Capitol Stereo CD
Won 1958 Grammy for Album Cover Art

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 (And One More for the Road)
13. Sleep Warm[*]
14. Where or When[*]

* BONUS TRACKS NOT ON ORIGINAL LP

[Jake]

Ebb Tide is my all-time favorite song, and I've been writing this on the forum for a few years now.

In my opinion, the finest of all his ballad albums. Some prefer "In The Wee Small Hours," but I find that this one plumbs the emotional depths like no other Sinatra album. My favorite tune is "Blues In The Night," where Sinatra and Riddle take a fairly silly song and make it sound like a life-or-death struggle. But virtually every track here is absolutely devastating.

PJ

[Jake]

You know, Pal Joey, my favorite song, Ebb Tide, is the only song in the album which is actually not devastating at all. At the end he's at peace in the web of her arms. No matter, this song depicting the waves is so vivid it's almost like painting the picture in song. That's why I love it. Nelson's arrangement, Felix's conducting (at least I think it's Slatkin; we already discussed this in a similar thread some years ago), the orchestra's playing and Frank's singing put together here is pure and unreal perfection, unmatched by any other work by anyone as far as I'm concerned. Amazing what you can do with an otherwise corny song.

If Angel Eyes and One for My Baby were the only two songs on this album, it would still be well worth the money. These are probably two of the great saloon songs ever written and sung. Just fantastic!!

Dennis

[Rich K]

I believe both Frank and Nelson considered this their greatest work.

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 (And One More for the Road)

13. Sleep Warm[*]

14. Where or When[*]

Originally, Frank Sinatra had planned to record Only the Lonely with Gordon Jenkins, who had arranged his previous all-ballads album, Where Are You. Jenkins was unavailable at the time of the sessions, which led Sinatra back to his original arranger at Capitol, Nelson Riddle. The result is arguably his greatest ballads album. Only the Lonely follows the same formula as his previous down albums, but the tone is considerably bleaker and more desperate. Riddle used a larger orchestra for the album than he had in the past, which lent the album a stately, nearly classical atmosphere. At its core, however, the album is a set of brooding saloon songs, highlighted by two of Sinatra's tour de forces -- "Angel Eyes" and "One for My Baby." Sinatra never forces emotion out of the lyric, he lets everything flow naturally, with grace. It's a heartbreaking record, the ideal late-night album.

[Yvonne]

Yes, Only The Lonely is indeed a heartbreaking record and the ideal late-night album. Just discovered so by myself the other night. I got hooked on the title song and on What's New.
"Of course you couldn't know, I haven't changed, I still love you so", oh, isn't that wonderful? I got the reasonable advice not to listen to such Sinatra songs at this moment, but I simply can't help myself.

I've always loved "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" -- the melody is so very beautiful and Sinatra's protagonist uses a gentle self-mockery in an attempt to mask his pain. One of my favorites.

This is another one of those albums that's hard to comment on each song. One is definitely better than the other. You couldn't spend $15 better than on this album.

I love the soft horns on Blues In The Night. It gives the song such a mysterious sound.

Angel Eyes, One For My Baby - two of the greatest saloon songs.

Yes, this is another one of those albums where you could have some great discussion on. So much to discuss.

Dennis

This was the first Sinatra album I ever really listened to, the one that turned me into a lifelong fan. It's just perfect! I even love the bonus tracks they added to the CD-- especially "Where or When"-- the climax of which still gives me chills.

[Jeffrey Simmons]

Out of those who can appreciate the great works of a really great artist like Frank Sinatra, few could disagree that 'Only The Lonely' is a landmark album full of landmark recordings.

From the title song, Frank Sinatra gives his all to the listener in some of the most dramatic and perfectly personal performances of his entire life.

'Only the Lonely' the title song, like so many of the songs from this album, is a very hard song to sing, the melody is buried within the slow tempo and the imaginative mood setting of the Nelson Riddle arrangement, but Sinatra, pausing intently at the end of a word or phrase, slowly unfolds the story and brings this song to a powerful and dramatic climax.

All the songs are great but I think these and also "What's New" deserve some special mention.

'Angel Eyes' - what more can one say about perhaps the second greatest saloon song - sung expertly.

'Good-Bye', I think must be one of the softest songs Sinatra ever recorded and he almost brings a tear from the listener with it.

'Blues in the Night' - This is another masterpiece classic blues number that no-one and I mean no-one has ever bettered.

'Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry' - I love track one too. One of the great and powerful performance of this great song. I so love the line "strangely enough I got along without her - then one day she passed me right by, oh we------ll-----I guess I'll hang my tears out to dry"

"Ebb Tide" some say does not really belong on this album, but I think it does and I am certain that FS would never have released the album with this track if it was not intended to be there. NEVER has there been a better recording of this moving song - so beautifully done here. It builds to a thrilling climax and has a stunningly fitting arrangement by Nelson Riddle. The emphasis is on the tide coming in and then at its ebb. Life has been lived and I see it as a song about looking back and remebering a lost love. It's another interpretation which I think is somewhat fitting here.

"Spring Is Here" is really a 'tour de force' here. A wonderful long recording.

"Gone With the Wind" this is absolutely marvellous. There is no other word or adjective for such a perfect recording.

"One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)" is really the daddy of all saloon songs and, once again, never done better than on this album. A signature recording for Frank Sinatra - instantly recogniseable the world over as his song.

All in all a magnificent album about unrequieted love.

Some may say they prefer the lighter touch of "In the Wee Small hours" and others, like myself may just prefer the beautiful "Close To You" or the fabulous "Where Are You" album with the weeping strings of Gordon Jenkins - but the truth is that it is very hard to take these four albums and then pick a favourite. One thing is certain - in their own way they each contain the most hauntingly beautiful and flawless recordings of any performer at anytime - performances that set the standard for everyone. A standard of performance and perfection that no one else has ever yet met, let alone ever surpassed. Moreover, they can be as relevant today as when they were first made.

If you are nursing the blues and feeling a tad lonely- even in 2003, then what better albums can there be to put all your feelings and emothions into words.


JSS

[Rich K]

Perhaps Frank's finest album (He and Nelson thought so). It's one that should be in every Sinatra lover's collection. If you can't fully appreciate it now, you will sometime in your life.

Ironically, when the album was recorded Nelson Riddle wasn't available to conduct. Those duties were handled by violinist Felix Slatkin on the sessions.
One other song was to be on the album, "Lush Life". The Billy Strayhorn penned masterpiece was extremely difficult to sing. Frank did a partial take and after a few bars a voice is heard, "let's put this away for another day". Frank responds to the effect that it should be put away forever. Sorry, forgot his exact words. Laughter accompanied the comments. I should add that Kitty Kelly in her book claims FS stormed out of the session. Absolutely untrue. I listened to the session reel many years ago when I worked for Capitol.

P.S. Nat Cole did a wonderful version of the song for a Capitol album.

[Ronald Sarbo]

Pete: Cole recorded Lush Life twice. The original single with Pete Rugolo and in 1961 in stereo for the NKC Story with Ralph Carmichael.
Cole also recorded Angel Eyes with a Billy May arrangement.
Best, Ron.

Ron,

Thanks. I forgot about the re-recordings (done in Chicago, by the way) for the Nat King Cole Story set.

Peter

[Rich K]

Peter, According to what I've read, Felix Slatkin only conducted the first session for this album; Nelson was there for the second half.

Rich,

I doubled checked and you're right. Felix conducted "Ebb Tide", "Spring Is Here", "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry", 'Only The Lonely" and "Willow Weep For Me". Nelson did the rest.

One other bit of info. The mono album contained 12 songs. The first stereo release back in 1958 omitted "Spring Is Here" and "It's A Lonesome Old Town" because at the time a stereo LP could only contain about 18 minutes per side (unless it was cut at a very low level). Capitol decided not to do that.

Peter

[Marty]

Bumped up for further discussion