An email to a friend tonight triggered this post. I've been going back to Sinatra a lot more recently, especially his 60's output. The 1960's was an interesting time for ol' blue eyes. Folk rock protesters, and psychedelic hippies/hipsters raided the airwaves. Sinatra could have continued swinging during this decade, and probably would have still kept a healthy population of devoted fans. Instead, Sinatra went more introspective, more melancholy. Maybe it started with the Bossa Nova pairing with Brazilian great Antonio Carlos Jobim in Sinatra/Jobim (which was featured in an earlier post). From there he released albums such as Cycles (a theme album based on seasons, and people changing through the years), A Man Alone (theme album based on growing older and being alone), and Watertown (theme album based on a couple with kids going through a painful divorce). All of these albums are special in their own right, but my personal favorite is Cycles. Released in 1968, it's Sinatra's version of a folk album, yet he is crooning as only Sinatra can. There are beautiful songs on here, and ol' blue eyes covers songs by Joni Mitchell, and Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", among others. My two favorite tracks on Cycles is "Both Sides, Now", and the title track, "Cycles". But honestly, every song on this album is a gem. Only 31 minutes long and not a minute wasted, Cycles is musical perfection.
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