Sinatra / Capitol Sound Quality (etc.): "Sinatra Sings...of Love and Things" comp. LP, released 1962

Can one or more of the Sinatra whiz's tell me or direct me to a thread on the sound quality of the releases? The 1962 original release was with the Capitol logo at 12 O'Clock. Was this release played around with? Extra reverb and so forth?
And what is the consensus on the MoFi from 1983?

 

I don't think you'll find much previous discussion of SINATRA SINGS...OF LOVE AND THINGS. It was primarily a compilation of singles, released after Sinatra left the Capitol label. Only three songs had their first issue on this LP—"The Nearness of You" (intended for the album NICE 'N' EASY in 1960, but bumped for the title track single), "Love Looks So Well on You" (unreleased in 1959), and "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues" (Sinatra's final contractual Capitol recording).

I never owned this LP, so I can't comment directly on the sound. Most of these songs had their first stereo release on the 1962 album. Just the two earliest (from 1957)—"Chicago" and "Something Wonderful Happens in Summer"—were unavailable in stereo, so I believe those are Duophonic on the original Capitol stereo LP. (This might be a good reason to seek out the mono issue. )

I'm not sure about the MoFi, but it probably uses the "Original Master" tape with two Duophonic tracks. (Confirmation anyone?)

Another candidate for investigation is the 1984 digitally-remastered LP from the UK. Alan Dell's liner notes mention the two mono tracks, but they are NOT "pure" mono on the 1998 UK CD box set reissue, which is the only compact disc version of this album. (There is at least a level difference between the two channels on the CD.)

 

I was wondering, I have the MoFi from the 1984 box set. But realised the other evening I've never played it...
Then for the original, I was wondering if I should get the mono or the stereo. On the Sinatras I've usually liked the monos over the stereos.

 

Go for the mono. The MoFi and Dell are stereo-only (save for the two tracks mentioned above), so the only LP source for most of these tracks in mono is the original Capitol W1729. I don't know if, when that was issued (July 2, 1962), Capitol had already begun adding extra reverb to Sinatra's albums, but it's your only choice for the mono version. Your stereo MoFi is probably going to sound at least as good as the original Capitol SW1729.

 

That's what I was thinking and wondering. For the stereo, I've probably got with the MoFi an LP at least as good sounding as the original. With the mono I don't know if there was reverb added.
I was wondering if someone here could tell me if Capitol added reverb to the 1962 mono. The first pressing run, the D stampers.

 

One way to test this is to compare the song "Something Wonderful Happens in Summer" with the version on an original THIS IS SINATRA, VOLUME TWO from 1958 (Capitol W982). It's the only track which was repeated on an earlier LP.

 

Thanks, that's a good idea, I'll do that. This is Sinatra Vol. 2 I do have. The Capitol of "of love and things is awaiting cleaning" Once that's done I'll put them on.

You know, it always amazes me and everyone else I play them to is how amazingly good these old records sound.
Recorded almost 50 years ago.

 

This doesn't answer the question about reverb on the mono LP, but FWIW...

I performed this comparison on the two tracks in the 1998 UK 21-CD box set, SINATRA: THE CAPITOL YEARS. The version of "Something Wonderful Happens in Summer" on THIS IS SINATRA, VOLUME TWO is pure mono (both channels digitally identical). The one on SINATRA SINGS...OF LOVE AND THINGS is fake stereo (one channel louder than the other, plus some small-but-audible cross-channel variations).

Since these discs were remastered from a transfer of some vintage of album master tapes, it seems likely the original stereo LP of LOVE AND THINGS had the same (fake stereo) treatment for the two mono tracks.

 

But essentially good news for the mono then, no reverb-added and all original mono mixes?

 

This collection's songs are all too new to have been affected by Capitol taking the mono masters and making dubs with more echo. They seem to have stopped doing that with recordings made from 1957 onward (which often had relatively more echo as a whole than the stuff from 1953-56).

I have a pristine early issue mono LP of this (that I bought sealed in the original loose bag around 15 years ago). It's a D1/D1, with LA/west coast metalwork, labels, and cover. From what I remember, it's somewhat thin sounding overall. I'd buy both a mono and a stereo copy - they're both worth having.

 

Very cool, thanks for that. Good news
My copy - awaiting cleaning - is a D1/D1 LA stamper.
I'll go get an original stereo too, it sounds like it's worth picking up.
Will be interesting to hear how they all compare.

 

Bob, a quick question, I actually don't have a vinyl copy of Ring a Ding Ding. Which one would you recommend? The mono or the stereo?

 

Original mono issue (R-1001, not F-1001), but I'm not the best guy to ask for vinyl recommendations today (in my digital old age). Lots of good information here:

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/sinatra-reprise-sound-quality-ring-a-ding-ding-1961.231084

 

thanks

 

I have an Green Capitol Pressing. Probably from the 1970s, I picked up yesterday. Very clean. The sound is fantastic and it is stereo. I don't hear any reverb added on first listen. Have never heard a lot of these songs so nothing to compare to, but I am usually good at picking these things up.

 

This compilation was released after Sinatra left Capitol. Except that most of the songs saw their first LP issue here, it should probably not be considered an “original” album. Certainly, Frank himself had nothing to do with the song selections.

P.S. @Matt: The start of the first sentence of your web page needs correction. (I know you did that to see if anyone was reading. )

 

It's never going to get the love the real albums will. Even with it having "new" material, it's not like it's a new release now with lots of unreleased tracks generating interest. Not only that, it's not exactly a great sounding release as a whole, as you've dug down deep (paraphrasing a Sinatra/Dorsey track) and found...

I still put in on for at least "The Nearness of You", which I think is top 25 Sinatra and I sometimes like to play before starting the NICE 'N' EASY album.

 

The Nearness Of You is a highlight in a career with thousands of highlights. I truly love his Columbia version too. Outstanding. (Rick Nelson did a real nice version.)

Anyway, I mainly experience these songs though the Capitol Singles set, or dodgy gray area CD releases. I wish UME would issue all of these compilations in good sounding CDs but that’s unlikely. Still you’d think they’d have commercial appeal. Throw any 12 Sinatra numbers on a CD, it should be a hit.

— David