Witchy Woman

Nelson Riddle & his Orchestra - "Witchcraft!" (1965) - Pickwick 

Hello friends,

October's here and we're celebrating Halloween all month long here on Vinyl in the Valley!

Best known for his soundtracks and famous arrangements for the likes of Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Linda Ronstadt, et al, Nelson Riddle actually had a pretty successful recording career himself!

The highlights on this LP are his lush and jazzy instrumental versions of the title track, "It's So Nice to Have A Man Around the House", "You Fascinate Me So", "Darn That Dream", "Blue Safari" and especially, "Playboy's Theme".

The instrumentation is big in spots and sublime in others.  The devil's in the details like the vibraphone in "Darn That Dream", for instance, or the background guitar on "Blue Safari".  

And check out this little minx on the LP's cover... nothing says dim the lights, light some candles and fire up the old Ouijia Board like a sexy brunette, a black cat, and a cigarette-smoking skull!

"Nice pussy"

RATING: 4.5 cigarette-smoking skulls out of 5

September in the Rain

Frank Sinatra - "Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!!" (1961) - Capitol Records

Hello Friends,

Tonight on Vinyl in the Valley we're rocking out to some late Capitol-era Frank Sinatra.  Ol' Blue Eyes is in peak form on this 1961 release covering such classics as "When You're Smiling", "Blue Moon", "Paper Moon", "September in the Rain", "My Blue Heaven" and "Always."

Backed by Nelson Riddle's fiery and upbeat orchestra, these tunes are among the fastest tunes ever recorded by Sinatra.  Some tunes-- like "Paper Moon" and "My Blue Heaven"-- almost seem like they've been recorded in double-time.  Hey Frank... pass those jazz salts down this way!  A swingin' session indeed!

RATING:  4 Leaves of Brown Coming Down out of 5

The Night We Called It a Day

Frank Sinatra - Where Are You? (1957)

Hello friends!

Feeling a little lonely this evening?  Feeling like the world has beat you down?  Do you just not care anymore?

Well then, you've come to the right place! 

On tonight's "Vinyl in the Valley", we're pouring our scotch & sodas on the stiff side while our favorite blue-eyed crooner woos us with some of his most melancholy ballads.

Now be warned, this is ain't the upbeat, globe-trottin', swingin' Sinatra style that we've come to know and love.  This is the morose, end-of-his-line torch singer who goes home to a dark apartment-- smelling of booze and stale cigarettes-- with two dollars left in his pocket, some dame's number illegibly scribbled on a book of matches and with enough personal regrets to keep him sleeping 'til Tuesday!

Where Are You?-- which was later re-released as The Night We Called It A Day-- is a lesser-known LP from Sinatra's incredible Capitol Years.  Here, the orchestra is conducted by Gordon Jenkins (a departure from frequent Sinatra collaborator, Nelson Riddle) whose lush arrangements only accentuate the loneliness and fragility heard in the great singer's voice.  From the longing strings on the opening title track to the bluesy, yearning closing number-- "Baby, Won't You Please Come Home?"-- this is some heartbreaking shit!

RATING:
5 too many drinks after 'last call' out of a possible 5