FRANK SINATRA — Come Fly With Me (review)

FRANK SINATRA — Come Fly With Me album cover

Album · 1958 · Vocal Jazz

5/5 · 2011-09-14
Matt

1958 was the year that this absolute classic Sinatra album was released. The Chairman of the Board was right in his prime and he had with him for the first time the great Billy May Orchestra and although many of the classics have Nelson Riddle, it was Billy May who Frank first requested back in 1954 but Billy was booked out and things worked out absolutely wonderful with Nelson Riddle anyway. A real mix contained within the album of Swing and quite a few Ballads all arranged and sung beautifully with a travel theme present for "Come Fly With Me". Recorded over three sessions in October 1957 with a live audience as usual with George Martin the famed Beatles Producer present. The album was number one on the charts after two weeks and lasted five all up with the title track written by the great lyricist Sammy Cahn with the music composed by James Van Heusen and between them so many standards and classics were penned from this time and there really was no better team for Frank to request a new song from for his new up-coming album. Being the first album with Frank Sinatra and Billy May it was a surprise for so much laid back material to be included as everybody would have expected the album to primarily swing but although not the case the arrangements are bold and big and Frank sings the ballads beautifully and I will admit it is the swing that I love myself and often find at times in some of his previous ballad albums with Nelson Riddle the syrup can get a little thick but not so here with some beautiful and stunning interruptations that just climb those vocal heights emanating from "Ole Blue Eyes".

It really does not get more infectious than the title track "Come Fly With Me" which over the years has become one of Frank's signature tunes and yes it swings with great bold brassy backing from Billy May's Orchestra and this song alone is enough to put the album at number one but things do keep up a great standard with the first ballad "Around the World" to follow with a lush string backing from the orchestra and although not one of my favourite ballads from the album it is these songs that one really hears the techinical skills and natural talent that only Frank Sinatra contained. "Isle of Capri" is a bit of mix with a slight loop throughout and Frank does it again on the third verse with the tongue in cheek changing ,"she wore a lovely diamond on her finger" to a lovely meatball. We have one of the great ballads next being "Moonlight In Vermont" and sung to perfection by Frank with superb spacing and of course he holds those notes just beautifully on this song that can only be considered an absolute classic in popular music today. Things stay the same with just another of those classic ballads given another stunning treatment being "Autumn In New York" with the swing back for "On The Road to Mandalay" in this great travel themed number with this song having to be replaced on the original albums within the Commonwealth with a different song depending on which edition due to objections from Rudyard Kipling's family concerning the lyric changes. More swing still with "On The Road To Mandalay" with Frank putting his beautiful stamp on the next classic ballad "April In Paris" with "London By Night" another of those slow heart string pullers following. "Brazil" does give the name away for the next up-tempo tune and that Billy May Orchestra sure packs the punch when they kick in for this great song. Only two more songs with "Blue Hawaii" and the last being another Cahn/VanHeusen composition containing that great required swing being "It's Nice To Go Trav'ling" to finish things off with.

Although it is a little ballad heavy for me it still is a wonderful album and it definitely helps with three of the ballads being what they are and the swing numbers are great with the title being the best song but you have to admit those kind of songs will always shine that bit brighter light.