Frank Sinatra – This Is Sinatra Volume Two

The titles in this page are all messed up, eh?

If you were to buy this on the heels of “This Is Sinatra!” without looking into it too much, you’d be forgiven if you thought it was going to be another singles collection like volume one. In actuality, “This Is Sinatra Volume Two” is another one of Frank’s odds-and-ends records, with some singles and assorted other material that didn’t see release in another way at the time. In fact, it might be the best of those albums, with a very solid lineup of tunes and arrangements. Some of the material seems to have been from an aborted concept album with Nelson Riddle, and it’s really damn good (“If You Are But A Dream,” “It’s The Same Old Dream,” etc.). There’s great singles, too, like “Hey! Jealous Lover,” “(How Little It Matters) How Little We Know,” and the more obscure “Crazy Love.” On the lesser side, “Wait For Me” is the weakest link, but it’s listenable, and “So Long, My Love” would be more than OK if not for an egregious recording error on the original master (Frank must have been in one of his moods that day and refused to re-record it). All in all, a very solid collection.