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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Cycles is a very different Sinatra album to those he normally recorded. From the early 60's onwards the music industry was rapidly changing, the new face of pop music - The Beatles,The Rolling Stones and many others were revolutionising the music industry and artists like Sinatra,Dean Martin,Matt Munro etc who only a few short yrs before were the premier modern singers of the day were seen as dinosaurs in this new pop era. Sinatra had 2 choices,keep doing what he had been doing or change his style and keep up with the times? In-fact what happened was somewhere in-between. Sinatra initially kept recording the old style swing and ballads albums he made so popular but would occasionally record the odd contemporary number mainly as singles to test the water. These had middling success but by the time of the late 60's when flower power was in full effect and pop music was dominating virtually all record sales and radio he could no longer hide behind the old style sinatra sound. Cycles would be a full album of gentle pop songs,no horns here,just drums,bass,guitar and piano..so did Cycles work ?
Well yes and no. Whilst it's not a complete disaster by any means it's not as good an album as most of Sinatra's earlier more traditional work.
Songs like "Rain in my heart" is where the album really hits it's stride,a superb rousing ballad which Frank delivers with gusto,highly melodic and brilliantly produced..superb ! Other successful songs are the fantastic "Wandering","pretty colours" and the title track "Cycles" which was also a hit single.
A few songs go amiss namely Joni Mitchell's "Both sides now" which is completely the wrong song for sinatra, a flower power pop song which has no place being sung by Sinatra. "Moody river" is another disaster and "By the time i get to arizona" is somewhat humdrum.
Cycles has it's moments like "Rain in your heart" and "Wandering" for a start and it's certainly less self indulgent than several of his albums from this period like "A man alone" and "Watertown" but it's just not really Sinatra and the whole album comes across has more of an experiment which didn't work than anything else. From here on in Sinatra's albums would all largely be MOR pop affairs except the following years "My way" album which would have some more traditional big band stuff as well the more MOR pop material.
Not really an album if your just starting your sinatra collection,this would be one of the last you should get. More for Sinatra completists only i'm afraid.
Well yes and no. Whilst it's not a complete disaster by any means it's not as good an album as most of Sinatra's earlier more traditional work.
Songs like "Rain in my heart" is where the album really hits it's stride,a superb rousing ballad which Frank delivers with gusto,highly melodic and brilliantly produced..superb ! Other successful songs are the fantastic "Wandering","pretty colours" and the title track "Cycles" which was also a hit single.
A few songs go amiss namely Joni Mitchell's "Both sides now" which is completely the wrong song for sinatra, a flower power pop song which has no place being sung by Sinatra. "Moody river" is another disaster and "By the time i get to arizona" is somewhat humdrum.
Cycles has it's moments like "Rain in your heart" and "Wandering" for a start and it's certainly less self indulgent than several of his albums from this period like "A man alone" and "Watertown" but it's just not really Sinatra and the whole album comes across has more of an experiment which didn't work than anything else. From here on in Sinatra's albums would all largely be MOR pop affairs except the following years "My way" album which would have some more traditional big band stuff as well the more MOR pop material.
Not really an album if your just starting your sinatra collection,this would be one of the last you should get. More for Sinatra completists only i'm afraid.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
THIS INTERESTING ALBUM FROM FRANK SINATRA CONTAINS NO STANDARDS AS SUCH - ALTHOUGH A FEW OF THE NUMBERS WERE TO BECOME WELL KNOWN - ONLY CONTEMPORARY POP SONGS. I FOUND THAT THE MELODIC BALLADS SUCH AS 'RAIN IN MY HEART', 'MY WAY OF LIFE' AND TO A LESSER EXTENT 'CYCLES' (A HIT SINGLE) SUITED MR SINATRA'S VOICE AND STYLE RATHER BETTER THAN COUNTRY TUNES LIKE 'GENTLE ON MY MIND' AND 'LITTLE GREEN APPLES'. INDEED, IF YOU WERE TO COMPARE THE LATTER TWO SONGS WITH VERSIONS BY SAY DEAN MARTIN, YOU WOULD SEE WHAT I MEAN. ALSO, 'BOTH SIDES NOW' SOUNDS A LITTLE INCONGRUOUS WHEN PERFORMED BY SINATRA ALTHOUGH IT IS UNDOUBTEDLY A COMMITTED PERFORMANCE. ALL IN ALL, I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO OVER ENTHUSE ABOUT 'CYCLES' EVEN THOUGH IT IS ENTERTAINING AND MR SINATRA IS IN GOOD VOICE. THE TIME PERIOD 1968 - 1973 PRODUCED A DEARTH OF QUALITY POP SONGS AND THIS ALBUM IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE DILEMMA ARTISTS LIKE SINATRA FOUND THEMSELVES IN. THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE WOULD HAVE BEEN TO REHASH A SET OF OLD STANDARDS AND THAT WOULD RATHER DEFEAT THE AIM. STILL, AT AROUND A FIVER (AT TIME OF WRITING)IT IS CERTAINLY GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY.
Format:Audio CD
I've heard that this Sinatra album is one of the big favourites of his daughter Nancy. Which makes sense - it was Frank's stab at the music of her own generation. Mostly. So how does it fare?
Some of it seems to be dated in the worst way i.e. without any redeeming charm. I'm thinking of "Pretty Colours" with its cooing girlie chorus. "Moody River" also seems a waste. Sinatra's reason for recording this follows his perverse logic with "Strangers in the Night" i.e. he hated both songs and only performed them to show up their weaknesses - with the stilted "do be do be do" of the latter and the contemptuous mis-rhyming of "sin" and "friend" in the former. Still, if he's going to record songs he hates it only serves him right if one of them (Strangers) becomes a huge hit.
There are a couple of big bombastic numbers: "Rain in my Heart" and "My Way of Life" but I've never really cared for Sinatra when he's in swaggering mood. The title track is certainly a complete departure from that mood - in fact it's unusual territory for Sinatra being concerned with a guy who has lost his job as well as his girl - classic blues material. Many have found it immensely moving in its understatement but, for me, it sounds a bit glib.
His performance of "Both Sides Now " seems to follow the Judy Collins version rather than the original Joni Mitchell which I think is a pity since I think a more dignified mood would have suited Sinatra more than the up-tempo pop arrangement. It's still a great song though and I disagree with the ones who consider it Sinatra's disastrous concession to flower power. Actually the theme of the song - the incongruence between romantic illusions and reality - is right up Sinatra's street. (Speaking of which, I always wondered why he never recorded Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After all These Years". Perhaps he didn't like the idea of women drinking beers?)
But there is a truly wonderful little hidden gem called "Wandering" - one of those infinitely sad autumnal meditations on age - which, for me, pretty much steals the show. Yes - I know that it is in every way a "little" song. But that is part of its power - a fleeting dream that is all the more moving for being so slight. And the melody has a beautiful resigned quality: just listen to the regretful sigh in Sinatra's voice when he sings "warm sky".
His performance of "Little Green Apples" could well be the definitive one. Sinatra was a complex man. Part of him, it seems, always longed for quiet domestic family bliss while the other part had to raise hell. In "Apples" he surrenders completely to the domestic mode although cynics may note that he gives us an undoubtedly idealistic - and chauvinistic - vision of family life. Nevertheless it's a beautiful and sincere performance.
I suppose "Gentle On My Mind" will always be associated with the wondrously joyous Dean Martin big brass version but Sinatra's take is more reflective and especially moving at the end where he slows the tempo down. He got a bit of criticism for unnecessarily correcting the final line to "GENTLY on My Mind" but I find it effective for reasons I can't quite fathom.
So all in all not a great album but one of his most human ones and definitely worth a look.
Some of it seems to be dated in the worst way i.e. without any redeeming charm. I'm thinking of "Pretty Colours" with its cooing girlie chorus. "Moody River" also seems a waste. Sinatra's reason for recording this follows his perverse logic with "Strangers in the Night" i.e. he hated both songs and only performed them to show up their weaknesses - with the stilted "do be do be do" of the latter and the contemptuous mis-rhyming of "sin" and "friend" in the former. Still, if he's going to record songs he hates it only serves him right if one of them (Strangers) becomes a huge hit.
There are a couple of big bombastic numbers: "Rain in my Heart" and "My Way of Life" but I've never really cared for Sinatra when he's in swaggering mood. The title track is certainly a complete departure from that mood - in fact it's unusual territory for Sinatra being concerned with a guy who has lost his job as well as his girl - classic blues material. Many have found it immensely moving in its understatement but, for me, it sounds a bit glib.
His performance of "Both Sides Now " seems to follow the Judy Collins version rather than the original Joni Mitchell which I think is a pity since I think a more dignified mood would have suited Sinatra more than the up-tempo pop arrangement. It's still a great song though and I disagree with the ones who consider it Sinatra's disastrous concession to flower power. Actually the theme of the song - the incongruence between romantic illusions and reality - is right up Sinatra's street. (Speaking of which, I always wondered why he never recorded Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After all These Years". Perhaps he didn't like the idea of women drinking beers?)
But there is a truly wonderful little hidden gem called "Wandering" - one of those infinitely sad autumnal meditations on age - which, for me, pretty much steals the show. Yes - I know that it is in every way a "little" song. But that is part of its power - a fleeting dream that is all the more moving for being so slight. And the melody has a beautiful resigned quality: just listen to the regretful sigh in Sinatra's voice when he sings "warm sky".
His performance of "Little Green Apples" could well be the definitive one. Sinatra was a complex man. Part of him, it seems, always longed for quiet domestic family bliss while the other part had to raise hell. In "Apples" he surrenders completely to the domestic mode although cynics may note that he gives us an undoubtedly idealistic - and chauvinistic - vision of family life. Nevertheless it's a beautiful and sincere performance.
I suppose "Gentle On My Mind" will always be associated with the wondrously joyous Dean Martin big brass version but Sinatra's take is more reflective and especially moving at the end where he slows the tempo down. He got a bit of criticism for unnecessarily correcting the final line to "GENTLY on My Mind" but I find it effective for reasons I can't quite fathom.
So all in all not a great album but one of his most human ones and definitely worth a look.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Period of Transition
I am amazed at the generally positive reviews for this album. I recently purchased this on vinyl as much for the cover as the content. It shows Frank in a period of transition. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Stephen E. Battersby
super songs super singer
recorded way back in 1968 this album features songs which were new at that time.sinatra makes them still sound fresh even today and what great songs we have here from rain in my... Read more
Published on 4 Mar 2010 by davew
"By The Time I Get To Cycles"
This album is one of my favourite of Frank's. I can't explain it in my usual sophisticated, erudite way because this is not that kind of album. Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2010 by Mr. M. M. Waller
Sinatra takes his first try at Sixties pop, rock, and folk.
Released in 1968, "Cycles" is considered Frank Sinatra's first album devoted to pop and rock, although when you look at the tracks you are inclined to think more of folk-rock and... Read more
Published on 15 Nov 2003
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