All Or Nothing At All Sinatra

by Donald Clarke

First published in 1997, this biography covers not only Sinatra's life, but also his music and his career.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Music

256 pages, Hardcover

First published April 18, 1997

Reviews

[Steve Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful review of the life of singer/icon Frank Sinatra. If you’re looking for a Hollywood gossip book on Sinatra this isn’t the one; its focus is on Sinatra’s performing and studio recording careers. This isn’t to say the author ignores the controversial aspects of the singer’s public persona, just that he doesn’t dwell on them.

Some will take issue with the author’s strong opinions given as statements of fact, but overall the book is a fair “warts and all” summary of the life and times of the kid from Hoboken.

[JerryDeanHalleck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Superficial, often repetitive, biography of Sinatra focusing on his music. Too many unsupported, off-the-cuff opinions. This or that song is "Rubbish". Elvis Pressley is labeled "hillbilly music". Rock n'Roll sneered at.

[Lorenzo Castro · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an ok book. I like the authors writing style and to the story of rank Sinatra.

[Kaela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love frank Sinatra, it's the manner of the way the book was written that made me give the book a 2.

[Robert Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Available as a free read on the author’s website.

Very enjoyable with insightful comments on the social and musical context, recordings and legacy.

[Jerry B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend of ours who was no doubt a young adult during the big band era was so enthralled with this bio of Sinatra that he thought we would enjoy it as big fans of the “standards”-era music. Author Clarke took a little getting used-to as he has the annoying habit of stating his opinions as facts, especially his likes and dislikes for individual songs. But his research seems quite thorough, as his knowledgeable presentation particularly of Sinatra’s musical career seemed encyclopedic – perhaps a little less so about Frank's relationships with women, the “Mob”, and numerous politicians – which admittedly were the areas that offered less appeal to this reader.

To some extent, the book traces the gradual transfer of hit songs from the big bands to individual studio recordings and an emphasis on radio play, that latter turning into the “Payola” scandals of the 50’s. Clarke includes lots of info about all the competing bands and performers, especially those like Bing Crosby who went head-to-head with Frank.

It turns out Frank was conditioned by his aggressive mother Dolly to consider every aspect of life as a power play – and that nothing could possibly be his fault, but rather the screw-ups of other people, who should promptly be punished. This made for some somewhat distasteful reading about incidents and episodes that hardly warmed the famous celebrity’s lifestyle to our hearts.

As a piano player ourselves, it was interesting to hear so much about the development of many of the songs we still play. But we doubt that the book will have much appeal to younger readers, not to mention the generally unappealing facets of so much of Sinatra’s existence.

[Natalie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was reading this yesterday, but finally put it down after 50 pages.

If you're looking for information about Frank Sinatra, his loves, his life, this isn't your book. The book's main focus is discussing the different bands he's been in, how the jazz era helped define his voice.

What the book is NOT about, is his personal life, family, or loves.

What I was HOPING for, was insight into the man, maybe his relationship with Ava Gardner. By the book's title, the picture of him on front, I thought it'd be more about him, not his career.