"Sinatra: Best of the Best" CD to combine Capitol and Reprise recordings

It's nice to finally have the 84 version of "Mack" on CD, otherwise this CD feels a bit like a "Nothing But The Best" deja vu. All these releaeses remind me how glad I was to get the Reprise box set, when it was still available. Save your pennies, if you already have a decent Sinatra collection - unless you are a die hard completist and are looking for "Mack". A clean vinyl copy will sound better anyway, imho.

 

Bob,
Have you had time to listen to the comp disc? How does it sound?
Thanks
b

 

Between Ray Charles and Tony Bennett this week (box sets), I haven't had time for the Sinatra disc beyond what I've posted about the "Come Fly with Me" track. I put it aside until I get my UK version (in transit), so I can compare the two at the same time. Should be Real Soon Now...

 

I know this set contains Capitol and Reprise tracks for the first time ever, which was made clear by the advertising. But why no love for the Columbia era? Is there nothing there that can be counted among the best of the best?

 

Thanks.
Looking forward to it.

 

Real Soon Now is getting sooner, but until I have a chance to really examine the sonics, here's my report on the packaging (as just posted at the SFF)...

My European version of Best of the Best arrived today by Royal Mail, one week after its release day in the UK. (Nine days from dispatch to arrival, which is better than Amazon's overly conservative delivery estimate of 23 days!)

It's going to be very confusing having the US and EU versions side-by-side on my CD shelf. The front covers are completely identical, including the title colors. (Yes, the tip of Frank's glasses may be seen poking out of his jacket pocket at the very bottom of both jewel case editions.) The only telltale difference is that the reflective ink of the "SINATRA" title has a slightly "sparkly" texture on my US cover, but it's smooth on the EU version, when viewed at an angle.

All other printed aspects of the two editions (back covers, inserts, and booklets) are nearly identical, except for changes due to the track contents (c.f. [post=7075381]Summary of differences[/post]) and regional changes (e.g. the FBI anti-piracy warning on the US back panel). I don't know if it's a slight against Bob Finkelstein (head of Frank Sinatra Enterprises), but his name has been removed from the "Special Thanks" section of the EU booklet.

The disc labels are different: The US CD has a completely black outer ring, resembling a 45 rpm record, with the fine print on its blue inner label. The EU CD has a greyish outer area, with fine print around its rim.

Frankie's track notes have been rearranged to reflect the changed order of the EU edition. For those tracks which are the same in both editions, his notes are identical except for the removal of one word in the "Come Fly With Me" description. (That's to make sense of its relocation to the first track position: "Here, we have the 'concept album'" instead of "Here again, ...".) Frankie's note for "You Make Me Feel So Young" still references "World On A String" even though the latter track has been removed from the EU disc.

As for the music: "Come Fly With Me" is indeed stereo on the EU disc, while the US disc has a mono version, as previously reported. And "Mack the Knife," which is unique to the EU CD, is the 1984 version, a first on compact disc. I haven't yet examined the other individual tracks carefully, other than to note that their digital contents are not perfectly identical, but that is probably indicative of the overall disc mastering. I would be surprised if there are any mixing differences.

 

Please post an update on the mastering Bob, I am still on the fence..

 

Sinatra fans will notice, their heads may even jerk as mine did, when "Come Fly With Me" comes across the speakers.

But other than that, there's nothing remarkable whatsoever about this set...many tracks sound better elsewhere. Feeling kinda silly...got roped into buying this when I saw the "deluxe" edition for $13. The cards are rather pointless...and the 1957 concert still sounds better on the bootleg. And the dang box is hard to open.

And I'm glad that others are finally demolishing the idea that this set is pioneering in that it combines both Capitol and Reprise tracks...some borderline fraudulent marketing.

But I'm sure that somebody, somewhere, will pick up the set and become a convert...that's the goal of sets like this. But why I just keep buying this stuff escapes me sometimes.

 

Did I misinterpret it? Where else have Capitol and Reprise tracks been combined?

 

Greatest Love Songs and Romance, both from 2002.

 

And the reprise-labeled soundtrack for the "Sinatra" miniseries.

Each time a set is released that combines Capitol and Reprise tracks it's heralded as a first.

 

Also The Rat Pack: Boys Night Out from 2004, but I find this a rather silly complaint. The new CD is in fact the first full-out cooperative effort (not just a cross-licensing agreement) which gives both labels essentially equal billing.

 

I've done some listening, and I'll report back in more detail after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, but I'm sure audiophiles will have the same sorts of issues with this as with NOTHING BUT THE BEST. This is targeted at a mass-market audience, and the mastering is "modern" (read: "loud"). If you're looking for miracle remixing and remastering, you'll be disappointed.

What I find more jarring is the juxtaposition of disparate material. Hearing "Angel Eyes" in the same collection (and at the same levels) as "Love and Marriage" is not my cup of tea. That's the reaction of a Sinatra lover who's heard it all before. I'm sure the CD may appeal to many with little familiarity with Frank Sinatra's body of work.

 

Is it really widely regarded in the recording industry that the 'masses' prefer loud remastering? Has anyone talked to a label executive and found this to be fact?

 

(I can't resist agreeing with this comment. )

Not just hard, damn near impossible. The top lid fits so tightly over the bottom of the box that two people working together with knives couldn't get it open after numerous attempts. The designer should be strung up.

 

If they'd thought about it, they could have ....boxed clever.

 

I received my copy of the UK BOTH – the one-disc version.

Aside from including the ’84 vocal take of “Mack,” another element that made this a worthwhile purchase for me after all, was the inclusion of an alternate photograph of the one used on the cover of Sinatra’s Swingin’ Session across page 2 and part of page 3.

This photo is uncropped horizontally, so you get to see more of the band. And on this take, Frank’s not smiling. The color, however, hasn’t been corrected, so it’s considerably bluer than the take that appears on the actual album cover.

Also, while the liner notes suggest the tracks were taken from eight Capitol albums and eleven Reprise lps, the version of “The Lady Is A Tramp” does not appear to be the version from “Pal Joey,” but the one found on the US Capitol Years box. I’m not familiar with all of the UK repackages, but perhaps this take is still a rarity in the UK.

And as was previously mentioned, the mastering appears to be quite “hot” (ie: loud and presumably compressed). I assume the corporate view is that perhaps most CD’s are listened to in mobile environments such as automobiles, and raising everything a bit more over the ambient noise is preferable to the end user.

Lastly, it was a bit surprising to see the label on the CD referred to as “disc one.” Since the expanded edition included a concert CD unrelated to the title piece, it would seem silly to number the discs at all – especially since many of the first disc were destined for the one-disc editions. But this is a trivial issue. I’m glad to finally have Mack on CD, and I enjoyed seeing the outtake photograph.

 

It's not a completely different take, just an alternate ending than what is heard on the 1957 PAL JOEY soundtrack LP. The version on BEST OF THE BEST was first released on the 1963 LP, FRANK SINATRA SINGS RODGERS AND HART. It may distinguished by the final word "tramp" being stretched out (less abrupt ending).

There is debate as to which version of the recording is the original take and which has an intercut ending, but both have appeared on many different issues over the years. This version appeared in the popular 3-CD set, THE PLATINUM COLLECTION, so it is not a rarity in the UK.

From my post at the SFF, Available versions of "The Lady Is A Tramp", these are some of the major CD releases of the two Capitol tracks:

Now add Best Of The Best [2011] to that second list.

 

You will find much discussion of this photograph in another thread, starting here:

[post=5825456]Sinatra / Capitol Sound & Photo Quality: "Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!!" - 1961 (post #43)[/post]​

 

As opposed to the LA cd? What other version is there (other than Duets)?

 

As opposed to the L.A. IS MY LADY CD(s), the MY WAY: THE BEST OF FRANK SINATRA CD, THE REPRISE COLLECTION 4-CD set, and THE COMPLETE REPRISE STUDIO RECORDINGS 20-CD suitcase/box.

This BEST OF THE BEST UK issue is the first time the original LP and 45 version of "Mack" has been released on compact disc.

 

so my My Way collection version is not from 1984? When did he record it otherwise?

 

My assumption has always been that the long ending was the first recorded, and the intercut was made to give it more "punch" and used on the initial LP release (PAL JOEY soundtrack). Later, the intercut was overlooked on some reissues, such as the RODGERS AND HART compilation.

The fact that Furmanek and Walsh used the long ending on THE CAPITOL YEARS 3-CD set (where they went back to the original, forgotten studio tapes on most tracks) would tend to support that, I think. But it's only my assumption.