Sinatra / Capitol Sound Quality, etc.: "Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely" (1958)

As good as Larry's mix is -- and I like it a lot -- to my ears, it's not in the ballpark of the original mix *when well mastered.* Both are good in their own ways, but boy, that original mix is primo, IMO.

 

Matt is the original mix on the "Alan Dell" LP, I'm not sure why but I've not listened to that one in a while, for some reason I've gone straight for the CD's, I'll have to rectify that matter once "Rare Sinatra" has finished playing.

 

Yes, except for one song that's in mono for some reason, even though that same song was issued in stereo by EMI in the UK eight years earlier. You can get all 12 songs in their original mix -- albeit in a jumbled running order -- on the excellent-sounding "One for My Baby" LP in the UK. To my knowledge, only three LPs have all 12 songs in their original mix and in their original running order: The 1973 Japanese issue, the 1978 [EDIT: 1975]* Dutch issue, and the 1983 MFSL. All others are either missing songs (most common), have songs in mono, or have a jumbled running order.

I almost soiled myself when, just a night or two ago, I got online to do my usual periodic scrounging for ONLY THE LONELY stuff, and found copies of both the Japanese and Dutch LPs for sale. That's the first time I have EVER seen the Japanese LP offered, and, I think, the third time I've seen the Dutch LP offered. I received an e-mail saying the Japanese pressing had shipped; still awaiting notification on the Dutch LP. Good times!

*Note that there is another Dutch pressing from 1984 -- the Dutch issue of the UK "Dell" LP, featuring DMM -- that has one song in mono. The 1978 LP has all twelve in stereo.

Here are the Japanese and Dutch covers. The Japanese LP was the first-ever release with all 12 songs in stereo, 15 years after the original LP was issued.

 

Matt is this the one below?

The sad part is, I remember seeing this LP in the record racks in stores like Woolworths in the late 70's and early 80's, I remember cursing because they had this but not whatever album I was looking for at the time, now over 3 decades on it's being unable to find LP's such as this that now has me cursing.... Oh how age has changed me.

 

Thanks Bob

So now I'm in the position of hunting for a record that I once held in my hands cursing about in frustration because it wasn't the latest Dire Straits album or whatever I was looking for, the irony is not lost on me

 

Graham, it's easily found on Ebay for pretty cheap prices, if that matters.

WOW! I have never seen that one before -- thanks for sharing! Also, the needledrops you provided sound quite nice, but I have to ask: Is the left/right balance really like that on the title track? It was very left heavy, but it appears to the the original mix, just unbalanced. The other tracks seemed to have appropriate left/right balance. REGARDLESS...thanks again. Another one I'll have to track down, I suppose! Any idea as to a release date on that one?

Where? I don't see that anywhere in this thread, but maybe I'm just old and blind and missed it. It's been errantly listed on discogs.com like that for years, but I've not seen it mentioned here as a mono LP, but again...could be just me!

Hmmm....I see this LP often on Ebay, and I've never seen it listed that way. Must have been a confused soul.

Thanks for all the info/input, especially about that Australian 12-song edition. Much appreciated!

 

^^^^^^ Cool! Glad to have you on board!

 

Cheers Matt, now that pay day has arrived I'll be searching for this one.

I'm out this morning but this afternoon I'm going to have an Alan Dell afternoon listening to his Frank & Nat LP's.

 

My copy of the 1973 (?) Japanese LP, #80796, arrived today. The packaging is excellent: Very thick, textured cardboard sleeve, double-layer rice-style inner sleeve (a la MFSL, only with extra layers), quiet vinyl, 4-page insert with lyrics and information about the album.

I started playing at song #10, "Spring is Here," since that's where the dropouts start on the MFSL stereo release. No dropouts here! Fantastic tone and dynamics, too! However, remember that this song was not on all previous stereo LPs of this album, and it sounds to me like Toshiba/EMI received a nice, shiny, super-hifi and super-dynamic stereo tape of this, and spliced it in to their already-extant stereo LP master. I think this because this song and the other "inserted" song, side one's "It's a Lonely Old Town," have superior tone, with more far-reaching treble. The others sound like they are under a thin layer of gauze by comparison. It's subtle, but it's there. (The other tracks still sound good; just not as good. There are some odd little audible splices that I need to investigate and ponder. Sorry to be cryptic, but there's something a little odd going on with this overall-excellent product.)

 

By coincidence, look at what I noticed inside the sleeve of my circa 1978 EDIT: 1975 Dutch Capitol pressing of Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely:

 

There's what I'm guessing to be a genuine very first stereo pressing of this LP on Ebay, so I thought I'd post the photo here for posterity:

Note the very small-print variety of text for "CAPITOL STEREO RECORD - THE FULL SPECTRUM OF SOUND" along the top of the cover? That quickly changed fonts after release. Note, too, the label variety. I'd be surprised if this were not a D1, but don't sue me if it isn't. $10 buy it now. Listing here. Not something that crops up constantly on the interwebs, and I have zero connection to any sale, but it's a cool 1958 artifact, regardless.

 

Somebody bought it, but not me. Was it somebody here? Fess up!

Also.....Odd little reference to Sings for Only the Lonely in this article about the genesis of the Getz/Byrd Jazz Samba album of 1962:

 

Very late mono pressing? It's a cut-out, with the front sticker and "T 1053" catalog number, not W.

 

Nah....Paul wouldn't let me live that down!