Sinatra / Capitol Sound Quality: A Jolly Christmas (1957)

Whatever it sounds like, it's gotta be superior the concurrent USA release...

 

That it's a UK issue with CAPS as the cat. # makes me wonder if this wasn't originally intended as part of the Dell series...

 

Hi Matt,

I'm glad glad you liked it and I look forward to reading your reviews
Frankly when digging out this UK LP again and listening to it, I couldn't really tell whether I like it better than the 2014 vinyl
re-issue. Both are really good in their own right IMO, but overall I still like the MFSL best for tonal balance I guess.
But I haven't performed real critical listening - still too early in the year for loads of X-mas related music for me

 

My copy of the UK 1980s re-issue does not contain any special notes like the Dell series LPs do, below you'll find a photograph for your
reference:




Note that it also does not carry any reference to "digital remastering" as the Dell series LPs do. So the LP could be very well mastered
all analogue. The matrix information does not carry any indication of the mastering engineer, in essence just the catalogue number
( CAPS 1809871 A - 1 - 1 - 1 - and CAPS 1809871 B - 1 - 1 - 1 -).

The inner sleve does not show advertisements for the Dell sinatra LPs but is white and seems to reference two dates (583 and 783):



Regarding the CAPS cataloogue numbers: the number CAPS 1809871 for "Jolly Christmas"
is in between the catalogue number for
"Wee Small Hours" CAPS 1008 (carried over for the Dell re-issue from past UK releases) and the catalogue numbers for "Swingin' affair" CAPS 26-0017-1 and "Where are you" CAPS 26-0018-1 [SFSL although in mono carries over the 'fake stereo' catalogue number SLCT 6106,
whilst all other LPs in the UK Dell series LPs have ED 26- xxxx1 catalogue numbers].
In addition the UK Dell LPs all have Capitol 12 o'clock, no grey / black label as Jolly Christmas

So, from my perspective there is no real immediate obvious indicationwhy the Jolly Christmas UK LP is a 'de facto part'
of the Dell series.

 

I'd be shocked if it wasn't. I'd probably want it, if mono.

 

I just found a vinyl copy of that today!

 

Going through my collection and found a pressing I forgot I had - a yellow label promo copy of this "For radio and TV use only" with a promo stocker on the cover. Does anyone know if this is an original pressing promo copy? I know the first pressing retail copies had grey labels - not sure about promo copies.

The condition of this shocked me - I was surprised how clean it was!

 

Should be, that I'm aware of. I *think* Capitol started using yellow labels for promo LPs around then...

 

I see what you mean Dusty. I start listening to my Christmas music on December 1 but I've been doing 24/96 transfers of my LP collection for two weeks now so I guess I've been cheating a little. Still, having over 1,000 titles to chose from, I find that one month to enjoy them is a tad short. I confess, I love Christmas music! There, I've said it.

I'm looking forward to fully enjoying my Sinatra Christmas music in about a week.

 

Don't you dare forget Dean, Tony, Doris, etc...

 

You're not allowed to post in Frank threads without a turntable.

 

I have a "9:00 Rainbow" N stamper copy. After adjusting the EQ to bring out some top end, it's a pleasant listen. Still tempted to pick up the new LP, though.

 

Well I guess I should have known my red cover $1 thrift store copy is rechanneled! Oh well, that goes back to Goodwill.

 

Weird...they didn't bother to make a Duophonic version of "White Christmas". So they chopped songs off the main album, stuck that on here, then actually faked stereo on "White Christmas" to get it to better match s**tty processed tapes instead of using the real mono ones. A Jolly Christmas indeed.

 

Me too. My plan is to go to Target on Black Friday - they usually have newer Christmas CDs discounted that weekend only. Either way, I'll get it and it'll be my first or second Christmas CD to play (trying to decide between this and the new CD with the Columbia recordings).

 

Was in Target yesterday & most all Christmas CDs were discounted 15% (as per their Sunday flyer) EXCEPT "Jolly" which was at full price @$13.99 and on the bottom endcap shelf. I ran it under the scanner just to be sure.

 

Mlutthans: That's funny, I also picked up a copy of the 1985 Sinatra Christmas Lp yesterday. I was disappointed to find out that the right channel sounded OK, but the left channel was this terrible all midrange EQ, obviously another version of Fake Capitol stereo. Oh well. At least my amp has a mono setting.

 

GRAB IT! They say it is almost as good as the beloved MoFi copy.