The Length by The Sinatras (2024)

1. An obscure mid 70s punk band from NYC
2. A UK Post Punk pop band
3. A band from Michigan

Biographies:

1. The Sinatras started in 1976. Based in NYC, the band was quite popular at CBGB’s and Max’s Kansas City. In 1979 they released a 7” called “Teddy Crashes Blond Dies” b/w “Some Other Boys” on Congressional Records in 1979, which is now totally impossible to find. Their sound was directly inspired from bands such New York Dolls and The Heartbreakers.

2. The Sinatras were from Leicester and their first and most well known single, Happy Feeling came out in 1980 as a 7" single. The band released a handful of singles on the Dining Out label and on Empire, later called Strike Back records who they joined in 1982. The band played post-punk pop, and seem to have been influenced by Shriekback, Talking Heads and early Yello. Some of their songs have horns on them, giving a slight ABC Haircut 100 feel.. Later in 1982, Neville Hunt, one of the two frontmen, left the band. The Sinatras continued and released an album in 1984, Betrayal, followed by another album in 1986, Let's Be Frank, which mainly consisted of different versions of tracks from the first L.P. and some singles. There was a 2006 MP3 download anthology of 14 tracks by The Sinatras, also called Let's Be Frank. This MP3 album does not, however have any of early singles by The Sinatras, the earliest tracks being from 1982...Their earlier releases had very distinctive picture covers, those of their early singles being similar in style to those later done for The Smiths, while the covers of their two mid- 1980s albums are mostly grey in colour, with some red, and show geometric figures with a slight de Chirico influnce. The Sinatras seem to have disappeared into non-existence around 1985. Coicidentally, 1985 was the year that Michigan powerpop trio The Sinatras formed (they have a site on Facebook). UK band The Sinatras were from Leicester and at least at one of their gigs (in Shropshire in 1980) were supported by an all girl group The Shapiros (according to J. Heath on the Junk Archive site), who seem to have covered 1960s bubblegum pop songs. Two of the girls in The Shapiros were going out with two of The Sinatras. Currently, nothing by The Sinatras is available on CD. However, Happy Feeling is included on a John Peel ?tribute album called 'Perfect Unpop - Peel Show Hits and Long Lost Lo-Fi Favourites 1976-1980'.
The Sinatras did a 4 song session for John Peel's show 7th December 1981.
DISCOGRAPHY
Happy Feeling / You May Be An Angel UK 7" 1980
Seeing Comes Before Words / That Shape UK 7" 1981
Sweat / Big Fires Start Small UK 7" 1982
Sweat / Passion Is The Key / Big Firest Start Small UK 12"
You Make Me Feel Like I'm Wearing New Clothes (All The Time) / Finding Your Own Level UK 7" 1982
I'm Lonely / Try A little Tenderness UK 7" 1985
I'm Lonely / Try A Little Tenderness / Chameleon Complex (The Mex-Mix) UK 12" [also in Spain] 1985

L.P. BETRAYAL:1984
Side A; Betrayal. Shout it from the rooftops. New Clothes. Kissed Again. Big Fires. God Knows When.
SideB: Sweat. Try a little tenderness. Only takes a minute. His Reasons. Chameleon Complex.

L.P. Lets Be Frank
A. I'm lonely. Passion is the key. Kissed again with tears. You make me feel like I'm wearing new clotthes(All the time). Betrayal (extended version)
B. Sweat. Big Fires Start Small. Money is the new messiah. It only takes a minute. Chameleon Complex (mega Mex remix)

Happy Feeling was also on two various artists releases: a 1985 album called Magnificient March of The Dead Monkeys, and 1987 album Seeds 1 :Pop on the Cherry Red label.

Lets Be Frank. 2006 Strike Back records MP3 files:
You make me feel like I'm wearing new clothes (all the time). I'm lonely. Shout it out from the rooftops. God knows when. Try a little tenderness. We kissed again with tears. It only takes a minute. Passions the key. Big fires start small. Sweat. His reasons for closing doors. Chameleon Complex. Betrayal (Ledermacken Mix)