Sinatra / Reprise Sound Quality & General Discussion: "Swing Along With Me" (1961)*

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by MLutthans, Jan 20, 2013.

  1. John DeAngelis

    John DeAngelis Senior Member

    Location:
    New York, NY
    Unfortunately, sounding different shouldn't have meant inferior audio quality.
     
  2. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff Thread Starter

    The album was released on both mono and stereo, and the best-sounding mono copy I've got is actually a UK copy. Keep in mind that the mono on COME SWING WITH ME was not a from-scratch mono mix, but rather a fold-down from the stereo mix, so if you ever want to hear the stereo mix and you have a stereo LP and a mono button on your stereo, you're set!

    Smart man!

    Thanks for posting these, Bob. Very cool. :)

    Yes! "Post of the Day!"
     
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  3. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff Thread Starter

    Agreed, and this is one of the big rubs for me with Frank's Reprise material. Parts of The Concert Sinatra are in the Capitol-sound-quality ballpark, but the first album that sounds truly hi-fi both instrumentally and vocally doesn't occur until all the way up at FS 1021, Sinatra/Jobim. It seems to me that there's a whole lot of Reprise stuff that is impacted by bad technical choices and/or technical screw-ups, which is a shame, as there's so much good music there! (He should have stayed put at Radio Recorders after RING-A-DING DING. Heck, even "Sound Enterprise" studios gave him better sound than Putnam & Co at United!)

    Matt
     
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  4. rangerjohn

    rangerjohn Forum Resident

    Location:
    chicago, il
    Love those reviews, Bob! Thanks.
     
  5. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    No dedicated mono? Pretty sure there was. Your source for this info?
     
  6. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff Thread Starter

    Just my fallible ears and fallible-er brain. Here's the sample that was on my "COME SWING WITH ME" webpage, now gone, with the playing order being: 1. Stereo summed --> 2. Mono; pause; 3. Stereo summed --> 4. Mono

    https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7qgH1HDldamVlBYZnl3dExIVzg/edit
    (Fear not: No Quicktime required.)

    Matt
     
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  7. aoxomoxoa

    aoxomoxoa I'm an ear sitting in the sky

    Location:
    USA
    I have the ETOC and it is an ear bleeder. So far the MOFI is the winner as far as I can tell.
     
  8. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff Thread Starter

    For "Swing Along," right? Interesting. I haven't chained myself to the stereo yet to do a really critical side-by-side, but so far I've been pretty happy with what I've heard on the EOTC in casual listening, and had the opposite impression with the MFSL! I really trust your ears, so I'll need to strongly consider your comments when it comes time to dissect SWING ALONG WITH ME.

    Matt
     
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  9. aoxomoxoa

    aoxomoxoa I'm an ear sitting in the sky

    Location:
    USA
    Matt. I haven't compared side by side. This thread just prompted me to pull the MOFI and I like the way it sounds. The bottom end is there. This was on my stereo rig. I played the CD a few weeks ago on my Home Theater system and I had to turn it off it sounded so bad. Maybe I will dig it out and do a side by side comparison.
     
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  10. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff Thread Starter

    Sounds like we're on different ends of the same boat right about now! :) There certainly are some bass-shy versions of this album out there, that's for sure!
     
  11. aoxomoxoa

    aoxomoxoa I'm an ear sitting in the sky

    Location:
    USA
    Would you say the MOFI overcompensates the low end? It sounds warmer on my rig, but my stuff is mid grade at best.
     
  12. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff Thread Starter

    It strikes me that way, yes.
     
  13. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Matt, just FYI, there is a dedicated mono mix (run on an Ampex at the same time as the three-track machine(s). The way their console worked, the mono is technically the same as an L+R stereo tape. But, trust me, it was not mixed from the three channel. It just sounds like it. Sucky.
     
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  14. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff Thread Starter

    You mean a "live" mono mix? (And just to avoid confusion as people drop in on this thread...we're talking about COME SWING WITH ME, not SWING ALONG WITH ME.)
     
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  15. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey
    The engineer should be Bones Howe.
     
  16. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff Thread Starter

    Thanks -- I wasn't sure who it was on this one (SWING ALONG WITH ME).

    EDIT: We need a thread titled "Come Swing Along with Me!" Discussing both albums is confusing!
     
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  17. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey
    Nice job on the page on your site for this album, Matt.
     
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  18. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff Thread Starter

    Thanks, Martin. Gotta give credit to Bob F for already rooting out all that info. He's the brains; I'm just the beauty. For those just joining us, here's the link: http://www.11fifty.com/Site_108/1961_-_Swing_Along_with_Me.html

    I did buy a copy of that Playboy ad a few years back, and finally got to scan it and use it, so that's good, and I'll try to have a clip posted comparing the CD releases late tonight.

    Matt
     
  19. apileocole

    apileocole Lush Life Gort

    One thing I do enjoy in a good chat about some music is hearing from someone who digs something I don't think much of. For one thing, if I'm feeling something was a waste, it's just nice to know that it wasn't. For another, I can often gain an appreciation or at least perspective I didn't have.

    So here I'm particularly enjoying the upside views, from John and Paul and George and - I mean, rangerjohn and paulmock. It's certainly not in my list of prime Mr. S and the sound repeats the Ring-A-Ding-Ding a-thing in being a disadvantage. Still, Swing Along With Me is fine for a light listen and really I should appreciate that more. Take more time to stop and swing the tunes, to let the world swing by and all that sort of swing.

    Will have to take another swing at it and post back.
     
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  20. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    You forgot Ring(-a-Ding-Ding-)o.
     
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  21. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff Thread Starter

    Oh, Bob.......Is that the (Pete) Best you could do?? ;)

    EDIT:
    "Maybe the Ring-a-Ding Dingo ate your baby."
    Screen shot 2013-01-25 at 2.57.17 AM.jpg
     
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  22. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff Thread Starter

  23. rangerjohn

    rangerjohn Forum Resident

    Location:
    chicago, il
    Beautiful work on the page, Matt.

    I had no idea that the EOTC version was a remix and not just a remaster. Even though I own it as part of the Reprise Years individual album box, I never listened to it, wrongfully assuming that the MFSL vinyl of the album was the best that the stereo version was ever going to sound. But this remix is quite nice, if louder than the other versions I know. But much of the harshness in tone has been eliminated.

    Thanks again!
     
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  24. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    Here's another little bit of trivia about the differences (non-musical) between the 1989 and 1999 (EOTC) CDs:

    While both have the "Swing Along with Me" title on the front cover, the orignal CD has "Sinatra Swings" on the jewel case spine and disc label (as well as the Reprise logo at the top right of the front cover). The later edition (produced by Gregg Geller with 20-bit mastering by Lee Herschberg) reverts to the "Swing Along with Me" title on the spine/label (and drops the front logo).

    BTW, the latest (2009) reissue by UMG in the EU has the identical audio and text as the '99 EOTC version. None of the three CDs includes any liner notes to speak of. Warner/Reprise certainly didn't go out of its way in presenting this album on compact disc.
     
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  25. paulmock

    paulmock Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hollywood, CA
    Precisely, my dear man! There are times when one must just LET GO of all of his/her audio inhibitions, give up the headphones, drop a CD in the tray or an LP on the platter, crank up the volume and just ENJOY THE MUSIC!!!! I swear to you that when I played this LP night before last I was boppin' around the apartment while mixing martinis and getting din-din ready. I even dared to sing along for a bit (much to the disturbance of my poor Bingo & Jake!!!). And ya know what???? IT WAS FUN!!!! After a long day it helped me relax and let go. And, after all, isn't that what this should all be about? ENJOYMENT!!! I will bet you if you had asked Mr. S about this record back in '62 or so he'd have told you it wasn't meant to be fine art or a masterpiece of any sort. It was meant to enjoy for fun at a party where maybe you could dance to a tune or two and just have a swingin' time listening to the rest. NO AUDIO MAGNIFYING GLASSES REQUIRED!

    To those of you here who continue to chew on and rip the sound of this album, do what I did the other night (maybe minus the singing and one less martini :uhhuh:) just put it on the ol' hi fi and drop your sonic inhibitions for about 35 or 40 minutes and LET GO and enjoy the damn thing!

    P.S. What was in my coffee this morning???????:doh:
     
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