (Cole Porter) (from A Swingin' Affair, Capitol W-803, 1957)
  4. Oh! Look At Me Now -- November 28, 1956 / Nelson Riddle (Joe Bushkin-John De Vries) (from A Swingin' Affair, Capitol W-803, 1957)
  5. Where Are You? -- May 1, 1957 / Gordon Jenkins (Harold Adamson-Jimmy McHugh) (from Where Are You?, Capitol (S)W-855, 1957)
  6. Witchcraft -- May 20, 1957 / Nelson Riddle (Carolyn Leigh-Cy Coleman) (Capitol single 3859, 1957)

LP 2 / Side B

  1. All The Way -- August 13, 1957 / Nelson Riddle (Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn) (Capitol single 3793, 1957)
  2. Moonlight In Vermont -- October 3, 1957 / Billy May (Karl Suessdorf-John Blackburn) (from Come Fly with Me, Capitol (S)W-920, 1957)
  3. Come Fly with Me -- October 8, 1957 / Billy May (Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn) (from Come Fly with Me, Capitol (S)W-920, 1957)
  4. Only The Lonely -- May 29, 1958 / Nelson Riddle (Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn) (from Sings for Only the Lonely, Capitol SW-1053, 1958)
  5. Something's Gotta Give -- December 9, 1958 / Billy May (Johnny Mercer) (from Come Dance with Me, Capitol SW-1069, 1959)
  6. All My Tomorrows -- December 29, 1958 / Nelson Riddle (Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn) (Capitol single 4214, 1959)

CD 2 / LP 3 / Side A

  1. Here's That Rainy Day -- March 25, 1959 / Gordon Jenkins (Jimmy Van Heusen-Johnny Burke) (from No One Cares, Capitol SW 1221, 1959)
  2. A Cottage for Sale -- March 26, 1958 / Gordon Jenkins (Willard Robison-Larry Conley) (from No One Cares, Capitol SW 1221, 1959)
  3. High Hopes -- May 8, 1959 -- Nelson Riddle (Jimmy Van Heusen-Sammy Cahn) (Capitol single 4214, 1959)
  4. You Go to My Head -- March 1, 1960 / Nelson Riddle (J. Fred Coots-Haven Gillespie) (from Nice 'N' Easy, Capitol SW-1417, 1960)
  5. The Nearness of You -- March 2, 1960 / Nelson Riddle (Hoagy Carmichael-Ned Washington) (from Sinatra Sings of Love and Things, Capitol SW-1729, 1962)
  6. Nice 'N' Easy -- April 13, 1960 / Nelson Riddle (Alan Bergman-Marilyn Keith-Lew Spence) (Capitol single 4408, 1960)

LP 3 / Side B

  1. River, Stay 'Way From My Door -- April 13, 1960 / Nelson Riddle (Harry M. Wood-Mort Dixon) (Capitol single 4376, 1960)
  2. September in the Rain -- August 31, 1960 -- Nelson Riddle (Harry Warren-Al Dubin) (from Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!!, Capitol SW-1491, 1961)
  3. Blue Moon -- September 1, 1960 / Nelson Riddle (Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart) (from Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!!, Capitol SW-1491, 1961)
  4. Day By Day -- March 20, 1961 / Billy May (Axel Stordahl-Paul Weston-Sammy Cahn) (from Come Swing with Me, Capitol SW-1594, 1961)
  5. When The World Was Young -- September 11, 1961 / Axel Stordahl (M. Philippe Gerard-Johnny Mercer) (from Point of No Return, Capitol SW-1676, 1962)
  6. I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues -- March 6, 1962 / Skip Martin (Harold Arlen-Ted Koehler) (from Sinatra Sings...Of Love and Things, Capitol SW-1729, 1962)

LP 4 / Side A

  1. Here Goes (session takes) -- March 3, 1958 / Billy May (Otto Cesana-Sammy Cahn) (*)
  2. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry (alternate take) -- May 5, 1958 / Nelson Riddle (Sammy Cahn-Jule Styne) (from Sings for Only the Lonely: 60th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, Capitol B0028411-02, 2018)
  3. Lush Life (session takes) -- May 29, 1958 / Nelson Riddle (Billy Strayhorn) (from Sings for Only the Lonely: 60th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, Capitol B0028411-02, 2018)
  4. One For My Baby (test track) -- June 24, 1958 / Nelson Riddle (Harold Arlen-Johnny Mercer) (from Sings for Only the Lonely: 60th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, Capitol B0028411-02, 2018)
  5. Just In Time (alternate take) -- September 30, 1958 / Billy May (Jule Styne-Betty Comden-Adolph Green) (from Ultimate Sinatra, Capitol B0022955-72, 2015)

LP 4 / Side B

  1. A Hole in the Head (radio spots) -- May 14, 1959 / Nelson Riddle (Sammy Cahn-Jimmy Van Heusen) (*)
  2. I've Got a Crush on You (session takes) -- March 3, 1960 / Nelson Riddle (George Gershwin-Ira Gershwin) (from Nice 'N' Easy: Expanded Edition, Capitol B0031729-02, 2020)
  3. Memories of You (session takes) -- September 11, 1961 / Axel Stordahl (Eubie Blake-Andy Razaf) (*)

(*) previously unreleased

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Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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Comments

  1. I'm not an expert. Wound these be mostly mono? I know he recorded in stereo near the end of his Capitol run but I'm not sure what the cut off is?

    Reply

        • Capitol was an early adopter of stereo. The Music Man was one of the first Broadway shows recorded in stereo and that was in late 1957. And it was released in bother stereo and mono at the same time.

          Reply

  2. Love frank I own all of his work in music from box sets to Lp and even his films but most of all love him when he was with Harry james in 1939 then Tommy Dorsey in 1940 then on to Columbia then Capital in 1953. Not to mention i had the wonderful opportunity to met his Late son and got an autograph by Frank Sinatra jr his son. I'm a die hard fan of the Sinatras !

    Reply

  3. Was the entire Capitol Sinatra product ever released in a c comprehensive set? I don't seem to remember that it ever was. If its about 300 tracks, it could be done on no more than 15 CDs.

    Reply

    • There have been a few Capitol box sets released, including "Concepts" (the albums) and a singles collection. Though there isn't a complete set that combines the his complete Capitol catalog.

      Reply

        • This looks like a collection of the albums. I'm not sure it has the singles that were released outside of the albums (if there are any?)

          Reply

          • There were lots of singles released outside of the albums. I think between the "Concepts" box and the 4CD singles box you'd get 99 percent of Sinatra's Capitol output -- I feel like I've read that there are a couple stragglers.

            I'm noticing now that "The Capitol Years" doesn't have the Christmas album or "Tone Poems of Color." It does have a bunch of "albums" that were basically comprised of singles, though.

            So I guess there's no one-stop shop for Sinatra on Capitol, but "Concepts" and the singles box would get you very, very close.

            Reply

    • Joe, I am also interested in the mastering. For that money, need to make sure that it is purely analog cut by someone who has a stellar portfolio.

      Reply

      • Larry Walsh, who has been responsible for nearly all of Frank Sinatra Enterprises’ projects in recent memory, is credited with Mixing and Audio Restoration on this release. There is no dedicated mastering credit. Hope this helps, everybody.

        Reply

  5. Thanks for the additional info. I knew 2ndDisc would come through!

    Kind of strange that the original “One For My Baby” isn’t included. I see a test take, but that’s a Sinatra “career” song - he owns it basically- to exclude is bizarre decision.

    Reply

  6. It seems crazy that a complete, chronological set of Sinatra's Capitol recordings has never been issued. Something comparable to the "Complete Reprise Studio Recordings" box.

    For non-vinyl aficionados, the Capitol era of Sinatra's career is rather hard to collect.

    For example, as far as I know, the only CD appearance of "Songs For Swingin' Lovers" in its original mix has been the very limited 2014 Mobile Fidelity CD. And every other issue is either a remix or has had tons of reverb added after the fact.

    (My information may be outdated, since I gave up trying to complete my collection a long time ago. Too complicated and costly!)

    If a one-stop, complete collection of mono masters in their original mixes were ever issued, one would think it would fly off the shelves!

    Many Sinatra fans will be aware that there is an entire - very informative - website devoted to examining the tangled web of Sinatra's Capitol discography.
    https://www.11fifty.com/Site_108/Welcome_Sinatra_Cole.html

    (NB, though - the scorecard sometimes ranks odd-sounding latter-day remixes over lower-fidelity original mixes.)

    Reply

  7. For that matter, the complete Sinatra Columbia recordings, those records that made him famous, have been out of print for 30 years!

    Amazing. The limited edition "Big Blue" Columbia box was the last time, back in 1993.

    30 years! The American record business is insane

    Reply

    • Yes Kevin, I agree. There was talk by Charles Granata of Sony reconfiguring the box set in a “cube” package, with the correct masters used - what’s really terrible is that about 20 tracks were not the original 78rpm versions, but alternative takes. Many of these remain unavailable. Some have actually never been reissued by Sony. It would be great if they could look at this again.

      Reply

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