[Pedro]

1. Strangers in the Night
2. Summer Wind
3. All or Nothing at All
4. Call Me
5. You're Driving Me Crazy
6. On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)
7. My Baby Just Cares for Me
8. Downtown
9. Yes Sir, That's My Baby
10. The Most Beautiful Girl in the World

track 1 arranged and conducted by Ernie Freeman
tracks 2-10 arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle

Reprise CD

Re-issued in a Concord Deluxe Edition 2010, thread can be accessed by clicking here

[C.R.E.]

My personal favorite non-complilation, non-greatest hits album, of all time. Most critics may disagree, as it ventures into cover versions of pop hits of the day, and I say that is EXACTLY what makes it my favorite...it is SINATRA-IZED.

This is the epitome of cool. Frank chooses some wonderful pop hits of the day, and Sinatraizes them. Riddles arrangments are timeless here, and I just don't get bored of this album. Ever.

An obvious compliment is the 1966 DVD/VHS Sinatra: Man and His Music Part II with Miss Nancy Sinatra and featuring the music of Nelson Riddle and Gordon Jenkins, because many of these songs and versions are featured on that vid.

This album is perfect for cocktail parties, relaxing, putting a smile on your face where before there was a frown.

"My personal favorite non-complilation, non-greatest hits album, of all time. Most critics may disagree, as it ventures into cover versions of pop hits of the day, and I say that is EXACTLY what makes it my favorite...it is SINATRA-IZED."

I so agree. I LOVE Summer Wind, and you can't beat the title track. The Most Beautiful Girl in the World is a classic as well! IF anyone hasn't heard this album, pick it up at the library or at Barnes & Noble. Its a album you'll thank Frank for.

This is the first Sinatra album that I purchased. I was 14 when this album came out and have been listening to it ever since. (CD version now) The jazz organ, which Nelson used on this album, gave it a very unique sound.

Dennis

[Rich K]

Any album that gives us Frank's wonderful version of "Summer Wind" has to be a good one. This one was put together hastily to cash in on the success of the "Strangers in the Night" single; in fact, I think the album was out less than a month after the last recording session. Considering that, the quality is exemplary; to get picky, though, I've never really appreciated this take of "You're Driving Me Crazy" and Nelson's "Downtown" has always sounded more like Chinatown to me. And what's the point of those ooooos?
More knitpicking: Frank doesn't seem totally in control on the last line of "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World". He does a better job of this song on A Man and His Music, Part Two.
Then there is "On a Clear Day"; the chart here sounds to me if it had been intended to be taken at a medium tempo, not the super slow one on the album. It works ok and it's kind of interesting to hear those little brass figures at such a pace, but....
One other picky point.....the engineering varies on the songs. The strings are to one side on some songs; on others, they come out of the middle and the sound is a bit gimmicky.
On the plus side, there's Nelson's wonderful orchestrations and that fine version of "All or Nothing At All" in the style of "...Under Your Skin" and "Night and Day" (and Ella's "When Your Lover Has Gone")...that intriguing version of "My Baby Just Cares For Me."
With only ten songs, only nine by Nelson, it's handicapped trying to live up to earlier Sinatra-Riddle collaborations. I personally would give it a B+. Also, who would have thought that would be the very last so-called Sinatra-Riddle album, but that's the way it turned out.

1. Strangers in the Night

2. Summer Wind

3. All or Nothing at All

4. Call Me

5. You're Driving Me Crazy

6. On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)

7. My Baby Just Cares for Me

8. Downtown

9. Yes Sir, That's My Baby

10. Most Beautiful Girl in the World

Strangers in the night marked Franks return to the top of the pop charts in the mid-'60s, and it consolidated the comeback he started in 1965. Although he later claimed he disliked the title track, the album was an inventive, rich effort from Sinatra, one that established him as a still-viable star to a wide, mainstream audience without losing the core of his sound. Combining pop hits ("Downtown," "On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)," "Call Me") with show tunes and standards, the album creates a delicate but comfortable balance between big band and pop instrumentation. Using strings, horns, and an organ, Riddle constructed an easy, deceptively swinging sound that appealed to both Sinatra's dedicated fans and pop radio. And Sinatra's singing is relaxed, confident, and surprisingly jazzy, as he plays with the melody of "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" and delivers a knockout punch with the assured, breathtaking "Summer Wind." Although he would not record another album with Riddle again, Sinatra would expand the approach of Strangers in the Night for the rest of the decade.

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

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

STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT

1015 Strangers in the Night
1020 Summer Wind
1021 All or Nothing at All
1022 Call Me
1018 You're Driving Me Crazy
1023 On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)
1016 My Baby Just Cares for Me
1024 Downtown
1017 Yes Sir, That's My Baby
1019 The Most Beautiful Girl in the World

[Marty]

probably the most contemporary of the reprise albums to it's times, although not my favourite by a long chalk, i again am always astounded by how Riddle surprises the listener with every collection he writes for. The version of "All Or Nothing At All" here could not be further removed from the 1939 classic, but the arrangement is pure 60s, that organ playing musical ping pong with the brass....gorgeous. Ive heard this album called elevator music in some quarters, I dont know about that but it certainly LIFTS me....

[russkish3]

As with many of the Sinatra albums in my collection, his superb rendition of just one track more than justifies the cost. To me, the highlight of this album is "The Summer Wind." Awesome. From the introductory organ to final fadeout.

I have two copies. One American Reprise on vinyl, and a German Reprise on vinyl. The German Reprise is a revelation. Why it sounds better to my ears, I don't know. Both sound great. But the German copy sounds just a bit better, with an extra degree of resolution. I consider myself lucky to have found it, at a time when the Los Angeles Tower Records store still had a large stock of vinyl. Grabbed it up and never looked back. It was the only copy in the place.

Russell Kishi
Glendale, California

[Rich K]

is music in the background that you can ignore. Francis Albert Sinatra never recorded elevator music; he only recorded music that demands your attention.

Strangers was actually put on an album already finished and ready for release to cash in on the hit single. The arrangement of the song is atypical of the rest of the album. Same thing happened over at Capitol when Nice 'n Easy was added to another album scheduled for release. Marketing 101 here.

[Rich K]

Peter, Actually the situation was the opposite of what you say. The single was recorded in April, and when it started climbing up the charts, the rest of the album was quickly recorded a month later. It may have been on the drawing boards but it was put out very quickly. I remember having my copy the second week of June, about three weeks after most of the album was recorded.

The Riddle album was in the planning stages before Strangers. The latter was recorded in a rush after Jimmy Bowen
"discovered" the song. (It was a theme from the film "A Man Could Get Killed". Bowen had lyrics added to it. (He told me they went through several versions until he got what he wanted). However it is completely different from what Nelson did in tempos, arrangements, orchestra make up, etc. They certainly are not of the same cloth. This was a last minute decision to incorporate the Strangers track with other tracks to get an album to market as quickly as possible. It would have been more interesting if Freeman did the complete album with more contemporary songs. It's also a pity that after "That's Life" was a hit, a complete album of similar R'n'B flavored songs wasn't recorded instead of the hodge podge that was rushed together for the LP. With all of the wonderful concept albums that appeared at Capitol and the early Reprise product I would have personally liked them to continue that on these two hit-single packages. Oh, well what's done is done.

On the album in discussion I have a question. While I don't mean to criticize any of Sinatra's work. Or pass judgment for that matter. Has anyone ever listened to this song intently? On this track (#5) at 1:46 he clearly stumbles over the line "Believe, me they knew, but you were the kind who would hurt me, desert me When I needed you". It sounds as though his "Jersey" accent popped through a little bit on the word "hurt" but what is amazing is he just corrects himself in stride and keeps on going. Has anyone else noticed that? What I don't understand is how could that slip through the cracks. I like his delivery of this song and the album as a whole as a matter of fact. I was just wondering if anyone else caught that.

Col. Joseph: I've always assumed the "hoit/hurt me" thing was an intentional witticism thrown into "You're Driving Me Crazy" for effect.

One thing's for sure: I miss it when I hear other singers take a whack at the song.

Peter: As I see it, the Greatest Album Frank Never Recorded is the R&B LP that should have had "That's Life" as its title track. The attitude, the balls, the silly organ, the sillier backup soulsisters - all of it should have been applied to contemporary material. As a lad I certainly was disappointed that Groovy Frank came and went with one single!

I don't know. If you listen and maybe play 1:44-1:46 back enough times you can hear that he doesn't really finish the first "hoit" before he goes into "hurt me" the raspy quality that leads into "hurt me" doesn't sound like it was on purpose. BUT you have a point that the chances that it was intentional are probably greater considering who we're talking about. I had a post on here about an album idea I had and Nancy replied back stating that "As a matter of fact, there were times he said, "I wish I had tried that one once more," when he cringed over what he considered a "bad" note.
Maybe that was one of those times.
http://www.sinatrafamily.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=10701

There are other takes of the song where he doesn't do the "hoit -- hurt" thing, but that's the one he chose for the album, so I can only assume it was intentional.

Another weird choice on the album is the Gleason-esque groaning on "Downtown" -- "eeeuuugghhh, downtown!" Again, there are a few takes where he didn't do it. Guess he was feeling kinda giddy at these sessions....

[pattisam]

Before he starts singing, and in between the verses, I'd swear it could from Flower Drum Song.

Although, I do have this, and seven others from this album, on my computer, so I gotta admit, I like this stuff! Frank can do no wrong.

** Duhhhh how did I miss your prior Chinatown comment, Rick K??? Sorry. I like the "lift" comment, Marty!

There's another thread in a different section discussing some aspects of this album, and the song "You're Driving Me Crazy" in particular:
http://www.sinatrafamily.com/forum/s...threadid=16694

Bernhard.