‘Young Lovers’ Showcases Signature Sinatra Touches

The eight albums in the second phase of Capitol and Reprise Records’ “Frank Sinatra Entertainer of the Century” promotion campaign may be marketed as a package, but that doesn’t mean the works are equally essential.

In this case, it’s the Capitol ones that you’re going to want most: “Songs for Young Lovers/Swing Easy!,” “Songs for Swingin’ Lovers,” “A Swingin’ Affair” and “Come Fly With Me.”

Critic Will Friedwald, whose 1995 book “Sinatra! The Song Is You” is perhaps the definitive look at Sinatra’s extraordinary recording career, maintains “Songs for Swingin’ Lovers” as the best of all Sinatra albums, but the other three Capitol collections are also highly recommended.

They all feature Sinatra in top form, backed by marvelous arrangements on songs by such landmark writers as Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Johnny Mercer and Rodgers & Hart.

Of the Reprise albums in this campaign, the best of the bunch is “Sinatra and Swingin’ Brass,” with Neal Hefti’s aggressive arrangements of such tunes as “I Get a Kick Out of You” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” The others--”I Remember Tommy . . . ,” “Sinatra & Strings” and “It Might as Well Be Swing”--all have moments, but they are clearly second-level works by Sinatra standards.

* * * * Frank Sinatra, “Songs for Young Lovers/Swing Easy!,” Capitol. This album is interesting on several levels. In the ‘50s, before the arrival of the 12-inch vinyl album format, “Young Lovers” and “Swing Easy!” were released as two separate albums in the shorter, 10-inch format. They were subsequently put together on a single 12-inch album and have been packaged as an entry ever since. The CD cover, however, is of the original 10-inch “Young Lovers” album.

The other noteworthy thing about “Young Lovers” is that although it is often cited as one of a series of albums by Sinatra and arranger-conductor Nelson Riddle that defined the Sinatra style, Riddle actually arranged only one of the eight numbers.

As Friedwald points out in his book, the arrangements on the other tracks, including “My Funny Valentine” and “I Get a Kick Out of You,” were taken from the charts that George Siravo wrote for Sinatra’s nightclub show. Riddle may have made some adjustments in the arrangements, but his chief role on the seven tracks was as conductor. It wasn’t until the “Swing Easy!” sessions that Riddle took over both roles.

Though you might not even notice it if you weren’t aware of the different arrangers at work, the Riddle arrangements have an edgier and more contemporary feel to them. They tend to challenge Sinatra more than Siravo’s more leisurely approach.

More than the four Reprise albums, the Sinatra collection that fits best with these Capitol reissues is “Swing and Dance With Frank Sinatra,” which was released two years ago by Columbia Records, his home base before Capitol. The tunes were arranged by Siravo and served as a model in some ways for the music Sinatra made when he switched to Capitol Records in the early ‘50s.

More Capitol: “Songs for Swingin’ Lovers” is a brilliant album in which Sinatra and Riddle perfect the style they were honing in “Swing Easy!” . . . As the title of “A Swingin’ Affair” suggests, Sinatra and Riddle knew they were on a roll, and this album was designed as a sequel. The material includes “Night and Day,” “I Wish I Were in Love Again” and “I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good.” It also includes a bonus track: “The Lady Is a Tramp,” which was recorded during the “A Swingin’ Affair” sessions, but was held for the film “Pal Joey.” . . . “Come Fly With Me,” featuring arrangements by Billy May, is a varied and inviting package built around a travel theme. The tunes range from the upbeat title track to the ballad “Moonlight in Vermont.” It includes three bonus tracks, including the knockout “I Love Paris.”

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