The way he'd balance stuff, which no less than Al Schmitt has complimented, was amazing - especially considering it was all being done live to mono in these instances, under sometimes difficult circumstances due to orchestral variety, arrangements, room, etc. The balances are dialed in just so, make sense, and compliment the music. Then there's the actual sound/texture/etc. itself...
Engineer Hank Cicalo, who worked at Capitol in the late 50s/early 60s, had this to say about John Palladino: John [Palladino] was one of the finest engineers EVER in this town, probably in the country. He was amazing. I mean, he was an engineer before Capitol – he was the first engineer they ever hired. All the early Kenton things – CITY OF GLASS – you listen to that stuff now it’s amazing. One of the greatest albums ever done, the Billy May albums SORTA MAY and SORTA DIXIE. Both albums were done in the old Capitol studios on Melrose, and they had a Dixieland ensemble built into the big band. And the way Billy May wrote that thing, he wrote with the big band and then would go back to this little Dixieland ensemble, and then back to the big band. Do you know hard that was to mix that live? Here’s a test, kid. You want to learn how to mix, try this one.
The four tracks with JUST this quintet are "Dancing on the Ceiling," "Can't We Be Friends?," "Glad to Be Unhappy," and "I'll Be Around." Whoever came up (Mr. S no doubt!) with sequencing those tracks well into the album was an absolute genius! You don't really realize that all of a sudden it is not the lush orchestra anymore but the quintet unless you are really paying attention. Those tracks were absolute "mood-setters" within the already melancholy mood and truly make the album an intimate experience.
Man! -- I'm really diggin' And Swingin' Brass. I've never had this album before. Familiar with the tracks, but never had the original album as is. What a BLAST! As for sound... I compared the opening track, Goody Goody, to what's on the Reprise Box -- and it's no contest -- the 2014 HD download is night and day better. But overall, I'm just lovin' the album. Oh man!!! -- what a pleasant surprise!! BIP! BOP!! BAAAAM!!!
Remember the Shatner image you posted yesterday? That's what you just did to me. Heading to prostudiomasters.com immediately.
I just can't seem to pull the trigger on any of these. I have so many copies of most of these albums, at $20 a pop I was hoping for more of a wow factor. I am glad though that the reviews have been good. Maybe they will do the rest of the catalog. There are other titles I would love to see. The Great Britain album would be a nice reissue.
I LOVE Swingin' Brass, just wish it'd been recorded in a studio with better equipment and different engineers. Saving my pennies to pick up this, CFWM and Wee Small Hours in the Christmas season.
From what I've been reading here -- and from the samples I've played -- it doesn't sound like the Capitol titles are revelatory improvements on what I already have, so I'm holding off on those. However, the Moonlight Sinatra and Swingin' Brass clips sound pretty great compared to my suitcase versions, so I pulled the trigger on those. Will opine as soon as I listen more fully. Thanks for all the opinions!
Interesting, as I have just gotten interested in collecting Sinatra. However, I have been deliberately seeking out the original vintage LPs, preferably on the gray Capitol label where I can. Re-issues just aren't my thing.
You might still want to hear some of the recent MFSL reissues which have a lot to offer. I invite you to seek out Matt's website about the different pressings made over the years. I'm not at home and don't have the address at hand but someone will surely chime in with it for you. You're in for a treat with everything that's available. Have fun discovering!
I just listened to the download and have to admit I like it. I only have the suitcase tracks -- are they different from the original CD you mention? -- and I prefer the download. It definitely sounds brighter to me, but in a good way -- kind of like removing the varnish from a Vermeer -- although I guess a darker tone might be preferable to some people for an album of "moon" songs. I can hear more distinct sounds from the instruments, especially from the guitar in the left channel. Anyone else have thoughts on this one?
Re: Moonlight Sinatra I agree... I finally had a chance to listen carefully to the Moonlight Sinatra samples at ProStudioMasters, with particular attention to "Moonlight Serenade." I don't think it is an alternate take, compared to previous official issues of the song, but it certainly is an improvement over the CD version of the full album. The clarity of the instrumentation is striking. It may just be the mastering, but I think this is a new mix. What I did notice in A/B comparisons is that the download sample is pitched slightly faster than earlier versions. (I.e., the waveforms do not stay in sync.) I compared to the tracks on the Reprise and Universal album CDs (which are the same), as well as the remix done for the Nothing but the Best comp a few years ago.
Hmmm....it's tough for me to get in much careful listening right now, but following a little gentle prodding from @AJH I gave "Reaching for the Moon" a careful listen, comparing the initial CD release and the 2014 download, and the new download (maybe a new mix??) has the same hard, "I'm singing into your face" sound that the most recent remix of Sinatra and Strings has. Me no likey! Where the old CD is airy and open, the new version (on this track, anyway) strikes me as being lacking in subtlety and delicatissimo. The new release sounds significantly louder (and by-the-numbers measurements back this up, but numbers don't really matter -- the sound of its softness is gone) and it sounds very forward (in a bad way) to me, at least on that track. The first 1:30 or so, from the original CD and the new HD version: The numbers and the waveform, on their own, mean little. The fact that it sounded hard and over-baked -- and the waveforms back it up -- is the thing. (By the way, it's easy to get fooled by the clips. When listening to the entire tracks, the differences become more apparent and the negative attributes become more bothersome.) Also, @Bob F is spot on: There is a definite speed difference on the new version. (I had to correct for that in order to get the timeline on the waveforms to line up.) Once again (!) we are paying extra for a technically-superior (in terms of raw format) digital download that has significantly reduced dynamic range.
William (@wvk3) has reported at the SFF that Sinatra's "Next tune!" studio comment at the end of "Moonlight Becomes You" has been removed from the hi-res download. Can anyone confirm if this is/was also the case on the new/original vinyl LPs? For more information, see this SFF post: —> SINATRA, WITH LOVE (Universal) 2014: "Moonlight Becomes You" session chatter [Edit:] Partially answering my own question, the studio comment was inaudible on the 1966 Reprise LP. So the new download is true to the original release. See —> SFF followup post. P.S. I'd forgotten that this was also discussed earlier in this thread —> post #307 ff.
I will take some time to do comparisons between the Hirez downloads and cd's this weekend, is relatively easy as my main rig is now pc based and getting kinda serious (linear PSU for PC in combination with M2Tech Hiface Evo USB→Spdif + Clock). Can anyone confirm that the online samples are uncompressed i.e. Hirez and not converted to MP3? Otherwise comparisons might be rather useless.
I downloaded Moonlight Sinatra the other day, and really, really like it. It's different from the older CD versions -- much drier and sounds more intimate as a result. I'm hearing a lot of different things in the instrumentation/arrangement that I've never heard before. I love this album, so it's great to hear (what sounds like) a different take on it. Maybe a different mix??? As I mentioned the other day... the 24/44 sample rate is odd, since everything else is 96 or 192. This is probably the case of a new transfer NOT being done and using one from the early 2000s or so. I don't think this received an "Entertainer of the Century" release back then (or did it?). I'd bet this was transfered/remastered back then and left on the shelf. Either way, it's nice. Some may prefer the other version... but this is almost so different that it's like comparing apples and oranges. I really like it. Come Fly With Me and In the Wee Small Hours may also be worth your time. CFWM is the mono, which is new to the digital realm (I think) and is very good. Like Matt, I prefer the Stereo... but I am trying to get to know the mono. It's just so different! And ITWSH is also a nice upgrade. It's not night and day different like the others, but it's definitely better in all respects. Also, being the correct tapes without the added reverb(?) gives the album a slightly different feel and more warmth. The mastering is great and in hi-res, you'll be loving the added resolution.
Sorry to quote myself -- tacky? -- but I basically feel the same way about the Swingin' Brass download. Much more "alive" sounding than the suitcase tracks I have, which seems especially right for an up-tempo album like this. Doesn't sound so much like a remix -- as possibly with Moonlight -- as a really cleaned up remaster. But my ears are not the most sophisticated around here, and I'd love to hear other opinions.
The Wee Small Hours download is all I've bought so far, and I think it sounds great. I wish the news wasn't so bad about the This Is Sinatra title as I would like to have a great sounding version of that one also.
