Frank Sinatra: The Complete Guide

THE V-DISCS

NOTE: No other singer could touch Sinatra for the sheer amount of V-Discs he recorded and sent out to troops. These 12", 78-RPM records were made of a type of plastic called Formvar, which was chosen for it's durability and high recording quality. These recordings were the only ones that the musician's union allowed him to record during the years 1942-1944 during the session musicians strike, and Sinatra took full advantage, knowing that although the records wouldn't be sold - it would keep him in the public ear, and allow him to hone his craft. The program was run through the Columbia label, and the few remaining V-Discs to be found intact today are considered rare and extremely valuable.

Frank Sinatra The Columbia Years 1943-1952: The V-Discs (July 28, 1998) Columbia/Legacy C2K 66135 [Longbox] 65617 [Reconfigured]

Disc: 1
1. I Only Have Eyes for You
2. Kiss Me Again [#]
3. (There'll Be A) Hot Time in the Town of Berlin
   (When the Yanks Go Marching In)
4. Music Stopped
5. I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night [#]
6. Way You Look Tonight [#]
7. I'll Be Around [#]
8. You've Got a Hold on Me [#]
9. Lovely Way to Spend an Evening [#]
10. (I Got a Woman, Crazy for Me) She's Funny That Way
11. Speak Low [#]
12. Close to You [#]
13. My Shining Hour [#]
14. Long Ago (And Far Away) [#]
15. Some Other Time [#]
16. Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are [#]
17. Put Your Dreams Away (For Another Day)

18. And Then You Kissed Me [#]
19. All the Things You Are
20. All of Me [#]
21. Nancy (With the Laughing Face)
22. Mighty Lak' a Rose
23. Falling in Love With Love
24. Cradle Song [Version 1]
25. I'll Follow My Secret Heart [#]
26. There's No You
27. Someone to Watch over Me

Disc: 2
    1. Let Me Love You Tonight [#]
2. Just Close Your Eyes [#]
3. If You Are But a Dream [#]
4. Strange Music [#]
5. Cradle Song [Version 2]
6. Dick Haymes, Dick Todd and Como [#]
7. None But the Lonely Heart
8. Ol' Man River
9. Homesick, That's All
10. Night Is Young and You're So Beautiful
11. Aren't You Glad You're You [#]
12. You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me [#]
13. I'll Never Smile Again
14. Without a Song
15. Was the Last Time I Saw You (The Last Time) [#]
16. Don't Forget Tonight Tomorrow [#]
17. Oh! What It Seemed to Be
18. Over the Rainbow
19. Where Is My Bess?
20. My Romance
21. Song Is You
22. I Fall in Love With You Every Day
23. They Say It's Wonderful
24. You Are Too Beautiful
25. Come Rain or Come Shine [#]
26. Stormy Weather

REVIEW: Columbia/Legacy's box set of Sinatra's V-Discs is a fine retrospective look at these pivotal recordings that Frank made beginning in 1943. And while it's missing several sides, it can surely sate the appetites of most listeners, not only for its fine selection, but also for the wonderful documentation accompanying it. The 51-page booklet is a treasure in itself of information, photographs, and track analysis, making easy reading for those who are unfamiliar with the music, or its importance to Sinatra's legacy. The sound, while primitive even compared to other recordings of the era, is listenable, and remarkably improved over other bootleg sources which came before. The music itself is classic: "I Only Have Eyes For You," "The Way You Look Tonight," "A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening," "All Of Me" and "Someone To Watch Over Me," - these were the songs that the men in the battlefield listened to and thought of home. Sinatra may have missed out on service, but these records provided immeasurable comfort and hope to thousands of troops around the world who were fighting the Nazis during World War II. And only completists will complain about the generosity of tracks here, with over 50 spread out over two discs. For those who want the cream of the crop, with plenty of documentation in the fat booklet, this should be the first choice between the two sets. That being said, however...

Frank Sinatra: The Real Complete Columbia Years V-Discs (November 25, 2003) The Jazz Factory JFCD 22855

DISC 1:
1. I Only Have Eyes For You
2. Kiss Me Again
3. Hot Time In The Town Of Berlin
4. Music Stopped, The
5. I Couldn't Sleep A Wink Last Night
6. Way You Look Tonight, The
7. I'll Be Around
8. You've Got A Hold On Me
9. Lovely Way To Spend An Evening, A
10. She's Funny That Way
11. Speak Low
12. Close To You
13. My Shining Hour
14. Long Ago And Far Away
15. Some Other Time
16. Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are
17. Put Your Dreams Away
18. And Then You Kissed Me
19. All The Things You Are
20. All Of Me
21. Nancy
22. Mighty Lak' A Rose
23. Falling In Love With Love
24. Cradle Song
25. I'll Follow My Secret Heart

DISC 2:
1. Someone To Watch Over Me
2. There's No You
3. Let Me Love You Tonight
4. Just Close Your Eyes
5. If You Are But A Dream
6. Saturday Night
7. I Begged Her
8. What Makes The Sunset?
9. Charm Of You, The
10. When Your Lover Has Gone
11. None But The Lonely Heart
12. Ol' Man River
13. Over The Rainbow
14. You'll Never Walk Alone
15. Stars In Your Eyes
16. My Shawl
17. Someone To Watch Over Me
18. You Go To My Head
19. These Foolish Things
20. I Don't Know Why
21. Homesick
22. That's All
23. Night Is Young And You're So Beautiful, The
24. Aren't You Glad You're You
25. You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me

DISC 3:
1. I'll Never Smile Again
2. Without A Song
3. Oh! What It Seemed To Be
4. Old School Teacher
5. White Christmas
6. My Romance
7. Song Is You, The
8. Should I (Reveal)
9. Where Is My Bess?
10. Soliloquy
11. I Fall In Love With You Ev'ry Day
12. They Say It's Wonderful
13. You Are Too Beautiful
14. Come Rain Or Come Shine
15. One For My Baby
16. Stormy Weather
17. Sunflower
18. If You Are But A Dream
19. Strange Music
20. Cradle Song
21. Dick Haymes, Dick Todd And Como
22. Don't Forget Tonight Tomorrow
23. Was The Last Time I Saw You

REVIEW: If you're a completist, then you'll have to ditch the other box in favor of this one, which packs in twenty more songs than the above title, at the expense of Columbia/Legacy's fine booklet. The booklet that accompanies this three-disc set is a fairly worthless affair, with much extemporaneous facts of Sinatra's life, several block quotes thrown in that have nothing to do with the V-Discs themselves, and little in the way of pictures or session notes. BUT this does have what may be the most thorough canvassing of the V-Discs to date, although, to be fair, four of the songs are not true V-Disc recordings, but transcription discs pressed for the Armed Forces Radio Service. Still, a nice addition. The sound is comparable to the Columbia discs above, and the packaging, in a crystal-clear case is pretty classy-looking too - so it just depends on how much of a good thing you want - completeness, or documentation. Or, if you're a nut like me, why compromise? I have both! Several of the tracks here you can find in alternate versions on the Columbia Years box set, but the historical context and sheer beauty of this music make it essential listening for Sinatra fans. (Decisions, decisions!)