On this date, March 28, one year ago, one of the greatest pop albums of the year 2000 was released: Classic Sinatra.

Growing up, I was never a big fan of Frank Sinatra's music. He just seemed too old, and his music was just too slow for my tastes.

In recent years -- I mean since his release of Duets in 1993 -- I've begun to pay more attention to his body of work. Frank Sinatra died on May 15, 1998, at the age of 82. His recording career spanned an amazing 60+ years, and when he wasn't recording or appearing in concerts, he was starring in Hollywood movies.

Arguably, some of Sinatra's best songs were recorded in the later part of his middle years (1943-1960). This was the time that Sinatra was a powerful figure in Hollywood and in Las Vegas. During this time, Sinatra had recording contracts with two different labels. In 1995 Columbia released an impressive 4-disk box set of recordings made between 1943 and 1952 entitled "The Best Of The Columbia Years (1943-1952)." Then, five years later, Capitol Records released what I consider to be the best introduction to Sinatra's recordings for a new fan, "Classic Sinatra - His Great Performances 1953 and 1960."

There are 20 great songs on this CD, and many of them have such a buoyant, happy-go-lucky feel to them that I am made to smile whenever someone pops the CD into my disk player (e.g., I've Got The World On A String , I Get A Kick Out Of You, Oh! Look At Me Now, Come Fly With Me).

The songs featured on this CD are as follows:

- I've Got The World On A String
- I Get A Kick Out Of You
- They Can't Take That Away From Me
- My Funny Valentine
- Young At Heart
- Someone To Watch Over Me
- In The Wee Small Hours
- I've Got You Under My Skin
- You Make Me Feel So Young
- It Happened In Monterey
- Oh! Look At Me Now
- Night And Day
- Witchcraft
- Lady Is A Tramp, The
- All The Way
- Come Fly With Me
- Put Your Dreams Away
- One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)
- Come Dance With Me
- Nice 'N' Easy


The best aspect of this release for the new fan is that the music has been digitally remastered using 24-bit technology. What that means is that you will not hear any hisses, pops, or cracks on this CD. The original analog-recorded source material, being over 40 years old, certainly must have been difficult to work with, but the end result is beautiful.

This was the first Frank Sinatra album I ever bought (with the exception of Duets, which was a gift for someone else), and I confidently recommend this CD to any new listener and even to fans who knew the Chairman of the Board from days of old. This is good music!

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Driving