Sinatra / Capitol Sound Quality: "A Swingin' Affair" - 1957

OK, Sinatra nuts/collectors!

As soon as we wrap up the The Lady is a Tramp comparisons over in the singles thread, we'll be re-doing the long gone comparisons for this album. I think I'm covered on all the CD versions, and I have several LPs, i.e., a couple of originals, 1983 MFSL, "Dell" pressings, but the more samples, the better on these things, so if you are able to rev up the turntables and get some transfers made, please PM me so I can post your clips (with credit to you, of course). We'll be using "Night and Day. @GroovinGarrett -- I'm talkin' to you! (I'm very curious to hear a clip from that Decca pressing you have....)

Thanks as always, guys. The more, the merrier, no?

Matt

 

My earliest copy of side one is an N15. Anybody have a D1 or something in that ballpark, chronologically speaking? Or an early EP set? I'm curious if any of the earlier copies do *not* have the defect on the word "conversation" in the first half of "I Wish I Were in Love Again." I'm guessing, though, that it's on all copies.

 

Ah, just remembered that I have an excellent D6 LP transfer of that song that @tlmusic made a few years back! The hiccup on "conversation" is on that copy, too. Anybody able to confirm on a pre-D6 or EP copy? (...and Tom, that version you sent still sound primo! Thanks!)

 

My guess is that it's a splice, but I wouldn't absolutely swear to it. I hadn't noticed the change it tempo, but you may be right, darn it. (It's a little tough to really get my brain wrapped around that, because there's the inconsistency in sound there where the "hiccup" thing is, which throws my concentration a bit. I think you're right, though!) Now that's gonna bug me as I listen!

 

Here the bit we're talking about: http://www.11fifty.com/Site_108/1956_-_SinglesEtc28_files/hiccup.mp3

 

I've started resurrecting the pages that were first created back at the end of 2009. So far I only have CD clips posted, but LP clips will follow.

For now, you can access CD comparison clips here:

http://www.11fifty.com/Site_108/1956_-_A_Swingin_Affair.html

(Thanks to @Bob F and @DJ WILBUR for providing clips back in the dark ages.)

Also, if anybody has any LP clips of "Night and Day" that they would like to contribute, please let me know. I'll try to have some of those posted early next week.

 

Yeah, I've got that, and it does sound very nice.

By the way, last night, I transferred four pressings of this album in immediate succession, and I was amazed at how completely different the four copies sound. Nothing subtle about it.

 

I've added clips from my own five (not four, as earlier stated) LP copies here: http://www.11fifty.com/Site_108/1956_-_A_Swingin_Affair.html
to go along with the five CD clips already posted.

The new level-matched LP clips, all from full-length, 15-song mono editions, are:
•N16 9:00 rainbow
•1974 Japanese LP
•1983 MFSL LP
•1984 UK digitally-mastered "Dell" LP
•1984 Netherlands digitally-mastered DMM "Dell" LP

Please have a listen, and share your thoughts.

Here's my take on the versions posted thus far:
•There are lots of "pretty good" versions of this album out there.
•The Netherlands DMM LP is dead as a door nail.
•The 1983 MFSL LP may be sourced from wrong (wet) tapes, but Jack Hunt did a bang-up job with the material he had. The "wetness" is really the only flaw in that one, IMO, and the degree of wetness on this title is not nearly that of, say, In the Wee Small Hours, which is pretty darned soaked.
•Of the five LP clips posted thus far, I'd choose the N16 or the UK Dell as best of the LPs. (These two LPs are the least-dynamic of the five, but also the ones that strike me as best-sounding from the LP choices.)
•I find it odd that the two versions of the Dell LP (UK and Netherlands pressings) seem to be completely differently sourced. On many of these album comparisons, the UK Dell LPs have had extremely wide dynamics, but on this title, the dynamics are not very impressive, while the Netherlands version has completely wide-open dynamics, and poor tone. Weird. Even with the reduced dynamics, I think the UK is the better -- by far -- of the two Dell releases.)
•Once pitch-corrected, the Japanese LP, which runs a quarter-step slow, has a top end that is not very sparkly to me. Not awful; just "off."
•The 2014 MFSL CD/SACD is extremely well done, and stands out as superior to my ears, although the Walsh and UK CDs are not that far behind.

More clips to follow in the days ahead.

 

I now touch on this at the page for this album, but thought I'd give it a bump here, as it's a pretty interesting discussion from nearly five years ago that a lot of our newer Sinatra nuts may have missed:

@JamieC then posted this photo:

Side by side comparison from the site: