Some of you may recall seeing this oddball artwork version that I have in my collection: I came across this (below) on Ebay today: Was it actually released in the UK that way, or did somebody take a box cutter to the front cover?
The photos on Discogs appear to show the cut-out cover we are used to, so I'm thinking box cutter...it might simply have been flimsily made, as one of the UK versions shows the lower half of the oval around Frank torn off.
It looks like there is a bit of a ring around Frank's portrait where the cover cut-out would have been, so I do suspect it's a knife job by somebody.
I’ve been on an I Remember Tommy kick lately. This is one of my absolute favorite Sinatra albums. It has my favorite version of “Polka Dots and Moonbeams.” Other favorites are “Without a Song” “The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else),” “There Are Such Things,” “Imagination,” and “I’ll Be Seeing You.” Heck, I love the whole album. I listened to the tracks from this album on the huge Complete Reprise Collection yesterday. I really enjoy the mastering on those tracks. I have about 5-6 copies of this on vinyl, on mono and stereo. I forgot to make note of which ones I thought sounded best, so one of these I’m gonna have to sit down and listen to them all again I guess! I see some mixed reviews of this album (e.g. Allmusic), and I’m a little shocked. To each their own, but I love this one.
I love to blast this LP a lot. And every track you mention are prime ones. "Without A Song" really grabs me especially, that passage where the band drops out, and returns full steam ahead really livens up the place when blasted.
It’s sad that today people would read this album title and think he was talking about the Pinball Wizard.
The Sinatrafamily sessionography states that some of the songs were intercut. Does these intercut versions differ from any other released versions? Also it seems that "Take me" differs on the 45rpm single from the album version. The album has an intercut and runs seven seconds longer than the single version. Anybody?
The intercuts shown by the SFF Sessionography are from the Reprise files. They agree with (and are probably copied from) the Silva discography. I’m not aware of any differences in OFFICIAL released versions (other than the “Take Me” single, as noted). Alternate takes from the “Tommy” sessions were contained on the bootleg “Inside” CD, also listed by Silva. (See this blog article.)
Only now did I know that the sessions used on this album were recorded at United. I thought the sessions were on Radio Recorders, how annoying to know that the session in this late studio was aborted, even though I do not know what the recorded sound quality is like. But I think it must have been great, as some of Ella Fitzgerald's best sound albums, IMHO, were recorded on Radio Recorders as The Johnny Mercer Songbook.
The version of "In the Blue of Evening", released on the original CD of this album, plus the 20 disc complete Reprise box, is from the sessions held at Radio Recorders.
The ORIGINAL (1991) album CD did not have “In the Blue of Evening.” It was added as a bonus track to a SECOND (1993) CD issue, and then dropped again from the THIRD (1998 EOTC) Reprise CD. The latter matches the current (2010) UMG version. If anyone is looking for the bonus track CD, its catalog no. was 9 45267-2. (Original CD was 9 27019-2.)
Funny, I don't remember ever having actually played this one... Checked, I have four copies Stereo Warner Bros issue - Smiling Frank Mono Warner Bros issue - smiling Frank Stereo French press - serious Frank. Can't tell from the deadwax if it's a US or French mastering job... Then... turns out I have a mono promo copy of the record. Looks unplayed! That is going on this weekend
You may recognize this detail from an old Garrard print ad from my website (or elsewhere): I had never seen this one (below) before last night: (Maybe I should have posted this in the Nice 'n' Easy thread?????)
That is cool. Do you know where that second ad was placed, or did you just run across it online somewhere?
I have no idea. I just spotted it on Ebay, here: 1962 Frank Sinatra photo Garrard phonograph vintage print ad | eBay
Note that that's a first era pinball game, more a game of chance than a game of skill. It has no flippers. You just launch the ball and hope for the best. In 1944 you could get one for about $50. With inflation that would be $730 today. In later years, some of those machines, which were rendered hopelessly out of date when flipper machines appeared in the mid 1940s, were retrofitted with flippers. Not that they were all that much more fun with them). (For those who care, that machine is Bola Way, which was made in 1941).