1961 · Album
Ring-a-Ding Ding!
Recorded 1960 · Reprise Records · Produced by Felix Slatkin
Sinatra Opens the Books His Way
This is Sinatra planting a flag — swinging hard on his own label, on his own terms.
By 1961, Frank Sinatra had earned the right to do things his way. So when he launched his own Reprise Records, he made Ring-a-Ding Ding! (1961) the first release out of the gate, and he made a deliberate choice: no ballads. Just uptempo swing, all the way through. It was a statement about what he wanted the label to be — loose, alive, not beholden to the softer, more polished sound that Capitol had been steering him toward. Whether that decision makes for a perfect album is debatable, but it makes for a genuinely fun one.
Arranger and conductor Johnny Mandel does most of the heavy lifting here, and he's in fine form. The band pops and cracks on the title track, and Sinatra sounds like a man who's just walked into a party he's been looking forward to all week. That energy carries through most of the record. Tracks like "A Foggy Day" and "Let's Face the Music and Dance" are brisk and confident without being rushed. Sinatra isn't trying to reinvent these songs — he knows them cold, and it shows. He's just having a good time with them.
The no-ballads concept is interesting in theory, but in practice it means the album doesn't have the kind of emotional range that makes his Capitol records with Nelson Riddle so re-listenable. There's no "In the Wee Small Hours" moment here, nothing to pull you up short. What you get instead is a record that stays at one temperature — high — for about forty minutes. That's not a knock so much as a fair description. If you want Sinatra loose and swinging, this delivers. If you want the full picture, you'll need to go elsewhere too.
Who's playing
Joe Comfortbass
Joe Mondragonbass
George Robertsbass trombone
Bill Millerpiano
Al Violaguitar
Buddy Collettesaxophone
Chuck Gentrysaxophone
Plas Johnsonsaxophone
Harry Kleesaxophone
Joe Mainisaxophone
John Andersontrumpet
Don Fagerquisttrumpet
Conrad Gozzotrumpet
Ray Triscaritrumpet
Frank Rosolinotrombone
Dick Nashtrombone
Stu Williamsontrombone
Bud Shankflute
Irv Cottlerdrums
Larry Bunkerpercussion
Emil Richardsvibraphone
Victor Arnoviolin
Herman Clebanoffviolin
Alvin Dinkinviola
Elliott Fisherviolin
James Getzoffviolin
Ben Gillviolin
Stanley Harrisviola
Kathryn Julyeharp
Ray Kramercello
Edgar Lustgartencello
Alexander Neimanviola
Erno Neufeldviolin
Paul Robynviola
Eleanor Slatkincello
Marshall Sossonviolin
Joseph Stepanskyviolin
Gerald Vinciviolin
