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FRANK SINATRA - Fly Me To The Moon (1966)
This - and so much other goodness - has just been released on video as part of a seven-DVD set sure to land under many a Sinatraphile’s Christmas tree, solving the head-scratching problem of how to enjoy Frank Sinatra’s numerous ’60s T.V. specials in an era of YouTube watchdogs. By the time you press play on this clip it’ll likely be pulled down. It happens a lot with Frank’s stuff.
“Fly Me To The Moon” first dropped into the Sinatra camp in 1964, recorded for It Might As Well Be Swing, his second album with Count Basie. Subsequent versions - such as this one here, done with Nelson Riddle - have led most people to imagine the song as a bright, snappy swing number, but the Basie version was a little more restrained and subtle. In other words…Frank knew when the cameras were rolling.
So, what we’re looking at is the opening performance of 1966’s A Man And His Music, Part II, one of about six annual-ish specials shot for broadcast television. Frank usually set a mix of recent LP and singles material against a few career highlights, topping up with a couple of curiosities from whomever he had on as guest stars. In this case it’s delightful daughter Nancy, mere months removed from her first #1 single, which means I already know of one friend bound to be asking for a private viewing of her five-song contribution to the cause.
Frank’s on pretty damn good form here, which means rippling excitement and stentorian authority at every turn. Now 50 years old, his voice had weathered and deepened from the velvet purity of his Columbia years and the expert suppleness of his Capitol peak. In the ’60s he frequently worked with flashier arrangements that allowed him shorter notes and snappier phrasing, which to my ears sounds both easier to manage and a little less divine, but it sure makes for scintillating television. ”Fly Me To The Moon” was a Sinatra hit of recent vintage, so without an older template to compare it to the perceived loss of technical skill is moot. This is all stabs of bright colour and pulse-quickening pop from the Mad Men era, rendered by the greatest entertainer of his time at his most engaging. The final chorus really is pretty fab, daddy-o.
In other words…if you don’t like this, you probably won’t like Frank.
