Ella Fitzgerald Centenary Celebration Releases

HOW ABOUT THIS? Driving home and as I cross Hollywood Blvd. I see a UPS truck parked. I hurry to park my car in the garage and run down my street to Hollywood Blvd. and get to the truck. I figure what chance do I have at 5PM when the delivery attempt was at 1PM? What are the odds that it's the same UPS driver? Anyway, he shows up and lo and behold he is THE driver and has my package!! I signed for it, thanked him profusely and am now home with the package. Still unopened but I had to let you guys know of my incredible luck.

 

Just opened it. As Dean would say "This is a big Mutha!" Gotta weigh 6 lbs. Packaging is exquisite. Looks like every detail was looked into and cared for. Records are thick with unique parchment type sleeves. The book is beautiful as is the envelope containing the artwork. One immediate noticeable glaring error...Record 2 Side A the 6 tunes are listed as 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 4

Listening to Record 6 first with the instrumentals and the extra tracks. Immediate feeling is that the sound is scrumptious and wide. Nelson all the way!

Will chime in as necessary. Looking forward to other opinions and reviews on this (literal) giant of a release.

It just hit me...a prefect companion-piece to this set is the 10/10/59 Frank Sinatra "Afternoon in Palm Springs" ABC TV Special which had this then-new release as the focal point of the program. I'll need to watch that one in the middle of all of this new listening I have in front of me ... and to come!

 

Brown gives back to America !!!!

 

That date is incorrect. It should read 12/10/59. Apologies.

 

I don't know about the sound quality of the new Ella set, but maybe we were looking forward for something better because UMG product used to much better in the past. There have been many disappointing products in the last years, though. Their Nat King Cole box set even has audible disk skips due to ripping errors. The "Ultimate Sinatra" set was a disaster - mastering-wise. The bonus EP of previously unreleased material is nice, but also unlistenable.

Considering how many unreleased Ella recordings remain and how many vinyl titles are still missing in digital format, this re-issue campaign is a true shame. I really have to check these Decca sets on Spotify. Remember that we have already been tricked once by Mosaic to re-buy the early Decca cuts - and it also turned out to be more or less a rehash of previously existing masterings.

 

Just did an A/B comparison of "Sam & Delilah" using the Complete songbooks box set vs. the new LP. I readily admit that I a NOT an audio expert when it comes to sound comparisons. However they sound almost identical to me with the CD having a tad more reverb.

I am sure as you gentlemen receive your copies and play and compare, the reports will show some varied opinions. But I can assure you the new LP's sound beautiful so far.

 

I will be very interested to hear if any others find static issues with this set. Methinks it is this "unique/weird" parchment type sleeves. I had to to do some initial cleaning up to get rid of static so far on each record I have played (now 6, 1, 2). Once that was done the platters got almost silent. I will definitely be replacing the sleeves on this set.

Also, purists beware...the vinyl is not all shiny and new black and pretty. So far, each record has some "visual imperfection" to it. BUT once I git rid of my static issue (which did not occur earlier in the day with other records) the sound is very impressive.

 

I see it showing up on EU amazon sites as available for pre-order. (Of course amazon can be wrong). Or is this something different altogether?

Sings The George & Ira Gershwin Song Books (Ltd.) [Vinyl LP] - Ella Fitzgerald: Amazon.de: Musik

 

This is the same item on amazon.uk (same as the amazon.de item) but it's still listed as not available:

Ella Fitzgerald Si [VINYL]: Amazon.co.uk: Music

 

Amazon France is current cheapest at €135

Amazon Global Product Price Check

 

Oh great, so now after holding out for eight weeks and getting nowhere with uDiscover UK before biting the bullet and ordering this "exclusively available from uDiscover" item at great cost, it magically appears on EU Amazon sites for a lot less money! Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to get it but this misrepresentation and marketing fiasco truly sucks! Can I sue uDiscover for fraudulently misrepresenting this as something it clearly isn't?

No wonder physical media is going down the toilet. They won't be getting a single penny more of my money.

 

Ordered. Thanks!

 

No mono, no sale.

 

Paul, I appreciate your qualifying remark about not being an audio expert but I'm curious about the comparisons made between the new LP's and the "Complete Songbooks box set", which as far as I'm aware were roundly lambasted on here. Have you got the earlier Drake remasters to compare to or have you heard the latest HDTracks remasters?

 

No I don't.

 

I thought about sending you my Kevin Gray remaster just to relieve your pain but decided against it!

Seriously though, buy it on ebay!! Looks like the one I saw last week for $150 is now gone. There will be more. He who hesitates......

If you love vinyl, I would not settle for a stream, but maybe thats just me.

 

mine arrives tomorrow. Apparently sold out in the US.

 

I don't understand how they get away with misrepresentation like that either.

 

Now I don't know whether to cancel my order from the US or not! Does "sold out" mean there are no more copies available for the rest of the world or just uDiscover US site? This is one baffling, misleading and completely botched 'important' centenary reissue.

 

Did it ever come to light who remastered this new set? Who cut the vinyl? Or where it was pressed?

Or is it the famous unknown people who also worked on the Sinatra 100 series???

 

"The 2017 collection was newly mastered by Ron McMaster at Capitol Studios in Hollywood."

 

Thats right! As stated before he does real good work.

 

So far, from what I have heard I like it a lot. I shall await reviews from others...

 

Anybody get the new CD box?