Track Listing

1. Night and Day
2. I Wish I Were in Love Again
3. I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'
4. I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plans
5. Nice Work If You Can Get It
6. Stars Fell on Alabama
7. No One Ever Tells You
8. I Won't Dance
9. Lonesome Road
10. At Long Last Love
11. You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To
12. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
13. From This Moment On
14. If I Had You
15. Oh! Look at Me Now
16. Lady Is a Tramp [*]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15382 in Music
• Released on: 1998-09-08
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.com essential recording
A Swingin' Affair! is as perfect as records get. Sinatra sounds near to bursting with self-assurance on this 1957 release; even on the laments "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plans" and "No One Ever Tells You," this is a Frank who's at the top of his game and isn't shy about letting you know he knows it. Nelson Riddle's upbeat arrangements are among his smoothest, and the varied program (which also includes "Night and Day," the wiseacre "I Wish I Were in Love Again," and "I Won't Dance") makes for one of the best-conceived Sinatra concept discs. The CD also includes "The Lady Is a Tramp," cut during the same sessions, as a bonus track. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews

Sinatra/Riddle at their best
This is one of the very best, one of those Ur-Sinatra masterpieces, in Gary Giddins' phrase. Every bit as good as Songs For Swingin' Lovers and even more exuberant, from the flag-waiving "Night and Day" to an almost delirious "Oh! Look At Me Now." There's a bonus track stuck on the end, "The Lady Is A Tramp," more appropriate than usual in that it was recorded during the Swingin' Affair sessions but was left off the album at the last minute for inclusion in the soundtrack to Pal Joey. It's nice to hear it, but you may want to make a tape with "Tramp" somewhere in the middle because "Oh! Look At Me Now" is the perfect ending to an album so well programed it seems almost like a suite. The few ballads on this album don't dampen the celebratory atmosphere one whit; in each case they build and build in loudness and swing as they gon on, as if Sinatra just can't contain himself. Even "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" does this, though it goes quiet again at the end. Make no mistake, the word "swingin'" is in the title for a very good reason.

I think Nelson Riddle's arranements reached a peak of color, taste, and cleverness here. He had perfected and seemed to revel in his patented subtle fade-in ---- listen to the beginnings of "Lonesome Road," "From This Moment On," "You'd Be So Nice to come Home To," and "Oh! Look At Me Now" to see what I mean. If you want to see how good Riddle was, compare this album to almost any other Sinatra Capitol record arranged by Billy May or Gordon Jenkins. You'll miss Riddle.

Finally, so many of the Sinatra/Riddle Capitols of this period were not only astonishingly high quality in song selection, sequencing, arranging, and execution, but were amazingly generous in sheer number of songs. Fifteen on Affair as well as Swingin' Lovers, SIXTEEN on the all-ballad In the Wee Small Hours. Back then, the average for most LP's was ten or eleven songs, twelve tops. Also, the new 20-bit remastered edition recently released---it's supposed to be a sonic mess. Get the older CD or a vinyl import.

Frank Swings!
Five stars isn't sufficient for an album that contains "Stars Fell on Alabama," "I Won't Dance" and "I Wish I Were in Love Again," thre of the great vocal tracks ever sung by Sinatra. Many consider this album one of Sinatra's greatest up-tempo albums and Nelson Riddle's arrangements are nothing short of electric. This is an album where you can put it on, hit play and never fast forward, all the songs are eminently Sinatraesque and every single arrangement has a touch of genius.

Frank's phrasing is (as always at this stage of his career) letter perfect. Listen to "At Long Last Love..." never a particular hit, Frank rarely sang it live, but who cares? It's immortalized here, forever.

If you love Sinatra, you will already have had this on vinyl and cassette (maybe even eight track). If you're new to Frank, don't hesitate one moment: grab it and listen to it for the rest of your life.

AN ABSOLUTE MUST-HAVE!
Where to begin. Many people put Swingin' Lovers ahead of this as his best, but I don't this because the songs are more varied in tempo and emotion. Nelson Riddle's arrangements are also in top form on this release. Another reason I love this album is it's superior song selection. Every song is a classic standard from the best writers (i.e. Porter, Rodgers/Hart, Gershwin, etc.) They are (rated from 1-10, 10 being the best:

1. Night and Day- exuberant and powerful. evrything an opener should be. **10**

2. I Wish I Were in Love Again- a lite swinger, the best on the disc. Best lyrics I've ever heard. **10**

3. I Got Plenty of Nothin'- solid. **10**

4. I Guess I'll Have to Change...- Another great lyric (too bad he didn't do the verse). Really picks up at the end. **10**

5. Nice Work...- The Basie version can't compare. Great song to play on piano, by the way. **10**

6. Stars Fell on Alabama- Listen for Sinatra's lyrical embellishments toward the end. Starts at an almost ballad tempo. **10**

7. No One Ever Tells You- EXTREMELY underrated blues number. **10**

8. I Won't Dance- a Sinatra classic. **10*

9. Lonesome Road- the album's low point. Too gospel-ish for FS. One to skip. **7.5**

10. At Long Last Love- Luckily the low point doesn't last. Another amazing song. **10**

11. I Got It Bad...- Starts off as ballad, but picks up. **9**

12. You'd Be So Nice...- Not the greatest arrangement on the disc, but works just fine. Another Porter lyrical masterpiece. **10**

13. From This Moment On- Really strong finish to this song. **10**

14. If I Had You- Not my favorite songever written, but by this team, they can't really go wrong. **9.5**

15. Oh! Look at Me Now- Great closing song. Suave, clever lyrics, and Riddle's backing beats the Dorsey version by a mile. **10**

16. Lady Is A Tramp- Quality bonus track, but tepid compared to later version on 'the Sands' album. **9.5**

There you have it. Waste no time in making your purchase.