Maps of Music

Swing Easy! (1954)

Where the lyrics of Swing Easy! take you, and where it was really made.

The album first came out as a 10-inch record holding only eight songs, because each side could carry only about fourteen minutes of music.

Key places

Recording site at Capitol, Hollywood (1954)

Recording site Capitol Studios — Swing Easy! was recorded in the Capitol building in Hollywood, the location pinned here at building level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Swing Easy!: eighth studio album by Frank Sinatra
• Released in 1954 as a 10-inch album (Capitol H-528)
• Eight songs in total, since each side allowed about fourteen minutes of music
• Ranked number 368 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums in 2000

Background

• Sinatra's second album for Capitol
• First Capitol album with arrangements by Nelson Riddle
• Riddle had only conducted on Songs for Young Lovers before this album
• Up-tempo swingers played with a light touch
• All songs are standards, such as 'Just One of Those Things', 'Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams', and 'All of Me'
• Singer's increasingly playful and textured vocal style suited the new arrangements

Recording

• Recording location recorded as Capitol in Hollywood
• Original eight songs were later combined with the eight songs of Songs for Young Lovers

Cover

• Cover art uses the Swing Easy! design
• The 1955 LP keeps this cover but adds a miniature inset of the Songs for Young Lovers cover

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 in 1954 as a 10-inch album, Capitol H-528
• Only eight songs, because each side allowed about fourteen minutes of music
• Sinatra's eighth studio album and his second for Capitol
• First Capitol album with arrangements by Nelson Riddle, who had only conducted on Songs for Young Lovers
• Concentrates on up-tempo swingers played with a light touch
• All songs are standards, such as 'Just One of Those Things', 'Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams', and 'All of Me'
• The singer's increasingly playful and textured vocal style benefited from the new thematic setting and arrangements

Reappraisal

• In 2000 Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums ranked it number 368

Records

• 1955: eight songs combined with the eight songs of Songs for Young Lovers into a 16-song 12-inch LP (Capitol W-587) titled Swing Easy!
• 1960: re-released as a 12-song 12-inch LP (Capitol W-1429) with four added songs: 'Lean Baby', 'I Love You', 'How Could You Do A Thing Like That To Me?', and 'Why Should I Cry Over You?'
• Personnel listed: Frank Sinatra on vocals, Nelson Riddle as arranger and conductor

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album holds only eight songs because each side of the record could fit roughly fourteen minutes of music.
• In 1955 it was combined with the eight songs of Songs for Young Lovers to make a 16-song LP.
• The 1960 reissue added four songs to lengthen the running time.
• Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums placed it at number 368 in 2000.
• The album's standards were given new thematic settings and arrangements, which suited the singer's increasingly playful vocal style.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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