Peggy Lee at Capitol Records

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by DLant, Feb 16, 2013.

  1. Jackson

    Jackson Senior Member

    Location:
    MA, USA
    I'm not sure this is the right thread for this , but has anyone besides me bought ''At Last-The Lost Radio Recordings'', i'm really enjoying this recent two CD comp from Real Gone Music. What a pleasure it is to hear Peggy's interpretations of such classic songs as ''At Last, You Belong To Me, A Kiss To Build A Dream On, I Got Rhythm, When I Fall In Love, Skylark, Singing In The Rain etc....forty five tracks in all, another favorite is a song i'd never heard or knew about ''Johnny One-Note''.


    [​IMG]
     
  2. DLant

    DLant The Upstate Gort Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    Albany, NY
    Thank you for this wonderful info. This was always a dark spot for me with Peggy's discography. I will certainly have to seek out that CD.
     
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  3. Ere

    Ere Senior Member

    Location:
    The Silver Spring
    Is 'At Last' a repackaging of the radio transcriptions that Mosaic released?
     
  4. Jackson

    Jackson Senior Member

    Location:
    MA, USA
    According to the liner notes these songs have never appeared on any Peggy Lee recordings before, this set sounds real nice considering the source, especially disc two.

    Here's the track listing.

    Disc: 1
    1. Peggy Lee Radio Show Opening
    2. It s a Most Unusual Day
    3. I ll See You In My Dreams
    4. Getting to Know You
    5. Cry
    6. You Belong to Me
    7. It Takes Two To Tango
    8. Solitaire
    9. Did Anyone Call?
    10. Please Mr. Sun
    11. The Wheel of Fortune
    12. Life Is a Beautiful Thing
    13. Somewhere Along The Way
    14. And So To Sleep Again
    15. Undecided
    16. Everything Happens To Me
    17. A Kiss To Build A Dream On
    18. Botch-A-Me
    19. My Darling, My Darling
    20. Just One More Chance
    21. Since My Love Has Gone
    22. Zing a Little Zong
    23. Skylark
    Disc: 2
    1. I Got Rhythm
    2. Pretty Eyed Baby
    3. Ole Buttermilk Sky
    4. The Little White Cloud That Cried
    5. When I Fall In Love
    6. Come What May
    7. Johnny One-Note
    8. Singin in the Rain
    9. Come On-A My House
    10. Here In My Heart
    11. Danny Boy
    12. Half As Much
    13. Go, Go, Go
    14. I ll Never Smile Again
    15. After All, It s Spring
    16. Trust In Me
    17. Blacksmith Blues
    18. Domino
    19. Heigh Ho (It s Off to Work We Go)
    20. Oh Dear, What Can The Matter Be
    21. I m Gonna Live Till I Die
    22. At Last
     
  5. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident

    Just my opinion, Jackson: it would be best to have a new, separate thread for this CD, where it could be given the individual attention that it deserves. After all, it is a major item in the Peggy Lee world: the first CD of brand new material in quite a few years. But anyway, I want to add that I agree with your comments. (I too found myself more drawn toward the second CD, although of course I enjoyed both.)
     
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  6. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident

    Today (Sunday, April the 5th), the season opener of the TV series Mad Men will be featuring Peggy Lee's recording of "Is That All There Is?" Should be interesting to see how the song is used.

    This is the beginning of the end for the series -- a paradox that "Is That All There Is?" could be made to reflect. (For those who don't know this show, the story takes place in the 1960s. It has moved chronologically through the decade. The events in these final episodes happen in 1969.)

    AMC will repeat the episode very often through the late hours, from 10:00 p.m. onwards.
     
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  7. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident

    [​IMG]

    Any comments about this pic (mike, instruments, etc.)? What would the ladder be for? Also, the woodwinds, I think I see two clarinets. What's the other instrument (a bass clarinet, maybe, or a bass saxophone)??
     
    Last edited: May 10, 2015
  8. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    Couldn't see the image until I quoted. Maybe the ladder was to position the mic?
     
  9. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident

    I'm very late, but: Thanks! Makes sense.

    I'm noticing now that one of these guys have not one but two instruments with him: a clarinet (which I had previously missed) and that other instrument (the one that looks to me like a bass saxophone or a bass clarinet).
     
  10. Millington

    Millington Forum Resident

    I second that quote!!!
     
  11. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Today I spotted a sealed Peggy Lee Decca-era album, So Blue, reissued on the MCA-Coral label, but holy cow, it was abridged from an already-skimpy ten songs down to EIGHT songs! I passed. (I did buy three other Peggy albums, all from Capitol, just because they were insanely "clean" copies.)
     
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  12. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Which three titles? I'll try and give sonic notes before you have a listen.
     
  13. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    •Things Are Swingin' (I have this on CD; now on stereo LP) - 1980s Pathe-Marconi stereo LP
    •Beauty and the Beat (I know this album has "history" of sorts, but have never owned a copy) - 1980s Pathe-Marconi stereo LP
    •Jump for Joy - original "D" USA mono LP (I know this album fairly well)
     
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  14. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    For material, good choice. I'll be curious to discuss sonics. Your stereo copy of Things Are Swingin' is far miked. Your "D" pressing of Jump For Joy should have a warm, fat sound, with a nice slam in the brass, although Peggy's got some sort of limiter on this album and her voice doesn't sound the greatest. Beauty and the Beat has canned applause and dialogue but it's a good recording. Not sure what the quality of the Pathe-Marconi discs are like. The name of that label makes Peggy sound ancient.
     
  15. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

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  16. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Interesting thread, thanks. That leads me to wonder if some of those Pathé discs are superior in quality to the Capitol originals. Sure, France/UK would be working with generational copies of the tapes, but that's less of an issue than pressing quality IMO. Heretofore, I've only sought original Capitol pressings of Peggy Lee from the US, Canada and UK. Might be worth looking into. I've never come across Pathé reissues in local shops, although I haven't been actively searching for them.
     
  17. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Between appointments today, I literally had time to swing back by the house, put on the record, transfer about 45 seconds, and then get back in the car and drive off. Here's a clip from the French LP, completely raw: https://app.box.com/s/7wdxcgs419ioc2m0yje0q326j9tua32m

    (It's this LP.)

    Regarding the tape copies, IIRC, Capitol started archiving its aging stereo & mono master tapes to U-Matic digital in 1982, so I would not 100% rule out the idea of Pathe-Marconi receiving digital copies. (EMI in the UK was getting digital dubs for the 1984 Sinatra releases, and the Pathe-Marconi series was done in conjunction with UK EMI from something like 1983-1986.)
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2015
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  18. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Agreed. The idea of digital transfers seems plausible, given the era for these reissues.
     
  19. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    (Link to photo, reproduced below.)
    73908197.jpg
    The three guys in the front row are all playing standard clarinets, but there are also a flute and a bass clarinet on stands at the left, so at least one of the fellas was doubling or tripling on those instruments. Aside from that, all I see is bass, drums, and piano, plus a pair of RCA 44 mics. Location: CP MacGregor studios, Los Angeles.

    Are there many Peggy Lee recordings from the 1940s that feature a clarinet trio? Probably not too tough to figure out the session date, eh?
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2015
  20. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Is NF Nick Fatool??
     
  21. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

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  22. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    So which of the four performances recorded on 27 December 1944 do we suppose Peggy is rehearsing/recording in the photo?
     
  23. Ere

    Ere Senior Member

    Location:
    The Silver Spring
    Peggy's husband Dave Barbour is standing to her right, with his back to the camera.
     
  24. kennyluc1

    kennyluc1 Frank Sinatra collector

    Matt you are answering you very own questions...I like that !
     
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  25. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Sorry, but it's a policy only to reply to my own posts. ;)

    Mr. Postman dropped off a copy of the DRG CD of Jump for Joy, remixed by Alan Silverman, and I'll just echo what others have said here about the excellent mastering. :righton::righton:
     
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