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

6. No One Cares. Capitol 1959. Arr. Gordon Jenkins. this and 7. Only the Lonely, Capitol 1959 arr. Riddle, brings us back into Wee Small Hours' territory. The two albums are inextricably shared despite the different arrangers. No one ever sang a saloon song like Frank and only Billie could match him for emotion. Brilliant as Ella was, although she could probably out-swing either, when it came to laying your heart on your sleeve she was a distant third. Neither Frank or Billie went down the yellow brick road that Norman Granz paved for Ella with the songbook series - in fact, Sinatra and Granz were considerably less than friends.

According to no less an authority than Larry Adler, a guy who played the mouth organ, Cole Porter didn't like Sinatra either nor Frank's take on his songs. Sinatra did record many compositions by the great Broadway composers - Gershwin, Kern, Porter, Berlin and Rodgers - but he was truly at at his best singing songs written by drinking buddies such as Jimmy Van Heusan, Sammy Cahn and Johnny Mercer as well as the jazzier Harold Arlen.

I bought both albums from a second hand store in Newcastle's Bath Lane; No One Cares for 15/- (75p) and Only the Lonely for 20/- (£1). Presumably the latter album was dearer because it had Riddle waving the baton or perhaps because the songs were better - maybe.

Judge for yourself.

Lance

No One Cares: When no one Cares; A Cottage for Sale; Stormy Weather; Where do you go?; I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You; Here's That Rainy Day; I Can't Get Started; Why Try to Change me Now?; Just Friends; I'll Never Smile Again; None But the Lonely Heart.

Only the Lonely: Only the Lonely; Angel Eyes; What's New?; It's a Lonesome Old Town; Willow Weep for me; Good-Bye; Blues in the Night; I Guess I'll Have to Hang my Tears Out to Dry; Ebb Tide; Spring is Here; Gone With the Wind; One for my Baby.