Frank Sinatra Columbia complete box

[ghost of miles]

Recently I was putting together a radio program of spring songs and took a look around for "It Happens Every Spring," the theme from a goofy 1949 Ray Milland movie about a college professor who accidentally discovers a wood-resistant substance and goes on to become an indomitable baseball pitcher (sounds like an early Disney prototype, eh? I always wondered about the ethics of such an action as well!). Frank Sinatra sang it, and it turns up only on THE COLUMBIA YEARS: 1943-1952, a 12-CD collection of Sinatra's work for that label. Now, I am the fanatical type who will probably spring the bucks some day for this set just to get one song... only because I happen to like Sinatra and enjoy the 2-CD anthology of his work for that label. Does anybody happen to have this set, or know of a decent review of it? The AMG description is woefully inadequate.

[Out2Lunch]

I bought this set a couple of years ago and its a nice collection. The sound is good, the repitoire is by and large classic Sinatra with some novelty numbers included that reflect the tastes of the times. I am kind of prejudiced here because I am a huge fan of Sinatra's Capitol recordings but this is still a valuable collection and some would say Sinatra's voice is superior in his earlier career. I prefer the Capitol concept albums and the classic arrangments by Nelson Riddle and Billy May.

[ghost of miles]

Thanks, Tod... I'd agree that the Capitol recordings are superior, but I love the music of the 40's so much that I even enjoy said novelty numbers. I'm going to shop around and see if I can find it for less than $200 somewhere, or even pick it up used. (Deep Discount lists it at $209, and the list is $249.)

[Out2Lunch]

P.S. Ghost of Miles, I don't think you need to apologize to anybody about asking questions on an open forum. Especially when discussing the Chairman of the Board!! I forgot to mention that the design of the Columbia set is very nice as well!!

[JohnJ]

I agree that the Capitol years represent the great man's artistic peak, but almost all Sinatra is pretty much essential as far as I am concerned. The complete Columbia set can usually be picked up on eBay for below $100. A quick check shows that the the last six sets have sold in the range of $51-$81.

[ghost of miles]

P.S. Ghost of Miles, I don't think you need to apologize to anybody about asking questions on an open forum. Especially when discussing the Chairman of the Board!! I forgot to mention that the design of the Columbia set is very nice as well!!

Well, it wasn't really a "sincere" apology... I just remember the cantankerous discussions on the old board regarding Sinatra & Lon/Weizen's lack of enthusiasm for said singer. Thanks, Tod, for the info on this set, and thanks for the E-Bay tip, John--I've put this on my "definitely-will-get" list.

[neveronfriday]

I bought myself the following 12-disc set from jpc.de:

Frank Sinatra: The Complete Collection 1943-1952. Disky 2004 (I think it's been around for longer and this one was just printed in 2004).

Disky is some cheapo Dutch (I think) label.

I paid - get this - Euro 17.99 for it. I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality. Maybe a bit on the bright side at times but definitely good enough for me (and I'm picky).

12 single jewelcases with CDs. No liner notes. Just titles listed. The 4 slipcases (3 jewelcases in each) look quite sleek (maybe I'll post a pic later) and are housed in a sturdy cardboard box.

I've done some searching on the Internet and came up with this list of songs that are missing when compared with the Coulumbia box set:

CD1 : Nancy, White Christmas

CD2: Over The Rainbow, You'll Never Walk Alone, My Shawl

CD3: Silent Night, Old School Teacher

CD4: Home On The Range, The Song Is You, You'll Know When It Happens

CD5: Adeste Fidelis, There's No Business Like Show Business, Jingle Bells, Strange Music, Poinciana, The Music Stopped, None But The Lonely Heart, It's All Up To You

CD6: Always (2x), My Love For You, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Christmas Dreaming

CD7: A Fellow Needs A Girl, So Far, It All Came True, Strange Music, Laura

CD8: Mean To Me, Spring Is Here, Fools Rush In, When You Awake, It Never Entered My Mind, O Little Town Of Bethlehem, White Christmas

CD9: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Help Yourself To My Heart, Once In Love With Amy, Kisses And Tears

CD11: Meet Me At The Copa, Let It Snow

CD12: A Good Man Is Hard To Find

I don't know if there are other numbers which are added to this set, but I doubt it. (and I'm too lazy to check).

A very cheap way to get a whole lot of Sinatra, especially since the "The Columbia Years - The Complete Recordings" is, AFAIK, being discontinued by Columbia as of January 2005.

Cheers!

[ghost of miles]

Oh, man! Thanks for the tip, deus--had no idea it was going OOP, and I still haven't run it down. Hmmm....

[neveronfriday]

Oh, man! Thanks for the tip, deus--had no idea it was going OOP, and I still haven't run it down. Hmmm....

I got this info via a German Sinatra board. They are usually quite reliable there, but you better double-check. They said it was not in the current catalogue anymore.

Cheers!

[Guest Chaney]

deus is correct: the set has been OOP / deleted since December 2004.

From a THREAD on the Sinatra Family Forum:

Columbia Blue Box is OOP

Just to report official confirmation of what had been indicated above by others:

In a conversation yesterday, with a representative of the Consumer Relations office of Sony Music Operations US (in Pitman, NJ), I was told that The Columbia Years (1943-1952) The Complete Recordings was deleted as of December 16, 2004.

I mentioned earlier that I received a duplicate disc in a box that I purchased back in October. It took three months (!!) for Sony to locate a replacement disc for me, so you can believe that this is on its way to becoming a scarce item. (The lady in Consumer Relations was exceedingly apologetic: They normally have a one-week turnaround time for fulfilling quality control replacements. I was offered two free CDs as additional compensation for the long wait.)

Also, thanks to Chuck for confirming that that the hardcover book and CDs in the cardboard box set are identical to those in the original wooden box. I still fill slightly cheated, since Columbia/Legacy did not change the catalog number of the cardboard package nor mention the change anywhere in their online product description (nor reduce the list price). It's a moot point now, though. It's sad to see such an important package as this be discontinued.

Deletion news begins at the top of page 5. You'll then eventually see the mention on page 6 of the shadowy European sets of almost all of the Columbia material.

This from Chuck Granata:

It appears from my preliminary inquiries that the "Blue Box" has been deleted from the catalog, primarily due to the high cost of packaging. It's been in print for more than ten years, which is a great run for such a high ticket item. Many other packages (all artists, all labels) have been deleted and/or reconfigured after far less time, so the fact that the box set has stayed in print so long is unusual. That said, it is acknowledged that Sony must look to a different avenue for making the recordings on the Complete box set available, and I will hopefully be discussing that with the right people in the near future.

Maybe the material will eventually see re-release in a less expensive form, as did the complete Reprise set.

Ghost: Get the known-legitimate set NOW.

[JohnJ]

I was delighted to pick up the wooden 12 CD Columbia box last year on eBay UK for 30 pounds plus postage. A wonderful package that contains a lot of truly great Sinatra. Something of a revelation as I had always concentrated on the Capitol and Reprise years.

[vajerzy]

Hey Tony- I was wondering when you would chime in!!

This is my favorite of the Sinatra years- Everything is thoroughly researched and catalogued. I tend to like 40s era music so I'm a little biased. I bought this when it came out so I have the wooden box.

Blue-eyes.com has it for $209.99

Now- where can I buy the import set mentioned above?

[Guest Chaney]

Now- where can I buy the import set mentioned above?

I stumbled across the sets a short time ago, thought, Gee, public-domain-in-Europe-time, and moved one.

I'll have a look around and try and come up with a picture. (WHERE did I see those?!)

[neveronfriday]

As promised, three quick and dirty shots of the box set I bought for Euro 17.

Image 1: The box set:

Image 2: The four slipcases with three CDs each:

Image 3: Three CDs pulled out of one of the slipcases:

Cheers!

[ghost of miles]

deus is correct: the set has been OOP / deleted since December 2004.

From a THREAD on the Sinatra Family Forum:

Columbia Blue Box is OOP

Just to report official confirmation of what had been indicated above by others:

In a conversation yesterday, with a representative of the Consumer Relations office of Sony Music Operations US (in Pitman, NJ), I was told that The Columbia Years (1943-1952) The Complete Recordings was deleted as of December 16, 2004.

I mentioned earlier that I received a duplicate disc in a box that I purchased back in October. It took three months (!!) for Sony to locate a replacement disc for me, so you can believe that this is on its way to becoming a scarce item. (The lady in Consumer Relations was exceedingly apologetic: They normally have a one-week turnaround time for fulfilling quality control replacements. I was offered two free CDs as additional compensation for the long wait.)

Also, thanks to Chuck for confirming that that the hardcover book and CDs in the cardboard box set are identical to those in the original wooden box. I still fill slightly cheated, since Columbia/Legacy did not change the catalog number of the cardboard package nor mention the change anywhere in their online product description (nor reduce the list price). It's a moot point now, though. It's sad to see such an important package as this be discontinued.

Deletion news begins at the top of page 5. You'll then eventually see the mention on page 6 of the shadowy European sets of almost all of the Columbia material.

This from Chuck Granata:

It appears from my preliminary inquiries that the "Blue Box" has been deleted from the catalog, primarily due to the high cost of packaging. It's been in print for more than ten years, which is a great run for such a high ticket item. Many other packages (all artists, all labels) have been deleted and/or reconfigured after far less time, so the fact that the box set has stayed in print so long is unusual. That said, it is acknowledged that Sony must look to a different avenue for making the recordings on the Complete box set available, and I will hopefully be discussing that with the right people in the near future.

Maybe the material will eventually see re-release in a less expensive form, as did the complete Reprise set.

Ghost: Get the known-legitimate set NOW.

I found a reasonably-priced copy and pulled the trigger. Huzzah! Really looking forward to spending some time with this set... I've wanted it for quite awhile now. Thanks again for the news that it had gone OOP.

[Guest Chaney]

Thanks for the photos, deus.

[ghost of miles]

SuperDuperMall still has some new ones in stock for $154 (I got an e-mail confirmation from them, since other sites continue to list it but actually don't have it and can't get it):

SinatraColumbiabox

Hoping mine will arrive later this week... eager to delve into it.