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

Regarding the clips posted here: http://www.11fifty.com/Site_108/1956_-_A_Swingin_Affair.html

Oh....some are bad! I didn't mean to suggest otherwise.

I do like that the high-hat (and other) cymbal work is very clear, and I like the overall tone. Not saying it's perfect (by a long stretch), but it has its good points, IMO.

It's dreadfully bad!

 

From the Close to You thread, very recently:

Just spotted this on Ebay:

 

New LP clips now added here: http://www.11fifty.com/Site_108/1956_-_A_Swingin_Affair.html

•D5 LP - thanks @stevelucille
•D6#3 LP - thanks @tlmusic
•D11 LP - thanks @stevelucille
•Gray-label UK LP - thanks @stevelucille
•Oddball UK Decca pressing - thanks @GroovinGarrett

If any of the label artwork is inaccurate, please send a PM, or leave a note here in the thread.

If anybody else has clips they can send along, please drop me a line! The more, the merrier.

Thanks!

 

Recovering from an agonizing and demoralizing day of Swingin' Brass....back to A Swingin' Affair!

@tlmusic and @MMM have each shared their fondness for their D16 gray-label (I assume) pressings of A Swingin' Affair. I've posted clips from TLMusic's LP (thanks!), along with the corresponding clips from the 2014 MFSL CD.

You can find these by skimming down the page here: http://www.11fifty.com/Site_108/1956_-_A_Swingin_Affair.html

 

Ah, what the heck....let's put a pretty bow on this album's comparison stuff. I've posted my own conclusions on the site linked above, and will re-print them here, and of course, others are invited to chime in:
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LPs: I have never owned a “D” pressing of this album, but the clips strike me as being very similar to D pressings for other mono albums of the era, i.e,. good tone, a mildly pillowy top end, and subtle compression, all adding up to a very pleasant listening experience. If you can find a clean one, odds are it will serve your needs quite well, and frankly, I find my N pressing to be a nice listen, too. The vintage UK pressings both strike me as being a little dull, and the 1984 Dutch LP is dead as a doornail, as is the Japanese LP, which also runs slow. The 1983 MFSL LP is bright and has reverb added. (Some added detail comes through, but it’s definitely “off.”)

Back in 2010, I wrote this regarding the 1984 UK “Dell” LP: <<Special mention should be made of the 1984 British pressing from the digitally-remastered “Alan Dell” series of LPs. This LP, while perhaps just a hair on the thin sounding side, is tonally quite nice. In fact, I find it to be very similar to the D5 pressing on the previous page, and that D5 is probably my favorite vintage pressing overall. Furthermore, this British LP is probably the only way to get all 15 original album cuts in one place, made from the correct, “dry” source tapes, on a non-vintage pressing. If you spot a clean copy, my advice is: get it! It’s a very high quality release, and since it’s nearly a quarter-century “newer” than the last batch of 9:00 rainbows, odds are pretty good that it will be in good shape, and these British pressings are cut on good quality, quiet vinyl.>> Not only am I going to stick by that bit of advice, but I will add an odd little supporting detail. In most of these LP comparisons, the 1984/85 UK LPs have very wide dynamics, and the original D and N pressings have relatively reduced dynamics. That’s almost a “given.” For whatever reason, the 1984 UK LP on this title has moderately reduced dynamics that are virtually identical to the original D cuts, so while the UK Dell LPs are usually quite different in overall effect than their vintage counterparts, in this particular case, there is an added bit of similarity.

CDs: The Norberg remaster is an absolute dud, but the Walsh and UK ’98 releases are quite good. That said......

Overall: To my ears, the 2014 MFSL CD hybrid disc is just about perfect. It has the excellent tone of the best LP pressings, plus added dynamics that the LP cutting practices of the 1950s tended to minimize. The only sonic concern I have, and I’m almost embarrassed to say this, is that I don’t care for how the rills (spaces between songs) are handled by means of a direct cut to “digital zero” (pure silence), rather than a tasteful, gradual fade, or even just leaving the hiss at full volume between tracks. I find the hard cuts to be distracting, but it’s a nit-pick regarding an otherwise exemplary disc. Kudos to Rob LoVerde and company at MFSL for finally giving this album its sonic due after nearly 60 years of attempts that fell short. My advice? Buy this hybrid SACD while it’s still in print. You won’t be disappointed!

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Thanks as always to the guys who submitted clips. Without their input, these comparisons could not be done. If somebody would still like to submit a clip, please contact me, and I will happily add it.

 

Any chance that was done with SONGS FOR SWINGIN' LOVERS, as well?

 

Yes, sadly.

 

Below are liner notes from this 1975 Dutch LP that @Henley sent my way:

The album contains all 15 songs, but is in very heavy-handed fake stereo (worse than other mono titles in the series).

 

I haven't played the album all the way through, the the jacket and labels both indicate the original 15-track running order.

 

I love those green labels, very reminiscent to the look of USA EPs of the time.

 

Just noticed that the 1975 Dutch LP cover is adapted from the 1962 abridged release:


Here's the 1957 version, below:

 

There's got to be a zinger about my Dutch wife in there somewhere, but I'm not touching that one!

 

Apparently the Argentine EP comes with an added degree of creepiness in the cover art: