Category:Album - In the Wee Small Hours



In the Wee Small Hours is an album by Frank Sinatra. Released in 1955}} on the [[Capitol Records label, it was the ninth studio album Sinatra recorded, and is generally regarded as one of the first concept albums.

Sinatra had been developing the idea of a 'concept album' since Category:1946, with his first album release, The Voice of Frank Sinatra.

History
The album was originally issued both as a double-10" set and a single 12" LP. The double 10" was an unusual format for an album at the time. The LP release was Sinatra's first.

Like his two previous Capitol releases, in the wee small hours was not a compilation of past recordings, but contained a set of songs recorded specifically for the occasion. Consequently, in the wee small hours is generally considered one of the first concept albums.

Speculated to have been Sinatra's response to his and actress Ava Gardner's separation, the album features only ballads dealing with isolation and lost love.

The title track was composed for the album. It is followed by a selection of pop standards featuring Nelson Riddle's stark, restrained arrangements.

The singer was backed by either brooding strings or a small ensemble, often highlighted by woodwinds or celesta. The album cover reflected the theme, featuring Sinatra smoking a cigarette on a gloomy, deserted avenue.

In the 1980s, the album was reissued with an abridged track listing.

Honors & Accolades

 * In 2003, the album was ranked 100th by Rolling Stone magazine on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
 * The album was the first album reviewed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery.


 * In 2007, Time Magazine selected it as one of The All-TIME 100 Albums. Stephen Thomas Erlewine commented in Allmusic that the album had an authentic melancholy mood, and is "one of Sinatra's most jazz-oriented performances".

Legacy
The title track, "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", has been recorded by a number of artists following Sinatra's version, including:


 * Johnny Hartman
 * Astrud Gilberto
 * Lou Rawls
 * Carly Simon
 * Art Blakey
 * Count Basie and His Orchestra
 * Andy Williams
 * Wes Montgomery
 * Ruby Braff
 * Jamie Cullum
 * John Mayer
 * Susan Wong

In his autobiography, blues guitar legend B.B. King speaks about how he was, and is, a "Sinatra nut" and how he went to bed every night listening to "In the Wee Small Hours."

Tom Waits has named it one of his favorite albums. His album The Heart of Saturday Night features cover artwork based on In the Wee Small Hours.

Band
The band for "in the wee small hours" includes:


 * Frank Sinatra – Vocalist
 * Voyle Gilmore – producer
 * Nelson Riddle – Arranger, conductor