Sinatra / Capitol Sound Quality etc.: "This is Sinatra" - (rec. '53-'55, released 1956)

Before I knew any better (i.e. when I was a kid), I didn't know the difference between this album and his "concept" albums. I have the Starline LP (from my parents' collection), which is how I first heard these songs. I remember when Married with Children first aired, with "Love and Marriage" as the theme song, I said to myself, "Hey, I think I heard that on one of my parents' albums."

I also have the 2-CD Music for Pleasure issue, which I think is great, but for sentimental reasons the LP gets played more, even though it has considerable wear and surface noise. I agree with you that the CD set is probably the best for sound.

 

Thanks.

I need to read up on compression -- I always thought it applied to digital only, where the data points representing the sound waves are compressed in the sense that there are less points on the so-called graph that represents the sound wave. In other words, what happens when you convert from 320kbs, say, to 192kbs.

 

Excellent page Matt! I get a little excited each time an album cover is added to the main page.

 

Thanks. At first reading, it's going directly over my head. I'll need to try to absorb it more. I really want to learn more.

BTW, I used to be perfectly happy with my Sinatra collection, until I started reading posts here and on other forums a few years ago. Now I suffering from the "audiophile curse" (even though I'm far from being an audiophile), where I pay more attention to the sound quality instead of enjoying the music, and always thinking that I can upgrade a particular LP/CD. But I still find it all fascinating.

Also, my favorite track from this particular LP is "Learnin' the Blues", and is in fact my all-time favorite Sinatra "singles" release.

 

My copy has the ED 2606981 both on the printed label and stamped in the deadwax. What it doesn't have is that sticker on the front side of the jacket, just below the Capitol/High Fidelity logos. What does that sticker say? And do we think that's an original jacket?

Also, any idea where I can scoop up the Dell TIS Vol. 2 for cheap? The copy of the Dell box I sold to Arkoff had it, the box set I kept was missing it but included Rare Sinatra as a bonus.

 

My copy (from the box set) has ED 2606981 on the label and machine-stamped in the dead wax. Also on the jacket spine and back cover (spaced out as "ED 26 0698 1"). No mention of that EMS number anywhere. Also, the Capitol logos at 12 o'clock on the labels have a dark (blue/black) background, not the light (white?) color which appears in the second image above. I.e., mine is just like the top image.

 

1985 under Alan Dell's name.

 

Matt, FWIW: The WOW database lists three different catalog numbers for British LP versions of TIS:

LCT6123 / EMS1237 / ED260698 1

No date indications. The entry for the version in the 20-LP box set shows only the ED number.

 

EMS1237 on cover, label and deadwax on mine. Also no mention of 1984 or 1985, only 1956.

 

All you need to know about "compression" in it's classic analog form, is that the dynamic range is altered. In it's extreme case the sound "pumps". If y0u are old enough to remember classic AM Top-40 radio from the 60's the stations used that technique to sound louder than the competition.

 

^^^ The EAN barcode on Graham's EMS is the same as on my ED version.

 

I don't think so. Matt mentioned that he bought his in a retail store. My guess is that they were later pressings which involved a catalogue number change. Hence, the scratched-out number in the deadwax. Everything about your image of the top-right-corner back cover (e.g. font) is identical to mine, except the catalogue number(s). (And, of course, the "not for sale" sticker, which I'd bet is coincidental.)

 

Mine is exactly the same.

 

Thanks for the link!

 

Nothing scratched out, just the EMS 1237 on both sides and a stamper number, similar to (going on memory) A-1-###-####. Maybe a later pressing, or taken from the 20-record box?