Swing When You're Winning
Over a two-week period and during a year of constant touring, Robbie made his fourth album, Swing When You're Winning - the big band album he had always dreamed of making!
Born of his life-long love for Sinatra - combined with the huge success of Have You Met Miss Jones - the album was recorded at the world-famous Capitol studios in LA...with Robbie savouring every minute of it!
"Frank was The Don," said Robbie. "Hopefully, by making this album, we're bringing his music to a whole new audience. And if not, we're just having a blast anyway."
Working with the veterans from Sinatra's original line-up was a major highlight for Robbie. The sessions were engineered by studio legend Al Schmitt who had previously worked with some of the biggest names in the business from Sam Cooke to Barbra Streisand as well as Sinatra himself...
Full of praise for Robbie, Schmitt said: "You can hear the sheer joy in his voice and he has a great understanding and respect for the originals. He's really done his homework."
Guy was also blown away by the experience. "In the four and a half years I've worked with Rob, I've never heard him sing so well or seen him enjoy himself so much in a recording studio."
Robbie also grabbed the chance to duet with some of his favourite people including silver screen goddess Nicole Kidman, best mate Jonathan Wilkes, Little Voice star Jane Horrocks and the ever-handsome, Rupert Everett.
Nicole was more than happy with the results. "I was very nervous," she admitted, "but Robbie made it so easy for me. He was extremely encouraging."
Accompanying an 18-piece band, the breathtaking string of musicians included trumpet virtuoso Chuck Findley, tenor sax supreme Pete Christlieb and Count Basie Orchestra drummer Harold Jones.
Collectors' Edition
Each of Robbie's first seven studio albums, including Swing When You're Winning, have been upgraded. The newly released Swing When You're Winning has been packaged with the No.1 DVD Live At The Albert and is available now.
Highest UK chart position: No.1 Swing When You're Winning swept the boards across Europe, hitting the top ten throughout the continent on its release. Spending a total of 58 weeks in the UK chart, the album sold almost 2 million copies in late 2001.
Releases
| Titel | Track Length | Lyrics | Buy | Robbie says | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I Will Talk And Hollywood Will Listen | 3:08 |
 |
Buy |
 |
|
| Mack The Knife | 3:18 |
 |
Buy |
|
|
| Somethin' Stupid | 2:50 |
|
Buy |
 |
|
| Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me | 2:58 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| It Was A Very Good Year | 4:28 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Straighten Up and Fly Right | 2:36 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Well, Did You Evah? | 3:50 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Mr Bojangles | 3:18 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| One For My Baby | 4:18 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Things | 3:22 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Ain't That A Kick In the Head | 2:28 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| They Can't Take That Away From Me | 3:07 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Have You Met Miss Jones? | 2:34 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Me And My Shadow | 3:16 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Beyond The Sea | 28:14 |
|
Buy |
|
| Titel | Track Length | Lyrics | Buy | Robbie says | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I Will Talk And Hollywood Will Listen | 3:08 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Mack The Knife | 3:18 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Somethin' Stupid | 2:50 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me | 2:58 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| It Was A Very Good Year | 4:28 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Straighten Up and Fly Right | 2:36 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Well, Did You Evah? | 3:50 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Mr Bojangles | 3:18 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| One For My Baby | 4:18 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Things | 3:22 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Ain't That A Kick In the Head | 2:28 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| They Can't Take That Away From Me | 3:07 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Have You Met Miss Jones? | 2:34 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Me And My Shadow | 3:16 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Beyond The Sea | 28:14 |
|
Buy |
|
|
| Live At the Albert (Full length show) | 0:00 |
|
|
"Fans will say that Swing When You're Winning, the studio album which follows on from his recent Albert Hall concert, is merely a bit of harmless fun. And indeed it would take a real killjoy to begrudge a man his chance to play at being Frank Sinatra once in a while - that is what karaoke nights were invented for, after all..."
BBC News, November 2001
"Swing When You're Winning is vanity recording taken to an absurd level, and one can only pray it does not kick-start a trend: the thought of Scary Spice sings Sarah Vaughan is just too chilling to contemplate..."
The Observer, November 2001
"With this collection of Rat Pack standards, culled from a era when wit, timing and glamour ruled the entertainment universe, he pays tribute to his heroes Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin in a low-risk strategy: if the project fails, it can be passed off as Christmas marketing and novelty pastiche; if it succeeds, then he can stake a claim to the heavyweight entertainment crown."
NME, November 2001
