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Bluebird’s Best Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey Bluebird 09026 63928 2

 

1. Star Dust
2. Night and day
3. The One I Love
4. This Love of Mine
5. There are Such Things
6. The Song is You
7. Oh1 Look at Me Now
8. Fools Rush In
9. Say It
10. I’ll Never Smile Again
11. Violets for Your Furs
12. Everything Happens to Me
13. Blue Skies
14. I’ll Be Seeing You

These sides were made in 1940 to 1942, when Sinatra had just left the Harry James band to join Tommy Dorsey. They are therefore part of the Sinatra learning experience, which enabled him to make albums like ‘Songs for Swinging Lovers’ in the 1950’s. It is much the same with the arrangers Sy Oliver, Nelson Riddell, Alex Stordell and Paul Weston all sound very competent here but not exceptional.

Most of the tunes are still around today, so they have stood the test of time well. Sinatra's’voice deepened as he got older and his sense of timing became remarkable. This enabled his stage presence to develop and take him into the superstar category.

Even the presence of Joe Stafford in the Pied Pipers, the Dorsey vocal group, does not help much; she was learning her craft as well!

Sinatra was a long way from the finished article at this point in his career and I find it hard to get much from listening to him on this record when I am so familiar with the finished article.

Don Mather

 

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