SH Spotlight Nat King Cole "LOVE IS THE THING" (1956) in new multi-channel SACD & 45 RPM LP from Analogue Prods.

the vinyl sounds sick. love that false intro, take 4!

 

I have literally listened to this SACD a dozen times in the last couple of days; it is phenomenal. Thank you to everybody involved.

 

Just got mine...

I'm on the third track. Sound quality is spectacular, with a real you are right next to Nat and the musicians feel. I think it may be even better than Very Thought.

The notes by Chris Hall (aka apileocole) are wonderful...Here's a small quote:

"Love is the Thing"

"Thing is the word because love eludes definition. However love can be expressed, if only in certain ways through our lives. The arts are a particularly potent means to that end. That thing called love was the nuclear core around which the vast majority of popular song had oriented itself long before Nathanial Adams Coles had been honored with the enduring appellation of King. In the minds and hearts of millions, Nat 'King' Cole would earn that title with his elegant, jazz informed talents both as a pianist and vocalist, creating so much more than his share of the finest example of his arts, musical expressions which remain unsurpassed and timelessly affecting..."

Very well said indeed. Thanks and hats off to you for this fine essay.

I really like the work of the people they've chosen to write the notes for this project. Will Friedwald is brilliant and justly acclaimed, but he has written, I think, something like 90% of all the notes for Nat King Cole. I love Friedwald's work, but I think it's nice for some other equally insightful people to get a chance as well. I have not yet read Jordan's essays, but I'm really looking forward to them. But Chris Hall's two wonderful essays fully justify the faith that the people involved in these projects placed in him.

Congrats Chris!

 

Are you listening in multichannel? Man, with a toneally matched center speaker, Nat is standing right in front of you singing.

 

Mine is kinda close to yours...

When my oldest brother graduated from high school in 1962, my parents bought him an Admiral console stereo. One of the first LPs he bought was "Love is the Thing". He played and played and played that thing. I was too young to grasp the true beauty of the album, but I sure remember it as one of my first introductions to "good" music. This newest edition via the 45 RPM brings back wonderful memories to me.

 

Paul: Thanks for sharing that great memory. Takes me back in time. If you ever find a pic of the kind of console you played the album with your brother, hope you'll post it.

Do you remember your brother's reaction at NKC's passing in early 1965?

rockman: I'm listening, and it's great. But my center speakers need upgrading. Still, this thing is quite impressive. Lives up to the hype, imho...

 

I will look thru the old Admirals online and see. By the time Nat passed my brother had moved out and I don't recall his reaction. However, I do remember my parents were in complete shock and we watched the newscasts about it. My two aunts were very big Nat fans and played his music often after that.

 

I'm not Steve, so I'll answer from the "anyone" perspective.

I would think that the primary reason would be illegal copying. Of course, anyone who buys the SACD can easily rip the cd layer and share those files, but if higher resolution files were available for download they would probably already be available via torrent, free for the taking and resulting in fewer sales of the physical products.

I very much want the SACD but I'm holding off on ordering any of these NKC titles until all of the titles announced have been released and I can order them all at once.

 

If you pre-order the collection you get free shipping on every title as it is released.

 

A nice rave on the Acoustic Sounds site:


"DOUBLE WOW! The wizards made me float, again!!! posted on 06/24/2010
5 Stars
Reviewer: Roberto J G.
Double WOW!!! Can this be possible? For the second week in a row, the wizards at Analogue Productions have made me float 6 inches above the floor! I am about as jaded as most people in our time, but this SACD and the previous one, "The Very Thought of You," have completely made my Summer!

Again, having had this LP in its original incarnation on Capitol when I was a kid (new copies since then) and its succeeding releases on RBCD, I was delighted, with this disc playing wide open through my system, today. The performances are beautiful, subtle, lush, and EVERY nuance of the singer's velvety voice has been extracted from the tapes...."

 

Thanks for the tip. I didn't get so far into the ordering process that I noticed that. Now I have to decide whether I want to wait a while to see if these show up on other websites or whether I'll just bite the bullet and pay full price. I'll probably just do the latter.

 

bite the bullet, they are better than you even will assume they are...

you hear these and wonder how the LLC allows the crap snotra out...

 

I just ordered all of them on Wednesday - knew I was going to do so for the past several months, but the release of the first couple of SACDs and the threads about them here pushed me to finally place the order.

An FYI to anyone else who's planning to order them but may not be a regular AS customer: the default shipping charge will still show up when you check out, but will be removed when the order is processed if your order is over $250, and you still get free shipping on multiple shipments since the pre-orders mean that several shipments will occur as the titles are released.

 

After listening to the SACD multi channel mixes of "Love Is the Thing", I have to hope that Nat is up in heaven smiling, because I believe that I may have died and gone to heaven and I'm smiling, listening to what seems as if Nat is, "in the room", with me. The stereo and mono mixes are also great sounding. This is exactly what EVERY reissue, from here on out, should strive for, in excellence. And, as happy as I am about Nat finally getting this superior treatment, I just can't help but wonder, why can't Steve and Kevin do Sinatra this way as well? Here's hoping that Chad and the folks inside at The Capitol tower, will see that Frank's CAPITOL catalog, is as worthy of the Hoffman/Gray treatment, as is Nat's. The world and our ears, could only benefit from this idea.

Thanks for the hard work Steve, Kevin, Chad and the fine folks at CAPITOL, for allowing this magic to happen, now go make more, PLEASE...

Chris C

 

Sinatra would be a no brainer for treatment like these, but with everything Sinatra cd wise, nothing is ever done right. A nice dream, but from what I can Sussex out, anything Sinatra involves too many lawyers and then deaf people who sign off on everything...

 

Steve, I have a question.

Let's say you guys were working on future projects like this where you were producing the 3 tracks on a mutli-channel SACD layer. What would be the reasons why you would not choose to put any echo you added when re-mixing into the additional channels and leave the front three channels as just the pure 3 tracks with your EQ changes?

That would give the buyer the ability listen to your intent, and to also essentially completely remix the discs to their individual preferences if they chose to do so. I think that would be an awesome cool feature.

 

I am listening to the MCH mix right now. Just as everyone else has mentioned.... the 3-channel presentation is "sick".

Nat is IN MY ROOM, his voice, clean, clear and direct center. The orchestra sounds very clear as well, and sounds as if they are playing behind Nat (and not in a one dimensional plane) - even with 3 channels the presentation has a 3 dimensional effect to it. Hard to believe this sound was recorded 53 years ago.

Anyone with a MCH set-up and an SACD player HAS to listen to this in MCH (makes the stereo and mono mixes sound "flat" in comparison).

 

One other thing that I wanted to add, regarding Nat's voice in the center channel, of the 3-channel mix. For the first time, you can really hear how Nat hangs in there much longer, with his beautiful phrasing, than you can hear on the old STEREO, MONO mixes. For those, like me, that always loved how smoothly Nat sings, these SACD's really prove how great he was and how warm his voice could be (and, for once, without all of that damned echo, echo, echo)

Chris C

 

I don't use that term, but I'm guessing that sick is good and thanks to you, we're all feeling ill.

Chris C

 

Yes "sick" is GOOD!!!!!!! VERY VERY VERY GOOD!!!

 

Here are some definitions of "sick" as per the "urban dictionary":

"something a lot of people are using to describe something in a positive manner."

"A secondary word for awesome."

"crazy, cool, insane"

"it is usually used when something is cool and exciting"

"To be 'totally awesome' or 'rad'. Usually used by teenagers, slang."

 

Guess I better start taking some Nyquil at night -- The flu bug will be here (when my copy arrives---).

Can't wait to get sick (thought I'd never ever say that---LMAO).

Bob

P.S. I have this issue -- inadvertently thought the thread was about "After Midnight" -- anyway too funny to edit & delete -- will leave it as is.

 

I Love that the close mic'd mono mix is included on the disc!! A whole different perspective..... Very, very cool..... That cello is awesome.