SH Spotlight The Nat King Cole Trio AFTER MIDNIGHT AP 45 RPM 3 disk vinyl set still in stock at Acoustic Sounds!

My favorite Nat King Cole Capitol album (along with the totally different "LOVE IS THE THING") is AFTER MIDNIGHT.

A sort of nostalgic look back at Nat's earlier days with his trio. Much has been written about this famous album, how it was considered not likely to do well but producer Lee Gillette and Nat wanted to do it (Nat's first recording at the new Capitol Tower Studio) and how everyone was surprised (but not Nat or Lee) when it sold out of the first pressing in under a week, etc.

Much ink has been spilled over this landmark album, Nat's last in this style.

The great guest stars, the extra songs recorded for but left off the album, buried for 25 years until dug out by a British musicologist and released in England to great acclaim and so on. Needless to say, as a jazz album it's a winner and as a Nat Cole album it's right up there at the top with the crowning jewels of his career.

So, why am I starting this thread? So you won't SKIP OVER the new Analogue Productions 45 RPM Three LP Set and SACD/CD that I worked on of AFTER MIDNIGHT. Why would I think you might skip over this (you are asking?) Well, for two reasons. One, you might already have it on CD or LP and two, it is in MONO and some of you don't like mono.

Well, trust me here, this is DEMO QUALITY. Mono or not, it has an amazing front to back soundstage, full dynamic range far more than later recordings and is a totally convincing document of the sessions held in August-September, 1956.

Wait until you hear John Collins' D'Angelico guitar. A sweet instrument.

I believe that most of the songs in our new version are transferred for the first time from the original session tapes (as carefully filed away marked "HOLD/DO NOT DESTROY PER LEE GILLETTE").

It took weeks of research to unearth these original gems. I can tell you that Lee Gillette made sure these reels survived the great vault purge of 1959 but Lee himself left Capitol after Nat's death.

The reels were carefully saved but as other old time people left the label, so did the knowledge of the extra songs. EMI managed to find the reels marked by Gillette and found that they had basically been unplayed since back in the day except to make the EQ'd safety dubs used in the LP cutting process and later.

So, everything original was found. A difficult task but well worth it when the results are heard.

The AFTER MIDNIGHT sessions were recorded without a compressor or limiter in the studio circuit (confirmed to me by the late Capitol engineer John Kraus) and so when Kevin Gray and I mastered this both for 45 RPM and for SACD/CD we disconnected all of the mastering gear (console, outboard limiting and EQ boxes, etc.) to honor Lee and Nat and just let the full bandwidth signal flow from the playback tape machine straight to the cutter head and the DSD recorder.

You are hearing the pure signal of this landmark album and the just-delivered via Fed Ex. test SACD is playing in the background as I type this and my jaw is continuously dropping to the floor. This is 1956 (over 50 years ago, dudes), but it sounds LIVE in my living room. Gosh, I ain't kidding, this is the real deal.

So don't forget to order this one along with LOVE IS THE THING, THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU, ST. LOUIS BLUES, WHERE DID EVERYONE GO, JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS and THE NAT "KING" COLE STORY 45 RPM LP's and three-channel/two channel SACDs.

When this sucker goes out of print, that's it. You're back to No-Noise Land with the CD version that is out there now. Let's not go there. Get this one, 66 minutes of legendary music. You'll be very happy with your selection.


The Nat King Cole Trio + Invited Guests
AFTER MIDNIGHT- MONAURAL recording

After Midnight as issued by Analogue Productions has a 45 RPM three disk set and a digital version with an SACD section and a CD section, both MONO containing the following songs:

Original 12 song LP:
Just You, Just Me
Sweet Lorraine
Sometimes I’m Happy
Caravan
It’s Only A Paper Moon
You’re Looking At Me
The Lonely One
Don’t Let It Go To Your Head
I Know That You Know
Blame It On My Youth
When I Grow Too Old To Dream
(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66

+ Bonus tracks, songs recorded for, but left off the original LP:

I Was A Little Too Lonely (And You Were A Little Too Late)
You Can Depend On Me
What Is There To Say
Two Loves Have I
Candy

Plus prev. unreleased alternate take:
Just You, Just Me (take one)
+ studio chatter

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The below information courtesty of J. Taylor and Apileocole:

LP-After Midnight:
August 15, 1956
(Session #4500; 12:00-17:00) Capitol Recording Studio, 1750 N. Vine Street, Hollywood, California
Nat Cole (vocal/piano/arranger) John Collins (guitar) Charlie P. Harris (bass) Lee Young (drums) Harry Edward 'Sweets' Edison (trumpet)
• (15788-10) You Can Depend On Me HOLD
• (15789-8) Candy HOLD
• (15790-4) Sweet Lorraine
• (15791-5) It's Only A Paper Moon
• (15792-3) (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66
Note: this was the first session for Nat at the Capitol Tower Studio
September 14, 1956
(Session #4542; 14:00-18:00) Capitol Recording Studio, 1750 N. Vine Street, Hollywood, California
Nat Cole (vocal/piano/arranger) John Collins (guitar) Charlie P. Harris (bass) Lee Young (drums) William McLeish 'Willie' Smith (alto saxophone)
• (15895-10) Don't Let It Go To Your Head
• (15896-11) You're Looking At Me
• (15897-7) Just You, Just Me
• (15898-8) I Was A Little Too Lonely (And You Were A Little Too Late
September 21, 1956
(Session #4555; 14:00-18:00) Capitol Recording Studio, 1750 N. Vine Street, Hollywood, California
Nat Cole (vocal/piano/arranger) John Collins (guitar) Charlie P. Harris (bass) Lee Young (drums) Jack Costanzo (bongos) Juan Tizol (valve trombone)
• (15920-5) Caravan
• (15921-11) Lonely One
• (15922-1) Blame It On My Youth
• (15923-14) What Is There To Say HOLD
September 24, 1956
(Session #4560; 14:00-19:00) Capitol Recording Studio, 1750 N. Vine Street, Hollywood, California
Nat Cole (vocal/piano/arranger) John Collins (guitar) Alvino Rey (steel guitar*) Charlie P. Harris (bass) Lee Young (drums) Stuff Smith (violin)
• (15936-5) Sometimes I'm Happy
• (15937-3) I Know That You Know
• (15938-11) When I Grow Too Old To Dream
• (15939-14) Two Loves Have I HOLD

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Be glad that Chad Kassem of Acoustic Sounds/Analogue Productions is a Nat King Cole fan. When I suggested to him that we include the mono AFTER MIDNIGHT in our series of Nat Cole SACD's/45 LP's, he thought about it for less than 10 seconds before agreeing.

That is so cool.

 

A must too

 

Those little EP's are pretty nifty. They don't sound good but they are fun to watch going around!