Come Fly With Me

As if often the case with Sinatra's Capitol albums during the Fifties, "Come Fly With Me" is a thematic collection of songs having to do with travel that takes listeners around the world. We go from "Moonlight in Vermont" and "Autumn in New York" to "April in Paris" and "London By Night." The emphasis on fun is seen in humorous songs like "Isle of Capri" and "On the Road to Mandalay." This album was Sinatra's first project with arranger Billy May and the result of the bold, brassy arrangements is more boisterous and more fun than his more somber albums, like "Where Are You." During this period Sinatra had proved his greatest strength was as a saloon singer, but from the opening notes of the title song, "Come Fly With Me" makes it clear that he was a master of the playful, carefree tune as well.

"Come Fly With Me" hit the top of the Billboard album charts in 1958. The cover, with its clear blue sky, stands out as a distinct memory from my childhood; I am sure my mother had pretty much all of the Sinatra albums, but this is the one that stands out in visual terms. This remastered album is further enhanced by the addition of a trio of bonus tracks, of which "Chicago" is the best (it was released as a single during this period), but his cover of Cole Porter's "I Love Paris" is pretty good as well. Even without those bonus tracks, "Come Fly With Me" remains one of the top ten Sinatra albums and therefore part of an essential collection of the man and his music.

This 1998 reissue to CD, gives us three extra songs which were not on the original release: "Chicago", "South of the Border", and "I Love Paris". The first two mention are in mono, while every other track on this album is in stereo. The sound quality is great. It was Digitally Remastered by Larry Walsh using 20-bit technology.

This album has the theme of travelling around the world to different countries and citys. It is somewhat similar to the 1958 Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney album, "Fancy Meeting You Here", which was also with Billy May and his Orchestra.

The big highlights on this disc for me are: "Brazil", "Around The World", "On The Road To Mandalay", "Chicago", and obviously the title song, "Come Fly With Me". There is not a bad track on this album at all.

With Sinatra in great voice, Billy May's swinging arrangements, the wonderful songs, and the great sound quality, this disc is certainly one you need in your CD collection. Essential buying. Just absolutely great. For another recommendation, check out the Bing and Rosie album I mentioned, which is in my opinion, the greatest album from any performer. If you like "Come Fly With Me", you will love "Fancy Meeting You Here".

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.