Sinatra / Reprise Sound Quality and General Discussion: "...Great Songs from Great Britain" (1962)*

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by AaronW, Aug 31, 2007.

  1. Beaneydave

    Beaneydave Forum Resident

    Now of course you need to tell us what the "going ons" are on the others! I know "Point" was the last Capitol album and he wouldn't spend much time on it ( it's great btw) not sure I know about the others.


    Peace and love✌
     
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  2. teag

    teag Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colorado
    To me it's not so much he is in poor voice but just a little lacking in energy. Hard to describe but I do hear it and feel it.

    I like the album, but it is certainly in the 2nd tier for me. Listening to it does not captivate me as much as many of his other albums.
     
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  3. Tina_UK

    Tina_UK Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    I always seem to associate "We'll Meet Again" with Vera Lynn, who was 100 years old last month!

    A few of my favourites on the album are "London By Night" - "A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square" and I especially love "The Very Thought Of You"
     
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  4. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey
    Maybe, but even then "We'll Gather Lilacs" is one of my favorite tracks on the album. "A Nightingale..." is among the top 25 or so of Sinatra's catalog to my sensibilities.
     
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  5. Funny that. I always associate "We'll Meet Again" with The Byrds! ;)

    I agree that "The Very Thought Of You" is a great song but he had already recorded better versions by this point.
     
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  6. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    :confused: I believe this was his first and only studio recording of the song. The only other versions of which I'm aware were (1) part of a medley on a radio aircheck with the Dorsey band from 1942 and (2) a Lite Up Time radio performance from 1950.
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2017
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  7. LOL! If I can confuse you of all people, you just know I must have got it wrong! Indeed I have. I'm getting this song mixed up with a couple of others he recorded several times (Columbia/Capitol/Reprise). Now you've corrected me I'm going to put the new LP on and listen through again as I do really like his version of the song and can now rest assured that there isn't a superior recording of it!

    My bad. Sorry, Tina. Thanks, Bob!
     
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  8. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    :) Perhaps you were thinking of "If I Had You" or "London by Night"?
     
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  9. :agree:
     
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  10. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    I think "If I Had You" is just fantastic on this album, more of a morose "If I Had You, but I Don't, and It Sucks" than the more jovial version from the '50s. I do think they missed the boat on one thing: On the released versions, they should have taken one of the intros that included Bill Miller on piano, and spliced that on to the beginning of take 12, as the piano bits gave it more of a "One for My Baby," 2 AM-in-the-bar-by-myself feel.

    I also love this album's version of "London by Night," which surprises me a bit, because I like the 1957 so much, and didn't think this one would stand a chance, but it holds it's own very well, I think.
    I think we're pretty-much on the same page. In the, I'm guessing, 30 or so times that I've played it since starting the comparison stuff, the comparison I drew to Nat Cole's "The Touch of Your Lips" album still rings true to me, as this album seems like kind of "standard issue" Sinatra just as that album is "standard issue" Nat King Cole -- and neither of those things is a put-down! They just don't reach the level of "In the Wee Small Hours" for Sinatra or "Just One of Those Things" for Cole, but then, very few things do.
    Sad to say, I always think of Slim Pickens!
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2017
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  11. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    In addition to the Capitol versions in the '50s, both songs were first recorded by FS for Columbia ('47 and '50). Two on the short list of songs Sinatra recorded for three labels.
     
  12. AJH

    AJH Senior Member

    Location:
    PA Northern Tier
    I agree. I think perhaps "a tired voice" better describes his sound than "being in poor voice" -I enjoy the entire album no matter.
     
  13. bozburn

    bozburn Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA, US
    A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square from this album will be played at my wedding.
     
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  14. Tina_UK

    Tina_UK Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    All that damp from the fog must have got on his chest. ;)

    "A Froggy Day In London Town"
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2017
  15. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    [​IMG]
    and it looks like that's a photo from one one of the sessions for the album itself, as evidenced by the photo below:
    [​IMG]
     
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  16. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Another pic, not previously posted, apparently from a trading card:
    s-l1600-135b.jpg s-l1600-136b.jpg
     
  17. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Two more:
    s-l1600-143.jpg
    SinatraGreatBritain.jpg
     
    Last edited: May 10, 2017
  18. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Another photo from these sessions:
    s-l1600-185.jpg
     
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  19. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Yes, this is audio comfort food for me after a challenging day. I now own the old German Reprise LP (I know it's inferior to the UK Pye originals). Vocal timbre is a bit rough for my taste, but the music and Frank's winning personality makes it an essential must own, and it cost me under $15 eBay buy it now still sealed NOS. I'll upgrade it to a nice UK original when I can find one.
     
  20. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    You know, there's a really funny trade-off on this one, kind of a "pick your poison" situation. The original UK and the 1976 Italian LP avoid all those pesky and distracting technical glitches that are all over the other releases. (See this post if you need a refresher about what all the technical problems are that appear to stem from defective 3-track tape sources.) On the other hand, the original UK releases, and the 1976 Italian LP, are made from different tapes that do not contain all those annoying glitches, but there is also something a little funky with the compressing/limiting on the vocal track.

    For the handful of individual songs that don't have 3-track defects, I think that the "suitcase" tracks (reused on the 1992 CD) are probably the most satisfying, but most of the songs in that mastering have audible defects from the 3-track tapes, and some of those defects are really glaring, which is a shame, as I think Lee Herschberg did a nice job with the mix, but had bad tapes from which to create those mixes. Not his fault.
     
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  21. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    I saw that post and your commentary, which I find honest, refreshing, and well thought out. I re-read it often. And it has made me approach many of Frank's albums and singles anew. I value reading it, and my commentary I hope adds value and amplifies what you try to entail and enlighten. I find Frank connects with me personally, I like him when I am down, when I am up, when frustrated, and when I am challenged he eggs me on. I deal with heavy physical challenges (multiple from birth). Frank's approach is how I live life (on top, MY WAY in the end). That latter tune also was my fight song when I wanted high school instead of the special ed school (worse than the one I was already in) that director wanted to send me to. I got mainstreamed (and enough dirt to get that director fired) and 3.3 GPA in a tough high school which accepted me who I am. And embraced me to excel in life. Frank is far from background music for me, he eggs on this survivor of challenges, battle scars, road rash, wheelies, and more. I shadow box to Frank Sinatra, he is there for me always. He makes me grin and ride through it!!!
     
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  22. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    It's good to have "soundtrack of our lives" music to fall back on like that, no doubt! For me, it's Beatles and Sinatra and Nat King Cole, with plenty of stuff by others peppered around for good measure. It's therapeutic, that's for sure. I love lots of other music, but those are the three artists that I fall back on. Bonzo Dog and Spike Jones are my "happy music" when I need a good shot in the arm or need to stop taking life too seriously, and I have a real soft spot for OLD country music, i.e., Sons of the Pioneers, Hank Williams, etc. (By the way, I always enjoy your very sane posts in the music threads, but maybe even more so in the equipment threads.)
     
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  23. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    That previous post is even more reason, why we're kindred spirits, think very similar in many ways beyond music. And why it means so much to everyone's well being. Matt, we're in sync,joined at the hip (yours stays in socket, mine's temperamental as heck) and we share too much in common. I think if I met you in person, it would be like I knew you 30 years. I am a people person, good ones matter. I suffer no fools. And also value good ones. And human with all faults. Like Francis Albert.
     
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  24. roda12

    roda12 WATERTOWN FOREVER

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    Just listening to my german copy from WEA which was manfactured in Alsdorf. It even has Alsdorf in the stamper! Go figure! Well, the sound on that one is awful. But that's the copy I bought as a teenager. I've grown up with this really bad sounding copy. And you know what? I wouldn't trade it for any of the better copies. The sound brings back so many memories...
     
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  25. roda12

    roda12 WATERTOWN FOREVER

    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    Afterwards I treated myself to an original pressing of the Robert Farnon Album "Two cigarettes in the dark". Wow!!! What sound, what music, what an arranger!
     
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