Rating: 
Summary: An excellent musical analysis
Review: To give Friedwald a fair shake, he has written the only book which really takes to the time to analyze Sinatra as a MUSICIAN and not a celebrity. His knowledge of the subject is outstanding!However, his writing style is a little on the annoying side (yes, an editor would have been helpful) and his inability to correctly give sources for his quotes undermines his authoritarian tone. -dB
Rating: 
Summary: THE book for Sinatra fans and those who are discovering him
Review: What better testimonial can you give to a book than saying it makes you so fired about about its subject that you want to discover more of his/her work? Will Friedwald's Sinatra! The Song is You will delight Sinatra fans and "turn on" anyone even REMOTELY interested in finding out why Sinatra was named the 20th century's Best Singer. It is without question the best book EVER written on Sinatra's music due to its style, details and because Friedwald does not pull any punches: he praises Sinatra for good work and criticizes him for work that falls short. All this is done without pretension, cutesy-ness or padding. The usual personal and professional biographical info is there, but mostly for historical context. Friedwald's interest is in Sinatra the singer -- and in Sinatra's VOICE as an instrument that developed, matured and eventually (and sadly) deteriorated. Going through each performing and recording stage of Sinatra's long career, Friedwald analyzes particular songs, explains Sinatra's trailblazing role in creating thematic "concept" albums, and gives fascinating details on how and why certain classic arrangements and songs were cut in the studio. He praises and blasts Sinatra's various arrangers. What's unquestionable is that Sinatra took this kind of music to an entirely new level. This book successfully conveys the ARTISTRY of Sinatra's music so you WANT to hear MORE. Reading this book took me from a mild to fanatical Sinatra fan as I started listening to the albums, remembering what I had read and appreciating what Sinatra was doing with his voice. Sinatra! The Song is You heightens an appreciation of a musical genre that is either on it's way out as we move into the 21st century --or waiting for a new innovative artist to come along to revive its popularity and take it to the next level.
Rating:
Summary: Great book for the serious Sinatraphile
Review: Will Friedwald has deservedly won great acclaim for this highly entertaining "dissertation" on Sinatra's music: his vocal technique and style changes through the years, his classic albums, and his arrangers and studio musicians. Friedwald guides us album by album, grouped by arrangers Axel Stordahl, Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, and Billy May. Other chapters discuss his big band years and his later years. Friedwald's taste in music closely parallels my own, and I am not surprised that he is also a big fan of other great vocalists such as June Christy, Mel Torme, Ella, Chris Connor, etc. He concentrates most importantly on the concept albums and the great tracks that aren't necessarily the "big hits," but are great achievements in popular song. His suggestions on what to avoid are almost always on the mark. I was amused by his descriptions of Don Costa's "elevator music" arrangements, and of poor Linda Ronstadt, who does not fare well in this book, as some incensed readers have pointed out (lighten up! ). Friedwald has evidently interviewed hundreds of musicians associated with Sinatra in one way or another, and therein lies the greatest strength of this book. Some of his stories told by people who were there at the time are so memorable, I still chuckle when I think of them a year after I read the book. His description of the recording sessions for the Sinatra/Ellington album are a hoot. One wonders how this album is as good as it is. Also, Billy May seems like a fun character, and also a most modest fellow. This is the only book about Sinatra's music that the serious listener should trust when collecting his albums. His descriptions of the classic 50s album Close to You are the only way I have of knowing what the album is like, since it is unbelievably out of print. Yet how many CDs have My Way on them? Also, I never would have known about the great torch song album She Shot Me Down (1981), inexplicably underrated and hard to find. My only suggestion to Mr. Friedwald would be to think about the concept albums more as a whole, and how arrangers Jenkins and Riddle linked the songs together harmonically and (sometimes even) motivically. I think he will find this phenomenon in the Christy/Rugolo albums as well. Moreover, a careful listener can tell where deleted tracks were SUPPOSED to be, such as Everything Happens to Me in She Shot Me Down, The One I Love in No One Cares, and the Nearness of You in Nice'N'Easy. Big hint: Come Waltz With Me was NOT supposed to be the first track of All Alone (this would disrupt the two "bookends" of the album featuring the female vocalist), and the Nice'n'Easy album was most likely originally to be titled That Old Feeling.
Rating:
Summary: Great book for the serious Sinatraphile
Review: Will Friedwald has deservedly won great acclaim for this highly entertaining "dissertation" on Sinatra's music: his vocal technique and style changes through the years, his classic albums, and his arrangers and studio musicians. Friedwald guides us album by album, grouped by arrangers Axel Stordahl, Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, and Billy May. Other chapters discuss his big band years and his later years. Friedwald's taste in music closely parallels my own, and I am not surprised that he is also a big fan of other great vocalists such as June Christy, Mel Torme, Ella, Chris Connor, etc. He concentrates most importantly on the concept albums and the great tracks that aren't necessarily the "big hits," but are great achievements in popular song. His suggestions on what to avoid are almost always on the mark. I was amused by his descriptions of Don Costa's "elevator music" arrangements, and of poor Linda Ronstadt, who does not fare well in this book, as some incensed readers have pointed out (lighten up! ). Friedwald has evidently interviewed hundreds of musicians associated with Sinatra in one way or another, and therein lies the greatest strength of this book. Some of his stories told by people who were there at the time are so memorable, I still chuckle when I think of them a year after I read the book. His description of the recording sessions for the Sinatra/Ellington album are a hoot. One wonders how this album is as good as it is. Also, Billy May seems like a fun character, and also a most modest fellow. This is the only book about Sinatra's music that the serious listener should trust when collecting his albums. His descriptions of the classic 50s album Close to You are the only way I have of knowing what the album is like, since it is unbelievably out of print. Yet how many CDs have My Way on them? Also, I never would have known about the great torch song album She Shot Me Down (1981), inexplicably underrated and hard to find. My only suggestion to Mr. Friedwald would be to think about the concept albums more as a whole, and how arrangers Jenkins and Riddle linked the songs together harmonically and (sometimes even) motivically. I think he will find this phenomenon in the Christy/Rugolo albums as well. Moreover, a careful listener can tell where deleted tracks were SUPPOSED to be, such as Everything Happens to Me in She Shot Me Down, The One I Love in No One Cares, and the Nearness of You in Nice'N'Easy. Big hint: Come Waltz With Me was NOT supposed to be the first track of All Alone (this would disrupt the two "bookends" of the album featuring the female vocalist), and the Nice'n'Easy album was most likely originally to be titled That Old Feeling.
Rating:
Summary: Great book for the serious Sinatraphile
Review: Will Friedwald has deservedly won great acclaim for this highly entertaining "dissertation" on Sinatra's music: his vocal technique and style changes through the years, his classic albums, and his arrangers and studio musicians. Friedwald guides us album by album, grouped by arrangers Axel Stordahl, Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, and Billy May. Other chapters discuss his big band years and his later years. Friedwald's taste in music closely parallels my own, and I am not surprised that he is also a big fan of other great vocalists such as June Christy, Mel Torme, Ella, Chris Connor, etc. He concentrates most importantly on the concept albums and the great tracks that aren't necessarily the "big hits," but are great achievements in popular song. His suggestions on what to avoid are almost always on the mark. I was amused by his descriptions of Don Costa's "elevator music" arrangements, and of poor Linda Ronstadt, who does not fare well in this book, as some incensed readers have pointed out (lighten up! ). Friedwald has evidently interviewed hundreds of musicians associated with Sinatra in one way or another, and therein lies the greatest strength of this book. Some of his stories told by people who were there at the time are so memorable, I still chuckle when I think of them a year after I read the book. His description of the recording sessions for the Sinatra/Ellington album are a hoot. One wonders how this album is as good as it is. Also, Billy May seems like a fun character, and also a most modest fellow. This is the only book about Sinatra's music that the serious listener should trust when collecting his albums. His descriptions of the classic 50s album Close to You are the only way I have of knowing what the album is like, since it is unbelievably out of print. Yet how many CDs have My Way on them? Also, I never would have known about the great torch song album She Shot Me Down (1981), inexplicably underrated and hard to find. My only suggestion to Mr. Friedwald would be to think about the concept albums more as a whole, and how arrangers Jenkins and Riddle linked the songs together harmonically and (sometimes even) motivically. I think he will find this phenomenon in the Christy/Rugolo albums as well. Moreover, a careful listener can tell where deleted tracks were SUPPOSED to be, such as Everything Happens to Me in She Shot Me Down, The One I Love in No One Cares, and the Nearness of You in Nice'N'Easy. Big hint: Come Waltz With Me was NOT supposed to be the first track of All Alone (this would disrupt the two "bookends" of the album featuring the female vocalist), and the Nice'n'Easy album was most likely originally to be titled That Old Feeling.
Rating:
Summary: A Man & His Music
Review: Will Friedwald has succeeded where many before him have failed:namely, he has written a book that concentrates on the artistryof Sinatra, rather than his much publicized personal life, which has been covered ad nauseum elsewhere. No small task this, considering the Sinatra recording legacy now spans nearly 60 years, 1,400+ songs and hundreds of albums. Along the way he's collaborated with some of the giants of 20th century popular music and Friedwald has his hands full covering all of this. But somehow he manages to maintain a strong balance of seriousness towards the subject while occasionally delving into some rather humorous criticism which makes the book nearly as entertaining as it is informative. By any measure this book is a clearly a must have for Sinatra fans and admirers. If a flaw exists in this meticulously researched volume, it is with the somewhat sparse discography included at the rear of the book. A book that covers Sinatra's music in such depth should do likewise when enumerating his recorded output. Friedwald's humor occasionally runs a bit thin when he writes of particular songs or albums that he dislikes (and you'll know which ones they are!). Other than that, there is very little I could say which would serve as a negative recommendation. A top notch job.
Rating:
Summary: This Book Needed To Be Written
Review: Will Friedwald, we Sinatra fans thank you from the bottoms of our hearts for writing this book. Before this, all we had was utter garbage, such as Kitty Kelly's lurid biography that found his singing not only incidental to his life but not even worth covering in her book! Friedwald's book, however, is solely interested in Sinara the singer, the musician and the artist. The fellow musicians who knew him in that world also knew an entirely different person from the one who was tabloid fodder. Since I own 38 of his CD albums, this book answered many questions I'd had about those albums being created. If this is the Sinatra you want to know, this is the book to read. If you want to read the tabloid seamy one about his personal life by Kelly, which I'm ashamed to admit that I did, buy it instead but don't say you weren't warned. And hers even partially ruins listening to his recordings for you for awhile. But not long since great art always rises above the garbage.
Rating:
Summary: This Book Needed To Be Written
Review: Will Friedwald, we Sinatra fans thank you from the bottoms of our hearts for writing this book. Before this, all we had was utter garbage, such as Kitty Kelly's lurid biography that found his singing not only incidental to his life but not even worth covering in her book! Friedwald's book, however, is solely interested in Sinara the singer, the musician and the artist. The fellow musicians who knew him in that world also knew an entirely different person from the one who was tabloid fodder. Since I own 38 of his CD albums, this book answered many questions I'd had about those albums being created. If this is the Sinatra you want to know, this is the book to read. If you want to read the tabloid seamy one about his personal life by Kelly, which I'm ashamed to admit that I did, buy it instead but don't say you weren't warned. And hers even partially ruins listening to his recordings for you for awhile. But not long since great art always rises above the garbage.
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