Patsy Cline: On the Record

No clue, sorry.

 

This title sounds fine if you enjoy LOUD and SQUASHED. It's too bright and the peaks are sawed off. Probably the only Patsy Cline CD that could be plainly heard over the din at a biker bar. Not sure what you mean by uneven; its sources are consistent but I disagree with the mastering approach.

I agree with your other two choices. Especially the Dualtone, since it features consistent sources and top-notch mastering. It's the best I've ever heard of the 4 Star material.

 

Musicfanfan1963, I actually located them all at a reasonable price. I also saw the the PC: Special Collection on the museum site. I'll be picking that up also. Didn't know you were from Nashville, very cool. I've been trying to get down to the PC Museum since it opened, I'm planning on it in the coming spring. Is it all you thought it would be? TY for the recommendations.

 

This title sounds fine if you enjoy LOUD and SQUASHED. It's too bright and the peaks are sawed off. Probably the only Patsy Cline CD that could be plainly heard over the din at a biker bar.


Now There is an opinion! lol. I'll be listening at the next biker bar I visit. TY .crystaised.

 

I'll post screenshots of the waveforms tonight. Patsy is not immune to the loudness wars of our time, apparently.

 

"Let The Teardrops Fall" (indeed):


"Never No More" (if only):


Gonna shake this shack (literally, and with tweeters).

 

Finally got around to playing my copy of the museum disc. I think the programming and song choices are great, but I have mixed feelings about the mastering.

"I Love You So Much" sounds nice, and "He Called Me Baby" has the most accurate balance I've ever heard on digital. The guitar and piano contain a presence not heard since the original LP mix. But "Someday" and "Does Your Heart Beat For Me" have their channels reversed. This always drives me crazy. And "Sweet Dreams" is mixed to mono, with compression on the vocal. Weird? Maybe.

I will admit that "Does Your Heart Beat For Me" sounds nice. It has a warm, intimate tone, yet it remains clear and involving (if but a little recessed in the upper mids) and so I'll forgive the placement of violins right.

The other selections sound just so-so. Overall, though, it's a nice compilation. It's clear that thought and care went into the programming, and that's what matters most. A decent companion to a great exhibit.

I would've added "Heartaches", though.

 

If there was ever a second volume of the museum collection, this would be my choice:

1. A Poor Man's Roses
2. True Love
3. Have You Ever Been Lonely
4. You're Stronger Than Me
5. Strange
6. Half As Much
7. Heartaches
8. Imagine That
9. Why Can't He Be You
10. When You Need A Laugh
11. Back In Baby's Arms
12. Faded Love
13. Blue Moon Of Kentucky
14. Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home

 

I like the idea of a companion CD...and those tracks would definitely qualify as next steps for guests of the museum. It's funny, though - a handful of my all time favorite Patsy tracks from the Decca years don't appear on EITHER disc. Therefore, I present to you volume THREE (I know it's overkill - but humor me.)

1. The Wayward Wind
2. San Antonio Rose
3. South of the Border
4. Seven Lonely Days
5. Your Cheatin' Heart
6. I Can't Help It
7. Anytime
8. Lonely Street
9. You Were Only Fooling
10. That's How a Heartache Begins
11. Your Kinda Love
12. You Took Him Off My Hands
13. Crazy Arms
14. Always

 

Date: September 5, 1962 [14:00-18:00]
Location: Columbia Studios, 804 16th Avenue South, Nashville TN.

Owen Bradley (pdr, mgr), Patsy Cline (v), The Jordanaires (bkv), Randy Hughes (g), Ray Edenton (rg), Grady Martin (eg, dir), Rita Faye Wilson (ahp), Pig Robbins (p), Bob Moore (b), Harold Bradley (ebx), Buddy Harman (d), Byron Bach, Cecil Brower, Howard Carpenter, Solie Fott, Nancy Hearn, Lillian Hunt, Verne Richardson (vn)

Why Can't He Be You - 3:29 (Hank Cochran) / arr: Bill McElhiney
Your Kinda Love - 2:31 (Roy Drusky) / arr: Bill McElhiney
When You Need a Laugh - 2:48 (Hank Cochran) / arr: Bill McElhiney
Leavin' On Your Mind - 2:25 (Wayne Walker, Webb Pierce) / arr: Bill McElhiney

session information courtesy of patsyclinediscography.com

Soon after the release of her third LP, “Sentimentally Yours” and the conclusion of her whirlwind summer touring schedule, Patsy’s expressive alto was strong and ripened for the studio as she returned to record a batch of new material.

“Why Can’t He Be You” sets the tone for the remainder of Patsy’s work with Owen Bradley. Deliciously lush and intimate, Patsy’s performance is hypnotic. Demonstrating a conversational style when she sings lines like “And I’m lucky to have such a guy, I hear it all the time", the song draws the listener in so effectively that, by the end, one feels as if Patsy is singing not only to them but about them as well. It is said the song’s writer, Hank Cochran, had tears in his eyes when he heard the results – which can simply be described as divine.

Picking up the pace, Patsy and the gang at the Quonset Hut (by this time, now owned by Columbia Records) tackled the Roy Drusky tune, “Your Kinda Love”. It’s the most country sounding song of the session (featuring a lovely string arrangement paired with a driving shuffle) and gives us an idea of what an arrangement of “I Fall to Pieces” may have sounded like had Patsy recorded it in 1962.

The third song was the gorgeous Hank Cochran ballad, “When You Need a Laugh”. Lyrically, the song recalls some of Patsy’s previous songs, including “Imagine That”, “I Love You So Much” and “Crazy” while, musically, the song is similar in feel to “Why Can’t He Be You” and the “You’re Stronger Than Me” remake. Featuring one of the prettiest endings of any Patsy Cline song, the song is definitely an underrated Cline classic.

Owen Bradley initially hesitated to allow Patsy to record “Leavin’ On Your Mind” – a song already released as a single earlier in the year by Decca artist Joyce Smith. Patsy was so taken by the song when she heard Smith’s version that she demanded to record it. After some negotiating, Bradley conceded. While Smith’s own version fizzled on the charts, Patsy’s quickly rose to the top 10 when released in early 1963. The song has since stood against the test of time and is one of Patsy’s most contemporary sounding songs by today’s standards. It’s also notable as the final song released as a single during Patsy’s lifetime.

Greatest Hit – Leavin’ On Your Mind
Greatest Gem – Why Can’t He Be You

 

While I've been told that "Sentimentally Yours" was the only Patsy album reissued on CD in mono (other than the mono only S/T debut and the mono but for "Faded Love" "Greatest Hits"), other posters on this forum have referred to a mono "Showcase" CD in their collection (at one time). I've also corresponded with a poster on another forum who claimed that his "Portrait of" MCA CD was in mono, though he went MIA before I could confirm with sound samples. Can anyone clarify the situation?

 

We agree on the 9 leftover tracks. "Always" was intentionally omitted from the first and second volumes due to licensing considerations. I did not include some personal favourites since there are better choices to demonstrate Patsy's artistry. From this exercise, perhaps we've learned that "Foolin' 'Round" is the weakest track on Showcase and "That's My Desire" is the weakest on Sentimentally Yours. Indeed, "Love Letters In The Sand" and "I'll Sail My Ship Alone" are my least favourite of the last sessions.

 

Hopefully others will be able to clarify or confirm. My copies of both MCA CDs "Showcase" and "Portrait" feature all stereo tracks.

I'm only familiar with the all-mono CD for Sentimentally Yours. Other MCA discs feature a blend of mono and stereo mixes: Songwriters' Tribute, Remembering Patsy & Jim, 12 Greatest Hits, Heartaches. There may be others with a blend that I'm not thinking of at the moment. ("Imagine That" often appears in mono).

 

Thanks for your input. The posters who've said they had "Showcase" in mono on CD no longer have those CDs in their collection so I haven't been able to follow up. Hopefully, other contributors to this thread will be able to (disc)confirm the mono "Showcase" CD's existence.

 

On the condition that she record that thing called "Tra Le La Le La Triangle".
Worth it for "Leavin' On Your Mind" I guess?

From everything I've heard, Patsy was not demanding in the studio. She was a true professional and never a diva. I'm sure she asked nicely, and Bradley did the same for "Triangle". They might have argued a little, sure, but that's understandable given the large disparity of quality between the two songs proposed for the single.

demanding (adj.)
1. requiring or claiming more than is generally felt by others to be due:

^ that fails to describe Patsy Cline or her artistry.

 

There is an all-mono version of 12 Greatest Hits on cd.

 

Is it the Gold MasterDisc?
The pressing I have is all mono except "Faded Love" which is stereo.

 

Which one specifically? I looked and wasn't quite sure. I'd like a nice mono comp to match my 12 greatest hits hdcd disc.

 

Yeah, sorry. Faded Love is stereo and the rest are mono. Walking After Midnight is the Four Star recording.
It's a regular MCA disc.

 

That's how it should be IMO

 

Confession: I'm one of those questionable types who (until fairly recently) was an extremely casual Patsy listener and if pressed on her most famous recordings, would reply with Crazy, Walkin' After Midnight and I Fall To Pieces. Yet the first two are up there with my favourite vocal performances and songs ever.

I've been delving a little bit deeper recently by streaming some compilations and this 3 CD set caught my eye when I was in a music store the other day. A no-brainer at £3.99.





I'm really enjoying it, but sound-quality wise I find it quite loud, with some distortion during peaks when she belts out parts. Does anyone else have this compilation? I can't find anything on who mastered it. It's doing its job of familiarising myself with more of this legend's output, but I'll definitely be going through this thread with a fine toothcomb to make sure I get the very best releases. Thank you for such a fascinating and informative thread

 

I thought the exact same thing.

 

Welcome to the thread! Please let us know if you have any other questions or would like any other recommendations

As far as this 3 CD release is concerned, I am not familiar with the Big 3 Record label, although it appears to be UK based. Perhaps another thread member can shed some light on who worked on this release. Something you may already be aware of - the type of sound equipment on which music is played and the actual settings, in addition to one's own hearing, can make a big difference on how music is heard. How I or others perceive the sound of specific recordings can be subjective. But please let us know if you have any other questions after combing through the releases referenced in various posts.

And so happy you are with us!

 

The accounts I've heard state Owen first played played Joyce Smith's version to Patsy in his office in late 1961 after Smith recorded it. Patsy fell in love with the song after the first listen and asked to record it herself and was immediately turned down by Bradley who suggested they wait and see how Smith's single fared. When the single did not chart as high as Smith had hope, Patsy insisted on cutting the song. My use of the word "demanded" did not mean to imply Patsy was demanding in the studio. I should have chosen a better word! My apologies.

 

I know some of the "Country Music Time" radio shows were reissued by Bear Family,because I loaned Bear Family a mess of the original LPs from the 50s and 60s a few years ago,including some Patsy Cline.This after seeing a request for same on this very forum.I believe it was a thread started by .crystalised.