UPC 821797134415

Numbered Limited-Edition 180-gram LP Sourced from Original Master Tapes Ring-a-Ding-Ding: Songs Graced With Grand Arrangements, Tour De Force Few albums are so compelling that they prompt a competing record label to go to court in attempt to block their potential popularity and success. Yet that's what happened in 1961 when Capitol Records legally forced Reprise Records, Frank Sinatra's new home, to change the title of Sinatra Swings to Swing Along With Me. Capitol felt that the blockbuster set was too close in sound (and title) to the Chairman's Come Swing With Me. Still, the action couldn't conceal the truth: Swing Along With Me is a phenomenal effort that finds the Voice in mellifluous form. Originally promoted as ''twelve of the most uninhibited things Sinatra ever recorded,'' Swing Along With Me pairs the legendary singer with arranger Billy May, who leads an orchestra that just doesn't quit. Just as impressive, the album features the incredible production standards for which the era is famous. The result: Tour de force vocals, fabulous rhythms, grand interpretations, and vivid sonics. Of course, the album is true to its title. Sinatra rarely, if ever, swung so hard (and effortlessly) as he does here. Whether it's his timing and voice control (''Don't Cry Joe''), diction and feeling (''Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone''), or note-perfect baritone (''Granada''), the Chairman makes the most out of Mays' brassy arrangements. Several unexpected touches - classically themed instrumental introductions, Spanish-influenced accents - add to the allure. Viewing the record as delivering one giant, swaggering groove after another is simplifying the magic contained within. But Swing Along With Me claims a big-band looseness and nightclub panache that makes it incredibly easy to enjoy. At the time, Sinatra was in the midst of his high-flying Rat Pack days, and he brings that same ring-a-ding-ding spirit to every tune here. As is the case with all of it