Peggy Lee On Record (1941-1995)

I haven't done an A/B but I'd already say that I'm 85% certain the finger snaps are identical between the mono and stereo recordings of "Fever". They couldn't be overdubbed onto the three-track tape unless the engineers "bounced" the recording from one machine to another on a later day when finger snaps were captured, and that seems unlikely (did Capitol have more than one three-track machine in 1958)? And if so, there would be more hiss because of generational loss due to such a process.

Also, the snaps would really jump on the stereo mix if they had been overdubbed later (they'd stick out compared to the poor capture of the other instruments). Instead, they appear well inside the poorly balanced pick-ups of the stereo mix, and on certain beats they can't be plainly heard; meanwhile, they are consistently clear throughout the performance as it is heard on the mono recording. Since the guitarist was already booked for the session and presumably played on the other (album) masters that were recorded that day, it stands to reason that Howard Roberts continues to perform his task of fingering, but without his instrument.

 

In the early days of 3-track, wasn't Capitol running a second machine simultaneously, as with mono?

 

My question too. For a label that was hesitant to jump on the stereo bandwagon (at least properly), seems unlikely they'd have more than one machine for starters. By the time "Fever" was recorded though, perhaps enough time had passed to justify the expense. I could be totally wrong but how important would it be to bounce a three-track recording just to overdub some finger snaps.

 

Yes. Two mono machines in the studio, and two separate 3-track recorders in the upstairs lounge. It’s been described many times in many threads. No time to do a thorough search, but I quickly found this post:

Frank Sinatra "COME FLY WITH ME": Stereo & mono questions (and other neat stuff)..

 

Thanks, Bob.

I knew I had seen it multiple times, was too lazy to search thoroughly.

 

I'm not saying they overdubbed the snaps, but was just asserting that it was my understanding, as Bob confirmed, that they had multiple machines running simultaneously.

 

I guess I was too lazy to search for an answer too. Two three track machines. Always. Got it.

 

For best results, use Columbia needles, lol. (Also, always use genuine Volvo oil.)

Great idea for a thread. Peggy was one of the top few.

About 10 years ago, a Romanian house producer called Gramophonedzie made a house mix of "Why Don't You Do Right?" called "Why Don't You?". It has sections with Benny's band with the fox trot beat. I heard it in clubs downwtown, and on the radio, and it went down real well with the youngsters.

 

Thanks for saying that.

Right, it was actually an international hit, reaching significant placements in some European charts (#1 in the UK dance chart, #7 in the Dutch chart).





But, Shrdlu, I wanted to clarify that (contrary to what we might read elsewhere) neither Benny nor his band are heard in Gramophonedzie's record. That misconception arose from the fact that the earliest Peggy Lee version of the song (the hit version) is the one that she recorded with Benny Goodman in 1942, and which was originally released on the above-shown 78.





The version sampled by Gramophonedzie is a different one, recorded by Peggy Lee for Capitol Records in 1947. That version was recorded during her Rendezvous with Peggy Lee album sessions, for which she was accompanied by an orchestra nominally led by her then-husband, guitarist Dave Barbour. Benny Goodman was not in the picture. Here's the audio:





The brass playing at those 1947 sessions consisted of Benny Carter on alto sax, Herbie Haymer on tenor sax, and two trumpet players -- Ray Linn & Rubin Zarchy. (They are all part of the collective personnel; the precise personnel for "Why Don't You Do Right" is not known to me).





Over the last 25 years or so, Peggy Lee & Capitol have done well with samplings such as the one under discussion. There was, for instance, a "Fever" disc jockey remix, by Gabin, which Capitol/EMI included in some Peggy Lee CD compilations. Also officially released by the record company, and receiving wide approval: a mash-up of Peggy's "Fever"with Iggy Popp's "Passenger," and a mash-up mixing Peggy's "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" with the Beastie Boys' "Ch-check It Out." More recently, Peggy's recording of "Hallujah I Love Him So" was mashed with a Ludacris rap, to positive reactions. (But I don't know if that last one was ever sanctioned by Universal.)

 

Thanks! Since I know next to nothing about microphones, I'm very glad to see your identification of the mic on that photo.

Elsewhere online (and also f.w.i.w.), I once read from a poster who said that Peggy used a "Neumann U47, which was the standard at Capital [sic] in the 1950s."

Also, the following is from a 1971 press article: ... the night before we spoke, she re-recorded six of her vocals because she wanted to experiment with her own custom-made microphone. “It’s a Shure mike but it’s tuned to my voice,” she explained. “There are only three of them. One for Tony Bennett, one for Frank Sinatra and one for me.” Any confirmation or denial about her statement, especially as it pertains to Frank and Tony?

And what is known, by the way, about Frank's microphone practices at his Capitol sessions? How likely is that he or any other Capitol artist would have brought his own personal mic to a session (as opposed to whichever vocal mics Capitol had in its studios)?

Many thanks to you and Matt, for setting me straight on the matter of the "Fever" finger snaps. That's exactly the kind of response that I was wishing for.

We should all have the right to get lazy every once in a while. Case in point: I'll confess that somewhere, maybe in this forum, I had already been given an answer about the dubbing of finger snaps, but I couldn't quite remember it, nor was I willing to spend time looking ... Anyway, your explanations are more precise than whatever I read before. Hopefully this time the gist of it won't go in one ear and out the other!

On a related matter, the answer to many technical & session-related questions of our interest can often be found in the great Frank threads of this forum, but searching through them can turn into a time-consuming burden. Too many of them, with lots of stuff in 'em!

 

While Frank could be quite active in directing the sound on his sessions, I've never heard of Frank bringing a mic into Capitol, or any other studio. I don't believe it ever happened, John Palladino never mentioned it to me, nor have I ever seen any evidence of such. If anything, he seemed to trust the engineer re the vocal mic for him, especially as time went on. Capitol surely wasn't using the D22 shown here on Frank back then, nor any other vocalist I've ever seen in un-staged Capitol session photos.

 

Thanks for the info about the Lee recording of "Why Don't You Do Right?", R.H.

On the house version, the sound samples are so distorted that it is hard to identify the orchestra. Actually, the producer did a bad job and the samples sound bad. But the track was very successful. I just assumed that it was with Benny's orchestra.

A similarly bad sound sample was of Sergio Mendes doing "Mas Que Nada" on a Black Eyed Peas track. It sounds terrible, especially to one who has the original Mendes album - their first for A. & M.

 

Frank Sinatra insisted on using the Neumann U47 mike. It was branded in the U.S. as a Telefunken, and Frank called it his "Tele".

Rudy van Gelder was one of the very first in the States to use the U47 - I read somewhere that he had the third one to arrive in America. You can see it in lots of pictures taken by Frank Wolff at the old Hackensack place. One of the tracks at a Kenny Clarke Savoy session (at Rudy's) is called "Telefunken Blues".

 

Just a quick alert, for the benefit of anyone interested in the two CD anthologies shown above. The pictured pair is selling for just $4 at eBay (plus shipping & handling, also $4). One disc is rated as being in "very good," the other in "excellent" condition. Ends this Sunday (August 26) at midday.





The Come Rain or Come Shine compilation is particularly worthwhile. Released by Starbucks and now out of print, it holds the distinction of having peaked at #2 on Billboard's jazz album chart. Sound quality, liner notes and song selections are all highly commendable.





The other CD is also pretty good, but not suitable for those who already own Peggy's Singles Collection. That's because it is essentially an one-disc sampler from that 4CD collection (though most certainly a high-quality sampler).

 

Are there any tracks on the Starbucks disc that don’t exist in equal or better sound quality on other CD compilations?

 

I *think* but can't guarantee that the masterings we hear on that CD are the exact same ones found on CDs that you & I already own.

The one number that might have been sonically improved for inclusion on this CD is "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning," a 1955 radio transcription. But, if any improvement was attempted, the booklet's credits fail to make mention of any remastering (or technical improvement) whatsoever.

That said, this well-sequenced compilation makes for very pleasant listening from beginning to end. The liner notes, several pages long, are excellent, too. There are also a few nice, full-page size b&w photos on the booklet.

Hopefully other owners of this CD will offer additional opinions, and will particularly report as to whether the sound quality is not as good as I remember it ...

Below is how "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" sounds on most CDs. I do believe that the Starbucks transfer comes off as cleaner, at the very least, and Peggy's voice more full-bodied.

 

FEVER & THE 1958 SINGLES
(THIRD POST)


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Audio Showcase

Above: from a 1967 Peggy Lee special, we catch Peggy Lee spreading "Fever" in the company of bassist Max Bennett and drummer Jack Sperling. Thanks to its continued availability on YouTube, this televised version of "Fever" has become well known in the modern era.


That SexIgenarian Called Fever

Forty years after Peggy Lee recorded her rendition for Capitol Records, "Fever" enjoyed the honor of being inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Twenty more years have passed now, and "Fever" has thus turned sixty.

Universal Records is marking the occasion with a press feature in honor of the still scorching sexagenarian. If you are a fan of Peggy, check it out here: Why Peggy Lee’s ‘Fever’ Still Smoulders.

The feature includes a scan of a 1958 newspaper article, for which a bedridden (but ready-for-a-close-up) Peggy was photographed next to an awfully stern-looking caretaker ... and a positively scary thermometer. The scene could probably inspire Stephen King into writing a novella today. Back then: Alfred Hitchcock would have created another film classic about it. Working title: Fever Fright.

Those yearning for more "Fever" should also consult a well-written Financial Times article, penned by Ian Gittins and published toward the end of last year. It has the immense advantage of embedding sound bites to over a dozen more versions of "Fever," included well-known and lesser known ones. To see it, add https:// at the start of the following link: ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/fever.html (I am not typing the full link because, if I do so, you will be redirected to a subscription page.)

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Dave Cavanaugh and some unidentified "Capitol bigwigs" are said to have been the ones who told her to avoid the potential for trouble. (Cavanaugh could have been serving as a spokesman for Capitol-EMI, or he could have genuinely thought that he was giving friendly & wise advice.)

When we hear about arguments or contentious situations, fans such as ourselves naturally want to side with the singers. On this particular occasion, my feeling is that, fan or no fan, we are fully justified in doing so.

Our decision to side with the singer doesn't mean, however, that we should skip trying to discern the rationale behind the label's perspective. If we move past the dosage of chauvinism probably at play, my guess would be that the original source of the problem was bureaucratic. Since Capitol's paperwork listed Marshall as the session's arranger, that was the name that some Capitol employee(s) automatically entered into the nomination ballots.

One factor to take into consideration: this was the inaugural Grammy awards ceremony. Capitol might have been wary of the possibility that, if they tried to rectify matters (thereby forcing the Grammys to change the name on the ballot), NARAS might have hold it against the company in the future. As a new entity, the last thing that NARAS would have wanted was to attract attention for a misattributed nomination. In the industry as a whole, the affair would have also been liable to reflect poorly on Capitol's degree of professionalism.

I can also picture the adoption of a "let's-share-the-wealth" attitude on Capitol's part. In other words, the label's brass could have reasoned, "well, the number is nominated for record of the year, which means that the participants as a whole are being honored. And Peggy Lee is being separately honored as best singer. So, it's nice to have the other nomination go to Jack, the session conductor and main arranger, as well as another artist under our contract."

Again, I'm only pondering about Capitol's possible ways of thinking. I'm not actively trying to provide justification.

Let's write some words about chauvinism, too. There is little doubt that being an assertive female in a male-dominated industry can work against your reputation -- all the more so if we are talking about the Mad Men era. My take on Peggy is that, as the years went by, and with lessons such as the one from "Fever" behind her, she became increasingly more self-assertive -- and perhaps self-centered, too, when it came to business or work-oriented matters.

By the mid-1970s, Peggy had indeed acquired a reputation for "being difficult" or "demanding." For all we know, the charges might have not been entirely unfounded. As artists age and receive further knocks, they lose patience as they keep confronting ineptitude from those under their employ and neglect or resistance from those above, holding ultimate power. Artists such as Frank Sinatra are known to have sometimes behaved that way over their years of stardom. But, when it comes to societal tolerance of such an attitude, men have perennially had the upper hand. If it is a woman, her reputation is likely to suffer far more heavily. (Once she left Capitol, Peggy certainly paid a price. Reputed to be "difficult," the main record labels were apparently less than willing to sign her.)

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I'm quoting the old message above because it contains some additional details of potential interest.

There is plenty more that could be written about "Fever." There is also plenty that has already been written about it, in this forum's threads. My two previous posts have recycled some of that.

Let's thus close the discussion on "Fever" here, and proceed to make brief mention of Peggy's other 1958 singles -- which have already received some coverage, too. (Of course, if there are any questions, or if there is any interest in further discussion of the song, I'll be more than happy to contribute. All I'm saying is that this post shall be my last formal one about the recording.)

 

Great post!

 

Come Rain Or Come Shine (Starbucks CD) is an excellent compilation. I gave it a fresh spin today. The programming is thoughtful and thoroughly enjoyable. The producer arranged the selections to stylistically ebb and flow rather than providing a predictable (and less interesting) chronological presentation. The mastering is above average for a single disc Peggy Lee compilation, and is very listenable (I give the mastering a B+ grade). As Ridin'High suggests, it's not likely the selections were remastered for this disc. "I'm Lookin' Out The Window" has a very smooth presentation with a narrow stereo image that suits its understated arrangement; "Fever" is presented in its superior mono mix, and "Too Close For Comfort" sounds as good as I've ever heard it on CD. Levels are matched between tracks and the sonics are relatively consistent from start to finish; my hi-fi system brings out subtle nuances and delicious textures on nearly every performance (always a good sign). Only one track appears to be a bad Norberg remaster ("Big Spender"). I love the photos selected for the cover and booklet, and the short essays for each performance are a nice touch. This disc surely belongs in the Top 5 of single disc Peggy Lee anthologies.

The P dates in the booklet may suggest the original remastering dates:
1. Once Around The Moon ℗ 2002
2. You Was Right, Baby ℗ 2003
3. I'm Lookin' Out The Window ℗ 2003
4. It's A Good Day ℗ 2003
5. Fever ℗ ?
6. Why Don't You Do Right ℗ 2000
7. Come Rain Or Come Shine ℗ ?
8. Too Close For Comfort ℗ 1995
9. Oh, What A Beautiful Morning ℗ 1985
10. I've Got The World On A String ℗ 1995
11. Big Spender ℗ 1998
12. Black Coffee ℗ ?
13. I Love Being Here With You ℗ 2003
14. Senza Fine ℗ 2003
15. Is That All There Is? ℗ 2002

"Big Spender" was clearly lifted from the pink Miss Peggy Lee box. The three performances without P dates may have been specially remastered for this issue.

My only criticism of this compilation is very minor, and it has to do with the title. It overemphasizes the importance of "Come Rain Or Come Shine" in the Peggy Lee canon. While Peggy's rendition is certainly capable, the song was a massive hit for Margaret Whiting and IMO belongs to her; thus, it should be rightfully associated with the latter in the annals of classic vocal music. Particularly troubling for Mlle. Whiting, given the recent (and impressive) commercial success of this Starbucks compilation.

 

A very insightful post, with valid points all around. For many reasons I wish Peggy had not left Decca, although she gave us some excellent albums after returning to Capitol, so it's a bittersweet thing.

^ this. In researching the recorded works of Margaret Whiting and Nat King Cole, I've discovered plenty other (of what I perceive to be) poor decisions by this label. Of the major labels, best-selling artists seemed to have the most freedom at Decca, IMO, with RCA Victor following closely behind.

 

Off topic, but what is your NKC research for? Commentary on this site or elsewhere? I’ve become a big Nat fan over the past year or so. I really like your Peggy-related posts, so I’d be very interested in anything you’ve written up on Nat.

 

It's a collaborative project with a fellow historian. I'm mostly just an assistant. Details will be announced in the Nat King Cole thread once we're set to publish

I'd love to start a discussion thread for Margaret Whiting as Ridin'High has done for Peggy. Alas, I just don't think there's enough interest in her music anymore, and that's a crying shame. Even the thread for Patsy Cline is regrettably quiet these days.

 

If you build a pre-order link, I will click it.