Frank Sinatra Complete Capitol Singles Collection CD

Personnel includes: Frank Sinatra, Keely Smith, Bing Crosby, Celeste Holm (vocals); Axel Stordahl, Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, Johnny Green, Billy May, Felix Slatkin, Ray Anthony (conductor); June Hutton & The Pied Pipers, The Nuggets, Ralph Brewster Singers.
Compilation producer: Brad Benedict.
Includes liner notes by Will Friedwald and Mitchell Zlokower.
Digitally remastered by Bob Norberg.
THE COMPLETE CAPITOL SINGLES COLLECTION was nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Album Notes.
The Complete Capitol Singles Collection is exactly what it says it is -- all of Frank Sinatra's singles for Capitol Records, both the A-sides and B-sides, as well as duets with artists like Jo Stafford, June Hutton, and the Nuggets, presented in chronological order. Although the majority of these tracks have been collected on other compilations, this four-disc box set is the first time all of the singles have been collected on one set. It also represents the first time many of these tracks -- over 20 -- have appeared on disc, and quite a few haven't been reissued since their original release. Arguably, Sinatra was at his creative peak during his tenure at Capitol, and while he did release carefully considered albums, his singles -- which never appeared on the albums -- were just as electrifying and satisfying as the full-length LPs. In other words, it's an essential set. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The perfect compliment to the Capitol CONCEPTS box, this four-disc set, by its nature, supplements that box rather than overlapping with it. The bulk of the singles Sinatra recorded during his Capitol period were not included on his contemporaneous albums. Thus, many of these songs had no digital home until the release of this set. Listeners are taken further afield here, as the singles format freed Sinatra from the stricture of his theme albums, allowing him to tackle all manner of songs.
There are light-hearted tunes like "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" and "Can I Steal A Little Love?" and wonderful oddities like "Ol' MacDonald" (the farmhouse never swung so hard before). Naturally, there are swinging classics like "Witchcraft" and lost love laments such as "The Gal That Got Away" (though saloon singing largely gives way to peppy popcraft on these sides). If the album-based CONCEPTS is the musical mountaintop, the CAPITOL SINGLES COLLECTION is the magical mist swirling around the peak.Q (12/96, p.161) - 5 Stars (out of 5) - "Ninety-six of Ol' Blue Eyes' greatest moments spread over four CDs...is an irresistible proposition....he moves from swinging tunes to the tenderest ballads with effortless grace, breathing life and love into every performance..."
Mojo (Publisher) (2/01, p.105) - "...Of the 96 tracks on the 4-CD box, few fall below the Plimsoll line of quality that applied to the singer's LPs during his peak Capitol era..."