Sergio Franchi discography

The discography of Sergio Franchi, the Italian-American tenor, consists of a total of thirty-five albums: Two live albums, and thirty-three studio albums. The studio albums are further identified as collaborations, and nine are compilation albums. The Live category included an LP album and a CD album of selected songs extracted from Franchi's twenty-four Live TV appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. This discography also includes thirty single and EP albums recorded or released in various venues.
Sergio Franchi's American debut album, Romantic Italian Songs, was released on October 6, 1962 and had reached a peak position of seventeen on the Billboard 200 albums chart by the end of the year. The following year three of his albums hit the charts, while Romantic Italian Songs continued at number thirty-three. Our Man From Italy peaked at number sixty-six, and Broadway—I Love You! peaked at number one hundred and three on the Billboard 200. Also in 1963, Franchi recorded an album of duets with the Metropolitan Opera star, Anna Moffo: The Dream Duet peaked at position number ninety-seven on the Billboard 200. In 1965 Sergio Franchi once again had multiple albums on the Billboard 200. Live At The Coconut Grove peaked at number one hundred fourteen early in the year. His Christmas album, The Heart of Christmas was his second best performance peaking at number twenty five. It charted again at number one hundred eight in 1967. Eight years after his 1990 death, Sergio Franchi's American debut album, Romantic Italian Songs, reached a peak position on the Billboard 200 at number one hundred sixty-seven in 1998. Many of his studio albums were selected for Special Merit and Spotlight awards by Billboard magazine.
Sergio Franchi's Christmas album contained two very notable original songs: "Buon Natale " written for him by his first musical director, Neil Warner; and the title song "The Heart of Christmas " written by Anthony Velona. Since his death, RCA has released these two on dozens of collaboration albums not listed here.

Studio albums (LP)

Four of these original LP albums have been re-mastered and reissued on CDs.

US Peak Positions for Albums as listed on Billboard 200

Live albums

This section contains two live albums: Sergio Franchi's 1965 Live recording, and a 2008 CD issued posthumously by Sofa Entertainment from the archives of The Ed Sullivan Show.

US Peak Positions for Albums as listed on Billboard 200

Collaboration albums (LP)

Since Sergio Franchi's death in 1990, RCA has released several of his Christmas songs on dozens of collaboration albums. Several of these collaboration albums are incorrectly listed by Allrovi.com as primary studio albums.
This collaboration album named Buon Natale - Christmas in Italy was released by Four Corners, and contained four songs recorded by Sergio Franchi in Italy. The other album carols are by un-related artists. These same four Sergio Franchi Christmas carols were also contained on the 1965 Durium compilation, Buon Natale which contained twelve Franchi songs.
The 1965 Original Cast Recording of Do I Hear a Waltz? was reissued in 1992 as CD on Sony #SK48206. The 1963 recording of The Great Moments From Die Fledermaus was re-mastered and re-issued in 1999 as CD on BMG #0902663468-2.

Year	Album Name	Album Details	Conductor	Recording Venue
1960	San Remo 1960 ^{Note 1}	Durium MSA 77027	Federico Bergamini	Durium in Italy
1965	Buon Natale - Christmas in Italy	Four Corners FCL 4223	Franco Cassano	Durium in Italy
1964	The Great Moments from Die Fledermaus ^{Note 2}	RCA Victor Red Seal 2728	Oskar Danon	Recorded in Vienna 1963
1965	Do I Hear a Waltz? ^{Note 3} ^{Note 4}	Columbia Masterworks KOL 6370	Frederick Dvench, Musical Director	CBS 30th St Studio, NYC
1969	The Secret of Santa Vittoria ^{Note 5} ^{Note 6}	United Artists UAS 5200	Ernest Gold	Not Stated

Compilation albums, USA (LP)

These compilation LP albums were primary reissues of previously recorded tracks. All of the songs/tracks are by Sergio Franchi. The album, This is Sergio Franchi continues to be incorrectly listed by Allrovi.com as a studio album. Franchi recorded his last studio album for RCA Victor in 1968. This popular 1973 compilation was re-mastered and re-issued as a CD in 1988 as BMG #886972403328.

Year	Album Title	Album Number	Recording Details
1973	This is Sergio Franchi ^{Note 1}	RCA VPS-6082	Digitally remastered by RCA in 1988 as CD ^{Note 2}
1975	The Best of Sergio Franchi	RCA ANL1-1070	Issued in RCA's budget priced "Pure Gold" Series
1976	Sergio Franchi Sings Volare	RCA DLP-10186	Chrysler Corporation Promo Album
1977	Sergio Franchi / Volare ^{Note 3}	RCA APL1-2132	RCA's 15th Anniversary Tribute to Sergio
1998	The Beautiful Music Company Presents Sergio Franchi	RCA/BMG Special Products DMC 12137	New Compilation Issued as CD

Compilation albums, Durium (LP)

Three LP albums of Sergio Franchi's Italian recordings published in America are simply labeled as being recorded by Durium Records in Italy. These Italian recordings were released on three USA albums early in his career in America. No recording dates or original Italian album names were listed on the albums, but have been dated; production and musical credits are missing. These studio album recordings consist of 25 songs recorded in the Italian language. The 1965 compilation, Buon Natale, contains the four Franchi Durium Christmas recordings, and repeats eight other Durium recordings contained within the other three compilation albums.

Year	Album Title	Album Number	Recording Details
1963	The Golden Voice of Italy	London International TW 91291	Durium in Italy
1965	Sergio Franchi Sings In Italian - Il Fantastico!	Four Corners Records FCL 4228	Durium in Italy
1965	La Bella Italia	Four Corners Records FCL 4221	Durium in Italy
1965	Buon Natale	Durium DRL 50012	Released in UK by PYE Records Ltd.

Singles and EP albums

Promoted by RCA Victor as an album artist, Sergio Franchi never had an actual "hit single" on his American recordings. Many of his single and EP recordings were hits in the sense that they were singles from his hit Billboard 200 albums.

American labels 45rpm

Year	Song Title	Recording Details
1962	"Appasionada" "Midnight in Paris"	RCA 1289 ^{Note 5}
1962	Romantic Italian Songs "'O sole mio" "Torna a Surriento" "Core 'ngrato" "Marechiare"	Victor of Japan SCP 3520
1963	Our Man From Italy "Luna rossa" "Mamma" "Dicitencello vuie" "Santa Lucia"	German RCA EPA 9080
1963	Our Man From Italy "Luna rossa" "Mamma" "Dicitencello vuie" "Santa Lucia"	Victor of Japan SHP 2220
1963	"Once" "I Mustn't Say I Love Her"	RCA 47-8103
1963	"The Good Life" ^{Note 6} "Bella Nina"	RCA 47-8149
1964	"Chicago" "Cuando calienta el sol" ^{Note 7}	RCA 47-8315
1964	"No Arms Can Ever Hold You" "The Seventh Dawn"	RCA 47-8409
1965	"Someone Like You" "Take the Moment"	RCA 47-8552
1965	"Moon Over Naples" "Ciao, Ciao "	RCA 47-8686
1967	"I Should Care" "There Goes My Heart"	RCA 1603
1967	"What Will Tomorrow Bring" ^{Note 8} "Maybe It's Time for Me"	RCA 47-9124
1967	"I Should Care" ^{Note 9} "No One Else "	RCA 47-9277
1968	"Time alone Will Tell (Non Pensare a Me)" "I'm a Fool To Want You"	RCA 47-9471
1968	"The Song of Santa Vittoria " "The Song of Santa Vittoria "	UA 91350 ^{Note 10}
1968	"The Song of Santa Vittoria " "The Song of Santa Vittoria "	UA 1696
1969	"Hold Me " "Why or Where or When"	UA 50612
1970	"Granada" "Within Me "	UA 50630
1970	"Buona Fortuna, Adio Bambina" "More Than Strangers (Vorrei che fosse amore)"	UA 50664
1970	"Love Is All" "Here We Go Round Again"	UA 50681
1971	"No Man Is an Island" "I Search the World for Love"	Metro 219
1972	"If (Bread song)" ^{Note 11} ^{Note 12} "Somehow"	Metro 238
1972	"Philadelphia, With Love" Instrumental version	SG 1208 ^{Note 13}
1979	"More (Theme from Mondo Cane)" "Laugh You Silly Clown" ^{Note 14}	L.A. International L33-1856
1980	"More (Theme from Mondo Cane)" "Laugh You Silly Clown" ^{Note 14}	Bulldog BD 19

Filmography (DVD)

Performing before the advent of the internet, and before MTV made music videos a standard product for singers; the filmography of Sergio Franchi is notable for its poverty of published content: Only two DVD's have been made available to the general public. The most readily available is a Sofa Entertainment, Inc DVD collection of 13 songs and a comedy skit excerpted from Franchi's twenty-four appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show between 1962 and 1971. Sergio Franchi on the Ed Sullivan Show was issued posthumously.
The only other known DVD came from Europe, and is not currently available. Shortly after Franchi emigrated to the United States, he completed a contract with German producers to appear on a music show filmed in Vienna. He subsequently appeared with Italian singer, Audrey Arno, and Israeli-born Carmela Corren in Sing, aber spiel nicht mit mir.

List of CDs released posthumously

1988 This Is Sergio Franchi. RCA #886972403328. Re-master and re-issue of 1973 compilation album.
1992 Do I Hear a Waltz? Original Cast Recording. Sony #SK48206. Re-master & re-issue of 1965 LP.
1997 Romantic Italian Songs. RCA #09026-68902-24. Re-master & re-issue of 1962 LP debut album.
1998 Romantic Italian Songs. Also re-issued by The Musical Heritage Society #514996W.
1998 The Beautiful Music Company Presents Sergio Franchi. RCA/BMG Special Products DMC 12137. New compilation from RCA LPs.
1999 The Great Moments From Die Fledermaus. RCA #09026-63468-2. Re-master and re-issue of 1964 RCA Victor collaboration LP.
1999 The Heart of Christmas. RCA/BMG #09026-63515-27. Re-issue and re-master of 1965 LP.
???? The Heart of Christmas. Also re-issued by The Musical Heritage Society.
2006 The Exciting Voice of Sergio Franchi. RCA # 09043-124531-21. Re-master and re-issue of 1964 LP.
2006 Sergio Franchi Live! at The Coconut Grove. RCA # 09043-124531-21. Re-master and reissue of 1965 LP.
2008 Sergio Franchi on the Ed Sullivan Show. Audio CD of Sullivan appearances by same name as DVD. Sofa Entertainment, Inc.