Ten albums by Sinatra and a few associated memories. Part Two

3. Songs For Swingin' Lovers. Capitol 1956 arr. Nelson Riddle. I first heard How About You by Sinatra one Saturday afternoon on a radio show hosted by Jack Jackson (ask your grandparents) whilst lying in my pit (forces' jargon) at RAF Manby during those days when National Service was said to make a man out of you - just as well I didn't have a sister! However, I digress (I'm sure I've told this story elsewhere) but I jumped on my bike and pedalled the 20 miles from Louth to Grimsby in less than an hour (wind behind me) and purchased the album. That magical moment hearing Milt Bernhardt's now obligatory trombone blast on I've Got You Under my Skin, that flute intro to You Make me Feel so Young or those Harry Edison interpolations that had yet to become clichés, sealed it as my all-time favourite Frank. 

4. A Swingin' Affair. Capitol 1956/7 arr. Nelson Riddle. The classics continued. This runs the previous album to a short head. I remember drinking with Harry Everett in a pub in North Shields - The Northumberland Arms a.k.a The Jungle. It was a joint! Probably the roughest pub I've ever been in. The beer was rubbish but you didn't complain, the barman looked as if he'd gone ten rounds with Marciano and the barmaid looked as if she'd gone fifteen. Harry said, "Lets get out of here" but, someone put a coin in the juke and out it came ... Night and Day, you are the one... we stayed, almost missed the last ferry, but we'd have swum across rather than leave before the song was over.

Lance