 |  | Never cared for him before, but now I love the man |  |
Aside from a couple "best of" compilations, I never really cared much for Sinatra. I preferred Dean Martin and thought that even Sinatra's hits were OK at best. Then I heard this album, and now I understand why people went crazy for this man. I listened to this on my drive to work, and the sadness stuck with me for the remainder of my shift. This is a masterpiece which should be heard by all music fans, and it does a great job of getting you to want to hear more of what Sinatra has to offer. His singing on this album is perfect, delivering the melancholy in such an effective manner that you want to put your arm around the guy and tell him that everything's gonna turn out alright. The key factor on this album, however, is Nelson Riddle, someone who I never heard of before but who I now want to hear more of. His arrangements are so beautiful that you feel like you're listening to something more than just your run-of-the-mill pop album. I can't really say anything that the people here haven't already said about this album, except that it converted me, someone who didn't really care that much for Sinatra, into a fan. It may do the same for you, at least if your ears are working.
July 23, 2008If this was the only number on the CD it would be more
than well worth it. He's at his absolute best.
May 24, 2008Great music, great composer, great singer! This album is certainly one of the best in his career! Blue, melancholic, his music lead us to a calm and peaceful world, where his melody touches our hearts and souls! Frank Sinatra rocks =)
April 28, 2008 | | When You've Loved and Lost... | |
"You know, it's just that people like this...you know... they get all they want so they don't really understand,you know...about a life like Frank's. I mean, you know when you've loved and lost the way Frank has, then you uh ...you know what life's about."
April 20, 2008| | | Frank At His Most Personal And Passionate. | |
"In The Wee Small Hours" is an album whose brilliance is hard to encompass in words. It was recorded at a deeply troubling time in his personal life, having split from the love of his life, Ava Gardner. Rather than drown his sorrow in booze and cigs, Frank decided to put his pain to good artistic use. He got together with arranger and musical blood brother Nelson Riddle and slected a list of songs dealing with heartbreak and lost love that allowed Frank to let him unleash his true feelings rather than keep them locked up. I suppose for Frank, singing was his way of punching a pillow or taking 10 deep breaths to calm down...or perhaps even suicide.
"In The Wee Small Hours" to this day remains Frank's most praised album by critics and fans alike. It is often regarded as the first concept album by many music aficianados, and it in many ways truly is. Each song on the album is connected through a similar theme: heartache. From the aching classic title track that starts off the album to the closing "This Love Of Mine", each song is here devastatingly devoid of joy, though at the same time manages not to get too depressing. The songs here merely put the listener in a melancholy, sympathetic mood, unlike say "Only The Lonely".
Some of Frank's most beautiful recordings are present on this 16 track masterpiece. In addition to the classic title track, the sadly ironic "Glad To Be Unhappy", the haunting "I Get Along Without You Very Well", thr rich, atmospheric "Deep In A Dream", the wistful "I'll Be Around" and the dreamy "Dancing On The Ceiling" are some of the best material Frank ever cut in his career. And "When Your Lover Has Gone" is delivered in a manner that is nothing short of heartbreaking. Frank was said to have broken down in tears after finishing the master take, and towards the end of the track, you can sense it.
The rest of the album is uniformly excellent, with not a single weak number in the bunch (though "Last Night When We Were Young" and "It Never Entered My Mind" were done better by Frank later on). The remastering job is superb as well, as are the liner notes by Pete Wielding. "In the Wee Small Hours" is a classic album that all music fans should own.
September 23, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...
