Trilogy: Past Present Future

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Trilogy: Past Present Future
Trilogy: Past Present Future cover
Studio album by Frank Sinatra
Released 1980
Recorded July 17 - December 18, 1979
New York City, Los Angeles, Hollywood
Genre Classic pop
Length 106:11
Label Reprise Records
Professional reviews
Frank Sinatra chronology
The Main Event – Live
(1974)		 Trilogy: Past Present Future
(1980)		 She Shot Me Down
(1981)

Trilogy: Past Present Future (or simply Trilogy) is a Grammy nominated 1980 triple album by the American singer Frank Sinatra. This album produced the last of Sinatra's many signature numbers, "Theme from New York, New York."

At the Grammy Awards of 1981, Trilogy: Past Present Future was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and Sinatra's recording of "Theme from New York, New York" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and the Grammy Award for Song of the Year.

On his WNEW-AM show, Jonathan Schwartz described the "Future" suite that forms the final part of this album as "narcissistic" and "a shocking embarrassment" [1]. Sinatra rang to complain, and had Schwartz suspended from his job.[2]

Contents

[edit] Artistic scheme

Each of the album's three records was conceived as an individual work portraying a different time epoch, and each was arranged by one of Sinatra's major collaborators — Billy May (The Past), Don Costa (The Present), and Gordon Jenkins (The Future).

For "The Past", Sinatra made a record of standards ("The Song Is You", "It Had to Be You", "All of You") for the first time since the early 1960s. "The Present" concentrates on pop hits like "Love Me Tender", "Something", "Song Sung Blue", "MacArthur Park", and "Just the Way You Are". For "The Future" (written by Jenkins), the songs are ambitious, experimental, and self-referential — more of a freeform suite than a set of songs.

Trilogy: Past Present Future peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard 200.

[edit] Track listing (CD release)

[edit] Disc one (Past & Present)

  1. "The Song Is You" (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II) – 2:39
  2. "But Not for Me" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 3:50
  3. "I Had the Craziest Dream" (Mack Gordon, Harry Warren) – 3:13
  4. "It Had to Be You" (Isham Jones, Gus Kahn) – 3:53
  5. "Let's Face the Music and Dance" (Irving Berlin) – 2:50
  6. "Street of Dreams" (Sam M. Lewis, Victor Young) – 3:32
  7. "My Shining Hour" (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer) – 3:21
  8. "All of You" (Cole Porter) – 1:42
  9. "More Than You Know" (Billy Rose, Edward Eliscu, Vincent Youmans) – 3:22
  10. "They All Laughed" (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin) – 2:49
  11. "You and Me (We Wanted It All)" (Carole Bayer Sager, Peter Allen) – 4:07
  12. "Just the Way You Are" (Billy Joel) – 3:26
  13. "Something" (George Harrison) – 4:42
  14. "MacArthur Park" (Jimmy Webb) – 2:45
  15. "Theme from New York, New York" (Fred Ebb, John Kander) – 3:26
  16. "Summer Me, Winter Me" (Marilyn Bergman, Alan Bergman, Michel Legrand) – 4:02
  17. "Song Sung Blue" (Neil Diamond) – 2:47
  18. "For the Good Times" (Kris Kristofferson) – 4:41
  19. "Love Me Tender" (Vera Matson, Elvis Presley) – 3:34
  20. "That's What God Looks Like to Me" (Lois Irwin, Lan O’Kun) – 2:55

[edit] Disc two (Future)

  1. "What Time Does the Next Miracle Leave?" – 10:44
  2. "World War None!" – 4:27
  3. "The Future" – 4:05
  4. "The Future (Continued): I've Been There" – 3:33
  5. "The Future (Conclusion): Song Without Words" – 6:00
  6. "Before the Music Ends {Finale}" – 9:46
All songs on Disc Three written by Gordon Jenkins.

[edit] Personnel

[edit] References

  1. ^ Frankie and Jonathan - New York Times
  2. ^ Frankie and Jonathan - New York Times
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