[Pedro]

1. The September Of My Years
2. How Old Am I?
3. Don't Wait Too Long
4. It Gets Lonely Early
5. This Is All I Ask
6. Last Night When We Were Young
7. The Man In The Looking Glass
8. It Was A Very Good Year
9. When The Wind Was Green
10. Hello, Young Lovers
11. I See It Now
12. Once Upon A Time
13. September Song

all songs arranged and conducted by Gordon Jenkins

Reprise CD

[S V PELUZIO JR]

Hello guys!!!
What about this great album???

[Lourdes]

It's wonderful, marvelous...

What more can you say about this wonderful album? Gordon Jenkins seemed to bring out such emotion in Frank's interpretation of the lyrics. And it slays me everytime I hear This Is All I Ask. Just doesn't get better than this.

Dennis

[C.R.E.]

Spectacular, haunting, warm. Excellent material, and Frank's voice is perfect here.

This is a tremendous cd -- some of Frank's best work. The entire cd really sets up a mood of reflection, somewhat melancholy. One of my favorites.

I love this CD. I was listening to it yesterday, and especially love the intro to September Song. . . .."ply her w/tears in lieu of pearls. . ..." what super lyrics and such an interpretation of the song.

There are so many great cuts on this one, it's almost impossible to select only ONE as the best! "Man in the Looking Glass" is a hoot, and Francis seemed to love doing it as well! I appreciate the reference to the "how's your sacroilliac (sp) today!" I really relate to that at this time of my life!

[MMM]

The best of Frank's Reprise albums IMO, with the Jobim album and The Concert Sinatra close behind. Excellent sound too. Film footage exists of Sinatra recording "It Was a Very Good Year" and (I think) "It Gets Lonely Early".

Recorded April 13, 14, 22, 1965 and May 27, 1965 at United Recorders Studio A
Produced by Sonny Burke
Engineer: Lowell Frank
Liner Notes: Stan Cornyn


Some interesting technical info I got from Steve Hoffman regarding this album:

All stereo versions of this album have some songs' issued master takes derived from multitrack tapes originally recorded on a tube (valve) 3-track Ampex tape deck (to be mixed down to stereo for release on LP's, CD's, etc.), these being the songs from the April 13, 14, and May 27th sessions. All of the other songs' issued master takes, these being the songs from the April 22nd session, were derived from multitrack tapes originally recorded on a solid-state (transistor) 4-track solid-state Scully tape deck (with the 4th track unused). Both the 3-track and the 4-track machines were running at the same time at each session. Both the tube and solid-state recorded reels from the sessions stiil supposedly exist, but since edits were done to the master takes issued, the same split between the use of tapes originally recorded on the tube machine for some songs, and tapes originally recorded on the solid-state machine for other songs, would still have to be followed when creating a new stereo mix (at least for non-alternate takes). In addition, the mono version of this album have all songs' master takes derived from a tube full-track Ampex tape deck, mixed "live" as the sessions were happening.

[S V PELUZIO JR]

Great MMM !!!

[C.R.E.]

I love that old-style 4 Track recording...with the brass ensemble on the one side, the drums on the other.....

I love the way they used to track those albums!

[Rich K]

The film footage of Sinatra recording this album includes "It Was a Very Good Year" and "Man in the Looking Glass". When he recorded the songs for L.A. Is My Lady, Frank wasn't showing much expression, but the film from '65 is marvelous to watch. Wish we had a lot more film of the genius at work in the recording studio. A favorite tv clip of mine that's almost like Frank in the studio is the opening segment of A Man and His Music, 2, where he sings "Moonlight in Vermont".

[C.R.E.]

I agree...M in V is awesome.

Too bad there aren't numerous other shows out there

FRANK'S REPRISE JUKEBOX CONVERSION
(Code digits: 1&2 = Disc, 3&4 = Track)

http://www.sinatrafamily.com/forum/s...&threadid=8119

SEPTEMBER OF MY YEARS

0918 The September Of My Years
0913 How Old Am I?
0906 Don't Wait Too Long
0917 It Gets Lonely Early
0916 This Is All I Ask
0908 Last Night When We Were Young
0915 The Man In The Looking Glass
0914 It Was A Very Good Year
0911 When The Wind Was Green
0909 Hello, Young Lovers
0910 I See It Now
0912 Once Upon A Time
0907 September Song

Here's a link for more information / discussion / reviews from older threads for:

SEPTEMBER OF MY YEARS
http://www.sinatrafamily.com/forum/s...&threadid=6156

[Marty]

The finest of the Reprise albums, (along with the Basie and Jobim collabs) I think I remember seeing a thread in here where our old friend Bernhard named this and Wee Small Hours as the 2 Sinatra albums that define the artist, that is not far off the mark at all, where as the ballads on Hours define the heartbreak of lost love in such a personal way to the balladeer, this collection of reflective pieces is just as personal it seems. Gordon Jenkins is sometimes overshadowed by Nelson Riddle and Alex Stordahl, but this collection puts him on a par with both as an arranger, in fact he combines the best aspects of both in his writing for this album, the sympathetic strings have that Stordahl quality and there is that economy of Riddle too, the emotional impact is left to the voice in these arrangements. This recording is no mournful recollection of a lost youth though the last line of it's title track sets the tone for an older Sinatra, and for what is set to come...

"And I find, that I'm smiling gently as I near
September, the warm September of my years
The golden warm September of my years"

[Marty]

this track sums the whole attitude of this wonderful album, A man who's been there done everything but still realises that life is special at whatever age and has the sure knowledge that there is more to come "And let the music play as long as there's a song to sing.....Then i will stay younger than spring"

[russkish3]

While some of the material on side A is a trifle weak ("How Old Am I?" comes to mind, along with "Man In The Looking Glass'), I am of the opinion that side B of "September of My Years" is damn near perfect, with each track flowing seamlessly into the next. I am especially fond of the final four tracks on side B. "I See It Now" is a real overlooked treasure. I have both American Reprise and British Reprise copies on vinyl. Would not be without either one.

Cheers,

Russell Kishi
Glendale, California
Russellkishi@aol.com

[Yvonne]

A wonderful album, indeed.

The song Hello, Young Lovers, for example, has always been a favourite of mine, but I have to admit that I do prefer the version recorded in 1951 for Columbia.

"And You Meet Not Merely By Chance"

Martin, I was always impressed with the sound of this CD (the first release). Was it mastered from the mixdown or the FAT tape?

After being away from Sinatra's music for some months (got sidetracked discovering Latin Jazz), I've started to re-enter the FS's world, and September of My Years has been my entry way. This is such a wonderful album, with so many great musical touches, that it continues to have a great impact each time I listen to it. The way Sinatra sings the line "Once upon a time never comes again." is just devestating. The songs run the gament from playfull to sorrowfull to happy, and sometimes all in the same song. Wonderful production on the lp also -- the way the sound envelopes Sinatra's voice is so beautiful. Just one of those lps where everything comes together to product a great work of art.