The *Frank Sinatra* recordings thread

Thanks. I found this fact interesting (from your link):

On the soundtrack there is an intro to the first version of "Bewitched", sung by the Vera character. The dialogue is spoken by Hayworth and I would have sworn the singing voice is her's as well. I'll have to go back and pay more attention to the credits for the film.

 

I don't know about "Bewitched" (I'm away from home and unable to check my DVD copy), but there is a difference between the movie soundtrack and the album in the song "Zip"... see post #62 later in that same SFF thread.

 

Couldn't agree more, assuming you mean the Sinatra/Jobim LP that was pulled, right? That's probably my favorite Sinatra LP.

 

I've just picked up a big stack of 50's Capitol EP's. I bought them because they were super cheap and they were in stone mint condition. The original owner recorded all of his 45's on to reel to reel tapes, so they were barely played.

There were also some RCA, Decca, and ABC Ep's from the same era. None of those sounded very good, even though they were in the same condition as the Capitols. I only picked up a couple of Columbia's but they both sound great.

The shocker of shockers is that the Capitols sound incredible! They might loose something in the bass, only when there are two tracks to a side, but everything else gains in fidelity. The real shocker is a single 'Only the Lonely' 45. It only has one track on each side and it boasts 'extended versions' of each tune. The bass on side two is great, the best I have ever heard from a 50's record. In minty shape, these are quiet pressings and the mastering is really good. I don't know if there are pressing plant differences, these were all pressed on the east coast, or if there are other pressing differences. Either way, I'm pleasantly shocked. The early ones, such as 'Swing Easy' are as good as the later ones.

Anyone else have this experience?

 

Marketing hype on the EP cover. "Only The Lonely" (and "Blues In The Night" on the flip side) are the same versions as on the LP. They were each too long to permit two songs on a side.

 

Just picked up a Capitol set dating from 1990 for $12, sounds very good to me. Much better than a later "Songs For Swinging Lovers" that I have.

 

Based on this thread, I just picked up the 1990 three CD set, Frank Sinatra The Capital Years. I got it used for $15.00 and it does sound very good, thanks for the recommendation.

I have quite a few gaps in my Sinatra CD collection, and this is a great overview of the Capital stuff.

 

This Is Frank Sinatra 1953-1957

I'm wondering if this set needs a RIAA eq adjustment? It has a lot of high end but not much in the bass department. It almost sounds right if I give it a bass boost and a treble cut on my receiver, but I think it needs some mid-bass boost to bring out Frank's lower register.

 

Currently 'discovering' the fantastic "At The Sands"; a nice 'loose' and yet quite powerful recording. I love the Capitol-albums, but this could be my favourite Sinatra-cd!

 

Energy, atmosphere, Frank and Basie... Great, great album. You may also want to check out the Sinatra-Vegas box set. It includes an alternate performace from the '66 Sands engagement (minus "One for My Baby," "Where or When," "Angel Eyes") plus 3 other live Sinatra Vegas gigs: The Sands 1961 (Frank is in GREAT voice here), Caesars Palace 1982 and The Golden Nugget 1987. It also includes a DVD video of Sinatra performing at Caesars Palace in 1978.

Additionally, there's a DVD-Audio of Sinatra at the Sands, but you're probably not missing too much there.

 

That would have been an issue from the jazz branch of Musical Heritage Society.

It's a mail order CD club that I subscribe to. I don't know how rare it is. As you said it's probably the Larry Walsh mastering.

 

It's also got a '98 date on it, so it could be the Norberg.

 

Unless MHS got the deal to issue the Walsh after the Norberg become 'the one.'

 

I didn't hear a dramatic difference betwen the Nordberg WSH and Walsh's. Then again, I only heard it one time with headphones back in '98.

 

Both have their problems. Larry's is the better of the two, but...

 

I can't tell you how rare these are, but Jazz Heritage put their name on a number of Capitol CDs, including:

514803A Frank Sinatra With Red Norvo
514952M In The Wee Small Hours
514953M Come Dance With Me
514991T Where Are You?
515020M Songs For Young Lovers / Swing Easy!
515022F Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!! and More​

The first title is the same as the 1997 Live In Australia, 1959 CD. Based on that date and the catalog numbers, one might assume the others are taken from the 1998 Entertainer of the Century reissues...

Not necessarily. The liner notes of the 1998 (Bob Norberg) CD credit Larry Walsh. Someone at Capitol forgot to update the credits. It's not the only time that's happened.

 

I mailed Universal: The new Reprise-CDs released by Universal here in europe won't be remastered. But additional tracks are possible.

 

Oh! Look At Me Now with Nelson Riddle 28.11.56

I believe this is the perfect example of Sinatra doing what he did best - vocalizing like no one else had ever done and like no one else could ever even hope to replicate . I've been listening to it a few times a week for the last few months and I'm still knocked out by this fantastic reinvention of a song which was never exactly a showstopper, but one that he turned into what I now believe may be the greatest popular swinging vocal recording of all time.

It hit me weeks ago - His ballsy singing of this is not a man bragging that he's now a rich guy who's also happened to become the world's greatest lover (how, I do not know ), but a man celebrating and ecstatic that he's become this superman. He's just so happy. And to exclaim his exaltation, the messenger delivers it in a way that confident joy has never been exclaimed before. How can you not believe he's telling the truth?

 

Agreed. The version he did to close the '57 Seattle concert (with Nelson Riddle conducting) is a close second. Again, there's something happy and grateful (for lack of a better word) about he sang that song. Unfortunately, A Swingin' Affair gets lost in the wake of SFSL and OTL. Too bad. It's filled with prime Sinatra performances.

 

Bump. http://www.musicdirect.com/product/86096 anybody know what mastering this uses? The NR'ed version that's on the most recent CD?

 

I'm not sure yet, and reluctant to order. Here are some posts regarding Sinatra in the From the Vaults series:
http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/search.php?searchid=7454886

 

I can't see even Capitol releasing a fancy pressing like this with a Bob Norberg digital transfer. I could be wrong, though - they did put out those digital Sinatra vinyls in the eighties, but weren't they made from a tape where the digital was then fixed for an LP transfer?

 

I'm trying to expand my Sinatra-on-vinyl collection because the CDs are pretty horrendous. What should a decent grey label pressing go for these days? http://cgi.ebay.com/FRANK-SINATRA-A...9604d6c&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116#ht_994wt_1167

They're asking 30, which seems a little steep considering that the thing is only visually graded…