Album Reviews

You say it’s only a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn’t be make believe
If you believed in me. . .

It’s truly hard to imagine the time when Frank Sinatra first sang those words. It was early in 1950, and he was in a bit of a pickle. For various reasons, his label at the time, Columbia Records, considered dropping him completely. Both personally and professionally, it may have seemed like Sinatra was on the verge of falling apart. His last single, “The Huckle Buck,” barely made the Top 10 in 1949, but he still had one more album to record to fulfill his contract — and that 10-inch mono album would be October 1950’s Sing and Dance With Frank Sinatra (CL 6143). And while Sing and Dance has seen various reissues and upgrades over the ensuing decades, it’s never been quite so beautifully presented and lovingly remastered as it appears on its new, November 2024 180g 45rpm 2LP 1STEP version on Impex Records (IMXLPO6054-1).

In April 2024 at AXPONA, I had the unmitigated pleasure of chatting with two of the wonderful people behind Impex’s 1STEP edition of Sing and Dance With Frank Sinatra, one that we could say has been 74(ish) years in the making. Those two people were Abey Fonn, founder of Impex Records, and Chuck Granata, Sinatra historian extraordinaire. They told the story behind the album, its making, and the work behind bringing it back to life. And, at AXPONA 2024, they graciously hosted listening sessions in the Connection Room, with Quintessence Audio Ltd. providing some world-class gear for the experience.

With a showstopping Clearaudio Statement turntable in black lacquer sporting a Clearaudio Goldfinger Statement MC cartridge and playing through Sonus Faber Aida II floorstanding loudspeakers, this was a popular spot. Quintessence also filled the stunning black Maxxum-Ultra rack with a Boulder 3010 preamp, Boulder 2108 phono preamp, and Boulder 2150 mono power amp. Transparent’s Magnus Opus and XL cables provided unparalleled pathways to ensure the purity of the sound.

It was often SRO in the Quintessence space, and the red velvet ropes protecting that incredible Clearaudio turntable kept errant fingers away from its perfectly shiny surface. The knowledgeable Quintessence reps in the room were unpretentious and friendly, welcoming visitors from the average attendees to well-known audiophiles. Let’s just say, Captain Obvious, that it all sounded nothing short of great in there.

Fonn introduced Granata, and together, they gave the appreciative crowd a sneak peak into their work, along with a demonstration of Sing and Dance and its beautiful packaging. Here’s their full presentation from AXPONA 2024, via the YouTube clip below.

Granata had rescued the Sing and Dance masters — 16-inch lacquer session discs, and 10-inch tape reels — from the Columbia Records Archive vault in Boyers, Pennsylvania. He held onto them for years until he found someone he could fully trust to keep the music authentic. In the mid-1990s, he had used the safety copies for an expanded CD reissue from Columbia/Legacy — but using the 70+ year-old-tapes, edges curled with time, to produce a modern-day 1STEP album with Impex was huge.

Now, let’s keep in mind that Sing and Dance was kind of a groundbreaker for Sinatra when it was originally released in 1950. He wasn’t a jazz guy then — he was a crooner. His voice wasn’t even in top form after the throat injury he sustained earlier that year, so overdubbing his vocals was necessary after the George Siravo-led orchestra had recorded their parts. In 1950, this just wasn’t the norm. However, the differences in this album compared to Sinatra’s previous work set the stage for his future contract with Capitol Records, and his work with other great orchestra leaders such as Nelson Riddle. Perhaps one might even be bold enough as to say the Sing and Dance album helped Frank Sinatra become Frank Sinatra. His phrasing and emotional connection with the music here is magical, and his perfectionistic approach to production is legendary. He was, after all, one of the few musicians who produced his own albums back in the day.

In 1950, recording with magnetic tape was brand new, and still not fully trusted by the industry. Granata explained during the aforementioned presentation at AXPONA 2024 how the lacquers were considered the “back-up recordings” because of this mistrust in this then-new-fangled technology. (Vinyl albums, per se, hadn’t even been around for two years yet at that point.) Granata and Fonn also had a vision for the Impex Sing and Dance album’s packaging — which is housed in a heavy-stock, two-sleeve Monster Pack jacket by Stoughton Printing and a luxe, color-matched slipcase — right down to using photographs from the Sinatra family’s own collection. They further described it as being a “coffee-table book” that could be enjoyed all on its own.

In the 36-page booklet, Granata fondly tells the story and the people behind the Sing and Dance recording, and it’s a tale that even the most passionate Sinatra fans can appreciate. I’m intrigued by the history — how the legendary arranger George Siravo, with his unique jazzy style, and the smooth-crooning Frank Sinatra combined their talents into an eloquent marriage of sound. The ultimate goal was, after all, to make an upbeat album that could possibly recharge Sinatra’s swamping career.

Granata credits the people and gear behind the monumental task of transferring the original lacquer discs and tapes into production masters for this 1STEP presentation. Four years before this unveiling, the arduous process of extracting the recording without losing the original fidelity was tasked to Andreas Meyer at Swan Studios and Matt Cavaluzzo at Sony Music/Battery Studios in New York City. The carefully restored master tapes used for the final 1STEP were cleaned up and leveled using digital tools, as some of those 70+-year-old masters came from different recording sessions. Granata provided some valid explanations for some anomalies in the final product. He acknowledged that, since these are vintage recordings without the benefit of modern equipment, concerted effort was applied to preserve the sound, reduce the noise, and explain some quirks that are authentically captured in this pressing.

Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Studios in Hollywood, California, had the unenviable task of editing and splicing the modern ATR Magnetics ½-inch mastering tapes into 45rpm 12-inch production lacquers to satisfy Fonn and Granata’s meticulous standards. Right down to opting for a warm tube lathe to cut the final master, every detail had to be right. It took multiple tries to get that lacquers sounding just the way they wanted. Crediting folks behind the scenes such as associate producer Bob Donnelly, Fonn and Granata recognized how challenging it was to make this album come to life because of equipment limitations available at the time it was recorded.

Fonn graciously forwarded me a copy of the 1STEP edition via their distributor, Elusive Disc, and it was quite exciting to finally listen to the album in its entirety. In short, Sing and Dance With Frank Sinatra is an absolute treasure for anyone’s Sinatra collection. More stats now: 5,000 numbered copies of Sing and Dance were pressed at RTI in Camarillo, California, its SRP is $129.99, and it can be ordered direct from Elusive Disc here, or via Music Direct here (as well as via the MD link graphic that appears later in this review, just ahead of the tracklisting section).

Impex’s attention to detail starts with the beautifully textured, snow-white case housing the 2LP set. The jacket is beautifully designed, with the original cover art and a handsome picture of Ol’ Blue Eyes himself on the back (as seen above) in a glossy finish. The jacket is heavy, and the binding flawless. In step with Impex’s desire to produce beautifully revealing sound, 180g VR-900 Supreme vinyl was used for the actual pressing.

As you listen to the album’s four sides, Granata’s liner notes are a perfect backdrop as the story unfolds through the music. The never-before-seen photographs and eloquent descriptions of what was going on before, during, and after this period in Sinatra’s life offer a glimpse into the music, and it all makes sense of why so much effort was put into this beautiful mono 1STEP presentation.

After hearing a few samples of Sing and Dance while seated in front of that beautiful Quintessence system setup at AXPONA, I knew that hearing it in my own Zen Den would be a treat. For these at-home listening sessions, my reference system consisted of an Acoustic Solid Vintage Exclusive turntable outfitted with a Hana Umami Red MC cartridge, Gold Note PH-10 phono preamp and PSU power supply, McIntosh MA252 power amp, Torus RM15 toroidal power transformer, and Focal 826 Chorus loudspeakers. I was a little concerned that, since Sing and Dance is a mono album, the low-output Hana Umami Red MC cart wouldn’t do it justice — but my concerns melted away about 10 seconds into the first track on LP1, Side 1, “Lover.”

With fabulous big-band horns, punchy double bass, and Sinatra’s smooth vocals, I was swept away to 1950. Subtle time shift and phasing fluctuations only added to the charm. It is surprising at how many classic Sinatra standards this album contains. Tracks such as “You Do Something to Me” (LP1, Side 1, Track 5), written by Cole Porter in 1929; “It’s Only a Paper Moon” (LP1, Side 1, Track 2), written by Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg, and Billy Rose in 1933; both the orchestral and vocals-included versions of “American Beauty Rose” (LP2, Side 3, Tracks 3 & 4), written by Hal David, Redd Evans, and Arthur Altman in 1950; and “When You’re Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You)” (LP1, Side 2, Track 2), written by Larry Shay, Mark Fisher, and Joe Goodwin in 1928, all became popular favorites for Sinatra fans.

For comparison, I listened to a later recording of Frank’s from 1960 with The Nelson Riddle Orchestra, Sinatra’s Swingin’ Session!!!, via its 2012 WaxTime reissue (771741). Several tracks are included on both of these albums, specifically the aforementioned “When You’re Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You)” and “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” and “You Do Something to Me,” as well as “It All Depends On You,” written by Ray Henderson, Buddy G. DeSylva, and Lew Brown in 1926; “My Blue Heaven,” written by Walter Donaldson and George A. Whiting in 1927; and “Should I,” written by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed in 1929. Even though both renditions of all these tracks are played with fabulous orchestras, I really like the 1950 versions’ horn sections much better.

In the 1960 Swingin’ versions, Sinatra’s vocals are more relaxed and settled into the jazzy style, with The Nelson Riddle Orchestra providing a bit more of a bouncy vibe. There’s a confidence in the smooth Swingin’ phrasing, but the 1940s-flavored big brass swing on the 1STEP Sing and Dance material really steals the show. Using the master tapes was a genius decision, capturing the full soundstage and lifelike quality to the tracks. The modern reproduction is true to the original, keeping that vintage feel but maintaining as much crisp, clear sound as possible.

Considering what kind of recording equipment was available in 1950, there’s no harshness or distortion in the horns. There is a sweetness to them that is unmistakable. Impex worked diligently to capture that unique sound — and it shows. During that presentation at AXPONA 2024, Granata described challenges they faced capturing the horns on one of his favorite bonus tracks, “Farewell, Farewell to Love” (LP2, Side 3, Track 1), rescued from tapes recorded in 1951 with Harry James on trumpet. Although Sinatra never performed this song live, the diligence Chris Bellman applied ensured the incredibly powerful horn punches through authentically without distortion. It’s more than just a little bit, well, awesome.

The incredible double-bass line featured on the Sing and Dance version of “You Do Something to Me” (LP1, Side 1, Track 5) punches through with such clarity, connecting the spaces between the lyrics. As I was listening to this track, knowing how Sinatra chose music for the emotional connection, I wondered who he was thinking of here, as the vocals were almost soft and hesitant. I also particularly enjoyed the orchestra-only and outtakes portions that appear in the false starts version of that song (LP1, Side 2, Track 3). In short, I’m quite happy the bonus tracks like this one were included here. Hearing Sinatra, unhappy with the flow, come to a full stop and then begin again gives this listener the feeling of being in the recording booth. Including these sections on this 1STEP album reinforce the perfectionism behind Frank Sinatra as a taskmaster producer and George Siravo’s attention to detail in the arrangements.

I’m so grateful to have been given the opportunity to hear this beautiful 1STEP Sing and Dance With Frank Sinatra 2LP set, for it is a small glimpse into the past. For me, the lasting impression is that this album is a vital connection. At the time of their initial recording, a lot of these songs were 20+ years old. However, adding Siravo’s signature style and Sinatra’s interpretations made them all seem new again. As to our ratings for the Impex release, we give the Music a 10 and the Sound an 8.5, given the source material (duly rounded up to a 9 on the visual ratings meter seen near the top of this review).

Sing and Dance With Frank Sinatra gave Frank Sinatra a chance to salvage his career, opening the door for him to explore his up-tempo jazzy vocal style and hit a wider audience. It connects well-written lyrics with beautiful orchestral arrangements and involves the listener with a piece of music history as it happened — and it also served to connect two wonderful people like Abey Fonn and Chuck Granata, who brought those master tapes back to life with modern technology, in turn restoring the music and the story behind it. If you want to hear the fruits of their labors, you owe it to yourself to order the Impex Records 1STEP Sing and Dance With Frank Sinatra collection today, and hear all the magic therein for yourself.

Author Bio: Shanon McKellar began collecting records when she was just a little kid. Music matters in every part of her life. A Canadian-born-and-bred vinyl enthusiast through and through, Shanon has been reviewing analog gear, albums, and reporting on trade shows since 2018.

FRANK SINATRA
SING AND DANCE WITH FRANK SINATRA – 1STEP
180g 45rpm 2LP (Columbia/Impex Records)

LP1 – Side 1
1. Lover
2. It’s Only A Paper Moon
3. My Blue Heaven
4. It All Depends On You
5. You Do Something To Me
6. Should I

LP1 – Side 2
1. The Continental
2. When You’re Smiling
3. You Do Something To Me (Orchestral Backing Track/False Starts/Alternate Vocal Take)
4. It’s Only A Paper Moon (Alternate Take)

LP2 – Side 3
1. Farewell, Farewell To Love (“Barbecue Riffs”)
2. Deep Night
3. American Beauty Rose (Orchestral Backing Track)
4. American Beauty Rose (Vocal Take)
5. Meet Me At The Copa

LP2 – Side 4
1. It All Depends On You (Includes Previously Unreleased Session Material)