Maps of Music

The Voice of Frank Sinatra (1955)

Where the lyrics of The Voice of Frank Sinatra take you, and where it was really made.

Originally issued as four 78 rpm discs, this 1946 debut was reissued as a 10-inch LP in 1948, the first pop album catalogue item at 33⅓ rpm.

Key places

Hollywood sessions, July 1945 (1945)

Recording site Hollywood (Los Angeles) — The Hollywood session for this album was recorded on July 30, 1945. The source gives the place only at Hollywood level, so the studio is not named here. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

New York sessions, December 1945 (1945)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The New York session for this album was recorded on December 7, 1945. The source gives the place only at city level, so the studio is not named here. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Voice of Frank Sinatra: debut studio album by American singer Frank Sinatra
• Released by Columbia Records (catalogue number C-112) on March 4, 1946
• Originally issued as a set of four 78 rpm records with eight songs in total
• Each disc carried its own Columbia catalog number: 36918, 36919, 36920, 36921

Background

• The first release was in 78 rpm format; Columbia premiered long-playing vinyl in 1948
• Reissued as a 10-inch LP, catalogue CL 6001, in 1948, with the running order changed from the 78 set
• Later reissues: two 45 rpm EPs in 1952 (B-112), a 12-inch LP in 1955 (CL-743) with five original tracks, and a compact disc with extra tracks in 2003

Recording

• Tracks arranged and conducted by Axel Stordahl and his orchestra
• Both sessions used a string quartet and a four-piece rhythm section
• Flutist John Mayhew joined in July; oboist Mitch Miller joined in December
• Hollywood session recorded July 30, 1945; New York session recorded December 7, 1945
• Bill Richards credited as producer
• Sinatra recorded most of these songs again later in his career

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born December 12, 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey, to Italian immigrants.
• Began singing professionally as a teenager with the Hoboken Four, winning Major Bowes Amateur Hour.
• Joined Harry James's band in 1939, then Tommy Dorsey's band, before going solo in 1942.

Career

• Signed with Columbia Records in 1943 and became a major star of the bobby-soxer era.
• Signed with Capitol Records in 1953; collaborated with arranger Nelson Riddle on albums such as In the Wee Small Hours and Songs for Swingin' Lovers!.
• Founded Reprise Records in 1960, releasing albums including September of My Years and the hit single "My Way".
• Won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for From Here to Eternity (1953).
• Estimated to have sold around 150 million records worldwide.
• Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997.
• Died May 14, 1998 in Los Angeles.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Released March 4, 1946 by Columbia Records, with eight songs on four 78 rpm records
• Reached number one on the then-fledgling Billboard chart
• At the time, the album chart featured only a Top Five ranking, a format that continued until August 1948

Reappraisal

• Certain critics have claimed The Voice to be the first concept album
• Lee Wiley had released 78 rpm albums dedicated to the songs of a single writer, such as Cole Porter, starting in 1939
• These earlier albums may loosely be termed concept albums; The Voice differs by using a common mood, theme, or instrumentation across one release

Records

• Billboard chart: number one, seven consecutive weeks in 1946
• Billboard chart: eighteen weeks on the chart overall
• Sinatra also held the songs recorded for the album from release as singles

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The Voice was the first album by Sinatra to set a common mood, theme, or instrumentation across the songs on one release, a practice he continued later.
• The 1948 10-inch LP reissue changed the running order from the original 78 set.
• Sinatra recorded most of these songs again at later stages in his career.
• The album's songs were released as singles from the time of release.
• The Hollywood and New York sessions were held in different months of 1945, with different instrumental additions.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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