The story of a small town man struggling to pick up the pieces after his wife leaves him, Frank Sinatra’s 1970 Watertown is one of the most beautifully realized concept albums ever recorded.

It was also a major flop, the only major Sinatra release to not reach the Top 100 of the Billboard album chart.

The album’s underdog status — coupled with its quality — makes Watertown one of the great musical discoveries of my life, a special secret the rest of the world isn’t in on.

I was told this secret by my parents, two of Sinatra’s biggest fans, who introduced me to this album when I was too young to fully appreciate or understand it. I’ve spent the rest of my life doing both, and I hope I can pay the gift forward now.

1. ‘Watertown‘
2. ‘Goodbye (She Quietly Says)
3. ‘For a While’
4. ‘Michael & Peter’
5. ‘I Would Be in Love Anyway’
6. ‘Elizabeth’
7. ‘What a Funny Girl You Used to Be’
8. ‘What’s Now is Now’
9. ‘She Says’
10. ‘The Train’
11. ‘Lady Day‘ (Bonus)