Frank Sinatra: The Best of the Capitol Years
I think it's safe to assume that the majority of people under the age of twenty-four claiming to be fans of Frank Sinatra... are full of shit and just want to sound cool and cultured.
In a way, I get it. Frankie was, still is, and will always be the pinnacle of Cool, so if you want to sound cool without actually being it... why not take that route. The sad part is that they probably will never become fans because they're too busy listening to dubstep. (If you don't know what dubstep is... picture the Chemical Brothers in a bus station bathroom, having violent hangover / McDonald's breakfast burrito diarrhea... and recording it.)
If one were to actually take the time and give ol' Blue Eyes a chance, this album would be the best place to start. Featuring 20 of the best songs recorded at Capitol Records from 1952-1960, this compilation demonstrates Sinatra's peak as a recording artist. I have this entire album memorized.
Now hold on for a second, I'm not claiming to be the ultimate Frankie Fanboy... I'm just saying I know the record front-to-back. Listening to it almost every night for my entire childhood will do that. Before, during and after our family dinners, Mom & Pops would put this in the record player and let it play all the way through.
I'm assuming (since I can't remember the first times I listened to it) that I didn't like it at first. Hey, I was a freakin' little kid. But when I was around fifteen or sixteen, right around when our family dinners stopped being so routine, these songs were as much a part of my life as anything else... if not more. Even now, as my Sinatra collection exceeds 130 songs, these are still my favorites.
Drop by Amazon.com. This, the best Frankie collection to date, will only set you back $10. It's more than worth it.
