I have now listened to The Capitol Years and I have to say that I love it. So I am wondering - is there a Reprise companion to this amazing Capitol set? Did the Reprise label try to do something this great: 3 great sounding discs with some great liner notes? Any recommendations?
@Jayseph -- There was literally a companion to the Capitol set: The Reprise Years. Both sets contain 75 songs (over 3 CDs for Capitol; 4 CDs for Reprise -- some songs are longer) and were released in honor Sinatra's 75th birthday. In terms of sound, the early Reprise years were pretty riddled with, for lack of a better term, "sound problems," so where there is about 98% "consistently excellent" sound in the Capitol set, the number is much lower on the Reprise set, but don't let that hold you back, as it's an high quality set that basically picks up the ball and keeps running.
Many thanks! Sorry for a question I could have probably googled, but I wanted to hear what people hear think. Thank you for that helpful review.
Hey, that was me! (It was the Voice in Time set) Still a lifer too! Happily awaiting Standing Room Only and I just bought the 1986 CD of September of My Years.... God help me.... — David
@Jayseph – See also: What are the essential Sinatra compilations and box sets from each era? Excellent post. Small correction: The title of the bookshelf companion is The Reprise Collection, and it had 81 tracks on the 4 CDs. (The “75 songs for 75 years” hype was only for the Capitol set.) There was also a 20-track single CD cutdown, Sinatra Reprise: The Very Good Years.
This piano-only take of One for My Baby (and One More for the Road) is very, very enjoyable. What a treat to hear! And to think that it was ALMOST erased!
Thank you very much! Box set ordered! I also decided to get The Best of the Columbia Years 4 CD set as well. Might as well get all 3 eras, right?
If you haven't yet ordered The Best of the Columbia Years 4 CD set, I invite you to consider the A Voice In Time set instead. It's simply stellar in all accounts.
The right people with the right ears using the right tape sources, sensitively mastered. (As I've said before: I wish Ron Furmanek would come out of retirement!) Maybe on some. Trying to lump any set of "Complete Capitol Sinatra" into broad generalizations is tricky. Pick your poison: "All of the" original presssings, or the MFSL LPs, or the yellow-label LPs, or the Dell CD box, or the Walsh CDs -- some in those sets are this; some are that; some are the other; some good; some bad.
My comment in the closed thread linked above: For content, I prefer The Best of The Columbia Years. It really is a three-to-one cutdown of the complete 12-CD The Columbia Years box, with emphasis on "best." Outstanding book, as well. The newer A Voice in Time set includes a mix of different material (Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, radio tracks, a few new alternates), and it benefits from newer, improved transfers and mastering. Very pretty package with some nice photos, but the text is fluff.
'Almost Like Being In Love' with count-in. Just got the 3 CD 'The Capitol Years' set, it's fantastic. Also 'I Got A Crush On You' appears a very dry, better sounding mix than the 'Nice And Easy' CD.
Strangely enough the only Sinatra I pull out in my collection to listen to is the "weird" recordings like Watertown and various live bootlegs I own. I'm burnt out on the hits. Same with Presley. I wonder what the next generation will make of those two, without understanding the cultural impact of Presley and Sinatra. My son had an audition for a part -- he chose "It's Now or Never" to sing. One of my least favorite Presley songs (and one that Sinatra could have probably sung -- in his own way of course).
Wait. What’s special about the 1986 CD? Is it better than the Concord reissue. Crap. I need to go exploring yet more Sinatra threads now. (I just ordered the Kevin Gray vinyl pressing of that album, so lord knows I also need to order a totally unrelated CD so I can have at least five copies of it...)
Is the booklet in the 4-disc Columbia Years set good enough to warrant tracking down a copy if I already have the BBB 12-disc set? It seems the content would be much more digestible.
The way I see it, you need at least ten copies of it. Original USA mono & stereo; original UK mono & stereo; best available Japan vinyl; newest and best audiophile vinyl; maybe four CD editions. Obviously, you should consider a few others on top of these, both CD and vinyl. This does not include any back-up copies. You should always have back-ups.
The big decision is how many "back-ups" of Sinatra albums you should have. Back-ups means exact duplicates of the same issue, in any condition. Ideally, the number of true back-ups you should have is unlimited. You are just their caretaker, saving them from destruction for future generations to enjoy.
I have the fat jewel case version of Capitol Years 3CD set and it sounds great. I haven't played my discs in about six months so I'm overdue for a listen.
Adding to the knowledge base for the vinyl edition of The Capitol Years set is this post (quoted from a recent unrelated thread): P.S. Discogs:
I have both The Capitol Years and The Reprise Collection as vinyl box sets. But if you’re already bitten by his capitol output, which, in my opinion is the best period of his career, I would simply invest in the individual albums one by one. They’ll be some of your best friends for the rest of your life!
I got a sealed copy of the vinyl Capitol Years box set a few months ago. Everything seemed pristine except LP1 was severely warped. The first couple of sessions in my Vinyl Flat and Groovy Pouch didn’t work. Hey, I’ll put it on “High” for a few hours! Destroyed it. LP1 has several areas that look like an orange peel now. I’ve played a couple other LPs from the set and haven’t been blown away by the sound quality. Oh well. It looks nice!
