There are two way to collect every single one of Sinatra's Capitol Years albums (and yes, you will need every single one) - one is to take out a second mortgage on your home and purchase this 17-disc box, taking a year or two off work to soak yourself in each note; or you may slowly inch your way one by one through the albums the way I did.  I always find it's easier to take little bites when it comes to my wallet.  But if you've saved up your pennies and dimes, or are independently wealthy, then this handsome box is for you.  Although be warned - there are sonic differences between what you'll find here and what's on the remastered individual discs.  Bob Norberg apparently went back and tried to tweak the sound so that it matched the masters a little closer than what was on the 20-bit remastered single discs, some discreet noise reduction was applied, which helps the overall hiss, and brings out the soft colors of the ballads - making the more intimate and close than ever, but dampens some of the brassy sparkle on other discs.  But unless you're a true stereo-phile, most listeners will not notice, and overall the discs sound just fine, thank you.  It's the music you're going to want, from the deep, desperate loneliness of Only The Lonely to the brash, teeth-gnashing brilliance of Come Dance With Me.  Sinatra became who he always knew he could be during these years, and he astounded everyone with the originality of his art, the depth of his talent, and the purity of his vision on each disc.  I'm not going to review the box disc by disc since each album can currently be bought separately, [there are no additional bonus tracks on the box set] but just know that this is Sinatra at his best - and that means the very best indeed.  The Capitol Years begin with...

Sinatra got it right on the very first couple of albums.  Intrigued by the new LP design, which allowed for longer playing times and greater fidelity, Sinatra set out to create an album devoted to a theme - a whole concert as it were, with the persona of an older, wiser man commenting on young love.  He chose standards that he knew and was intimately familiar with, and took the bold move of switching from his long-time friend and arranger Alex Stordahl to try out a new fella: Nelson Riddle.  Riddle brought a whole new commentary with his arrangements that was completely elastic and sympathetic to Sinatra's sensibilities.  They immediately clicked, and Songs For Young Lovers sounded young and fresh, with Riddle, who for Young Lovers was stuck conducting George Sorvino's arrangements, still managed to infuse them with his sympathetic personality, and allowed Frank to play with each lyric, such as when he repeats the word "shining, shining, shining" in "A Foggy Day," and how he winds down "I Get A Kick Out Of You" with an improvised "ooh-ing" that departs from the melody.  This is a much looser Sinatra than any previous incarnation.  This sounds nothing like the Sinatra who just recently had to prostrate himself on "Mama Will Bark" for Columbia.  He even makes a goofy song like "Jeepers Creepers" jump and crackle with a sustained sense of fun; it has a knowing wink in the vocal that says "come play with me."  Sinatra really learns to swing here, and it points the way towards harder, brassier things to come, and more tender, also.  The two 10" LP's were combined onto one CD, and it makes for a compelling listen, with the soft musings of Songs For Young Lovers giving way to brigher declatory statements of Swing Easy.  The two aspects of the rich vein that Sinatra would continue to mine through his entire stay at Capitol.

In The Wee Small Hours (March 5, 1954; May 26, 1998) Capitol CDP 596826 [CD] 

Sinatra continues with the remarkable mood-setting In The Wee Small Hours, which, as the title implies, is meant to convey the musings of a man who is kept awake during the night with only his regrets to keep him warm.  This was Sinatra's first 12" LP in America, recorded in three sessions, and it sustains its gloriously blue mood throughout, with my favorite tracks being the irony-laden "Glad To Be Unhappy," the self-delusional "I Get Along Without You Very Well," the tumbling waterfall-like arrangements of "I See Your Face Before Me;" the bleakness of "When Your Lover Has Gone," and Rodgers and Hart's "It Never Entered My Mind."  But the whole album is a lush, perfectly-realized piece of art.  Nelson Riddle's arrangements are consistantly surprising and dramatic - perfectly echoing the sentiments of the lyrics and allowing Sinatra to breathe within the construct of the song structure so that he can bend and shape the lyrics as he feels.  Recorded near Sinatra's 40th birthday, he sounds a little worn, and tired - but not in a bad way, it's all about how the songs should be sung: he sings with perfect control and vitality, but Sinatra acts the songs with the world-weariness they call for.    Pick this album up when you're feeling like you want to be alone for a while.  Then, to shake yourself out of it, put it away and pick up the next platter:

Songs For Swingin' Lovers!  (October 17, 1955)  Capitol CDP 596226 [CD]

Songs for Swingin' Lovers! is a fantastic album, with songs so well known, with readings so fresh and playful that even though covers of these songs number in the hundreds, it's Frank's interpretations of them that are considered the standards.  Beginning with the slow swing of "You Make Me Feel So Young" where Sinatra's really bounces, and Riddle's alternately cool and hot arrangement of "It Happened In Monterey" really propels it along while Sinatra slips in and out of the rhythm without ever missing a beat, and he sounds effervescent and charming on "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me" while the arrangement utilizes flutes, muted trumpets and marimba to create a cool, light atmosphere.  The lazy sway of saxaphones dictates the style of "You've Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me," which continues on the boppin' "Too Marvelous For Words" where Sinatra bends the notes to create a more intimate phrase before swinging it into overdrive during the repeated ending.  Listen how he punches "HOT to handle" on "Old Devil Moon" and you'll see how he transforms a song by his interpretive gifts.  Or listen to the deft touch that Riddle's arrangements bring to "Pennies From Heaven" which, although utilizing a 30-piece orchestra, never sounds overdone or overpowering - just light and free and completely serving the singer.  Sinatra has completely reinvented himself here - with Stordahl he could sing sweetly, but he could never swing; now with Riddle he has the whole package, and it fits Sinatra as well as a tailor-made suit.

Come Fly With Me (September 8, 1998 c.1957) Capitol CDP 96087 [CD] 

Sinatra left Riddle for a session or two to enlist Billy May to orchestrate one of Sinatra's best albums of the Capitol years, the irrepressible Come Fly With Me.  Themed as a whirlwind tour of hot spots for couples, this jet-set LP is fueled with a sense of fun that makes the listener want to do their own world tour. From the jaunty swing of the title track, to the deep blue of "London By Night;" from the kinetic buzz of "Isle Of Capri" to the exotic rhythms of "Brazil;"  from the the carefree sentiment of "Let's Get Away From It All" to the sweet simpleness of "Moonlight In Vermont," Sinatra and May set an intinerary for success that never becomes stale or overwrought.  Billy May's style is brassier than Riddle's, and carries less finesse, but May knows how to write smooth, punchy charts, and he never overpowers Sinatra, who seems eager to match Billy burst for burst and croon for croon.  So powerful was Sinatra's influence by now that this album hit number one in 1958, and it has remained as potent an album now, nearly fifty years after its initial release, as it was at the advent of rock 'n' roll.  Come Fly With Me could easily be recommended as the first purchase for those newly discovering Sinatra.