1967 was an interesting and unforgettable year in music. The most notable music release of the year was The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Also of high importance from 1967 was this release, which is a studio collaboration between the legendary crooner Frank Sinatra himself, and legendary bossa nova guitarist Antonio Carlos Jobim. The idea was to meld a different mix of styles and substance together to see if there if it would turn out any good. This album is now seen as a landmark album in the back catalogue of releases from both artists and is considered as well a classic album. For that reason, this should be heard and observed so let’s do just that.

The Girl From Ipanema is a highly memorable tune. It begins with upbeat and wonderful acoustic guitar, horns and a subtle bossa nova sound. Frank Sinatra sings really well with a wonderful buttery and fluttering singing voice that sounds really fantastic. It is about desiring a lady who one is infatuated with in a deep way, and is perfectly fitting to the On Her Majesty’s Secret Service 007 movie released in 1969. There are some additional vocals with Spanish talk here, presumably from Jobim himself here, which add an unusual flavour to the sound. The two voices complement each other and sound really fantastically great here, and the said girl is a mysterious lady indeed. Awesome tune, although there is a big air of melancholy about it. Nice to hear, all the same with some hummed harmonies at the end. Sweet effort.

Dindi begins with another fluttering Frank Sinatra vocal and some subtle, beautiful guitar work from Jobim. Soon enough, this launches straight into a piece of music that evokes deep sadness and melancholy. Again, this is a wonderful listen, despite the aura of sadness and it sounds really amazing in today’s world of autotune and 10 billion tracks on laptop style music. It just sounds simple, pure and fantastic. A luscious, mellow and adventurous listening experience that sounds super cool, the music present here is ridiculously good. A very romantic and memorable piece of music, this sounds very smooth and makes Coldplay’s dreariness (at times with their music) a run for their money. Sweet tune.

Change Partners sounds like a bossa nova Burt Bacharach style piece. Frank Sinatra sings about relationship jealousy and he doesn’t sound at all happy here. Unfortunately, jealousy is a fairly regular emotion for some, and Frankie perfectly illustrates the love/lust that one feels for a significant other of someone else. This doesn’t sound overly bitter, it just sounds like one is really longing for a particular lady. It is a good and short listen that is satisfying and mellow, despite the negativity of pride and envy here. Good song.

Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado) begins with a lone horn part, followed by some melancholy strings and a decent bossa nova feel. This one sounds simple, yet grandiose and lovely. Frank Sinatra sings in a moody place, and he sings about the sadness and loneliness that one can experience being on their own without love. Of course, anyone who has gone through some tragedy in their love life can relate to this, let’s face it, we’ve all been there. A deeply unhappy sounding tune, but a fantastic one to hear, this is for those who need to shed some tears. Good tune, under three minutes long as well.

Meditation is another short Burt Bacharach sounding piece that is beautiful and wonderful simultaneously. It is a strange mixture of sounds that works excellently. Again, Frank Sinatra is in a blue mood and the music here sounds fantastic. Singing about loneliness and missing a loved one, this is passionate and excellent music to listen to. Sure, this isn’t the best song on the record, but it is significant enough to make a lasting impact. A rush of sad emotion, this song is super underrated and it goes for less than three minutes in length total. A really good piece of music, this sounds amazing. Nice sounds and production are here, and the conclusion is awesome. Great tune.

If You Never Come To Me (Inutil Paisagen) begins with a fluttering vocal from Frank Sinatra and a matching instrumental section, complete with touches of gorgeous piano, sad sounding strings and a smooth backing instrumental section. This is for those who are lost, brokenhearted or missing that significant other that got away. A great song nonetheless, this sounds really fine and fantastic for downbeat music. A really great listen, complete with some flute parts, this is a short and bittersweet listening experience. Some great lyricism is here, although Frank Sinatra never wrote his own songs. Good and sad tune.

How Insensitive (Insensatez) begins with a good bossa nova feel, soft acoustic guitar, strings and another sad sounding piece of melodic construction. This is really awesome stuff. Frank Sinatra sings wonderfully, although the emotion at hand points to desperation and heartbreak here. Nonetheless, this is a great and moving listening experience to hear musically. There is nothing quite like this musical experience to listen to, and the song is enjoyable and decent to hear. It’s about rejection in a fling and dealing with the heartbreak afterwards. A great tune, despite the fact it is a very melancholy and retrospective feeling. Jobim sings some Spanish lyrics here, adding some good flavour to the mix before Frank returns to conclude this rather upsetting listen. Great for when the mood strikes hard. It ends with strings and hi-hats, nice work.

I Concentrate On You begins with a multitude of horns and an upbeat feel, along with acoustic guitar in the background. This quickly launches into another melancholy tune talking about the weather at hand. There is a hint of optimism here, that no matter how bad things can get, one can focus on love to heal themselves. A really decent and upbeat song, despite the fact that there is a lot of tragedy in it, the music is really excellent here. Frank Sinatra does a great job here, painting an effective picture of mood and music to the listener. The arrangements to support Frankie are very much perfect for the music at hand. This finishes with a nice touch of guitar and horns. Excellent.

Baubles, Bangles and Beads is very 1967, as a notable reference to the stylings of the Hippie movement. It begins with some gorgeous acoustic guitar and quickly launches into the sort of tune that one who loves Frank Sinatra would hear in 1967 indeed. Frank Sinatra quickly sings a nice and summery sounding tune that sounds really divine and excellent. It does sound wonderful, regardless of if it is about Hippies or not. In any case, this is a tuneful, pretty and moody tune that does the job nicely. In any case, a good tune that has some great musicality. It has some muttered harmonies and bell sounds towards the end, great work.

Once I Loved (O Amor en Paz) begins with some percussive plucked acoustic guitar, strings galore and another moody tune. Again, this is excellent music and is the bossa nova equivalent of In The Wee Small Hours, an earlier Frank Sinatra album that is a classic as much as this one is. Frank doesn’t sound overly optimistic here, and he sounds pretty sad and reflective in general. In any case, this is a good way to conclude the main tracks of this monumental album. “Love is the saddest thing when it goes away…” indeed. A good piece of music.

Sinatra/Jobim Medley is a six minute section with some acoustic guitar playing, bossa nova rhythms, double bass and Frank Sinatra away well. This is a great mash-up of sounds and musicality and is a really great addition to this album. A voiceover occurs introducing Jobim as a live performance to a crowd, who applaud loudly for the group. Frank Sinatra and Jobim are two geniuses on this tune, and although this wasn’t on the main album at the time, this sounds really awesome, well structured, beautiful and inspired. A really top and great tune to hear, this sounds decent. Even for an outtake live performance, this is absolutely fantastic and really excellently done, it just sounds pleasant and full of inspired musicality. Even for a one-off album with each other and a short time performing together, this sounds like no time at all was wasted. Clever, unique and moving, the sounds and playing are really top. Nice to hear, this does a really excellent and powerful job at a live piece. Jobim does some nice harmonies throughout, and a mixture of songs from the album are performed here. A joyful and great listen, despite the melancholy of the music, this does hit the spot very nicely. Wonderful and unique, this is inspiring music. Great to hear, and never dull nor boring throughout. It ends with some loud applause, well deserved too.

The Girl From Ipanema – Studio Session/’67 is the very last song on the reissue here and goes for over 11 minutes in length. It begins with some studio chatter, and some discussion from Frank Sinatra before launching into the song at hand. Immediately, you can hear how on it the band are. Frank himself sings beautifully and does a really cool singing piece as a result. Sure, this may be an extended session present but it still does tremendously well. A really excellent and fine listening experience, Jobim’s Spanish is just as essential as Frank Sinatra’s part. These guys had it all together for the record, and indeed, if there are any mistakes, it is very difficult to notice them overall. A great, great song. After a while, this finishes, going into Take Two. At this point, there is no real need to hear this again and again, but hey, this is history being made in great musicality. Does it matter if you hear this song again and again? No. The song itself demands repeat listens anyway. A monumental and gorgeous song that ought to be remembered, and each studio retake is powerful and joyful. Entertaining and rather unique, this song should be forever remembered well by Crooner fans. Each moment here is joyful, enjoyable and uplifting, it just sounds really excellent and fine. Of course, not everyone will likely want to hear this section of retakes, but nothing wrong with hearing it. After a while, the last retake of the song occurs, and the group work wonderfully as a unit together to make this music magical. Surprisingly, this isn’t boring at all. Refreshing and decent to hear, a great effort by some of the best musicians of 1967. Great, great stuff. In the 1960s, there was a much bigger emphasis on musical performance rather than digital technology, and this is A Grade example of that. Little more needs to be said, but this is fantastic. Great throughout and each retake is an improvement over the last. Wonderful music.

This is a really great album full of variety and a good mixture of moods that help. It’s best to hear this after a serious breakup when romance has messed up one’s head. Even without that, the music here is wonderful, and the album stands very tall to this day. A must hear for Frank Sinatra fans, Crooner lovers or those who are history fanatics, this is a great listen. Highly recommended.

A good taste of the sadder side of romance, set to music.

9/10