Me to. Hefti got too big for his britches and Mr. S canned him just as Woody Herman did a decade or so earlier. Mono is the only way to go on this album.
I'm glad I'm not the only one. I could tell TIS was bad and I have only visited pro studio masters using my phone. From the samples on the relevant buying pages CFWM sounds nice as does SASB. I need to have a listen to the others.
Just had a listen to the others. Moonlight Serenade sounds like a different take on the HD download, there is enough of the sample to notice the difference. Anyone else spot this?
Note that Moonlight Sinatra is sampled at only 44.1 kHz. The other five albums (in the initial batch) are offered at both 96k and 192k. (All are 24-bit resolution.) BTW, these are the current order links for the hi-res downloads at three websites. (Acoustic Sounds has separate pages for 96k and 192k; link is to the lower-rate version.) HD tracks —> Come Fly with Me —> Moonlight Sinatra Pro Studio Masters —> Come Fly with Me —> In the Wee Small Hours —> This Is Sinatra! —> A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra —> Sinatra and Swingin' Brass —> Moonlight Sinatra Acoustic Sounds —> Come Fly with Me —> In the Wee Small Hours —> This Is Sinatra! —> A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra —> Sinatra and Swingin' Brass —> Moonlight Sinatra
I haven't had a chance to listen yet, David. I'll let you know. Perhaps someone who has the Moonlight Sinatra LP could check out the full track of "Moonlight Serenade" also? BTW, I'm holding off on buying any of these until the smoke clears.
Two new versions of CFWM (cover looks like the new LP) and ITWSH are in the German iTunes Store TODAY . I've checked the store the whole week. Actually there are two versions for each album... ?! I checked some samples from CFWM on my headphones: IMO it's the mono mix. For 9,90€ I'm getting weak....
@David m bond - I checked all three download sources, and I couldn't spot a difference (performance-wise) in Moonlight Serenade vis-a-vis the version in The Reprise Years set. What are you hearing?
Comparing the 90-second preview clip from ProStudioMasters.com with the 1990 The Reprise Years "Moonlight Sinatra," there's definitely a layer of audio gauze that is removed on the new version. (That's a good thing.) Haven't compared it to any other versions, and I'm not very well versed on this album, so I'll leave it to others. The new version is (I think) also not the original mix. (Also probably a good thing.)
The old EMI used the Bear Family Remasters for Dean Martin Capitol albums on itunes a couple of years ago. Maybe MFSL gave their ok...
Personally, I really can't see that being the case. I was pondering whether they went to the effort of pulling the masters for MFSL. After those got cancelled, as the tapes were to hand, they used them, but may have resorted to something else for the others (maybe sending the Hi Res files over to Record Industry to cut and press). Are we definite that no others of the non-MSFL announced ones have 'Mastered by Capitol'? All, of course, pure speculation. What bugs me is that someone somewhere probably has their hands on an acetate / test pressing of the never to be released MFSLs, and we can't hear them... I really don't know much about mono/stereo for Sinatra - are these LPs consistant with what tapes MFSL would have requested, based on the others they did manage to do?
My amateur ears find that from the clips I've listened to and the small comparisons I have done lead me to prefer the new hi-res downloads. They sound warmer, clearer, stronger tone in Frank's voice. They sound more of that time period and aren't trying to sound "modern." Great channel separation on Swingin' Brass. I also hear less reverb on Frank's voice on Swingin' Brass as well.
David, if I am not mistaken, Mr. S nailed that song in one take so there is no alternate version. FWIW, I just listened to the sound clip and Mr. S's vocal (to me) sounds identical to what I have heard since I bought the album in 1968.
I was comparing the hi-res download sample of Moonlight Becomes You to the Complete Reprise Recording box version and it sounds identical to me.
It must be a combination of my ears then and what Matt said about getting rid of some audio gauze but I swear it didn't sound the way I remember it. Just shows how a different mastering can alter your perception of a song, (to me at least)
So, what do you guys think? Is the concensus that the two biggy lps "Come Fly With Me" (mono) and " In The Wee Small Hours" have been given their due? An A grade? A- to B +? What sayeth the expert conclusions as the gavel cracks a stroke?
My thoughts, stated elsewhere: •Come Fly with Me: The LP is subtly better than the 2009 LP, and is excellent (as is the download). •In the Wee Small Hours: Excellent overall. The first note of track 11 is slightly clipped off (as it is on the download).
I don't know how I got that mixed up with "Moonlight Becomes You". Sorry. Yes, as has been mentioned "Moonlight Serenade" does have an alternate take.
Sinatra didn't "can" Hefti. Hefti wasn't pleased that he received no credit for the arrangements on "Sinatra-Basie" and he wasn't comfortable in the role of producer. Hefti simply decided to move on.
Trying to decode what's in the deadwax. Any ideas???? It looks like, in terms of raw number patterns, This is Sinatra and A Jolly Christmas have some things kind of in common, and that Come Fly with Me and In the Wee Small Hours are related. Anybody able to figure out part of what's going on here?