9/8/21 "It was a very good year"

[SlideMeister]

This is a very interesting piece. Somehow, I can love it or hate it, but lately I'm starting to love it.  Here's Francis Albert doing it in D minor (I believe)



Here's the Karaoke in D minor



Karaoke in C#minor

[Rosco16-64]

Thanks, I agree with the sentiment. Late night radio was doing a short program looking to turn around people who hate Sinatra, which resonated with me.   The particular song that does it for me is 'Here's That Rainy Day' (Burke/Van Heusen), which Sinatra released in 1959, I think in G.  A lovely melancholy, melodic piece that works well on slide harp - in the hands of talented players, herewith for example:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1HHc5KWmic&ab_channel=FilipJersMusic

[Mike Green]

Always enjoy this guy

[Scotty]

I was never a 'real' Sinatra fan although I enjoyed some of his songs. One day a friend gave us a cassette tape to take with
us on vacation a long time ago, headed to Montreal (from NY). We forgot the rest of our tapes so ended up
playing this one: 'Watertown ' over and over and over. I fell asleep to it, woke up to it and found myself singing along
to it by the time a couple of days had passed.

It didn't gain much traction with Sinatra's big band fans, but ended up with its own cult following. Later they released it on CD (much later). I grabbed a couple of those to ensure I'd always have it. I've posted about it before. It tells a 'story' throughout: about a man still obviously in love with his wife who's left him and his two small sons. The songs are poignant and melancholy for the most part - then, excitement: 'She's coming home'!

He adds in one track with my name, but it was actually dedicated to Elizabeth Taylor (his good friend). It's spare, stark and must be heard several times before it grabs you. (Written and produced by Bob Gaudio of Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons fame). Each time I play it again (after an absence), I fall in love with all of the songs all over again. I'll find a link and come back to post it.

scotty
Here's the 'main' song: WaterTown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ob9IVj2GxA

'Goodbye, she quietly says': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kwVyl1Z_uo

'I would be in Love Anyway': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGwSseIl6QA

'For A While': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUqYtiT2VEo

'Michael and Peter': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmcgmm9Y3m8

'Elizabeth': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLddFvtA6Do

'What a Funny Girl You Used to Be': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdtQkS43jnw

'The Train: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc-BL-d7tcs

I've forgotten the order and might have missed a song or two...don't have my Cd's right now (they're mostly stored
away. But some of these are my favourites from the album. I like Sinatra's rawness here.

[Scotty]

I was never a 'real' Sinatra fan although I enjoyed some of his songs. One day a friend gave us a cassette tape to take with
us on vacation a long time ago, headed to Montreal (from NY). We forgot the rest of our tapes so ended up
playing this one: 'Watertown ' over and over and over. I fell asleep to it, woke up to it and found myself singing along
to it by the time a couple of days had passed.

It didn't gain much traction with Sinatra's big band fans, but ended up with its own cult following. Later they released it on CD (much later). I grabbed a couple of those to ensure I'd always have it. I've posted about it before. It tells a 'story' throughout: about a man still obviously in love with his wife who's left him and his two small sons. The songs are poignant and melancholy for the most part - then, excitement: 'She's coming home'!

He adds in one track with my name, but it was actually dedicated to Elizabeth Taylor (his good friend). It's spare, stark and must be heard several times before it grabs you. (Written and produced by Bob Gaudio of Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons fame). Each time I play it again (after an absence), I fall in love with all of the songs all over again. I'll find a link and come back to post it.

scotty
Here's the 'main' song: WaterTown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ob9IVj2GxA

'Goodbye, she quietly says': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kwVyl1Z_uo

'I would be in Love Anyway': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGwSseIl6QA

'For A While': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUqYtiT2VEo

'Michael and Peter': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmcgmm9Y3m8

'Elizabeth': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLddFvtA6Do

'What a Funny Girl You Used to Be': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdtQkS43jnw

'The Train: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc-BL-d7tcs

I've forgotten the order and might have missed a song or two...don't have my Cd's right now (they're mostly stored
away. But some of these are my favourites from the album. I like Sinatra's rawness here.

***One more: 'She Says" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rjX7hMpyxg (I believe it fits right before The Train)

[Scotty]

Oops...didn't realize what 'board' I was on, Age. Mea culpa. I DO like 'It was a very good year' at times. Depends on my
mood, but most often if I hear it, I find myself singing along - so I must like it somewhere deep down.

scotty

[Gnarly He Man]

Originally by the Kingston Trio!
https://youtu.be/bjtUclZjUkk

[Scotty]

Ervin Drake telling the story of how Sinatra came to record his own version of what he heard on the radio (the Kingston trio's version). Drake is the composer).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPDMb4WPKRQ&list=RDfPDMb4WPKRQ&index=1

This is good too: Ervin Drake's 95th birthday celebration (before he died). Lots of mentions of the other songs he wrote
including 'It Was A Very Good Year'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na69ekA-02E

scotty

[Scotty]

Something you might enjoy Age, even if purely for its quirkiness factor. There are several of these couples online, but these two
are so nice and seem to 'get' the music. In this case it's Tasha alone (of TNT) who is reviewing 'It Was a Very Good Year'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d3aFZBbvOY

The premise is: Black young adults listening to (sometimes for the first time) and reacting to music WE grew up on - and
giving their opinions about individual songs on YouTube. I've watched some react in amazement to the fact that the BeeGees were white, while grooving to their sound, amazing songwriting and falsettos.

Here we have this young woman truly appreciating this song for many reasons. Hope you enjoy her take as much as I did. 

scotty

[SlideMeister]

Adorable! And pretty sharp between her ears too. I think it's refreshing when young people actually appreciate the stuff "old farts" like us grew up on. My oldest son, Louie, just turned  55 last thursday and although he has (at any given time) at least a hundred rock'n roll CDs from the "liberry" at his his house, he's now come to appreciate that local "old farts radio station. that his old man listens to.

Recently he said, "I'm startin' to see why you like that stuff. That's really music!"

To which I responded "Duh! Ya think?" 

[Scotty]

Yeah - I loved her - 'Swan Lake' analogy. It really HAD a very lush, balletic sound - which I hadn't realized until played through
a few more times. I'm appreciating this song a lot more than I did before, so thanks for posting it!

scotty