This is one of the odder Capitol collections of
Sinatra's 1950s singles and B-sides, and it contains a couple of
Cahn/
VanHeusen tunes from their musical version of
Our Town.
Sinatra starred in this live television special, which was a musical version of the famed
Thornton Wilder play. Unfortunately, these songs don't really work when taken out of the context of the show. Likewise, the melodramatic movie theme "Not as a Stranger" mainly shows off lyricist
Sammy Cahn's ability to turn any awkward film title he's given into a love song. Thankfully,
Sinatra fans will find all of these "misses" beautifully sung and interesting, and there are a couple of real gems in this collection. Two oddly overlooked definitive
Sinatra performances are here: the hell-for-leather swinger "I'm Gonna Live 'til I Die" (which comes complete with beatnik bongos) and "I Could Have Told You," a melancholy condolence to a one-time romantic rival. This collection made the Top Ten in 1959.