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Memories of You: Sinatra Waves Farewell to Capitol on Elegantly Dressed Standards Set from 1961
Mastered from the Original Master Tapes: Mobile Fidelity 180g LP Captures Gracefulness of Ornate Orchestrations
Sinatra Reunited With Arranger Axel Stordahl, Collaborator That Spearheaded the VoiceÂ’s Rise in the 1940s
Thematic Songs Address Goodbyes With Profound Sense of Sadness, Longing
Nobody says goodbye like Frank Sinatra. For his final album with Capitol, OlÂ’ Blue Eyes elected to croon an unforgettable selection of farewell songs marked with longing, sadness, and poignancy. To make the occasion even more special, he teamed with arranger Axel Stordahl, the virtuoso that helped launch SinatraÂ’s star at Columbia during the 1940s. The results amount to one of the finest send-off statements in history.
Mastered from the original master tapes, Mobile FidelityÂ’s numbered limited edition 180g stereo LP presents the songs as they should be experienced: In rich, lush, front-to-back sound in which the strings soar and literally inhale and exhale. SinatraÂ’s singing, as good as itÂ’s ever been during his career, comes across with unfettered transparency and tonal purity. Such is the fidelity, the music turns into aural poetry, rendering completely fluid and tube-amp warm the rushes of strings, words, and structures.
Sinatra fans continually debate which of the artistÂ’s albums rank as his best, but thereÂ’s no doubting the status attached to Point of No Return. Unquestionably the most overlooked effort in the ChairmanÂ’s Capitol catalog, it defies common expectation that it was made haphazardly to simply fulfill a contractual obligation. SinatraÂ’s presence alone guarantees that isnÂ’t the case, yet StordahlÂ’s involvement ensures this 1961 set is something very special indeed.
The chemistry between the old collaborators is immediately evident. Sinatra inhabits every phrase, feeling, and expression conveyed on the dozen standards, achieving an intimate connection with Stordahl’s instrumental accents. Akin to the downbeat moods he casts on the immortal In the Wee Small Hours and Only the Lonely, the vocalist keeps calm and cool, yearning and reflecting as if he’s strolling a barren downtown after midnight, a man left alone with his thoughts and memories. Somber, wistful, meditative, teary-eyed sentimental—Sinatra paints each song with the emotions they need, nothing more and nothing less.
From regal (“These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)”) to nostalgic (“I’ll Be Seeing You”), relaxed (“September Song”) to dramatic (“When the World Was Young”), Stordahl’s treatments blush with natural ease and instinct, setting up Sinatra for countless moments of sublime beauty. Vocal pop aficionados, you don’t want to miss this classic.
Features:
• Numbered, Limited Edition
• Production and Mastering by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
• Specially Plated and Pressed on 180 grams of High Definition Vinyl
• Special Static Free - Dust Free Inner Sleeve
• Heavy Duty Protective Packaging
• Mastered from the Original Master Tapes
Musicians:
Frank Sinatra
Axel Stordahl, conductor
Selections:
1. (Ah, the Apple Trees) When the World Was Young
2. IÂ’ll Remember April
3. September Song
4. A Million Years Ago
5. IÂ’ll See You Again
6. There Will Never Be Another You
7. Somewhere Along the Way
8. ItÂ’s a Blue World
9. These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)
10. As Time Goes By
11. IÂ’ll Be Seeing You
12. Memories of You
