Sinatra / Capitol Sound Quality and General Discussion: In the Wee Small Hours (1955)*

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Davidmk5, Nov 9, 2009.

  1. profholt82

    profholt82 Resident Blowhard

    Location:
    West Michigan
    Well, I stopped by my shop and picked it up today. Of course, my in-laws are in town this weekend, so I won't be able to spin it for a few days. My mancave just happens to be in the basement, along with the guest bedrooms. :realmad: It's going to be a long weekend. Thanks again, fellas.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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  2. paulmock

    paulmock Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hollywood, CA
    She looks beautiful! Let us know when you finally get around to listening.
     
  3. stevelucille

    stevelucille Forum Resident

    Location:
    Rochester, NY USA
    That should sound very nice. Sometimes we get lost in the details of which copy sounds best. And rightly so, we're trying to find the very best. But a clean copy of almost any of the original 50's pressings will be a very nice listening experience indeed! Enjoy!
     
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  4. profholt82

    profholt82 Resident Blowhard

    Location:
    West Michigan
    Well, I finally got the time to listen to my new copy of the original mono LP, and I loved it. It sounded vastly different from my 1991 CD. The biggest difference was it's rawness by comparison. The CD sounds as if it is covered with a layer of plastic wrap compared to the openness of the LP. I could clearly hear all of the nuances in Frank's voice so clearly with the LP whereas on the CD, it is almost as if his voice has been somehow doctored to sound smoother. His voice has a fragility in parts that I never noticed before. I feel as though I had never actually heard this album prior to picking up the LP, and I have listened to the CD probably 50 times. The difference is truly staggering. On several songs, I actually had goosebumps and felt emotionally connected to the music. That is something that never happened while listening to the CD. The clarity and openness of the LP made it almost seem as if Frank was right here with me singing. It was remarkable.

    I do need to have the record cleaned. Parts of the first side had some pops. It wasn't that bad, but it was noticeable in parts, and there aren't any scratches, so I assume that the record just needs a good cleaning. It is over 50 years old, after all. But anyway, I thank you guys for letting me know that this was a good pressing to pick up.
     
  5. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey
    Glad you like it! I agree with you...
     
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  6. paulmock

    paulmock Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hollywood, CA
    Ah yes....the beauty of "old fashioned" records. So glad you enjoyed your first spin. BTW it gets BETTER!
     
  7. bozburn

    bozburn Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA, US
    Among Frank's finest work. Enjoy!!
     
  8. bferr1

    bferr1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA
    Guys, check this one out. Got it on ebay last month for $65. I had about $30 in my Paypal account, so the out of pocket was a reasonable $35!

    Unfortunately, it's rather rough sounding, but still quite the collectible...

    [​IMG]
     
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  9. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey
    Very cool - I've never seen a white label, Bryan. I would have expected yellow.
     
  10. AaronW

    AaronW Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Wow, very cool! Can you post the deadwax?
     
  11. bferr1

    bferr1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA
    Stamped. Side 1: W1-581-D2. Side 2: W2-581-D1.
     
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  12. AaronW

    AaronW Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Nice, that's the earliest I've seen! I had a D2/D2 stock copy with the straight machine stamped numbers (not script style), I assume your are the same.
     
  13. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey
    The ghosting of the logo, etc. on parts of the label are interesting. I wonder what caused that.
     
  14. bferr1

    bferr1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA
    It's actually a bit more prominent that that. I tried cleaning up the scanned photo just for kicks...
     
  15. bferr1

    bferr1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA
    [​IMG]
     
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  16. AaronW

    AaronW Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I have a few WLPs with the same thing, I always assumed it was from the not-yet-dry ink of the labels on top leaching through to the ones on the bottom. The colored paper and different ink used for stock labels would easily mask this.
     
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  17. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey
    That was my guess too, Aaron. Thanks...
     
  18. Arkoffs

    Arkoffs Remote member

    Location:
    Right behind you
    That is super neat! I don't think I've ever seen a white label LP from Capitol.

    Thank goodness I have not been monitoring eBay, I would have been sorely tempted. heh.
     
  19. davidshirt

    davidshirt =^,,^=

    Location:
    Grand Terrace, CA
    How rare are the 10" versions part 1 & 2 and how is the sound quality for anyone who has heard those versions?
     
  20. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    A D1 10" LP was not just my introduction to this album, but my introduction to Frank Sinatra, period, so I know the sound of that album very well.

    This is where I always try to tread softly....

    I think the 10" LPs sound very, very nice, and I still enjoy the sound of mine (that same copy that belonged to my dad back in the 1950s). While I think there are *better* copies out there, the 10" LP I have is absolutely fine and I recommend it with no qualms.

    You can, of course, hear clips for yourself (and reach your own conclusions) by scrolling to the lower part of this page: http://www.11fifty.com/Site_108/1955_-_In_the_Wee_Small_Hours.html

    As to the rarity of 10" LPs, the 10" double set and 12" single set were released simultaneously. My guess is that the 12" version sold in larger numbers, as I see it more often than the 10" LPs, but both are definitely out there and available. Mastering is essentially the same.
     
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2014
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  21. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    Matt has said in the past, and I concur, that the album's song sequencing appears to have been designed around the 10″ form factor, i.e. four mini-suites of four songs each.
     
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  22. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

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  23. bferr1

    bferr1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    MA
    I can send clips from my WLP copy, if you're interested...
     
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  24. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

  25. Tony Stucchio

    Tony Stucchio Active Member

    Location:
    New York City
    OK -- I have 4 copies

    vinyl: rainbow 9 o'clock (as above)(from parents), grey (bought used a few years ago at a brick and mortar for about $1)
    Neither are perfect condition-wise, unfortunately.

    CD: Norberg, Walsh

    I played one of the echoey tracks for my wife on the CD after playing the dry one on the LP and even she was floored by how much better the LP sounded.
     
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