#1 Frank Sinatra- Songs For Swingin’ Lovers

UK release date: 5th March 1956

Topped the chart:

22nd July 1956 (for two weeks)

19th August 1956 (for one week)

So here we are- Begin the Beguine, one of the few standards not covered by Frank Sinatra in his early album chart run.

Unlike the maligned early days of the UK singles chart, there are no syrupy Al Martino ballads in sight, we’re starting with the biggest popstar of the era in the world. When we’re talking the starting line, the album chart has its finger on the pulse far more than the singles.

The album chart began as a simple affair: a top 5 only, as published in the Record Mirror for the first time on 22nd July 1956. Just five shows how niche the LP as a format was at this point. Like the dawn of the CD era, albums were expensive luxuries for adults with disposable income to burn. To illustrate, the nearest figure I can find is the cost of an LP in 1966- £1 12s 6d, which equates to £37 these days—pretty much the same cost a piece of vinyl these days, but with the caveat that they are aimed at the hipster today rather than the wider consumer. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

As a result, most LPs that sold in 1956 were decidedly un-tennyboppery: long-form classical pieces and musical soundtracks mainly, aimed at stuffy adults who wouldn’t know their Twist n Shout from their Shake N Vac. LPs aimed at the pop market would remain, rushed promotional items to make a quick buck off a hit single well into the 60s.

With a few exceptions.

Which brings us to Frank Sinatra.

If you want an indication of how big Sinatra was at this point in his career, look at the dates: released March 1956; still selling enough units to get the inaugural number one spot four months later. Even in this streaming era where Taylor Swift or Adele can have an album camp out at the top spot for what seems like forever, that’s still mighty impressive.

So we catch up with Ol’ Blue Eyes at his second commercial zenith, even if we arrive slightly late for his artistic peak: the beautifully bleak and miserable "In The Wee Small Hours" the previous year. Moving away from the failed relationships and depression in his personal life that "Wee Small" masterfully explored, "Songs For Swingin’ Lovers" is a step back towards the mainstream, jazz-inflected big band music with a little pep that sits nicely in the background of a dinner party, rather than killing the vibe like an unwelcome interloper. Rather than a grand concept, it’s just a collection of good songs performed well. And sometimes, that’s enough.

When you think of Sinatra, this is the era that you’ll be imagining: old school charm paired with a bourbon-tinged nonchalance in the delivery. There’s authenticity in how Frank is singing these standards, but he never resorts to earnestness. It’s all delivered with a tastefully sexy shrug of the shoulder.

These songs are the “standards” of standards, from the likes of Cole Porter, George and Ira Gershwin and Frankie Laine. Like most standards albums these days, the results occasionally feel a little samey (putting "I’ve Got You Under My Skin" and "I Thought About You", with almost identical intros next to each other is a misstep). Thankfully, the lightest of light jazz touches manage to keep things interesting: the improvised piano runs through "Love Is Here To Stay" or the amorous horns peppering "We’ll Be Together Again" are memorable. Injections of energy at key points works wonders too: "You Make Me Feel So Young", "Makin’ Whoopee" and "How About You?" blast in like sudden Hans Zimmer parps in a Batman film.

Like the Sinatra copyists of today—your Bublés and Connick Jrs—everything is decidedly old fashioned, but unlike the wannabes, naffness is sidestepped thanks to producer Nelson Riddle’s gentle arranging and Sinatra’s cynicism behind the romance. There’s plenty more Sinatra to come, but this really is as good as it gets.

Score: 8/10

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