Swing Easy! - 1954

Swing Easy! - 1954

 
 

Frank Sinatra’s second Capitol LP release was another 10” album with orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle.  As with Songs for Young Lovers, the album contained eight songs, about twenty minutes of music.  It also had several differences, though, most notably a difference in overall mood, setting what would become a pattern for Sinatra releases for years to come, that being:  A slow album, followed by an uptempo album.

This release, though, was important on other fronts, too.  Songs for Young Lovers contained only one 100% Riddle arrangement, “Like Someone in Love,” while the others were George Siravo arrangements.  This time, it was all Riddle, sort of.  While the arrangements were his, he was asked to arrange for a small combo in the style of Red Norvo, to which end Frank Flynn was

Recorded April 7 and 19, 1954

Produced by Voyle Gilmore

Arrangements: Nelson Riddle

Conducted by Nelson Riddle

Original Release: August 2, 1954


Billboard, August 7, 1954

By mid-September, this album and its predecessor, Songs for Young Lovers, were sharing space in the Top Ten (below).  Note, too, how Capitol was dominating this market:

recruited to play some prominent and wonderful vibraphone parts.  Because of the small size of the backing group, Riddle’s arrangements have a breezy freedom rarely duplicated on his records with Sinatra.  The music is bubbly, effervescent, refreshing.


Once again, recording took place over two sessions at Capitol’s KHJ studios, mixed live to mono with excellent fidelity.


History Repeats Itself

The history of Swing Easy more-or-less mirrors the history of Songs for Young Lovers from earlier in 1954, i.e., it started as a 10” album, was coupled with its 1954 counterpart to make a lengthy 12” album, then split away from that counterpart with bonus tracks (from singles) added to form a stand-alone 12” album. 

Audio Clips!

All clips on this page correlate with the 90-second, freely available iTunes samples.  Click “VIEW” below, then “View in iTunes” to hear those iTunes samples.

1987 Songs for Young Lovers/Swing Easy CD, mastered by Larry Walsh.

Circa 1995 budget-line UK MFP Swing Easy/Songs for Young Lovers CD, courtesy “bgiliberti.” (Notes erroneously credit mastering to Larry Walsh.) [The Australian MFP CD is a clone of this disc.  Thanks to SHTV’s “Radio.”]

1998 12-song UK CD, courtesy “ClausH.”

1998 Songs for Young Lovers/Swing Easy CD, mastered by Bob Norberg, courtesy “MMM.”  (Reused in the “Capitol Concept Albums” mini-box.)

1980s Japan Swing Easy/Songs for Young Lovers LP, courtesy “stevelucille”

NOTE: A few of these clips date back to the original 2009 survey of this album, so they are not all from the exact same spot within the track.  However, they do all fall within the 90-second iTunes window -- no free music given away here.  (See iTunes link at far left.)

Above: 10-inch D2 LP, courtesy “stevelucille”

Above: 10-inch D5 LP, courtesy “stevelucille”

Above: D5 Swing Easy/Songs for Young Lovers LP, courtesy “stevelucille”

1962 12-song LP, courtesy “GregW”

Above: 1970’s Japan Swing Easy/Songs for Young Lovers LP #ECP-88025, courtesy “ArneW”

Above: 1980’s Japan Swing Easy/Songs for Young Lovers LP #ECJ-50065, courtesy “MMM”

Above: 1983 MFSL Swing Easy/Songs for Young Lovers LP, mastered by Stan Ricker, courtesy “Loud Listener”

Above: 1984 UK 12-song LP.

Circa 1961 D22 Swing Easy/Songs for Young Lovers LP, courtesy “stevelucille”

Transitional Clip:


1995 MFP CD ---> 1983 MFSL LP: JustOneClipMFP-MFSLNorm.wav

Above: 10-inch D2#2 LP, courtesy “arkoffs”

Above: D12 Swing Easy/Songs for Young Lovers LP, courtesy “arkoffs”

All clips on this page correlate with the 90-second, freely available iTunes samples.  Click “VIEW” below, then “View in iTunes” to hear those iTunes samples.

Above: 10-inch UK 2B pressing, courtesy “ranger john” and “flannylbandit”

Above: 1961 10” German LP titled, “Frank Sinatra,” which contains all 8 songs from Swing Easy.

Above: 2015 HD download

Above: 2015 Mastered for iTunes download

(Thanks to MarkusGermany for also sharing)

Above: 2015 10” LP

(Thanks to AxeD for also sharing)