''Sinatra Sings Great Songs From Great Britain'' is an album by

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

, arranged by

Robert Farnon Robert Joseph Farnon CM (24 July 191723 April 2005) was a Canadian-born composer, conductor, musical arranger and trumpet player. As well as being a composer of original works (often in the light music genre), he was commissioned by film and ...

, recorded in London in June 1962 at CTS Studios by Eric Tomlinson, a renowned recording and film industry dubbing engineer, who would go on to record the soundtracks to dozens of feature films including ''

Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before op ...

'' (1968), ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

'' (1971), and the original ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' trilogy (1977; 1980; 1983). It is Sinatra's only UK studio album, though there were three other radio performances that were recorded and later released. Sinatra was tired after touring, and had a sore throat: he was apparently not very happy with his voice. It was released on LP in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

, but not in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It was released in the US on compact disc in the early 1990s. All tracks were available on '' The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings''.

Track listing

The Very Thought of You "The Very Thought of You" is a pop standard that was recorded and published in 1934 with music and lyrics by Ray Noble. The song was first recorded by Ray Noble and His Orchestra with Al Bowlly on vocals for HMV in England in April 1934. This re ...

" (

Ray Noble Raymond Stanley Noble (17 December 1903 – 2 April 1978) was an English jazz and big band musician, who was a bandleader, composer and arranger, as well as a radio host, television and film comedian and actor; he also performed in the United ...

) – 3:31 #"

We'll Gather Lilacs in the Spring We'll Gather Lilacs, also called We'll Gather Lilacs In The Spring, is a song by Welsh composer Ivor Novello which he wrote for the hit musical romance '' Perchance to Dream''. The stage musical opened at the Hippodrome Theatre in London's West En ...

" (

Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...

) – 3:11 #" If I Had You" ( Jimmy Campbell,

Reginald Connelly Jimmy Campbell (born James Alexander Campbell-Tyrie; 5 April 1903–19 August 1967) and Reg Connelly (born Reginald John Connelly; 22 October 1895–23 September 1963) were English songwriters and music publishers. Writing together in t ...

Ted Shapiro Ted Shapiro (October 31, 1899 – May 26, 1980) was a United States popular music composer, pianist, and sheet music publisher. Early life Shapiro was born on October 31, 1899 in New York City. He became a Tin Pan Alley songwriter and accompa ...

) – 4:05 #" Now Is the Hour" (Maewa Kaihan, Clement Scott, Dorothy Stewart) – 2:48 #" The Gypsy" ( Billy Reid) – 3:18 #"

A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" is a British romantic popular song written in 1939 and published in 1940, with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Manning Sherwin. Setting Berkeley Square is a large leafy square in Mayfair, a part ...

" (

Eric Maschwitz Albert Eric Maschwitz OBE (10 June 1901 – 27 October 1969), sometimes credited as Holt Marvell, was an English entertainer, writer, editor, broadcaster and broadcasting executive. Life and work Born in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England, and desc ...

Manning Sherwin Manning Sherwin (January 4, 1902 – July 26, 1974) was an American composer. Born in Philadelphia, Sherwin attended Columbia University before embarking upon a long career in musical theatre and films. His most enduring composition is the music ...

) – 3:52 #"

A Garden in the Rain "A Garden in the Rain" is a popular music, popular song. The music was composed by Carroll Gibbons, the lyrics by James Dyrenforth. The song was published in 1928. The song was first recorded by the composer, Carroll Gibbons with the Savoy Hotel O ...

" (

James Dyrenforth James Dyrenforth (31 January 1895 – 26 December 1973) was an American actor and songwriter. Dyrenforth appeared in '' A Night to Remember'' (1958), ''Fiend Without a Face'' (1958), and ''Lolita'' (1962), and co-wrote "A Garden in the Rain", a s ...

Carroll Gibbons Carroll Richard Gibbons (January 4, 1903 – May 10, 1954) was an American-born pianist, bandleader and popular composer who made his career primarily in England during the British dance band era. Image of Gibbons from the W.D. & H.O. Wills ...

) – 3:22 #"London by Night" (

Carroll Coates Carroll Coates (born 23 September 1929 in Old Bridge, Huntingdon, England) is a songwriter, composer and lyricist whose works have been produced commercially from the 1950s to the 1990s. His songs have been recorded by Frank Sinatra, Carmen McRae ...

) – 3:17 #"

We'll Meet Again "We'll Meet Again" is a 1939 song by English singer Vera Lynn with music and lyrics composed and written by English songwriters Ross Parker and Hughie Charles. The song is one of the most famous of the Second World War era, and resonated with ...

" (

Hughie Charles Hughie Charles (24 July 1907 – 6 October 1995), was an English songwriter and producer of musical theatre. Born Charles Hugh Owen Ferry in Manchester, he is best known for co-writing the songs "We'll Meet Again" and "There'll Always Be an Engla ...

, Ross Parker) – 3:42 #"I'll Follow My Secret Heart" (

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

) – 3:16 Additional track not included on original release, first released in Japan on LP in 1985, and later on CD worldwide: #"

Roses of Picardy "Roses of Picardy" is a popular British song with lyrics by Frederick Weatherly and music by Haydn Wood. Published in London in 1916 by Chappell & Co, it was one of the most famous songs of the First World War and has been recorded frequently u ...

" ( Frederic E. Weatherly,

Haydn Wood Haydn Wood (25 March 1882 – 11 March 1959) was a 20th-century English composer and concert violinist, best known for his 200 or so ballad style songs, including the popular ''Roses of Picardy''. Life Haydn Wood was born in the West Riding ...

) – 3:01

Personnel

- Vocals *

- Arranger, Conductor

Notes

Sinatra recorded the album, a collection of all British material, in June 1962, towards the end of a long tour raising money for children's charities that had started back in April, and included performances in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Tel Aviv, Rome, Athens, Milan. It was the only studio album he recorded outside of the United States. It was recorded at CTS Studios, at its original

Bayswater Bayswater is an area within the City of Westminster in West London. It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and ...

location. Sinatra spent three nights there, working on the tracks for the recording. Sinatra had made his first visit to the UK in the summer of 1950, when he topped the bill at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 an ...

, and enjoyed playing in Britain. When he toured the UK in 1953, at venues that ran from Tooting Granada to Blackpool Opera House, his star had been fading, but the time of this recording, he was a record label owner (Reprise), no longer recording for Capitol.

Track listing

Personnel

Notes

References

Further reading