| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Mojo | [2] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
| DownBeat | [4] |
Ring-a-Ding-Ding! is the twentieth studio album by Frank Sinatra, released on May 7, 1961.[1] It was the inaugural record on Sinatra’s Reprise label and, as the initial concept was “an album without ballads”, it consisted only of uptempo swing numbers.
The title track was written specifically for Sinatra by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen. The song “Have You Met Miss Jones?” was recorded for the album, though left off the final track listing. Ring-a-Ding-Ding! reached No. 4; it was given favorable reviews by Stereo Review, and, although a similar album (Sinatra’s Swingin’ Session!!!) was released by Capitol a mere two months prior, Ring-A-Ding-Ding! managed to maintain a 35-week stay on the charts. In the UK, the album reached No. 8 and stayed for 9 weeks on the chart.
The album was remastered and reissued by Concord Records on June 7, 2011, to mark its 50th anniversary. The newest CD makes a change to earlier releases, in that the original reverberation effect on Sinatra’s voice has been decreased for a more natural sound.[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Ring-a-Ding Ding!” | Jimmy Van Heusen; Sammy Cahn | 2:44 |
| 2. | “Let’s Fall in Love“ | Harold Arlen; Ted Koehler | 2:11 |
| 3. | “Be Careful, It’s My Heart” | Irving Berlin | 2:04 |
| 4. | “A Foggy Day“ | George Gershwin; Ira Gershwin | 2:17 |
| 5. | “A Fine Romance“ | Jerome Kern; Dorothy Fields | 2:11 |
| 6. | “In the Still of the Night“ | Cole Porter | 3:25 |
| 7. | “The Coffee Song“ | Bob Hilliard; Dick Miles | 2:51 |
| 8. | “When I Take My Sugar to Tea” | Irving Kahal; Sammy Fain; Pierre Norman | 2:05 |
| 9. | “Let’s Face the Music and Dance“ | Irving Berlin | 2:58 |
| 10. | “You’d Be So Easy to Love“ | Cole Porter | 2:24 |
| 11. | “You and the Night and the Music“ | Arthur Schwartz; Howard Dietz | 2:36 |
| 12. | “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm“ | Irving Berlin | 2:52 |
| Total length: | 30:38 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart“ | James F. Hanley | 2:48 |
| 14. | “The Last Dance” | Jimmy Van Heusen; Sammy Cahn | 2:46 |
| 15. | “The Second Time Around“ | Jimmy Van Heusen; Sammy Cahn | 3:03 |
| Total length: | 39:15 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart” (Outtake Bonus Track) | James F. Hanley | 3:00 |
| 14. | “Have You Met Miss Jones?” (Previously Unreleased Outtake) | Richard Rodgers; Lorenz Hart | 10:18 |
| Total length: | 43:56 | ||
Selected personnel
Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6:
19-December-1960 (Monday) – Hollywood.
Conrad Gozzo, Don Fagerquist, Ray Triscari, John Anderson (tpt); Dick Nash, Stu Williamson, Frank Rosolino (tbn); George Roberts (b-tbn); Joe Maini, Harry Klee, Buddy Collette, Plas Johnson, Chuck Gentry (sax/wwd); Erno Neufeld, James Getzoff, Elliot Fisher, Amerigo Marino, Joe Stepansky, Marshall Sosson, Gerald Vinci, Victor Arno, Herman Clebanoff, Ben Gill (vln); Alex Neiman, Alvin Dinkin, Stanley Harris, Paul Robyn (via); Ray Kramer, Eleanor Slatkin, Edgar Lustgarten (vlc); Kathryn Julye (harp); Bill Miller (p); Al Viola (g); Joe Comfort, Joe Mondragon (b); Irving Cottler (d). Larry Bunker, Emil Richards (perc); Johnny Mandel (arr/cond).
Tracks 3, 5, 7, 9, 10
20-December-1960 (Tuesday) – Hollywood.
Conrad Gozzo, Don Fagerquist, Ray Triscari, John Anderson (tpt); Dick Nash, Stu Williamson, Frank Rosolino (tbn); George Roberts (b-tbn); Joe Maini, Harry Klee, Buddy Collette, Plas Johnson, Chuck Gentry (sax/wwd); Erno Neufeld, James Getzoff, Elliot Fisher, Amerigo Marino, Joe Stepansky, Marshall Sasson, Gerald Vinci, Victor Arno, Hennan Clebanoff, Ben Gill (vln); Alex Neiman, Alvin Dinkin, Stanley Harris, Paul Robyn (via); Ray Kramer, Eleanor Slatkin, Edgar Lustgarten (vlc); Kathryn Julye (harp); Bill Miller (p); Al Viola (g); Joe Comfort, Joe Mondragon (b); Irving Cottler (d); Larry Bunker, Emil Richards (perc); Johnny Mandel (arr/cond).
Tracks, 8, 11, 12, 13
21-December-1960 (Wednesday) – Hollywood.
Conrad Gozzo, Don Fagerquist, Ray Triscari, John Anderson (tpt); Dick Nash, Stu Williamson, Frank Rosolino (tbn); George Roberts (b-tbn); Joe Maini, Harry Klee, Buddy Collette, Plas Johnson, Chuck Gentry (sax/wwd); Erno Neufeld, James Getzoff, Elliot Fisher, Amerigo Marino, Joe Stepansky, Marshall Sosson, Gerald Vinci, Victor Arno, Herman Clebanoff, Ben Gill (vln); Alex Neiman, Alvin Dinkin, Stanley Harris, Paul Robyn (vln); Ray Kramer, Eleanor Slatkin, Edgar Lustgarten (vlc); Kathryn Julye (harp); Bill Miller (p); Al Viola (g); Joe Comfort, Joe Mondragon (b); Irving Cottler (d). Larry Bunker, Emil Richards (perc); Johnny Mandel, Dick Reynolds (arr).[6]
References
- ^ a b Ring-a-Ding-Ding! at AllMusic
- ^ Andrew Male Mojo, January 2010, Issue 194.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- ^ Lees, Gene (August 3, 1961). “Record Reviews”. DownBeat. 28 (16): 42.
- ^ Review: Frank Sinatra – “Ring-A-Ding Ding!”, Blindedbysound.com
- ^ Put Your Dreams Away: A Frank Sinatra Discography. ISBN 978-0274963768.
