Track Listing

1. Falling in Love with Love
2. Curse of an Aching Heart
3. Don't Cry Joe (Let Her Go, Let Her Go, Let Her Go)
4. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
5. Love Walked In
6. Granada
7. I Never Knew
8. Don't Be That Way
9. Moonlight on the Ganges
10. It's a Wonderful World
11. Have You Met Miss Jones?
12. You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #112800 in Music
• Released on: 1990-10-25
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

this is why we gave this man a spotlight
Swing Along With Me has some incredible numbers sung by The Chairman Of The Board, Mr. Frank Sinatra. Frank's voice is in excellent form--as always--and this CD gives his fans something to be happy about! The quality of the sound is excellent and the artwork is very nicely done.

"Falling In Love With Love" is a number Marlene Dietrich often sang but when Frank Sinatra sings it he really swings brightly to make this number take off like a jet! The brass section is wonderful and the music accompanies him to perfection! I really like "Falling In Love With Love" and I think that you will, too. "The Curse Of An Aching Heart" also gets the royal treatment from Frank as he performs this with panache--and how's about that musical interlude? The big band style arrangement still sounds great all these years later; and Sinatra fans will love hearing this very well done tune.

"Don't Cry Joe" has Frank singing his very best; his uncanny sense of timing and his excellent diction enhance his performance; and listen also for a sublime rendition of "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone." I always loved "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone;" this tune is truly timeless and Frank sings it out like the champ he always was! The brass and the percussion work wonders for "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone," too. In addition, "Love Walked In" is a cover of an older song that sounds so fresh and new when Frank Sinatra sings it--wow, how he could sing a song! This song and the others on this album truly prove just how well Frank could take a song and massage the lyrics to get just what he wanted out of the number; and that's very impressive. Few artists are ever able to accomplish this goal.

"I Never Knew" again features Frank squarely front and center-and that's OK with me! The brassy arrangement works well and Frank never sings a superfluous note. "Moonlight On The Ganges" is another well done number; and Frank gives us a wonderful interpretation of "It's A Wonderful World." "It's A Wonderful World" is a relentlessly upbeat ballad with a splashy musical arrangement that works well; and the album ends with Frank Sinatra performing "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You." "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You" is a number I first heard when Dean Martin sang it; and Frank's rendition shines just as brightly. "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You" makes a strong ending for this CD and it leaves you wanting more!

Overall, Frank Sinatra fans will consider this a must-have for their collections; and this album is also wonderful for people who enjoy classic pop vocals. Newcomers to Frank Sinatra should also consider this as a fine starter CD to whet their appetites for more.

Don't Miss This One!
I was led to believe for all these years that "Swing Along With Me" was one of Sinatra's lesser efforts. No way! A couple of the song selections are questionable ("Curse of an Aching Heart," "Don't Cry Joe," "Moonlight on the Ganges") and the occasional introduction of strings is awkward (especially the attempt to make "Granada" both operatic aria and jazz swinger). But this is minor carping about another masterpiece from the Master Storyteller.

Rank this above "I Remember Tommy" or "Ring-a-Ding Ding" and right up there with "Songs for Swinging Lovers." That Benny Goodman swing staple, "Don't Be That Way," is sung in a manner that reminds us exactly of where Sinatra draws his inspiration from--the straightahead 4/4 meter of the best the big band era had to offer.

And none of these "swing" tempos is the same. "I Never Knew" (one of Sonny Stitt's favorite tunes) is taken way up tempo, whereas "It's a Wonderful World" (not Satchmo's "What a Wonderful World" but the old standard Peggy Lee and Zoot Sims used to do) is right in the pocket, instantly locating that elusive middle groove.

Sinatra consistently "locks in" the time but not until he's taken sufficient liberties with it to make realignment a rewarding experience. And dig his command of register--his rich but so natural, so "realistic" and "present" baritone knocks off G above middle C at the end of "Granada" with effortless but dramatic effect. Finally, of all the versions of Gershwin's "Love Walked In," this must be the definitive one--not too fast, not too slow. He gets it just right--love walking on a steady walking bass.

The CD doesn't list personnel, but besides May I hope the bass player and drummer (catch his fills on "Curse") got some share of the royalties.

One of the best Reprise offerings...
From the opening of "Falling in Love with Love," SWING ALONG WITH ME is a keeper. I don't know who plays the bass, but they're incredible - these big, fat swaggering notes dominate most of the tracks on the album.

The whole thing is spectacular - strings, saxophones, and above all, Billy May - aside from two novelty numbers that would've been more at home on "Come Fly With Me;" "Granada" and "Moonlight on the Ganges." The former is just the typical hokey Sinatra ode to a city and the Spanish-style sounds of the orchestra make it hard not to laugh, though the brass section is to be commended. The latter, however, is one of the worst Sinatra numbers I've ever heard as he sings it to "my little Hindu" and some verses are often embellished with a Chinese(?) flair on the vibraphone (dinky-dinky-ding-dong-dong-dong-chow!) and a huge gong crash - maybe they meant to call it "Moonlight on the Yangtze." The sheer badness makes it simultaneously the worst and best song ever - much like "Ol' MacDonald" from SWINGIN' SESSION.

As I said, one of the best Reprise titles, laregly due to its similarity to the Capitol material (thanks again to Billy May, though not as strong as COME DANCE WITH ME). Once you hear this album, however, you need to own it.