This year will mark the 100th birthday of the legendary Frank Sinatra. In honor of this celebration, Capitol in association with Universal Music will be releasing "Ultimate Sinatra!" in a load of different formats. On April 21st, "Ultimate Sinatra!" will be available as a new 25-track single CD, a 26-track digital version, a 24-track 180-gram double-LP and a deluxe 101-track 4CD box set. For the first time, this set includes many of his well-known recordings for Columbia, Capitol and Reprise together in one collection. The deluxe edition also includes an 80-page booklet with rare photos and a brand new essay by Frank Sinatra historian Charles Pignone.
Beginning with Frank Sinatra's first recording session with the Harry James Orchestra in 1939, we start will his innocent rendition of "All Or Nothing At All" as Sinatra's voice sounds so young and fresh. The first disc has a lush feel with the "best of" Sinatra's most tender moments like "Nancy" and "My Funny Valentine." His voice just takes over "Young At Heart" and "All Of Me" that makes you just get lost in his vocal delivery. The general topic of the second disc is Sinatra's greatest love songs including the fun "Love And Marriage" and the revengeful "The Lady Is A Tramp." It's the sweet smoothness of "In The Wee Small Hours" and "Love Is Here To Stay" that will have your significant other just melt in your arms, while "Witchcraft" and "Come Fly With Me" shows off Sinatra's iconic swing that is still unmatched.
The third disc starts off with the mellow "Only The Lonely," but quickly picks up the pace with "Something's Gotta Give" and "High Hopes." His voice is so strong and overwhelming as in "Without A Song" and the casino-themed "Luck Be A Lady." The final disc centers around Sinatra's later-career recordings, beginning with "The Way You Look Tonight" and "My Kind Of Town." Such iconic numbers as "That's Life" and "Theme From New York New York" are simply timeless and could never be duplicated. Also included in the 100-song box set is a previously unreleased song, a rehearsal take from 1979 of Rogers and Hammerstein's "The Surrey With The Fringe On Top," while a nice addition, it does little to entice the rest of the collection.
This box set is the perfect example of why Frank Sinatra was the "Chairman Of The Board." He was always in complete control, whether it was with his voice, his acting or his producing, Sinatra never did anything half-way, it was "All Or Nothing At All." To find out more about the "Ultimate Sinatra!" box set or the other formats, please visit sinatra.com.