Swing

Frank Sinatra Sydney Concert 1961 – 2 December – Australia

By |2017-06-10T00:19:37+03:00October 23rd, 2011|Categories: Articles|Tags: , , , , , |

There are hundreds of concerts of Frank Sinatra, but some of them are very special. This might be because one particular concert was on a historic date, or very important people attended it, or it was at a very important place, OR it was so good. This 1961 Frank Sinatra Sydney concert is a special one, because in many ways it is awesome, magnificent, and brilliant. And what’s more? We have the video of it.

Frank Sinatra Sydney Concert 1961

Sinatra comes to stage while the orchestra is playing the music of Ring a Ding Ding and the show starts. He is totally in the mood for singing the songs in this concert, and the way he sings makes some of the songs much better than their studio versions. You can feel the swing and his energy while watching it.

When I wrote this post, there were many available videos of this concert on Youtube, but allmost all of them are taken down now. I specifically want to mention the performance of  “I’ll Be Seeing You” because in my opinion, this is the best version ever. Some might find the tempo fast though. Sinatra performed this song only few times live, so it is a treasure. Below is Frank Sinatra’s “Without A Song” performance.

Here is the songs list of the concert.

I’ve Got the World on A String
I Concentrate on You
Night and Day
Moonlight in Vermont
In the Still of the Night
I’ll Be Seeing You
Day In, Day Out
The Moon Was Yellow
You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You
Monologue
Come Fly with Me
April in Paris
A Foggy Day
Without A Song
Imagination
The Second Time Around
Young at Heart
Witchcraft
Embraceble You
The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else
My Funny Valentine
My Blue Heaven
One for My Baby
The Lady is A Tramp

Following images are of Frank Sinatra Sydney Concert program, and concert tickets.

Frank Sinatra Sydney Concert 1961 Ticket

 

Frank Sinatra Sydney Concert 1961 Inside

Frank Sinatra Sydney Concert 1961 Inside

 

Frank Sinatra Sydney Concert 1961

Frank Sinatra Sydney Concert 1961

 

It is a real real shame that this Frank Sinatra Sydney Concert is not officially available in a better quality. We have too many average concerts which are officially released, but this super concert can only be watched on YouTube thanks to uploaders. In fact, if I had not uploaded all the songs, you would miss some songs as not all of them were available before. Who knows how many concerts there are as good as this Sydney one without our knowledge.

Fly Me To The Moon

By |2017-06-10T00:19:39+03:00June 3rd, 2011|Categories: Songs|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

There are many singers that recorded Fly Me To The Moon before Frank Sinatra, but it was Frank Sinatra who made the song famous, and even, a classic. Fly Me To The Moon was written by Bart Howard in 1954, and Frank Sinatra included it in his album “It Might As Well Be Swing” in the year 1964 with Quincy Jones’ arrangement. Fly Me To The Moon was performed by Sinatra great many times in his concerts and on TV, so we really have many options when choosing which version to listen to. I would never hesitate to include this song in my “Top 5” list, because it is really one of the best songs of all times. A perfect swing song, and always a pleasure to hear. Fly Me To The Moon was also included in the album Duets II, with Antonio Carlos Jobim.

fly me to the moon frank sinatra

An interesting fact is that Fly Me To The Moon was played on the Moon and also in the space during Apollo 11 and Apollo 10’s missions.

The following performance of Fly Me To The Moon is from 1985 Japan concert of Frank Sinatra. I believe this to be the best version of the song, because despite his age, Sinatra looks and sounds wonderful. He is full of life and just in the right swing mood for the song. I should also mention the amazing tenor saxophone solo that makes the song even better.

Finally, before moving to “What did Sinatra say about this song?” section, I would like to include Andy Williams and Peggy Lee’s short duet of Fly Me To The Moon. If it were longer, it would probably become boring but this way it is worth listening. They only sing:

Fly me to the moon, and let me play among the stars
And let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars
In other words, hold my hand
In other words, darling kiss me

What Did Sinatra Say About Fly Me To The Moon?

Though Frank Sinatra sang this song many times, he usually made no comments before singing Fly Me To The Moon. Here are two notable comments of Sinatra.

Frank Sinatra: This next song I’ve been singing for quite a few years, and during the time of one of our space shots, like all of us in country I was watching the television report, and in the middle of the reporting, and there were pictures coming through I heard myself singing this song from up there. And I want to tell you it was a great thrill, it really was. I’ve been in some altitudes but never that high, never that high. It was really a great honor to have them choose this song. (1973 White House Concert)

Frank Sinatra: Earlier this year ladies and gentleman I had one of the greatest thrills of my life. I watched three men fly to the moon. And imagine their surprise when they found out that I was there two nights ahead of them. And so to all the gallant and bereaves, man, the astronauts who made this mission impossible, possible, I respectfully dedicate the following. (xx-xx-19xx)

 

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