Send "Frank Sinatra " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 This week Jay-Z finally bagged his first Billboard #1 single, courtesy of the civic cheerleading of "Empire State of Mind". It's a relatively thin jingle with which to declare oneself king of the hill, but then today's New York is not what it was. Once upon a time, claiming the metaphysical mayoralty of Manhattan was something akin to becoming Heavyweight Champion of the World (back when that meant something). Ever since some pie-eyed Long Island dreamer declared himself "Walt Whitman, a cosmos, of Manhattan the son," the keenest, hungriest, most desperate sons and daughters have slugged it out to make the island their own. Norman Mailer typically took things literally and actually ran for mayor. But the battles for the city ring out like classic 12-rounders: Benny Goodman vs. Artie Shaw. John Coltrane vs. Charlie Parker. Andy Warhol vs. Bob Dylan. Robert De Niro vs. Al Pacino...With barely a contender to speak of, Jay has taken the title almost by default. But now, like a sleeping giant roused by the sound of his name being taken in vain ("I'm the new Sinatra/ Since I made it here/ I can make it anywhere"), the Chairman of the Board has risen from the grave, with a hulking 5xCD-disc box set called simply New York, as though part of some posthumous attempt to be declared boss of the joint in perpetuity. Never mind that he was a Hoboken boy who left for L.A. and Nevada as soon as Hollywood and the casinos called. As this lavish package-- complete with supporting quotes from Martin Scorsese, Nat Hentoff, Yogi Berra, Twyla Tharp, and William Friedkin-- would have you believe, New York was the capital of the 20th Century, and Sinatra was its voice. Not that actual music on these discs would go very far in making the case. Compiling six previously unreleased New York shows from 1955 through to 1990, on the face of it these recordings tell a sorry tale of grand decline....full text |
| Nytimes |
| Widely held to be the greatest singer in American pop history and one of the most successful entertainers of the 20th century, Frank Sinatra was also the first modern pop superstar. He defined that role in the early 1940's when his first solo appearances provoked the kind of mass pandemonium that later greeted Elvis Presley and the Beatles. During a show business career that spanned more than 50 years and comprised recordings, film and television as well as countless performances in nightclubs, concert halls and sports arenas, Sinatra stood as a singular mirror of the American psyche. His evolution from the idealistic crooner of the early 1940's to the sophisticated swinger of the 50's and 60's seemed to personify the country's loss of innocence. During World War II, Sinatra's tender romanticism served as the dreamy emotional link between millions of women and their husbands and boyfriends fighting overseas. Reinventing himself in the 50's, the starry-eyed boy next door turned into the cosmopolitan man of the world, a bruised romantic with a tough-guy streak and a song for every emotional season....full text |
| Entertainment |
| “I love this town. I’ve had some of my best fights here,” the old charmer tells a 1974 audience in the Big Apple. This box set (four CDs, one DVD) is the sound of a relaxed Sinatra — listen to him pouring mid-set refreshers — recorded on his home turf between 1955 and 1990. Technically, there may be superior studio performances of the big hits (three My Ways), and by the end the voice is pretty shot, but the monologues, repartee and rambles help to make this a fascinating chronicle of a master....full text |
Frank Sinatra lyrics
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