Cheap Come Fly With Me (Music) (Frank Sinatra) Price

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Customer Reviews of Come Fly With Me

Billy May's arrangements are bolder than Nelson Riddle's or Sinatra's other Capitol-era arrangers, and their flights of fancy are perfectly suited to the travel theme. Though the material doesn't have the emotional gravity of ballad albums like "Where Are You?," Sinatra lavishes a similar attention to detail on each song. And though the themes are generally upbeat, there's a good share of ballads, including an intimate reading of "Autumn in New York" and the springtime discovery of "April in Paris."

This remastered CD adds three bonus tracks, all produced by Nelson Riddle. 1953's "South of the Border" features bold brass lines that sound surprisingly like a typical May arrangement. 1957's "Chicago," recorded just a month before the album itself, is an icon of Sinatra's catalog, and 1960's "I Love Paris" is a typically fantastic collaboration between Sinatra and Riddle. The latter's stereo horns really grab the listener's ears. Overall, the remastering is crisp, and Pete Welding's liner notes are very informative.

Billy May would return again to arrange 1959's "Come Dance With Me," and 1961's "Come Swing With Me," but though these later works may have swung more broadly (especially the 1959 release), they never fully recaptured the carefree joy of this initial collaboration.

Another great Sinatra concept album ... but not the best!
Billy May was Sinatra's wild and outrageous arranger, so whenever you want to go for a musical ride look to the Sinatra/May albums -- Come Fly with Me, Come Dance with Me, Sinatra Swings, Come Swing with Me. Of these, Come Fly with Me is the most famous and it rates 4 stars only on the Sinatra scale. Among 20th century albums, it is securely 5 stars.

The opening track takes off with May's orchestral liftoff, introducing one of the most famous tunes of the century, the ultimate jet-set party at the spur of the moment song. This is 1957 and Sinatra's voice is stunning. The second track, 'Around the World', is a slower waltz, but I think it's a perfect transition on an album that is mostly uptempo. 'Moonlight in Vermont' and 'Autumn in New York' are classics in every sense. 'On the Road to Mandalay' is a marvelously fun song, one of my favorite Sinatra-May numbers (also check out the 1959 Sinatra Live in Australia album for the ultimate version of 'Mandalay'). 'London by Night', which would be remade on the now unavailable Sinatra Sings Great Songs from Great Britain album of 1962, is also a standout.

Capitol has added three perfect bonus tracks, Chicago, South of the Border and I Love Paris. Apparently, Chicago was included on UK releases of 'Come Fly' because Rudyard Kipling's family objected to 'Mandalay' (which was based on a Kipling poem), but it is great to have both songs on the same CD.

Recommended. Probably 'Come Dance with Me', 'A Swingin' Affair', 'Only the Lonely' and a handful of others rate more highly in the Sinatra canon, but 'Come Fly' (one of the first stereo albums released, I believe) is a classic.

"if you can use some exotic booze!
"Come Fly With Me," Sinatra's 1957 album with Billy May stands out for a number of reasons all at once.

It's the singer's first collaboration with May and the only Sinatra Capitol concept album to feature a repetoire of ballads mixed with swingers.

May's sense of humor abounds in the uptempo numbers and Sinatra's is right in there with him-- ("there's a Burma 'broad a settin'.............'twas goobye at the Villa Capri (a plug for a Sinatra owned Italian restaurant at the time).

"Fly" also revealed Billy May's talent as a ballad arranger...his classic chart for "Moonlight In Vermont" stayed in the Sinatra concert books for years, and Sinatra's reading of "April in Paris," with that elegant phrasing and long lyric lines, is simply stunning.

Not to be overlooked in May's sensational arrangement of "Brazil" propelling Sinatra to swing from the rooftops as he had never done before.

This newly remastered issue is a vast improvement sonic wise over Capitol's initial CD release and contains thee bonus tracks
"Chicago" and "I Love Paris" arranged Nelson Riddle and 1953's "South of the Border" arranged by Riddle in the Bily May style.

Point of information--Cahn and Van Heusen's title song had the original lyric reading "if you can use some exotic booze"...some people at Capitol thought that line not appropriate for an Eisenhower-era family release and Frank originally altered the lyric and sang "some exotic VIEWS".....after some debate, Frank opted for the more exotic "booze" and called the entire orchestra back for a re-recording.

"Fly" is the world's greatest pop singer and one of America's premiere arrangers at the peak of their form.