And please allow me one other example before I close this painful discussion: IF YOU WERE A SINGER, WOULD YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE IF YOUR RECORD COMPANY WOULD PAIR YOUR VOICE OR RECORDINGS WITH ANYONE WITHOUT ASKING YOU PERSONALLY FOR PERMISSION???!!! OR WOULD YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE IF THEY DID IT WITH YOUR RECORDINGS AFTER YOU'RE GONE???!!! I DON'T THINK SO!!!!
A fake duet is like colorizing I Love Lucy: why even do it? I don’t care for it and wish it wasn’t there but, like someone else said above, if it’s just enough to keep a name in the public eye and it exposes someone new to something then I am ok with it. I can then make the choice to listen/watch or not. Meanwhile at my local antique store yesterday I found No One Cares, Only the Lonely, All the Way, and Sinatra’s Sinatra all in mint condition, all original releases, and the records look like they have barely if ever been played. I paid $4, $8, $3, and $2.50. Not bad, uh? (Trying to bring something good back to the conversation!)
I don't think this is the way to do it , and I don't think Mr S would approve. His " art " is being diminished by this sort of thing. peace and love✌Dave
This discussion is going off the rails. Let’s turn it back to Sinatra and away from sniping at each other or other artists, etc.
(Briefly donning my SH.TV staff member hat....) The two negative posts that were aimed squarely at individual members -- something that is, by definition, "off topic," as well as against the rules -- have been deleted. Back on-topic, please. "Your opinion sucks" is not the topic. Carry on.....
Meanwhile another "Harold Arlen" has appeared on Ebay. The Australians have really been looking to cash in lately. What is holding back the Canadians? Are they the only Sinatra Collectors who still prize having a "Harold Arlen".?
Unfortunately, with Sinatra, the precedent was set when he was alive. And while he isn't here to approve of these latest "duets" or not, an argument could be made in favour of the validity of these more recent "duet" recordings. Personally, I dislike all of the duet recordings from 1993 to the present and agree that his art has been diminished by them all.
I've asked this question a couple of times recently, both here and at the Family Forum. No reply yet. Perhaps a new "Complete Columbia" box? A 2nd volume of radio performances? The complete To Be Perfectly Frank (50's radio show, small group ensemble)? An odds & ends collection of: -Capitol & Reprise alternate takes -the movie songs that weren't approved in time for the Hollywood box set from 10+ years ago -the TV performances from his 1950's show There is a lot to choose from! But it is a minefield in terms of clearances, publishing rights, permission from the estate, etc. I've been a member of the Family Forum for 15 years and the family has done a marvelous job of 'keeping the flame alive', so I trust that they are doing everything they can. And not to mention Chuck Granata, who is a huge advocate and a good friend of Nancy's.
Chuck would only be involved with things Sony related...nothing else. He is not an advocate of things UMe, BTW.
Duets in general are sort of cheezy. Not always, but often. They can be really good from time to time too (Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell is a great example). But they're often prone to saccharine sentiments or some forced, predicable interactions or something. I saw the Sinatra Duets from the 90s as a kind of an experiment of sorts to open up the audience spectrum I suppose. Not a bad thing... but not something I needed. So I have yet to purchase those albums! I should, but I doubt I'd play them that much. Postmortem duets are another thing entirely. A different beast. They "reanimate" an artist to some extent as well as offer them up to a potential new audience. I doubt the latter works, but the former is the most intriguing. Probably unnecessary to most fans, but as long as the originals are preserved, I don't care what they do. I have those new Elvis with the Royal Philharmonic releases... and they're not bad. They do clash from time to time -- such as mixing today's auto-tuned, computerized-perfection with yesterday's natural singing. There's a duet on one of those (with someone named Helene Fischer?) that was actually quite moving.
Thanks for those with the same opinion as mine. Nice to see you can voice your opinion about something on this site. I mentioned my "Yikes this is Bad" on the SFF and to say the least my opinions were not well taken.
Sinatra's Sinatra was always low on my list of favorites. But not long ago I spun it for some reason, and realized there is more to it than at first hearing when you listen closely. I always dismissed it as a way to compete with the Columbia and Capitol material, which it certainly was. But it's more than that.