Sinatra / Capitol: General Purpose Sound Quality (and more) Discussion Thread*

Same session as the back of Wee Small Hours, right? No way you guys didn't dissect that one!

Couldn't find any date where Marlo recorded at the same time as Frank -- closest was a week apart in April 1954.

 

What's the date on that Capitol Music Views, Matt?

 

February 17, 1955. Session with strings and rhythm section which produced "I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)". That's Kathryn Julye's harp case in which Frank is clowning around. Same session as on the back cover of IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS, photographed by Willam Claxton. (See: L.A. Times obit.)

Caption: William Claxton captured Frank Sinatra playfully springing from a harp case during the recording sessions for his seminal "In the Wee Small Hours" album in February 1955.​

[Added:] I have more photos from this session which I'll be posting shortly when I pick up my series of recording session chronology posts.

 

Found some early 60's Dutch mono pressings of SFSL, Where Are You? and A Swingin' Affair on Capitol today. They were kinda special with missing tracks, wrong track and side listing and wonky reverb drowned mixes, SFSL sounded nice though. Did't buy them, bit took some pictures, which I will share later today or tomorrow.

 

Bob, is the Times obit your only source for the date?

 

No. There's a photo of Sinatra, wearing the identical outfit, reading the lead sheet for "I Get Along Without You Very Well." I'll be posting that in my chronology.

 

Good enough for me.

 

Where's his coffee cup?

 

I wish there were some leftover clean cups. We can have our drinks out of them now, while ripping on past heavy handed involvement in the catalog.

 

I'm sure one of those coffee cups will turn up for sale on eBay UK soon. Probably outside my price range.

 

Here's a Capitol era pic I have never seen before of Mr. S visiting with the lucky chosen few to witness a recording session!

 

They look giddy. I've never seen that before - thanks Paul!

 

I think that's actually a shot from one of the GREAT SONGS FROM GREAT BRITAIN sessions at CTS:

http://www.mptvimages.com/photo_detail#0337_2559

 

^ I listened to that album for the first time in a looong time. Such beauty.

 

I read somewhere (and these pics solidify it) that Mr. S did most of the musical directing at these sessions.

 

Which studio is that? C?

 

Yes, Melrose "C"...

 

From another recording session, here's a larger rez copy of my avatar- the jacket here may be a few shades darker depending on how the photo was developed.

 

That's from the first session at the Tower, from TONE POEMS OF COLOR.

 

Ahh I see it... as in the album cover of Where Are You?.

 

Yes!