IMHO, it is a waste of time to listen to anything Mr. S recorded on Columbia on anything other than the Big Blue Box and what was released on CD afterwards. As much as I love playing records, there is NO comparison sound-wise to what Deider, Chuck and Co. did when they lovingly redid that era of Sinatra recordings.
True that's the cream of the crop! But on certain Columbia records his voice sounds so beautiful and full. And I think that was the sound Chuck and Co. were after.
[…] unless you want to hear bongos added to “Day by Day” on the Come Back to Sorrento LP and 45 reissue.
I think what they were after was the sound of the original recordings, not necessarily the way it was “futzed” with on the records.
True, although at one time (still?) this set was the only place to find the first version of "Soliloquy" as originally issued. Discussion at SFF here: The different "Soliloquy" recordings
Exactly! But some records really have the good sound that we are used to from Chuck and Co. I knever knew until I got some good ones recently!
FWIW....and I have NO horse in the race... It looks like someone is breaking up his "Big Blue Box" of the complete Columbia recordings on eBay. So, if you have an issue with an individual CD from the set now is the time to pick up a replacement.
Hey, all the Sinatra experts. Does anyone have this one? - Sinatra Plus - on the Fontana label. Is there any verdict on the sound quality? It's all original mono I think.
or this one?: The soundtrack to Higher And Higher - The Sinatra Show (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) It's vinyl. Sinatras second movie outing.
The sound quality I found remarkably good. Good enough for when I put it on to go "hey, this is really good" and go have a closer look at the record. It's supposed to be a UK issue, though mine is a French pressing. It has a lot of tracks in common with a Sinatra CD I've had for years, a French issued jazz masters CD. Also - for a CD - very good sound quality. Flat transfers by the sound of it. It used to get played a lot because of the nice open sound. This is a bunch of stuff starting with "All or nothing at all" with Harry James and his orchestra from 1939 up to "My Blue Heaven" with George Siravo from 1950. Virtually all of it - with a few exceptions - is with Axel Stordahl and his orchestra, all through the '40s. Quite frankly, it sounds great. My copy sounds like original mono, no dicking around with the sound, no compression, no funky EQ. Also quite frankly, I was surprised. This will get played again. The problem I have with the "Big Blue Box" is, well, they are CDs.
And has anyone heard "Higher And Higher - The Sinatra Show"? That one I discovered recently, it hasn't arrived yet, so I haven't played it.
"Sinatra Plus" on Fontana.....Terrific cover. Also "Sinatra Souvenir" on Fontana. 2 Greats from Great Britain. When I was young the old Sinatra Collectors always said: "Kid: you've only heard Sinatra on LP. You never heard the real thing. You never heard him on 78".
Finding a decent copy of the Box within Europe seems quite difficult - no problem if living in USA but for Europe, often faced with high shipping costs from USA. Is there another option for Europe bearing in mind that all of the recordings are probably in Public Domain here.
Hopefully in the new year Chuck Granata will give us a surprise about the "Complete Columbia Master Takes 1943-1952" he's working on.
Well that’s hopeful news. But if that does not happen, and the Blue Box is not a possibility, what other options are there to get these recordings without having to buy 101 different discs etc IYKWIM. There seem to be lots of "Best of Columbia Years" or "Columbia Essentials". Just want it as simple as possible.
In the vinyl days there were collectors LP editions of rare 78s issued on labels with total pressings of 99 copies, which was allowed in many countries without violating copyright. But only 99 copies were allowed. They were fun to collect, and the only other source was a 78.