10 Strange Music Albums By Mainstream Acts
6. Trilogy - Frank Sinatra
Had it succeeded in its intentions, Trilogy: Past Present Future, would not have been the first grand comeback for Frank Sinatra. In the event, this ambitious triple-album, released in 1980, is still puzzling critics and listeners several decades on.
A concept album of sorts, Trilogy was split into three sides, each devoted to the titular aspects of time. To the singer's credit, Sinatra was completely on-board with the project, by all accounts finding himself rejuvenated with creative vigour.
Side One, Past, is a fine, if unadventurous collection of standards. Side Two, Present, is more interesting and uneven, with Sinatra tackling more contemporary material, including George Harrison's Something, Neil Diamond's Song Sung Blue, and Billy Joel's Just The Way You Are.
The Future is where things get wild, starting with the ten-minute-long What Time Does The Next Miracle Leave – a strange, bloated number which sounds perversely dated. World War None! marches and stumbles into an extended suite which lurches from one peculiar moment to another. Easy, lounge themes bump up against expansive choirs and circus tunes. It might sound great on paper, but Sinatra feels lost throughout.