Cycles

11/12/1968 | Warner Bros Uk 

All Music Guide Review

Cycles was Frank Sinatra's first full-fledged pop/rock-oriented album, concentrating on a more orchestrated variation on the popular folk-rock of the late '60s. The foundation of the arrangements on Cycles are guitars, bass, and drum kits, all played gently and unobtrusively; the strings are layered on top of the pop rhythm section. Appropriately, Sinatra sang a variety of material associated with folk-rock, particularly Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" and Glen Campbell's "Gentle on My Mind' and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix." Sinatra responds to the softer material by phasing out most of the edginess in his phrasing. He doesn't sing with the nuanced textures of his Jobim albums -- he is simply restrained. That doesn't result in an embarrassing album, yet Cycles isn't the successful rock and traditional pop fusion that it might have been. Some of the material isn't well-suited for Sinatra -- neither "Little Green Apples" or "Pretty Colors" sound convincing -- but the main problem is with Don Costa's arrangements and production. There simply isn't enough variety to sustain interest throughout the course of the short, ten-song album. Certain sections work well, particularly the Glen Campbell numbers, but there isn't anything distinctive about the record. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Track Listing

  • Track#
  • Title
  • time
  • 1
  • Rain in My Heart
  • 3:24
  • 2
  • From Both Sides, Now
  • 2:57
  • 3
  • Little Green Apples
  • 5:02
  • 4
  • Pretty Colors
  • 2:37
  • 5
  • Cycles
  • 3:13
  • 6
  • Wandering
  • 2:48
  • 7
  • By the Time I Get to Phoenix
  • 3:57
  • 8
  • Moody River
  • 2:37
  • 9
  • My Way of Life
  • 3:10
  • 10
  • Gentle on My Mind
  • 3:21
  • Credits



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