December 2015 sees the 100th anniversary of the birth of Frank Sinatra, and Acrobat is celebrating the special occasion by releasing two products which encompass his best-known and most successful recordings from the early decades of his career. This 45-track 2-CD set comprises every record released by Frank with The Harry James Orchestra and The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra which made an appearance in the US Billboard charts from the start of his recording career through to the time he went solo in 1942. It showcases Frank’s youthful voice working in harmony with two of the finest orchestras of the swing era, demonstrating the musical roots which underpinned his subsequent huge success as one of popular music’s most iconic performers. The 42 hits include 19 Top 10 entries, four of which made No. 1, as he recorded the original hit versions of Great American Songbook material which went on to become much-performed classics over subsequent decades. Along with the 6-CD set which follows on from this, it provides a fabulous trawl through the first quarter century of his career.
