EMI SINATRA 20 - FRANK SINATRA - THE CAPITOL YEARS -

$

450

FRANK SINATRA

THE CAPITOL YEARS

20 RECORD SET

CAPITOL/EMI

SINATRA 20

MONO & STEREO

Beautiful and Hard To Find UK Import 20-Record Box Set with Colour Booklet. EMI English Pressing. Although these re-mastered reissues in high-quality sound were released some time ago, this set is BRAND-NEW, UNPLAYED and STILL SEALED.

(NOTES: The pictures shown on this listing are of the seller's own play copy, not the item being auctioned. The winner will receive an identical 20-record set that is NEW and STILL SEALED.

The photos displayed are merely a random sample of the cover art. There are 20 different jacket designs  in the set, all of which are facsimiles of the original artwork for the albums with a high-gloss finish. Even the record labels are facsimiles of the original Capitol black-and-white design with rainbow borders.)

The 20 albums in chronological order include the following titles:

1. Songs For Young Lovers (1954)
2. Swing Easy! (1954)
3. In The Wee Small Hours (1955 - first concept album)
4. Songs For Swingin' Lovers (1956)
5. This Is Sinatra! (1956)
6. Close To You And More (1957 - concept album)
7. A Swingin' Affair! (1957)
8. Where Are You? (1957 - concept album)
9. Come Fly With Me (1958)
10. This Is Sinatra Volume Two (1958)
11. Frank Sinatra Sings For Only The Lonely (1958 - concept album)
12. Come Dance With Me (1959)
13. Look To Your Heart (1959 - concept album)
14. No One Cares (1959 - concept album)
15. Nice 'n' Easy (1960)
16. Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!! (1961)
17. All The Way (1961 - concept album)
18. Come Swing With Me (1961)
19. Point Of No Return (1962 - concept album)
20. Sinatra Sings Of Love And Things (1962)

Sinatra fans rejoice! Here's the most sought after set by collectors of the singer's best period. If evidence is required to substantiate the claim that Frank Sinatra was the finest male singer of the twentieth century, this fabulous 20-record box set of THE CAPITOL YEARS should settle the case. For the countless fans to whom Sinatra spoke so eloquently and for those who are just now discovering him, he was confidante, drinking buddy, philosopher, therapist and more, as both his voice and his interpretive artistry reached their full measure during his mid-1950s-to-early 1960s tenure at Capitol Records.

It's difficult to believe that the man voicing the elan of "I've Got the World on a String" is the same harried soul who takes himself to task in the haunting welcome-to-my-misery ballad "I'm a Fool to Want You". Nevertheless, both the sensual intimations of "Embraceable You" and the sassy invitation of "Come Dance with Me" are equally powerful, not least on account of the growing simpatico nature of the jazzy charts, courtesy of giants such as Nelson Riddle and Billy May, or the classically inspired arrangements of Gordon Jenkins and the lush orchestrations of Axel Stordahl -- all brilliant arranger/conductors.

Sinatra was unique. In effect, his tenure at Capitol -- not to mention the credibility he gained as an actor for his Oscar-winning supporting role as Maggio in From Here To Eternity -- proved to be the redemption of a career that many fans dismissed out of hand in the postwar years.  The singer virtually recreated himself -- and he came out swinging! Over the course of a decade, he would record twenty top-selling LPs for Capitol -- alternating between sexy, uptempo, big-band-style dance affairs and brooding concept albums with reflections on romantic despair and sexual betrayal -- and he would also become one of the most consistently popular Top Forty singles artists of the 1950s. It was one of the richest growth periods that any singer has managed -- seconded only by the first lady of song, Ella Fitzgerald -- and THE CAPITOL YEARS pays tribute to it, a splendid box set of all the albums beautifully re-mastered by EMI from the original session tapes. At its best, this set stands as the definitive summary, not only of Sinatra's most revealing performances but also a smart compendium of the best songwriting of the last century, by enduring composers and lyricists such as Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, George and Ira Gershwin. It's a remarkably rich repertoire, and it's sung with gr-reat style.

The music is phenomenal and the sound reproduction is superb, even the few early albums that were recorded before the advent of stereo have a very rich and clear sound-frame. The power of all these marvellous recordings resonate down through the years and will live with you, not only defining music but culture as well. Here is a man who lived the rags to riches story -- not once but twice, first as the skinny kid crooner from Hoboken that made bobbysoxers swoon, later as the heavyweight-singer of the world for a more adult audience attuned to his sparkle and vulnerability -- who had everything but inner happiness, who reached the emotional heights to which we aspire and the depths of despair. The emotional story of the twentieth century is here in song form. To hear a tune like "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You" is not just to listen but truly share the experience of the artist.

Sinatra summed it up best himself in an interview late in life; it's a rare insight that may be his own best defense: "Having lived a life of violent emotional contradictions, I have an overacute capacity for sadness as well as elation....Whatever else has been said about me is unimportant. When I sing, I believe."

While the singer may be gone, his best performances live on. If you really want the definitive discography of Sinatra on Capitol, then by all means this big box set is an absolute must! Don't let this rarity slip by.

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The weight of the set -- it requires two hands to heft -- precludes combining it with any other item or items won at auction within a seven-day period. In other words, this set will be shipped to the winner separately. The set will be double-boxed and cushioned with foam peanuts. The total weight of the package will be about 14 lbs. For a domestic winner, you will have the option of Media Mail or Priority Mail. For a winner abroad, First Class Mail International is not an option. The package will be shipped via USPS Priority Mail International. As with all my offerings, insurance is optional. The winner will receive an invoice shortly after the sale is concluded. Please wait for it before going to PayPal, which is the only method of payment I accept.

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More items coming week after week. Meanwhile take a look at my Other Items For Sale currently being offered. Treasures abound.

Good luck bidding!