lambchops's Full Review: Sings For Only The Lonely [Remaster] by Frank Sina...
This review is a part of the third annual "I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours" hosted by none other than MattA75. Thanks to both Matt, and my partner Oleg (aka foxy_shy) for making this an equally enjoyable and enlightening experience (not to mention challenging).
Frank Sinatra; a name that throughout the years has brought with it a level of admiration and respect. Everybody knows his songs whether or not they actually are lucid of this fact. With at least one hit song to grace the Billboard charts from 1955 through 1975 (save for two years), Sinatra can be considered nothing but a legend. His hard work did not go unnoticed by Grammy, either—he won eight rewards between 1958 and 1966 and an additional one in 1995 for his traditional pop album Duets II.
Over the years, the New Jersey native’s albums have sold an astounding 21 million units—keep in mind that these numbers are especially important considering that in 1950’s and 1960’s fewer albums were sold in general. Sinatra’s most popular LPs to date include:
But while America (and much of the rest of the world) was busy loving Sinatra Eastern Europeans lived in the shadow of the Iron Curtain and visible reminder the Berlin Wall. The vastest majority of these people (including foxy_shy, a native of Latvia) had never heard swing/jazz/pop music, much less anything from Sinatra. But in 1989 this all changed, and Sinatra was soon adapted as one of the favorites.
Think you don’t know ol’ blue eyes? I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, that you are WRONG. Ever seen the television show Married With Children? Well—theme song Love And Marriage is by none other than Sinatra. Other songs like High Hopes, Witchcraft, Me and My Shadow, Strangers in the Night and That’s Life are all immediately recognizable even by avowed non-Sinatra fans. It is as though he is permanently ingrained in the American psyche.
The bulk of Sinatra’s music was recorded during the era between 1950 and 1970. Many albums had a specific tilt—some were purely fun swing while others were stocked with ballads. Only The Lonely (Capital, 1958) is one such album—bleak, sad, and rather depressing ballads at that. Arguably one of, if not THE, best ballads album from Sinatra, Only The Lonely as a whole was never what one would traditionally call a hit. Nor were the songs on the album hit singles, but still it is still highly regarded by Sinatra fans.
First things first, I am not what one would generally call a fan of Sinatra. I have been exposed to his music via television, movies, and advertisement. And though I can appreciate his impact on music in general, I still am hesitant to really explore his music. Maybe it will take a few years, maybe it will never happen. But in any case I suppose that most people probably should at least for a moment or two give Sinatra a chance.
Only The Lonely doesn’t hold any immediately recognizably tracks (at least for the admittedly lay person). But that doesn’t mean the fourteen songs are entirely new. See--Sinatra was not by and large a songwriter. Instead, he re-interpreted the words of some of the greatest lyricists of all times. That means that while these Sinatra versions may not be old hat, other artists including luminaries like Ella Fitzgerald, Marvin Gaye, Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughn, Aretha Franklin, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee, and countless others have also had their chance at the same pieces of song.
The first thing about this album that is obvious is that it is incredibly sad. Certainly, the songs are soothing but Sinatra sings not of love—rather he sings of hurt, loneliness, pain, and depression. For fans used to Sinatra’s more upbeat, swing persona this turn to the dark side may come as a shock. But to me, a fan of the Eels among others, I find the songs to be comfortable and unchallenging. So while on some levels Sinatra has stretched himself, these songs aren’t entirely unexpected nor do they make me think outside of feeling excruciatingly sorry for myself. But Sinatra’s vocals are on point, and this certainly gives a boost to the album as a whole.
A few tracks are standouts, yet none of the bunch is a dud. I can’t say the album is perfect—it is not, but I also can’t say that it mediocre either. It just isn’t my style per se. But in the spirit of the write-off, I humored foxy_shy and checked Only The Lonely out. I found myself most impressed with a few of the selections, most notably Angel Eyes, One For My Baby, Only The Lonely and Blues in the Night.
Angel Eyes is in particular a special song. Sinatra sings with his usual languid drawl. Closing my eyes, I envision sitting in a big leather chair in a dark room while holding a rocks glass in one hand and a cigarette in the other. This kind of scene seems the appropriate setting for listening to any of these tracks. And while the words are indeed gorgeous, Sinatra had nothing to do with them—therefore, it is difficult to see them as important to write. But he does do a brilliant job at delivering a convincing and incredibly depressing ballad.
Even more thoughtful is One for My Baby. Backed just by a piano, Sinatra puts his heart and indeed his soul into the gorgeous track—a confessional to a bartender named Joe. One For My Baby is certainly the ideal song for any martini bar in the wee hours of the morning. It is, in my rather ignorant estimation, the best track on Only The Lonely though likely not the best of Sinatra’s outstanding career:
You'd never know it, but buddy I'm a kind of poet
And I've got a lot of things I'd like to say
And if I'm gloomy, please listen to me
Till it's talked away
As I mentioned there are of course other songs that stick with me. Opening title track Only The Lonely is probably the most upbeat of the tracks, if nothing for the round and rich strings mixed with the beautiful vocals and piano. Blues In The Night fits into the picture nicely, but nothing about it is light or fluffy. It is a bleak, sorry, sad song perfectly interpreted by Sinatra. Among this sea of ballads, Blues In The Night is as close to a traditional blues song as we get. The muted trumpet and lounge drums back the crooner wonderfully. Add in the strings, and overall effect truly is amazing.
There are many other songs to be had. Where Or When is a dour, yet jazzy number. Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out to Dry is decent enough, but elsewhere on the album Sinatra does similar things with his voice and as backed by the piano and strings. Where or When is an extremely low-key affair. I actually prefer Sinatra when he is less backed. His voice is most powerful when it is essentially alone.
Other tracks are just unremarkable. This isn’t to say they are bad, they just don’t appeal to me particularly. These include Spring Is Here, Ebb Tide, Good-Bye, Willow Weep for Me and Sleep Warm.
Overall, I believe Only The Lonely to be a near excellent album. I definitely hold back from calling it a class, but that might in part be due to my lack of knowledge or appreciation for Sinatra as a whole. This album is certainly worth owning for fans of the singer and his ballads. For me? Well…it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Track Listing:
1. Only the Lonely
2. Angel Eyes
3. What's New?
4. It's a Lonesome Old Town
5. Willow Weep for Me
6. Good-Bye
7. Blues in the Night
8. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry
9. Ebb Tide
10. Spring Is Here
11. Gone With the Wind
12. One for My Baby
13. Sleep Warm
14. Where or When
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This has been an entry into the I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours write-off sponsored by the King O’ Rock (does that make me queen?) MattA75. There are a total of 22 participants in groups of two. Check out their writing when you get a chance.
drfaustus and jay1051971
aerocat and divad23
paulyoungotti and matta75
kcfoxy and guildenstern
jennjoy and shilmafone
jdhodges2 and cartman_2k
tigger500 and kristinafh
thevoid99 and pacmany2j
foxy_shy and lambchops (me!)
deadmilkboy and stairway2drew
cletta1201 and pearl-drum-man
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