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Friday, October 20, 2017

Frank Sinatra - "To Be Perfectly ...Frank" Vinyl LP, Album, Bootleg (Retrospect)


I wrote a commentary on the CD version of "To Be Perfectly... Frank" a few months ago, but finally found this Frank Sinatra bootleg on vinyl the other day.   It's my favorite Sinatra album.   In 1953, Sinatra had a weekly radio show in Los Angeles where he played DJ, and then he would do one song live on the show.  The album (and CD) is a compilation of those recordings, and they're a remarkable document of this incredible American artist.   Which sounds academic-like, but in reality a real joy to listen to these recordings. 

What makes these recordings so unique is that it's Sinatra with a small band, including an electric jazz guitar, bass, drums, and Piano, and one can easily imagine all these musicians plus Frank, in a tiny radio studio together.  The intimacy is very much part of these recordings.    The songs are all from the classic American songbook, but with quite a few of obscurities as well.   Also, note that there are more songs on the CD version than the LP.   I found this (sealed) vinyl by getting on my knees in a record store and going through the floor-level bins.  It's amazing what one can find (or do) on one's delicate knees. 

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