A collection of a dozen fully packed CDs could seem like overkill for almost any recording artist, and probably will -- at least, for the uninitiated -- where
Frank Sinatra is concerned. This is especially true of this release, given that it covers his Columbia recordings, which are usually regarded as his least interesting repertory. But they would be wrong, which becomes clear soon after one buys this set. True,
Sinatra's most familiar persona -- that of the Vegas-based swinger -- was still many years away from anything represented by the music here, and the music is very much of its period, a mix of swing and sweet sounds, and pop with an emphasis on the latter and on romantic ballads. But the range of material is still striking, encompassing dance numbers and rhythm songs, jaunty, swinging sounds with more than a touch of serious jazz influence, and even a few numbers in the later sessions that anticipate the development of rock & roll -- and what
Sinatra does with it all is amazing. And just to reassure the uninitiated, there are quite a few sides here that are more -- rather than less -- like the Capitol Records repertory that followed in the 1950s. The responsibility for the relative obscurity of
Sinatra's 1940s output, and the lack of self-evident appeal of this set lies, ironically enough, with Columbia Records. For most of the first 35 years after he left the label, Columbia let most of his catalog of 285 officially released recordings lie fallow, doing little more across that time than return to the same two-dozen biggest hits. More than 100 of the tracks here never even made it onto vinyl, their last appearances being on 78-rpm shellac discs. So for those who haven't heard the
Sinatra of the 1940s, or don't know his work well -- and that's nearly everybody, and everyone under 60 -- this set will prove a sublimely beautiful and overpowering experience. There was a reason why he was known as "the Voice" in those days, and practically every song here provides a vivid reminder.