For me, there is only ONE authority on this album. With all due respect to y'all.... of course it is @MLutthans. All kidding, ribbing, arguing aside that we've had over the years. With all of the many copies and versions of this album that he owns and has listened to with that pair of "elephant ears" he possesses, no one person's review of the new CD/2LP will be of more value to me than his.
DEFINITELY! For those who are "sans OTL" the availability to obtain clean, clear stereo AND mono versions of this album at at decent price is a definite no brainer! For those of us weighed down by multiple copies of both versions in varying formats it is a definite wait-and-see if these releases are of any real value to us.
Keeping that thought in mind, this could very well backfire as that is exactly what they did on the Concord CD of The Concert Sinatra. Pulled his vocals out and dried them up so tightly separated from the huge orchestra that it sounds as though he is singing in a telephone booth from across Santa Monica Blvd. Let's hope that is not the case...
I get what they were attempting with that "remix/restoration" and I'll use it to refer to certain orchestral passages but it's not enjoyable to listen to. I'm not sure how anybody was willing to sign off on it.
Seems like a missed opportunity to not have a remastered version of the original stereo mix provided in these releases. I guess the producers feel that the "superiority" of the new mix trumps the historical value of the original mix? But why not give us both ...
What are they concerned about regarding the original stereo mix? The reluctance to use it on three occasions says something about it but what exactly?
I downloaded the full version of Angel Eyes from iTunes, and I was not impressed. I certainly hope my impression was due to it being an iTunes download and it not being an uncompressed CD version. However, I fear the new remix is in the vein of the other recent Sinatra releases- for lack of a better term, a "modernized" remix. The thing the bothers me most is Frank's voice- it again seems to be pushed up front and almost added to the orchestra rather than being a part of the overall performance. The thing I really enjoy about the original Walsh stereo remix was that way Frank's voice was almost floating in and around the orchestra and seemed to be part of the whole. Perhaps when the CD is released, things will sound different, but I'm not optimistic. Again, just my opinion.
Perfectly right. Although I'm very thrilled about this release something somewhere in the back of my head tells me it sucks that we don't get the original stereo mix.
Same first impression here. In the old Walsh remix FS‘s voice was floating in and around the orchestral as you put it. I also miss a certain amount of echo in the 2018-remix...
Maybe I‘ll just get the Mono/Expanded digital version for the bonus tracks and stick to my old Walsh CD and MFSL Gold CD. But maybe that is to early to say...
Not to add to the speculation* because we don’t have the CDs or LPs yet, but it just strikes me as odd that they’d be afraid of excessive tape hiss with a release likely to be purchased by tons of Sinatra fans and other people likely to give older music a chance. I think we can handle some tape hiss. What’s the Venn diagram of people who are/could be excited for this release but who also would loathe some tape hiss? Then again, I’ve been on this forum too long and I’m sure the “real world” is disgusted by tape hiss. * By which I mean I’ll gladly add to any and all speculation.
Yes I agree. I'll keep listening to the 1987 Walsh stereo remix (yes, there's noise reduction, but it's not overly excessive as it is with the Norberg), and I'll listen to the MFSL CD when I want to hear the mono version. I'm still undecided whether to just cancel my order of the new release, or buy it just for the bonus material.
I don't put much credence in the "it was not used because of the tape hiss" idea when it comes to the stereo mix (and I've blah blah blahd about this many times around here). Tape damage is a much more likely cause for the historical and ongoing rejections of the original stereo mix, IMO. Scan about a third of the way down this page: Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely - 1958 Notes on Source Quality (to the section headlined "STEREO SPRING IS HERE") and read from there to the end to see what I'm talking about. (It's more than a little wordy, for which I apologize.)
I'm glad its not me thinking Frank sounds way up front. The orchestra also sounds distant some instruments are heard clearly others seem pushed to the back. Of course I'm not Matt or Martin so that's just my first impression. I don't like digital versions so Ill wait until I get the vinyl and cd to listen to it coming through my speakers not the computer.
I regret mentioning tape hiss now. Everybody liked it or at least was quiet about it before I opened my mouth!