Rating: 
Summary: The Man and His Music
Review: Friedwald has written the best book to date on the musical artistry of Frank Sinatra, the greatest interpreter of the American popular song to ever step up to the mike. This book
takes you behind the scenes, giving you the stories of how
the music was made; the songs, the arrangers, the musicians,
and, of course, the Man himself. It's refreshing to read
a volume on Mr. Sinatra that rises about the sleaze, accusations,
and innuendo. After all, whatever one thinks of his personal
life, the greatness of Frank Sinatra comes from his music. In
that arena, he will forever be the Champ.
Ring-a-Ding!
David Montgomery
Webmaster of Jilly's West, The Web's Premiere Sinatra Site
http://members.aol.com/jillywest
Rating: 
Summary: Shows Sinatra was the king of more than just style
Review: Friedwald provides an excellent overview of Sinatra's career, and does a good job of explaining the role Sinatra played in shaping American popular music. The great strength of the book is that he takes Sinatra's music seriously--praising the good stuff and criticizing the bad. This intelligent, entertaining book is also a great tool for choosing which Sinatra albums belong in your collection--although, as Friedwald writes, you may eventually want them all anyway.
Rating:
Summary: Essential reading for Sinatra fans.
Review: How many wives did Sinatra have? How many people did he punch? Was he a member of the Mafia? These, and the stupid questions about Marilyn, the Kennedys, and Sinatra's toupee, won't be answered in this book. Here we have what really matters: the music. The song was Sinatra, indeed. In these fascinating pages, we learn that Sinatra was a committed, respected artist, a man who would rather hang out with musicians than presidents, sex queens, and mobsters. The best feature of this book? Will Friedwald's writing style, which is often humorous, never heavy, and always informative. Every great artist needs a great critic, and Sinatra has his in Friedwald. For one thing, the author went to stunning lengths to obtain interviews with the people who worked by Sinatra's side. I often feel like I'm in the studio with them. We learn about Sinatra's fabulous arrangers-- the angelic Stordahl, the unassuming Riddle, the clowning May. We learn about Sinatra's formative years with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey (unfortunately, the chapter on the Dorsey years seems to be a reprint of Friedwald's essay in the RCA box set of the same name). Friedwald understands what made Sinatra great, but pulls no punches when it comes to dissing bad songs. We get more insights into Frank's musical career than we ever thought imaginable. And it's all done without a hint of stuffiness or pretension. Why did Sinatra record the goofy "Watertown"? How did the 1956 Riddle/Porter classic "I've Got You Under My Skin" come about? And what the heck was going on in those "Duets" albums? To learn this, and thousands of other things, buy the greatest book about Sinatra ever written.
Rating:
Summary: no gossip or garbage-it's about the music!
Review: i bot this book as a stocking stuffer for my wife, a casual sinatra fan thinking it was just another bio. then i started reading it. it sb noted that i owned 2 sinatra discs when i bot this book, i now have about 50. this book not only helped me understand the music i had already heard, but helped me seek out & discover the 100's of lost gems in sinatra's recorded works. again-no gossip, no kitty kelly junk, a well researched bio of frank's recorded output. if theres a downside to this book, it's that it will make you want to go out & find more franks discs than you may already own, and that could be an expensive undertaking. why?...because reprise or barbara s. do not listen to fans and re-realease the same greatest hits over & over. if u want a cd copy of "she shot me down"...prepare to pay up the nose on ebay-not a real good way to handle a legacy babs. that aside, nothing better than hittin the couch on a rainy or snowy day, poor a glass of booze(neat), crank a little "only the lonely" and read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Definitive, indispensable but not the last word.
Review: I find myself consulting Friedwald's comprehensive treatment of Sinatra's entire recording career practically on a weekly basis. If this opinionated, non-musician's aesthetic judgements are not always on target, the documentation, historical contexts, and wealth of information are simply invaluable. He's also an entertaining, lively stylist, especially when expressing his distaste for some of the low points in Sinatra's recording career, most notably the "Duets" sessions. But the ultimate book about the century's ultimate vocal artist will be one that manages to account for the apparent paradoxes: the brazen and controversial lifestyle alongside the sheer beauty and fragile emotional depth of the art ; the relation between the screen actor and the introspective "saloon singer"; and above all the relation between the inimitable individualist who made every song his own and the respectful storyteller who, more often than any other interpreter of these classic musical texts, surrendered himself to the composer's intentions and "got it right." Even in the interviews he gave following Sinatra's death, Friedwald mentioned these two apparently opposite qualities without grasping the contradiction let alone explaining it. But Friedwald's instincts about what counts as quality in musical art are unassailable, even if they lead him to unnecessarily vicious attacks on Bono (It's only a joke, Will) and Carly Simon (listen to the recording again--she does not sing in unison with Sinatra on "When I Hang My Tears Out to Dry"). Just as his zeal to dissociate Sinatra from banality leads him to demonize the opposition, his determination to vindicate the returning king leads him to ignore the embarrassment of "The Main Event," the one time when the "voice" simply wasn't there, and when it counted most--before a national television audience. Sinatra's return to form following this quasi-disaster, therefore, was all the more remarkable. Yet Friedwald gives the opposite impression, suggesting that this concert was a highlight preceding a precipitous decline in Sinatra's vocal power and aesthetic judgement. Nothing could be further from the truth--at least as far as the concerts were concerned. I know. I was there.
Rating:
Summary: Definitive, indispensable but not the last word.
Review: I find myself consulting Friedwald's comprehensive treatment of Sinatra's entire recording career practically on a weekly basis. If this opinionated, non-musician's aesthetic judgements are not always on target, the documentation, historical contexts, and wealth of information are simply invaluable. He's also an entertaining, lively stylist, especially when expressing his distaste for some of the low points in Sinatra's recording career, most notably the "Duets" sessions. But the ultimate book about the century's ultimate vocal artist will be one that manages to account for the apparent paradoxes: the brazen and controversial lifestyle alongside the sheer beauty and fragile emotional depth of the art ; the relation between the screen actor and the introspective "saloon singer"; and above all the relation between the inimitable individualist who made every song his own and the respectful storyteller who, more often than any other interpreter of these classic musical texts, surrendered himself to the composer's intentions and "got it right." Even in the interviews he gave following Sinatra's death, Friedwald mentioned these two apparently opposite qualities without grasping the contradiction let alone explaining it. But Friedwald's instincts about what counts as quality in musical art are unassailable, even if they lead him to unnecessarily vicious attacks on Bono (It's only a joke, Will) and Carly Simon (listen to the recording again--she does not sing in unison with Sinatra on "When I Hang My Tears Out to Dry"). Just as his zeal to dissociate Sinatra from banality leads him to demonize the opposition, his determination to vindicate the returning king leads him to ignore the embarrassment of "The Main Event," the one time when the "voice" simply wasn't there, and when it counted most--before a national television audience. Sinatra's return to form following this quasi-disaster, therefore, was all the more remarkable. Yet Friedwald gives the opposite impression, suggesting that this concert was a highlight preceding a precipitous decline in Sinatra's vocal power and aesthetic judgement. Nothing could be further from the truth--at least as far as the concerts were concerned. I know. I was there.
Rating:
Summary: All the things that matter about Sinatra...the truth
Review: If you're the type who is looking for dirt, allegations, and rumors, then skip this book. It is instead filled with the truths about Sinatra, his musicainship, and what makes him the most amazing and talented entertainer to come out of this century. It is well-thought out and well-written. If you must feed on unsubstantiated gossip and if your mind can only absorb dirty rumors, then go ahead and curl up with the latest Kitty Kelly. You won't find that sort of tabloid garbage here. A must for true music fans!
Rating: 
Summary: The Chairman deserves better
Review: In spite of many invaluable tidbits of information, Will Friedwald's book deserves a failing grade. The main problem is that Friedwald is not a true critic. He is a fan and his opinions about Sinatra's recorded legacy are those of a fan; his opinions are no more valuable than yours or mine. Time and again, Friedwald indiscriminately takes cheap shots at Gordon Jenkins, Don Costa and others, while engaging in typical Nelson Riddle worship. His biases against particular arrangers and particular songs are inconsistent and ludicrous, for they are not based on true critical analysis. To take one of innumerable examples, he likes "Summer Me, Winter Me" and dislikes "You And Me" and doesn't give any satisfying reason why. Most Sintraphiles would disagree with him on this, as on many other things. The quality of writing also is not at the high level that Sinatra deserves. For a work of high critical quality by a critic with a PhD in cultural history, John Rockwell's "Sinatra: An American Classic", published in 1985, remains the best single biography on the greatest singer in the history of American popular music.
Rating:
Summary: A "must have" for the Sinatra fan
Review: Mr. Friedwald does an absolutely excellent job of getting into, and behind, the music of Mr Sinatra. It is a must read for anyone serious about the music of "The Voice". Pay attention to the chapter on the many variations of "Night and Day", the Cole Porter classic. It is best to read, and the listen to the song, and its various recordings to truly appreciate the variations Mr Sinatra crafted when he sang this song. Mr. Friedwald, without a doubt, understands the Sinatra style and is able to communicate it to his readers. You will not be disappointed unless you are looking for a "slam Sinatra" book.
Rating:
Summary: For Collectors Only
Review: This is a book I first bought and read a few years ago, and from time to time still refer to it. However, be warned-this is more about Frank as the singer and musician, rather than his life story(as if there are not enough books out on that). If you are a true collector of Sinatra music, this is the book for you. It is fun to put one of his albums on and read what went on during the recording session. The book is detailed regarding who was at the session, who played on what, even who was in the room at the time, but I found it fascinating and while reading felt as if I were there. Friedwald knows his stuff and I hope he writes more books like this about other singers and/or bands. Superb!
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