sinatra intended the album to be his first 12-inch lp, but it was initially released as a two-volume set, each set containing eight songs, as a set of 2 ten-inch lps (capitol h-581 pt1 and pt2) and as a set of 2 45rpm ep sets, each of 2 discs. the album was released in april 1955. taken as a whole, the collection is sinatra's first truly full-length album. capitol record executives were concerned that an entire album of "dark" material would disaffect the record-buying public. it peaked at number 2 on the "billboard" 200, where it remained for 18 weeks, the longest time sinatra had held a spot in the top-ten at the time, and also his highest charting album since "songs by sinatra". on september 6, 2002, it was certified gold by the riaa, meaning it had shifted over 500,000 units.