[.ca] Watertown

An ambitious song-cycle concept album from Frank Sinatra:
Frank Sinatra did a lot of concept albums in his career, especially during the 1950s and 1960s. But even within that context "Watertown" stands out as something unique and I have to believe that on some significant levels it was inspired by the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album. Not because "Watertown" constitutes pop-rock more than any other Sinatra album, but because by offering an actual story told in song it upped the ante for Sinatra the way "Sgt. Pepper" did for the Beatles. The music was written by Bob Gaudio, who wrote most of the big hits for the Four Seasons ("Big Girls Don't Cry," "Rag Doll," "Walk Like a Man," etc.) with lyrics by Jake Holmes, whom, I am stunned to learn, is apparently the original composer of my favorite all time rock song, Led Zeppelin's "Dazed and Confused." The result is what would be termed a song-cycle (originally conceived as a TV special/album tie-in) about a middle-aged man living in a small town dealing with the fact his wife has just left him with the kids. He loves the small town (Gaudio picked Watertown from a map of New York state), but she wants more and abandons her family for an attempt at a career. As with the saloon songs that marked the mature Sinatra a decade earlier, these are songs of loneliness. However, this time there is much more of a sense of dispair, heightened by the sad melodies and sweeping orchestration along with the modern rock sounds. The best songs are and "Goodbye (She Quietly Says)," a ballad about the end of the relationship where people say goodbye without emotion, and "Michael And Peter," done as a letter to the wife about the children, because it is the only way he can communicate his feelings to her which begins with just a simple acoustic guitar. I also like the retrospective "What a Funny Girl (You Used to Be)." This album was recorded shortly before what proved to be Sinatra's first retirement and you can hear the limitations of his aging voice in these songs. But the cracks in his voice match the emotional strain of his character in this song-cycle; the album also finds Sinatra engaging in some rare overdubbing. One of my all-time favorite Sinatra songs is his performance of "Soliloquy" from "Carousel," which appears on "Sinatra: A Man and His Music." This album fits the style and tone of that song, and if nothing on "Watertown" reaches the heights of that earlier effort, there is something grand here about the effort. There are clearly not commercial songs, and Sinatra's enthusiasm for this project says something about its value as well. I can appreciate that "Watertown" will not appeal to all of Sinatra's legion of fans, but I tend to like ambitious odd-ball albums such as this.

an overlooked masterpiece:
Simply put, this album is a genuine classic...completely transcendent. A grown-up east coast answer to the Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" in both arrangement & narrative with perhaps some of Mr Sinatra's most heartbreaking & emotionally-charged vocal deliveries of his career (or at least the latter half of his career).

So much between the lines:
This album is what makes Sinatra so different from the other great pop stars. A true artist, he would take chances, trying something new, reaching out and reaching over. This album, a story in song, is heart-wrenching. It's what between the lines that makes it so striking--the lyrics tell one story, what the lyrics aren't saying tells another. Like reading love letters which were never sent. What seems romantic ends up seeming cold and cruel. And so on. Frank is totally committed to this project--it's obvious he gave it the greatest care and caring. It's wrenching but oh so rewarding. And only Sinatra could have made it so with such conviction, such deep understanding. Don't miss it!

One of Sinatra's all time best.:
I've always liked Frank Sinatra but I never really understood why he was revered as "the best". Anytime people talked about the classic crooners or the all time greatest pop vocalists, it seemed that Sinatra was at the top of everyone's list. I knew he was a good singer but always thought "is he really the absolute best?" I mean, what makes him better than Dean Martin or Jack Jones or Tony Bennett or Nat King Cole or Andy Williams? Well, not to take away from any other performer of classic pop standards but there were two Sinatra albums that answered all my previous questions. The first was "September Of My Years" and the second is "Watertown". Two of the greatest albums ever recorded, in my opinion. After hearing Sinatra's untouchable performance of these Bob Gaudio/Jake Holmes songs, I finally understand what makes Sinatra the greatest of them all.

No Swinging Brass Here:
This concept album, released in 1970 was panned by critics and possibly had the poorest sales of all his Reprise LP's. Yet it's my favourite FS disc. Far superior to the previous Man Alone record, Frank "sings" an entire bittersweet love story with a depth of feeling that surpasses anything he had done previously or released since. Yeah, his voice cracks and shows signs of age but that only adds to the melancholy flavour of this masterpiece. "Lady Day" is the only sour note here - It's a great song, but doesn't belong on this disc (It wasn't on the original vinyl LP)

• Watertown
• Goodbye (She Quietly Says)
• For a While
• Michael and Peter
• I Would Be in Love (Anyway)
• Elizabeth
• What a Funny Girl (You Used to Be)
• What's Now Is Now
• She Says
• Train
• Lady Day