Peggy Lee On Record (1941-1995)

The album-by-album discussion will resume some time later this month (fyi).
Meanwhile, I've put together a quick index of the main topics discussed so far.


ALBUMS
I. Rendezvous with Peggy Lee (1948)

[Pages 11 & 12 / Posts 253, 272, 282; also 267, 283, 289] [Capitol]​

II. Benny Goodman, His Orchestra And Sextet, Vocals By Peggy Lee (1948)

[Page 12 / Post 293; also 294] [Columbia]​

III. My Best To You (1950)

[Page 13; also 14 / Posts 304 & 306; also 329] [Capitol]​

IV. Capitol Presents Peggy Lee (1953)

[Page 13 / Posts 308, 310] [Capitol]​

V. Lover (1964) & Selections Featured In The Jazz Singer (1953)

[Page 4 & also 6 / Posts 82, 85; also 132, 133] [Decca]​

VI. Black Coffee With Peggy Lee (1953)

[Page 1 / Posts 17, 18] [Decca]​

VII. Songs In An Intimate Style (1954)

[Page 1 / Post 19] [Decca]​

VIII. Songs From Walt Disney's Lady And the Tramp (1955)

[Page 1 & 2 / Posts 22 & 29] [Decca]​

IX. Songs From Pete Kelly's Blues (1955)

[Pages 2 & 3 / Posts 45, 50, 51] [Decca]​

X. Dream Street (1957)

[Page 3 / Posts 54, 63] [Decca]​

XI. The Man I Love (1957)

[Pages 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 / Posts 354, 366, 370, 391, 394, 431, 442, 445, 447, 450, 451; also 409, 420] [Capitol]​

XII. Jump for Joy (1957)

[Pages 19, 20 & also 9 / Posts 454, 470, 476, 477, 480; also 459, 465, 474, 215 to 225] [Capitol]​

XIII. Sea Shells (1958)

[Pages 3, 4 & also 5 / Posts 67, 71, 72, 79; also 102] [Decca]​

XIV. Things Are Swingin' (1958)

[Forthcoming.] [Capitol]​

XV. Miss Wonderful (1959)

[Page 4 & also 6 / Posts 80, 81; also 131] [Decca]​

-------. Christmas Carousel (1960)

[Incipient Stage. Page 24 / Post 583] [Capitol]​

XXIX. The Fabulous Peggy Lee (1964)

[Page 4 & also 5, 6 / Post 87; 104, 105, 130] [Decca]​

-------. Mirrors (1975)

[Incipient Stage. Page 24 / Post 588] [A&M]​

ASSORTED TOPICS
The Benny Goodman Period

[Pages 1 & 2; also 10 / Posts 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 43; also 239, 242]​

Post-Goodman, Pre-Capitol Interlude

[Page 1 & also 6/ Posts 12, 13; also 127]​

The Year 1944

[Page 10 / Post 233]​

Early Singles On Capitol, 1944-1952

[Page 10 & also 11, 12, 13, 24 / Post 232; also 265, 280, 311, 317, 582]​

Early Stereo & Nelson Riddle Singles On Capitol

[Pages 20, 21 / Posts 482, 483, 491, 493, 496, 498, 499, 501-506, 514, 560]​

Fever & Later Singles On Capitol, 1957-1972

[Incipient stage. Pages 13, 14 / Posts 320, 330]​

Capitol Anthologies & Compilations

[Pages 8, 9 & also 24 / Posts 199, 207, 210, 213; also 579]​

Cult Classics On Capitol

[Incipient stage. Page 9 / Post 204]​

Hit Singles On Decca Records

[Page 5; also 14 / Posts 134, 135, 136; 328]​

Decca Anthologies & Compilations

[Page 6 & also 7 / Posts 144, 146; also 166]​

Cult Classics On Decca Records

[Page 6 / Post 141]​

Collaborations With Bing Crosby On Decca & On The Radio

[Page 5 / Posts 101, 117, 118, 119 ]​

Collaborations With Other Decca Singers

[Page 6 / Post 142]
​

Official Capitol Jazz CDs

[Page 24 / Post 592]​

Official EMI Twofers

[Page 14 / Post 335]​

Public Domain Proper Boxes

[Page 6 / Post 140]​

Radio Broadcasts

[Page 8 / Post 193]​

MacGregor Radio Transcriptions

[Pages 6 & 7 / Posts 147 & 156]​

Capitol Radio Transcriptions

[Page 7 / Post 157]​

World Radio Transcriptions

[Page 7 / Post 159]​

Snader Telescriptions

[Page 7 / Post 168]​

 

Thanks! This is awesome. I’ve been meaning to read those transcription posts again.

Is there a way to add this to the original post, with periodic updates (if you make them...not trying to speak for you!)?

 

The thread would need a sticky post or something similar and I'm not sure if the forum has that functionality. The Gorts would know.

 

Quick and handy for us readers, but probably not so easy for you to prepare. Your dedication to Peggy Lee's artistry and to this discussion thread are beyond remarkable. Serious props, my friend!

 

XIV. THINGS ARE SWINGIN'
(First Post)
​

​

Seen above: the personnel of a 1947 Capitol session, led by a different Lee lady
-- not Peggy but Julia Lee, the singing pianist. And here is the reason why I am
posting this photo on a message about Peggy Lee: the joint presence of the two
men who will serve as the main subjects of the present post. (They happen to
be the only two Caucasians in sight. For the record, the other four guys in this
photo are bassist Billy Hadnott, drummer Samuel 'Baby' Lovett, saxophonist
Benny Carter, and trombonist Vic Dickenson.)​

In The Year 1958​

Sixty years ago, Peggy Lee recorded (and Capitol released) her iconic interpretation of "Fever," which enjoys legendary status nowadays. It was also in 1958 that she scored her third consecutive Capitol hit album, Things Are Swingin'. Furthermore, the second half of this year found Lee recording another album and another single, both of them released on the same label as well. All that 1958 output (a total of 28 Capitol masters) will occupy our discussion for the next several posts.

The present post will take care of some preliminaries, however. Specifically, we will be profiling two individuals who joined Lee for all nine of her 1958 dates at the Capitol Tower, and who would essentially become her Capitolian team, from this year onwards.

For everyone's benefit (including me), let's also take advantage of this "preliminary" post to recapitulate.

Summary
(So Far) ​

Born in 1920, Norma Deloris Egstrom began to sing professionally in the mid-1930s, while still in high school. Back then, Miss Egstrom's opportunities to sing in public were circumscribed to local venues within her native North Dakota, as well as state radio. Subsequent work with territorial and national bands led to out-of-state traveling for the Scandinavian-American teenager.

Furthermore, her own ambitions motivated two trips to California, both undertaken in the hope of finding a permanent job as a vocalist. (She indeed worked as a solo singer at a couple of spots, the first of them being a Chinese-decor lounge. Those jobs did not turn out to be permanent, of course.)

This singer's earlier appearances on record took place in the early 1940s, right after being hired to serve as the canary of Benny Goodman's orchestra. That band's widespread popularity brought her to the attention of swing music listeners across the nation. (By then, she had already been using the professional name "Peggy Lee" for several years.)

Following her big band period with Goodman (1941-1943), Lee spent the rest of her 60-year-long singing career as a solo artist. She recorded for Capitol Records from 1944 to early 1952, and then for Decca Records, from 1952 to 1956. Then, in 1957, the vocalist returned to Capitol, remaining under contract with that label for 15 more years.

Our preceding posts have already detailed Peggy Lee's studio work during her return year, which she spent working with the team of Nelson Riddle and Frank Sinatra. The Lee-Riddle partnership resulted in two albums and a couple of singles, all of them arranged by Nelson. He also conducted the bulk of Peggy's work for 1957, with the notable exception of the first album, which was instead conducted and informally produced by Sinatra. Formally, the producers at the control booth were Voyle Gilmore (in the case of the first album, The Man I Love) and Lee Gillette (in the case of the second album, Jump for Joy). Gilmore was also responsible for at least one of the 1957 singles sessions.

A minimum of 32 masters resulted from Peggy Lee's "back-to-Capitol" chapter, which extended over nine sessions, from April 2, 1957 to January 3, 1958. While Lee clearly interpreted those 32+ vocals in her own personalized way, there is no reason to believe that she had a direct involvement in the arranging, conducting, or technical recording of these masters. With the possible exception of one of the singles sessions, the overall direction and production of her "back-to-school" dates remained in the hands of the mentioned men. (Nothing unusual about such a situation, I hasten to add. That state of affairs was standard for singers of the era. It is her subsequent ability to earn more control of the process that qualifies as relatively unusual, especially for a female singer of the era, under contract with a major.)

Starting in 1958, Peggy Lee surrounded herself with a two-man team who was malleable and sympathetic enough to carry out her artistic vision, instead of imposing their own. On the producer front, Dave Cavanaugh would replace Gillette and Gilmore. In the conductor-arranger arena, Jack Marshall would succeed Nelson Riddle. Below, I have supplied a very basic account of Cavanaugh's and Marshall's studio work for Capitol Records (with emphasis on their earliest record encounters with Peggy Lee).

​

Dave Cavanaugh ​

A tenor saxophonist by trade, David D. Cavanaugh came to Capitol as a member of the Bobby Sherwood Orchestra and promptly found a way to stick around. As a member of Sherwood's orchestra, the very first Capitol session on which he participated was a date which happened to include a number written by Peggy Lee ("It's a Good Day"). That date, backing the vocals of Johnny Mercer, took place on March 3, 1946. Nine months later, he was playing on a date by Peggy Lee herself (November 22, 1946). Next, in 1947, Peggy and Dave became members of the same group: Ten Cats and a Mouse, whose one-and-only record date has been discussed elsewhere in this thread. In short: the saxophonist and the vocalist has thus been acquainted with one another since the second half of the 1940s.

Cavanaugh quickly ascended from Capitol session musician to Capitol session leader. From the late 1940s through the 1950s, he conducted and arranged for many singers -- from Kay Starr and Ella Mae Morse (frequently) to Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra (occasionally). In a short time, his satisfactory work as conductor and arranger allowed him to branch into producer duties, becoming one of Capitol A&R men of the 1950s. For several years, he traveled back and forth between Los Angeles to New York. Whether at one city or the other, he is generally credited with having signed a fair share of notable acts, including Dakota Staton and Nancy Wilson, Sandler & Young and Plas Johnson. Occasionally, Dave also did a record date of his own for Capitol. The better known item from Cavanaugh's own discography is probably his Arthur Murray Rock 'n' Roll album.

I do not know if Capitol assigned Cavanaugh to Lee, or if she directly requested him. My inclination is toward the latter. Given the fact that they were previously acquainted (and since Cavanaugh and her husband Dave Barbour had worked together as well), I imagine that she perceived him as someone friendlier and potentially more amenable to her requests than, say, a Lee Gillette, with whom she had dealt for most of the 1940s.

Whatever the case might have been, Dave Cavanaugh and Peggy Lee grew close, and he remained her producer for about 10 years (until Capitol's brass ordered a parting of ways). In her autobiography, Lee writes: Dave Cavanaugh was my record producer and beloved friend [emphasis hers]. He died much too young -- heart." Cavanaugh indeed died at the age of 62 in 1982 (less than six months after the 69-year-old Lee Gillette). As a producer, his first with Peggy Lee was the one to be discussed next (Things Are Swingin'). His first producing session for Lee might have the earliest to contain masters for that album, or it could have been (as I currently suspect) one of the three singles sessions from 1957.

​

Jack Marshall ​

A guitarist by trade, Jack Wilton Marshall was only 20 when he participated on his very first Capitol session. He played guitar for Ella Mae Morse, as a member of the Freddie Slack Orchestra, on her May 21, 1942 Capitol session. (As far as I have been able to ascertain, that is the only Morse-Slack Capitol date with which he is credited.)

In Capitol's files, Marshall's name is often found near Dave Cavanaugh's. From 1947 to 1956, the guitarist participated in dozens and dozens of Capitol sessions, for which Dave Cavanaugh is almost always listed as a producer or conductor. This joined-at-the-hip situation does start to ease up in the mid-1950s, but there is never a full surgical removal. For as long as Cavanaugh remained on his producer post, Marshall's never kept popping up here and there. To state the obvious, the two men must have had a solid working relationship.

From 1947 to 1956, a feature common to all of Marshall's dates on Capitol Records is that he is consistently listed as a session musician only -- not as a conductor or arranger. The only partial exceptions are a set of 1956 sessions in which he is credited as both guitarist and arranger. Those are, however, instrumental dates on which he was arranging for himself. (The credited act is The Jumping Jacks, a duo consisting of Marshall and, on drums, another noted session player, Frank Carlson.)

It is not until April 22, 1957 that we finally find Jack Marshall listed not just as guitarist but also as leader of session by another Capitol artist. Guess the name of the artist.

It is actually one of the previously discussed 1957 singles sessions, on which Peggy Lee re-recorded all three songs that she had just done with Nelson Riddle. Unfortunately, I do not have any factual knowledge as to why these songs were re-recorded, or how Marshall came to be nominated the session's leader. (He had been the session guitarist on the previous, Riddle-led date. The songs in question were "Every Night," "Uninvited Dream," and "Baby, Baby Wait for Me.")

Whichever the circumstances might have been, this Peggy Lee session became Marshall's very first conducting credit on Capitol Records. The second, backing a rockabilly male singer called Nick Greene, took place a month later, and the third, with rock 'n' roll singer-guitarist Joel Grey, in July. And, during the rest of 1957, Marshall was assigned yet more acts who were new to the label.

In 1958, Capitol appears to have signed Marshall to an exclusive contract. It was then that he recorded his first own album for the label (produced by Dave Cavanaugh, of course):

​

His subsequent project was conducting a full album for Peggy Lee: Things Are Swingin'. One factor which must have contributed to Lee's choice of Marshall (or agreement to use Marshall) as a conductor was the fact that Dave Cavanaugh was now on board as her record producer. But I have little doubt that there were other factors, of greater weight in Lee's mind. At the very least, the songstress must have enjoyed the work that Marshall had done on her April 1957 session. Insofar as it established a connection with the Capitol work that Lee had previously made with her first husband (guitarist Dave Barbour), Marshall's musical instrument of choice might have helped, too. And perchance she had heard and liked the above-pictured album, which features lute and, like her Sea Shells, harpsichord.

From 1958 onwards, Marshall would carry out a multi-faceted career at Capitol. While continuing to record albums under his own name, he would periodically serve as session guitar player (on other artists' dates), too. The label/Cavanaugh also kept on recruiting him to conduct debut dates, often featuring young singers.

More importantly for our purposes, Peggy Lee and Dave Cavanaugh made Marshall the regular conductor of her albums, a position that he kept from 1958 to 1960. The trio thus worked together on four consecutive albums.

Another factor that could have played a role in the recruitment of Marshall was his admiration for and inspiration from the work of Billy May, who was a Peggy Lee favorite. After parting ways with Marshall, she tellingly proceeded to do her next two albums with May.

Post-Peggy, Jack conducted for quite a few notable names at Capitol -- Judy Garland, Tex Williams, Kay Starr, Dinah Shore, Vic Damone, Blossom Dearie ... He went on to have a distinguished career elsewhere as well, with his most immortal credit being the theme of the TV show The Munsters. He died at an even younger age than Cavanaugh and Gillette: 51 years old (1973).

​

The Peggy Lee Vision
(Songwriting) ​

In conclusion, things began to swing for Peggy Lee at Capitol once she counted with her own recording team, consisting of Cavanaugh & Marshall. Those two men were clearly receptive to her artistic inclinations, and seem to have tried their best to fulfill them (while also attempting to answer to commercial expectations from the Capitol company).

In the making of any original album, one of the strongest indications of Peggy Lee's exertion of creative input is the inclusion of self-penned songs. More than almost anything else, Lee was proud of being recognized as a songwriter. The album that we are about to discuss contains two songs credited to her, including one for which she wrote both words and music.

The other self-penned song in the album is the title track, co-written with Jack Marshall. Though not necessarily one of her most popular or better numbers, the song still enjoyed attention during Peggy's lifetime -- doubtlessly to her delight. It has been recorded by artists such as Chris Connor, Catherine Dupuis, The Kirby Stone Four, The Mike Sammes Singers, Janet Seidel, and Toni Tennille.

Actually, an element that is common to most of the albums that Peggy made from 1958 to around 1963 is that she wrote a titular song for each of hem. In some cases, the titular song was never actually recorded, for reasons unknown. In the case of Things Are Swingin', the titular song was recorded and used to start off the album, of course:

​

[On a personal note, I started this post thinking that it was going to be limited to just two short paragraphs, one for Cavanaugh and one for Marshall, plus photos ... Oh well. I just got interested in the topic, and carried away. I do plan to make subsequent posts much shorter, though! Next: coverage of the album itself.]

 

Oh my god. I’m still reading my way through the entire thread. Got distracted a bit. I didn’t realize we were only up to Things Are Swingin. Wow. This is going to be a contender for best thread ever. Thanks, @Ridin'High !

 

Those models are a little handsy! Apparently German microphones really get their blood going

 

What was the reason for the parting of ways, and what was their last album together?

That looks like a fun album. I'll have to keep my eye out for a copy.​

It might interest you to know that I recently revisited Billy May's Cha Cha! album, and I was struck with a realization. The arrangements are conspicuously close to what was done for Peggy's Latin a la Lee album. Is there any chance that May arranged the latter and Marshall only conducted, or was Marshall's work so heavily influenced by May's that they arrived at the same musical conclusion for unrelated projects? Perhaps May lost a bet outside of the office, and conceded to allow Marshall sole credit for Latin a la Lee? I envision the two arrangers playing cards at Julie London's house, or something

 

No surprise there. Of course that cover had to be your favorite, seeing how it shows off all those shapely and fresh and shiny and tempting .............

....... microphones!

This is an item whose mention is perfectly suitable for inclusion in this thread right now: it happens to open with a track from Peggy's Things are Swingin' ("Alright, Okay, You Win").

Also, and by the way, that's a foreign (Dutch) compilation from the late 1970s, both details which could perhaps account for the decision to do some "creative recycling" for the artwork.

Thanks for the clips, which I checked out & enjoyed!

I actually lifted that Austin Powers pic from one of your own posts, to which I meant to respond a while ago, but forgot. So, here's the belated response.

From the same post:

Here's the counterpart on the Peggy Lee front. A 1965 AU World Record Club reissue:



Groovy & swingin' things, all of 'em.

The end, man, the end.

 

Sounds like you are accusing Marshall of being Sorta May ...


If I May keep on talking (as I was, on the previous post) about the World Record Club's outta-sight artwork, check out this one. It might take the cake:





She sorta may? ... Make of it what you will.

But I digress.

For shame, are you going to let Billy and Jack tag team against poor Julie?

In my alternative scenario, it's a poker game of May & Marshall versus Lee & London!

Okay, I'm going off the rails. Let's get back to the serious discussion.

Curious & very interesting, indeed. I would have to sit down and do a close listening of both albums, before I could feel fully confident. But, from a quick listening, I most certainly hear similarities.

When it comes to factual data about the making of the album, I have no knowledge of May involvement, though.

Peggy kept in her personal music library most of this album's arrangements. Nearly all of them credit Marshall as the writer. However, I would not discard the possibility of erroneous crediting.

Another point worth making is that some of the same musicians who participated in Peggy's dates show up on Billy's dates as well. The shared personnel could thus partially account for the perceived resemblance. Most notably, the same four drummers, all of them apparently of hispanic heritage, played in both Latin and Cha Cha LP sessions. Those four guys could very well be among the ones who did double duty on both albums, taking care of not only percussion but also background vocals.

For what is worth, Peggy's and Billy's sessions were held only two months apart -- the ones by Peggy in August, the one by Billy in October (1959).

And here is a somewhat intriguing sequence of events:

October 9, 1959 - Billy records seven of the songs for his album.
October 10, 1959 - Peggy records a singles session, whose songs seem to have been conducted by Jack Marshall but arranged by Billy May.

Latin ala Lee.

I wish I knew. The only thing I've heard (or rather, read) is a passing comment to the effect that they had a falling out. Peggy was not happy about something -- or so is suggested.

(She had not been too thrilled about a situation pertaining to the credits for "Fever," but that had happened much earlier, more than a year before this so-called falling out ...... Pictured here just for fun, the LP above features Manne, who played drums on "Fever," and Marshall, who tried but was nixed from adding guitar to "Fever."

I've neglected to mention that Peggy and Jack co-wrote at least five songs. So, they must have worked closely for a while. (For the record, only two of those made it to the studio.)

Post-Peggy, Jack went on to arrange for numerous other Capitol artists, as already mentioned .... All the singer albums that he conducted & arranged might have been Capitol products. The one exception of which I am aware is this one:





That would be Miss Rogers to you (of fredastairian fame).

 

Frank is conspicuously absent from this compilation. (Or is he instead featured on The Capitol W Album? Heh.) And Marshall is eclipsed by an enormous consonant. It appears the ladies have changed (their preference) ... no need to tell 'em we're through.

I wanna testify! After that, I'm dead, man. When I was a child, I remember that my aunt had a multicolored wax candle in her bedroom with kaleidoscopic patterns that resembled the groovy Sinatra/Austin Powers typeface. Also, what's with the Nancy Sinatra understudy for the Peggy Lee jacket? Swingers took a literal meaning from the album's title (and probably took the album to key parties). Things have gone to pot!

 

Ha, that's witty

That will be my wedding song ... someday, Nat.

Yeah, baby. A look your smile can't disguise ...

Go on. It's fun.

Julie can hold her own, but with Peg on her team they just can't be beat! As long as Bobby Troup is mixing drinks, I'm sure everybody is happy

If Gillette had produced, one of those on double duty might very well have been scolded! Kidding. Both albums are great, and the quality of personnel goes a long way.

Interesting facts that I hadn't thought to check. Thanks!

Well, now, who arranged Ole ala Lee?

So, let me get this straight - Marshall wanted to step all over Peggy's vocal on "Fever" with his fingering, like he does on "You Don't Know" (which is not bad at all, mind you, but also much better suited to that arrangement) and Peggy said "no". Then he still gets credit for arrangement of "Fever" after Peggy made the final judgment call, and then he goes on to win the Grammy for it? I might keep working with the guy for a little while longer since he is proven and capable, but I wouldn't forget. And that might lead to a modicum of resentment in the long term.

She's Miss Rogers to you but she's "baby" to Billie.

 

A couple of corrections/clarifications to my post. "Fever" was nominated but didn't win. The award went to "Volare". Then, in 1959, Peggy lost again to Ella's "But Not For Me". And it appears that Howard Roberts was the guitarist on the "You Don't Know" session, although I'm wondering if Marshall himself picked up the instrument for the single and delegated the fingering to Roberts for the album cuts only?

(And when I tell them, and I cert'nly am goin' to tell them, the award for best version of "But Not For Me" should have gone to Margaret Whiting and Billy Butterfield. Alas, there were no Grammy awards in 1944, and Whiting's version languished in the vaults until 1992 ).

 

The Aussies will have to take the blame for that one.

The World Record Club had branches in both Australia and the United Kingdom, but the "Nancy" cover is exclusively Australian. As you can see (up above), the British branch chose a more suitable photo.

Here is another Aussie jacket that leaves something to be desired:





It's been said that happiness is fleeting ... Here is photographic proof of those words of wisdom. If the lady on that photo is jumping for joy (or about to do so), she won't remain joyful for long. We will be seeing her calves again in the album's little-known sequel, Limp In Pain.

But let's get back to Things Are Swingin'.

For those of us who appreciate informative & well-written stuff, these UK and AU World Record Club reissues have neat things to offer. The British one is particularly nice, as it provides a comprehensive and appreciative outlook. Sample: "As a critic of many years' standing, and a record collector for twice as long, I must have heard almost every Peggy Lee record ever made, and I insist on claiming Things Are Swingin' as just about the best album of all. For here Peggy gets down to fundamentals and ... swings in a stylish, uninhibited yet completely unaffected and well-controlled fashion."

Yes, as you surmised, it wasn't Jack Marshall. That album was conducted and arranged by Joe Harnell.

All I have to say is, olé and corazón!


Lest some readers think that we are behaving like a hermetic cult and talking in arcane riddles, let me clarify that we are referring to something that happened during the recording of the Peggy Lee hit "Mañana." While the Brazilian musicians at the session were accompanying Lee and singing that Spanish word behind her, producer Lee Gillette "stopped them in the track(s)." A razor-sharp Gillette called out one of the poor ole Brazilian souls for having a loud voice that was sticking out. (That bit of studio chatter has been commercially released as a bonus track, first on the Peggy Lee volume from the Capitol Collectors CD Series and subsequently on her Singles Collection.)

Moving on, again ... I was just about to type some remarks in reply to your comments about "Fever," but I think I'll take a rain check for the time being. We will probably be exclusively talking about "Fever" some time soon (within the next few weeks).

Hopefully the forum's Sinatra experts (or you) will correct me if I'm misremembering: we might be hard pressed to find various-artists Capitol compilations featuring his vocals? (A couple of 'em do come to mind, but they might be exceptions to a rule.) As part of Frank and the label's acrimonious parting of the ways, wasn't there perhaps some legal stipulation that limited Capitol's rights to feature his masters on such a type of album?

Ha. The Capitol W Album would have to be a 10" LP, featuring just Frank, Nat, Jackie Gleason, maybe Kenton, and no more than two or three others ...

It's a funny thought -- yet, for all we know, not impossible.

And by "all we know," I mean that we know nothing.

I for one have no idea why Capitol chose to give the name T to not only that various-artists but also an entire series of reissues:





Since some of those came out in stereo, Capitol Netherlands (EMI Bovema) must have used that T to mean something else, no? Maybe a Dutch word starting with the letter T ... TBD.

 

I, for one, have never understood why four Capitol artists got the W treatment and everybody else on the label was relegated to the supposedly lesser T status. I can't hear a production, manufacturing or quality control difference between the two letters at all. Only difference for me is grey vs teal labels on the mono pressings.

 

Money, money, money.

They were, I understand, about one dollar more expensive than the rest.

As I see it, this "W" line must have been reserved for 12" albums that Capitol confidently expected to generate solid sales, be it because of

a) the artist's proven record
or
b) the album's unquestionable appeal (to a particular, select target audience).

Let's look into alternative (b) first.

The Capitol's W line counted with the enrollment of no other than the pope. We can be certain that a lots of catholic folks bought his holy box set:





This next album must have attracted a nationwide clientele of American patriots and devouts (as well as dedicated US historians & educational facilities):





That's the gist behind alternative (b). This third example should not require further explanation:





One more, which finally brings some estrogen to the thread:





Another audience that Capitol could reliably expect to shell out extra bucks was the audiophile crowd. Capitol's Hi-Fi series, consisting mostly of instrumental records from name bandleaders, was released on the W line. Among the few non-instrumental Hi-Fi "W" outings, we get a sister act:





But how alternative (a)? ... How about individual pop artists who were regularly granted "W" status? Well ...

From the fact that all (or nearly all?) of their 12" LPs were released on this premium-priced line, we can surmise that the triumvirate of Nat King Cole, Jackie Gleason, and Frank Sinatra ranked as Capitol's top selling bracket.

On a previous post, I wrote that Stan Kenton might have also belonged to the W league. Upon closer inspection, I'm not finding that such was not the case. Out of over 30 twelve-inch Kenton LPs on Capitol, I came across only three with a W prefix -- and one of them is Kenton in Hi-Fi. (Of the other two long plays, the most intriguing to me is Viva Kenton; I wonder why it was picked. I'm thinking that perhaps Capitol had pre-assurance of major sales due to the success of previous Latinesque outings by Kenton.)

As far as I've been able to ascertain, the only other pop artist with multiple "W" albums is Judy Garland. However, her positioning on the line is rather inconsistent. The first of her Capitol albums (Miss Show Business) is a W. It most certainly fulfilled Capitol's expectations: it became a best seller. And yet, after that 1955 album, her next five or six LP bear "T" instead of "W" prefixes.

It might thus be that that Capitol gave W status to Miss Show Business not because the label expected Garland to be a regular top seller, but because of the album's "connections." I'm referring to the fact that the LP had a tie-in to a very successful TV special of hers.

Judy returned to the W line in 1961, thanks to that famous gatefold 2-LP concert album that contains parts of her hugely successful Carnegie Hall concert appearance. Judy at Carnegie Hall was a massive best seller, which should explain why the rest of her 1960s albums (four, in total?) were also released on the W line.

 

The Stars in Stereo - 1957

 

I think Things are Swingin' was only the second canonical Lee album I bought (the first was Guitars ala Lee, and yes, it was because of the Target commercial - so sue me). Having loved the Benny Goodman era recordings for years by then - the complete collection was literally a desert island disc for me, one of only a dozen I packed when I moved overseas for the first time - and having liked Guitars ala Lee well enough to want to explore further, "the one with 'Fever' on it" seemed the best next step, even if the original album didn't have it.

Now, I know this is probably an apostasy in this thread, but I think "Fever" and "You Don't Know" fit perfectly and improve the album. Not that the original track listing isn't excellent - it is - but they're a natural fit and it works. That said, there really isn't a weak cut on the album. I wouldn't change a note. Still one of my favorites of her whole catalog, and it kind of spoiled me on the rest of it, as it took a long time for many of her other albums to measure up to this one in my esteem (and some never made it!).

 

WHOA. Is the uniqueness of that compilation’s stereo mix discussed on one of the Sinatra threads?

 

Sinatra / Capitol Sound Quality and General Discussion: "Where Are You?" (1957 album)*

 

Thanks, Bob! This is my favorite track from one of my favorite Frank albums, so I’m very intrigued.