[Pedro]

1. Falling in Love With Love
2. The Curse of an Aching Heart
3. Don't Cry Joe (Let Her Go, Let Her Go, Let Her Go)
4. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
5. Love Walked In
6. Granada
7. I Never Knew
8. Don't Be That Way
9. Moonlight on the Ganges
10. It's a Wonderful World
11. Have You Met Miss Jones?
12. You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You

all tracks arranged and conducted by Billy May

Reprise CD

I really think this is Billy May's greatest work with Frank. The choice of songs really worked out well. Still gives me chills when I listen to Granada. And how about You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You? That song just keeps building up. Such an exciting version. Frank really nails it on this album.

Dennis

[Rich K]

I've always felt this album was underrated...partly because it was released at a time when several other Sinatra albums came out.
Also, this was a time when Reprise and Capitol were basically at war with each other over Sinatra releases. This album was recorded only weeks after Sinatra and May had recorded Come Swing With Me for Capitol; it was understandable that Capitol was less than thrilled when Reprise came out with Swing Along With Me, also with Billy May. A court ruling forced Reprise to change the name to Sinatra Swings, although the original name is back on cd.
For those unaware, "Granada" was edited for its single release; the shorter version was also released on the stereo version of the lp. The original cd of this album also featured the short version; a longer version is on the current cd, but it's not the same longer version as on the complete Reprise collection..it's been edited somewhat differently.
I wish the audio on this album were fuller; even on the latest cd version, the brass tends to sound tinny. Capitol would have done a better job.
I hadn't thought about it for a long time, but this album is similar in some ways to Come Fly With Me. As on that album, Billy May employs strings only on certain songs. And "Moonlight on the Ganges" is very much in the mode of "On the Road to Mandalay".

[C.R.E.]

Frank sounds fantastic on this album. Really smooth and good recording quality for early 60's too.

Have You Met Miss Jones? is fantastic, as is Falling in Love With Love..

I love Frank's version of You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You
also.. or as he once put it "The greatest saloon song since the Temprance League blew it, baby" Although I still don't know what the hell that means

***The original cd of this album also featured the short version; a longer version is on the current cd, but it's not the same longer version as on the complete Reprise collection..it's been edited somewhat differently.***

Yes, "Granada" is quite a complicated matter so to speak, if you're interested in such kind of audio trivia.

Sinatra did two takes, both complete, of "Granada" during the session of May 23, 1961. Both run about 3:38 mins. Take 1 remains unreleased to date, take 2 was released on the mono pressings of the album (Reprise F 1002).

The stereo LP issue of the album (Reprise FS 1002) featured an edited version of "Granada" (running about 2:49) with the end of the first chorus and the instrumental bridge missing. But it was not just a cut-down of take 2 as heard on the mono LP, but rather, an intercut, because a line in the final chorus differs.

The unedited version on the Reprise trunk has the same difference, so maybe it can be assumed that for the stereo LP a) an intercut was made with the mono master and b) the stereo LP featured an edited-down version of that intercut while c) the Reprise trunk contains the unedited intercut master.

Which means that the take as released on the mono LP remains unreleased on CD to date.

Differentiation at 3:10 (final chorus) in the words FS sings:

--take 2 (mono album LP, Reprise F 1002):
"while a GANG OF guitars"

--take 2ic/shortened (stereo album LP, Reprise FS 1002, and CD re-release):
"while a THOUSAND guitars" (at 2:25)

--take 2ic/complete (Reprise suitcase):
while a THOUSAND guitars"

Yeah I know this is crazy trivia stuff hno: but I have to admit this has fascinated me ever since I started collecting Sinatra, hence my 'alternate take addiction'

Forgetting about all that: This is for sure a great album. I don't feel it matches what for me are Sinatra's two best albums with Billy May ("Come Fly With Me" and "Come Dance With Me", both on Capitol), but after those two I would name this next. Especially if you like buoyant swing, you might even place this before "Come Fly With Me". Sinatra sounds great and swings even greater. My favourites from this album are "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" and "I Never Knew".

What always disturbs me a little, however, is the 'echo'/'reverb' audible especially on Sinatra's closing notes to these two songs.

Otherwise, a real swinger indeed.

Bernhard.

[Rich K]

Thanks Bernhard, I knew you'd fill in the details....great post.

[C.R.E.]

I was enjoying this one on the ride in this morning.

The one thing I will say is, that sometimes Billy May's band seems to harsh for Frank's voice. Not as smooth as the Riddle-Sinatra arrangements.

[C.R.E.]

........let me follow that up by saying, Billy May's band is just a bit more OOOMMPH. Not bad, mind you...just an extra shot of expresso compared to some of the other arrangements.

But I like it!

FRANK'S REPRISE JUKEBOX CONVERSION

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

SINATRA SWINGS

0211 Falling in Love With Love
0205 The Curse of an Aching Heart
0213 Don't Cry Joe (Let Her Go, Let Her Go, Let Her Go)
0207 Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
0206 Love Walked In
0216 Granada
0210 I Never Knew
0209 Don't Be That Way
0215 Moonlight on the Ganges
0212 It's a Wonderful World
0208 Have You Met Miss Jones?
0214 You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You

[MMM]

Originally posted by bvo35
...the take as released on the mono LP remains unreleased on CD to date

Bernhard, do you have the current 20-Bit CD that Rich mentioned of Swing Along With Me (Reprise 47242)? To my ears, that disc has the correct unedited "mono take" of "Granada", but remixed (reduced ) from the 3-track multi into stereo.

I have a nice vinyl copy of this record that has the title "Swing Along With Me" on the front. They later changed it to "Sinatra Swings" after being sued by Capitol. I was just wondering how rare the one I have is. Does anyone know?

[MMM]

I'm not sure of dates on any of this, but otherwise here goes:

The original issues with the "Swing Along With Me" title have a glossy, laminated finish front and back, with a two color pinkinsh salmon and green (plus black) back cover that also has the original title shown on the back. Then the order came to change the title to "Sinatra Swings" and copies began appearing with the revised title. After a while, these LP's started showing up with "Swing Along With Me" front covers again, though the non-original covers with the "Swing Along With Me" title on the front have a matte finish front and back (instead of gloss), and have the "Sinatra Swings" revised title on the black and white rear (at least the ones I've come across). Perhaps these non-original covers with the original title were made from leftover, unused slicks from the original run that got used over time instead of being discarded? I don't know - just a guess.

A NM condition (record and cover) original "Swing Along With Me" STEREO copy should be worth about $50, with the MONO a little less.

***to edit this song is crimminal, in my opinion***

Well, but the edit was made in 1961 already for the stereo LP, under Sinatra's own auspicies... I also like the unedited versions better, for the great instrumental interlude, but Sinatra will have had his reasons for the edit I think... the unedited appeared on the mono LP but for the stereo LP FS decided in favour of an edit. Why? That's something to speculate about, but I don't think he wasn't involved with the decision.

Bernhard.

To reproduce True Stereo with a wide punchy range on vinyl, more actual groove space is required on the disc surface than for the Monaural version. Stereo LP playsides begin to suffer sonically after 15 mins - especially at the bass/drums end - and mastering compromises have to be made, or the actual playing time reduced. (Compacted 20-track Stereo LPs play back as thin almost-monaural...)

Reprise was an industry leader in reducing album cuts to ten songs for this reason, and this is the most plausible reason for the edit.

***Reprise was an industry leader in reducing album cuts to ten songs for this reason, and this is the most plausible reason for the edit.***

Hmmh... by still keeping this album a 12-song-one, you mean?

For what oral history is worth... Billy May says (in 1997) that it was FS who ordered the edit to "shape the song". But that doesn't necessarily stand contrary to your observations - FS the professional certainly was aware of the requirements for and limits of stereo-play those days.

Bernhard.

No. More like "to keep this album a 12-song one". At the time of its release, the 10-track format was far from decided upon.

It's interesting....I haven't timed the sides on the 13-trackers "Tommy" or "Swingin' Brass", but they were released after "Swing Along". As uptempo LPs, theoretically they'd need more vinyl space than "Strings" which was only a 10-tracker.

Cynics point out that a successful 10-track album generally accrues more profits (than an album with more tracks) because studio costs and royalty payments are reduced. But there is also a legitimate technological justification, and 60s Reprise LPs often sounded magnificent and still do today.

The early years of Reprise fascinate me, and quite apart from the FS recordings there's little information to be found re technology, and actual releases from this amazing and eclectic label which is a significant player in Californian recording history.

[MMM]

This album isn't overly long, even for the time it was originally released. There would have been no problem with time constraints in cutting lacquers for side one of the stereo LP of Swing Along With Me in 1961 if "Granada" was left unedited.

Hell...for all I know someone took a pair of scissors to the original stereo studio master after the mono mixdown was done!

"It's shaped, Frank!"

[Ronald Sarbo]

Rick: There is a book out on the history of Warner Bros Records that goes into history of Reprise as well as it merged into WEA. I believe Stan Cornyn one of the authors. I think title is Exploding: The Highs and Hits of the Warner Bros Group. Best, Ron.

I'll check it out - sounds like my kinda thing. To my knowledge, there's no complete singles discography for Reprise, and coupled with that most of the masters went back to the original producers and artists. Some of those tracks are bona fide rock'n'roll gold to guys like me.