I have posted on here before about Watertown, Sinatra’s 1970 concept album about the end of a marriage, written by Bob Gaudio (him of the Jersey Boys). It’s a classic.
I have just stumbled onto this dedicated website, presumably for a recent re-release, which makes for great reading. In particular, there is a 90 min documentary you can download – narrated by a slightly odd-sounding individual it includes interviews with the main creatives.
Have a hankie ready
Just a great, bleak album. Tindersticks without the club singer.
Yes, bleak is a good word for it.
It’s the understated sadness of being left, with no drama, admitting he still cares and then the way he talks about the children – “Michael is you, he has your face, he still has your eyes
Remember, Peter is me, ‘cept when he smiles
And if you look at them both for a while
You can see they are you, they are me”
Every song is a kick in the teeth for him
Great album, with one of the most heartbreaking endings in music.
I like the miserable Sinatra albums a lot, including this one. When I see those lists of best albums ever, I sometimes wonder why something like In The Wee Small Hours isn’t there. It’s better than most rock music and just as self absorbed and miserable… 😎
Yep. And Where Are You is very underrated.
Only the Lonely is just magnificent.
These three records almost justify OBE’s musical rep on their own.
Exactly. Where Are You gets forgotten a bit, but it’s great, Gordon Jenkins makes a mini symphony out of the songs.
This was the first Sinatra album I bought back in 1983, after reading a great NME article (yes, they did exist on occasion!) which eulogised about the Capitol era. About three years ago, I picked up a CD boxset of all the Capitol albums for £12. Bargain of the century!
Only The Lonely is probably my all-time favourite album by anyone – songs, vocal, arrangements all just perfect.
I love Watertown too – 34 minutes and out. The best concept album ever? Probably the best of his Reprise stuff, though I’m no expert on that phase of his career. Gorgeous melodies, and utterly heartbreaking.
Never got on with Where Are You? though – listened to it again this morning, but the songs don’t cut it for me (for the most part).
Only The Lonely could be my favourite record by anyone, ever.
Another vote for Only The Lonely.
I read somewhere that there’s a 60th anniversary deluxe edition planed for this autumn. No details on the content, but hopefully has both the mono and stereo versions…
Hadn’t heard that news, credit card on red alert! Although having said that if ever a record DIDN’T need remixing/remastering, or whatever they tend to do these days, it’s this one. It’s an impeccable recording and in the X Factor/Voice world we’re unfortunately now living in I’d suggest, one of the greatest examples of recorded popular singing available.
It would be absolute sacrilege to mess with the original mixes and the outcry would be enormous if they tried.
I imagine they’ll provide the original mono and stereo mixes and some outtakes/alternate takes, of which there may well be some.
Alternate takes are unlikely to be as good as the ones originally used, given Sinatra’s well-known perfectionism. Any completed songs not eventually chosen could be interesting.
Also – the coolest covers. I remember buying the Capitol LP re-releases in the 80’s. I didn’t know the ‘miserable’ albums (my dad had the classic Capitol ‘swing’ ones) – but those covers pulled me in….
No One Cares is another good one, again probably a bit forgotten because Jenkins did it.
He hit an incredible peak with Nelson but the Jenkins snd May albums are great too.
Prefer the Gordon Jenkins material to May or Riddle, myself.
This is the guy narrating the podcast, a Sinatra obsessive in Hawaii, who hosts a weekly deep dive into the Chairman
http://hawaiipublicradio.org/people/guy-steele
I like this article, even if it feels a bit like we have to apologise for liking a talented person who made a lot of brilliant records…
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-pure-artistry-of-frank-sinatra
Yes, good piece – I hadn’t heard the Red Norvo live album
I think for we of the rock’n’roll generation and later, Sinatra was for a long time associated with a deeply embarrassing kind of reactionary mums and dads culture – comfortable knitwear and short back-and-sides. I do remember actively putting those ideas to one side to simply enjoy the music. To this day not everyone can do that.
It’s like being able to enjoy punk without thinking of acne and spitting.
I’m not well up on OBE, but Watertown is a gem. I will be seeking out some of the others mentioned here.
Watertown is basically the counterculture saying: look, he invented this, the way of musically representing utter personal desolation! Perhaps you should listen?
And for balance: I’ve got you under my skin – that’s the opposite- the pure joy of love. And the best musical arrangement of all time.
Superlative tromboning
(hurr)
TMFTL
My Mum is a Francis Albert nut and is very proud of the fact that she saw him in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. In fact it is one of the few things she can still talk fairly consistently about as her Dementia takes away so much of everything else.
I’m sure that Watertown is in her collection, I’ll dig it out at the next visit.
You won’t regret it. Forget who it’s by, concentrate on the story. Imagine yourself in it.
Thanks Tim. I am rather a fan of Sinatra but I had never heard of this album or his other miserable works. I will put that right.
As Oceans 8 hits the screens, I read today about a wonderful comment made by Frankie Boy when told about the storyline of that great 1960s heist movie, Oceans 11.
”Forget the movie. Let’s pull the job!”.
You owe it to yourself. Start with Only The Lonely.
I can also recommend the book Sessions With Sinatra by Charles L Granta for a view of his (what we now call) production skills, not to mention his dedication to the craft of singing.
I have quite a few Frankie books but not that one – will take a look.
One thing that has always impressed about his classiness as a performer is the way he unfailingly acknowledges, credits and appreciates his collaborators – this comes up again in the Watertown documentary
I have just about everything he ever made, laid out in session order when known. But I’ve never got Watertown at all. I’ll give it another go, I’m impressed by the number of you that rate it.
Thank goodness, someone else who can’t get Watertown. Overblown lyrics, and to my ears Sinatra sounding decidedly uncomfortable all the way through – “Do I have to sing this stuff just be seen as still relevant?”
A breakup record? Look no further than In The Wee Small Hours, that’s heartache, them’s lyrics and that’s singing
Lodey doesn’t like something….. swipe me, how madly interestin’….
“M’Lud, I would like to turn the jury’s attention to the many positive comments posted by Mr Wrongness lately. These include the Most Joyous Piece of Music Ever, Car Pool Karaoke, Tiggs’ Son of Bill, EC concerts – the list is endless. The fact that he rightly deems Watertown as “complete bollocks ” only goes to show that Watertown is indeed complete bollocks. We shall be seeking a large sum of money from Mr Mooche as some small compensation for this most heinous of slanders although I believe given the apparent state of Mr Mooche’s finances this may turn out to be a moral victory only”
Pah! Heinous my…. eye!
Facts is facts, fatty…
Ah, but they don’t stain the furniture. That’s my job.
It’s a crap sofa anyway. Why can’t you go to DFS like any normal person?
See, you make me laugh you do..
Careful, you wanna ruin the armchair too?
I think it is the case that Sinatra didn’t like the music on Watertown. He re-made Lady Day (an improvement in my opinion) but never again went near any of these songs.
And the connection to Led Zeppelin just about puts the cherry on top for me!
I am participating in a thread that includes a Led Zeppelin reference? I am going off for a few days meditation in a cave….
Not that one! Tom Baker’s in there, fighting a big green blobby thing!
(Turns out I got understudy….gotta love showbiz….)