In my book, today is a national holiday. The birthday of one Francis Albert Sinatra. And since all birthdays should be spent with friends, here are a couple of duets to celebrate the occasion.
Frank Sinatra & Nat King Cole - "The Christmas Song" (mp3) from Sinatra 80th: All The Best
This is basically a mashup. Produced by Phil Ramone in 1995, it was assembled by combining Cole's 1962 recording with Sinatra's take from 1957 (the one that appears on A Jolly Christmas). Sinatra's version had to sped up to make it work, which might offend some purists, but I think it sounds great.
Frank Sinatra & Cyndi Lauper - "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" (mp3) from A Very Special Christmas 2
This duet was done in 1992 by pulling the vocal from Sinatra's 1947 Columbia recording and having Lauper sing over a rerecorded version of the song. Generally I abhor these kinds of electro-duets, but this one works. I think it's because Lauper does a great job matching up with the tone of Sinatra's performance. Frankly, it doesn't sound all that different from some of Frank's campier duets from the late forties.
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