Sinatra / Capitol Sound Quality and General Discussion: "Nice 'n' Easy" - 1960*

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by MLutthans, Jun 19, 2010.

  1. MLutthans

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

    Just for the sake of thoroughness, I'm posting here that Old Coder sent a clip of the 1988 CD to me, and I can confirm that the 1988 and 1991 masterings are identical for the album "proper." Of course, the 1991 disc has bonus tracks, while the 1988 does not.

    Matt
     
  2. aoxomoxoa

    aoxomoxoa I'm an ear sitting in the sky

    Location:
    USA
    So what is the skinny on the 3 different MFSL LP's? Which one is best? Is this the only time MOFI did the same title 3 times?
     
  3. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Matt,

    I really like the 7 1/2 IPS early duplication 4 track reel tape. Just wish I owned one. The UK Capitol Rainbow LP is excellent.
     
  4. MLutthans

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

    Are there any photos from the sessions for this album?

    Plus:


    No, but it's a pretty rare occurrence. From my site:
    There may be others, too, but those are the ones that come to mind.
     
  5. MLutthans

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

    Earlier today, I picked up a 1980's Capitol pressing mastered by John LeMay. Three clips can be heard about 4/5ths of the way down this page.

    Matt

    EDIT: Due to a technical snafu on my part, one of the clips was in mono. It's now posted in stereo.
     
  6. rxcory

    rxcory proud jazz band/marching band parent

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Gave my MFSL CD another spin this evening. It's the only copy of this album that I own so far, but is such a great listen. Is it known who mastered this release? Looks like neither this nor the MFSL Only The Lonely mono CD list mastering credits.
     
  7. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    At the time of the original release (2008), it was mentioned somewhere here that Shawn Britton and Rob LoVerde were involved in the mastering of the two Gold CDs. Shawn posted on the Sinatra Family Forum, but he did not confirm his specific role in the productions, if I recall correctly.
     
  8. rxcory

    rxcory proud jazz band/marching band parent

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    I pulled out all my recent MFSL CDs and SACDs and they all listed either Shawn or Rob for mastering, except these two Sinatra gold CDs. Seems kind of odd.
     
  9. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    There was much speculation at the time, but the story was that it was a contractual issue: Capitol insisted on NO CHANGE to the packaging artwork and text other than the "Original Master Recording" banner. See this post.

    Nevertheless, MoFi did add recording dates on the insides of the mini-LP gatefold sleeves, and they made mistakes on both issues. It was claimed by some "in the know" that MFSL was sufficiently irked by the label's restrictions that we would never see another MoFi release of Capitol Sinatra. It took a few years, but obviously (and thankfully) that did not last.
     
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  10. DLant

    DLant The Upstate Gort Staff

    Location:
    Albany, NY
    I just ordered my copy of MoFi's gold disc of Nice 'N' Easy. I'm really looking forward to it.
     
  11. MLutthans

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

  12. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    That's exactly what it is. Split out of the box set, CAPITOL RECORDS CONCEPT ALBUMS. The absence of a bar code on the sleeve is the giveaway for these.
     
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  13. MLutthans

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

    Are there any sort of copyright notices on there? I didn't notice any on the Ebay photos. Seems very odd, considering the rampant, anal-retentive copyright fights that go on these days.
     
  14. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    Yes, of course. Just below the photo on the back cover, the fine print reads:

    "(P)1999 ©2004 Capitol Records, Inc. Manufactured by Capitol Records, Inc., 1750 Vine Street, Hollywood, CA 90028. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws. Printed in the U.S.A."
     
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  15. James_S888

    James_S888 Forum Resident

    would have been a mega cool issue.
    I'd go for it :)
    My turntable runs at 78 rpm...
    Any chance of getting a couple of old sinatras done at 78??
     
  16. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    None whatsoever.
     
    MMM likes this.
  17. James_S888

    James_S888 Forum Resident

    I like the 1983 Mo Fi box set!! For the most part :)
     
  18. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    The early duplication 4 track is my reference standard on this LP. The best I have heard this one.
     
  19. MLutthans

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

    Very nice sounding tape, yes, indeed.
     
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  20. Sneaky Pete

    Sneaky Pete Flat the 5 and That’s No Jive

    Location:
    NYC USA
    I just picked up the 1991 Walsh version with the extra tracks. I got it for $1.00 at a Thrift Store. Thanks to this thread I was able to verify that it was not a Norberg. I am so pleased with the sound I wanted to say thank you!

    I only had an old used copy of the Capitol LP, for some reason I haven't bought that much Sinatra on CD. After listening to this beautiful CD straight through couple of times I'm afraid I've got to get the MFSL. This music is sublime.
     
  21. MLutthans

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

    Very different flavors (the original mix vs. the Walsh) -- both with their own pros and cons, sound-wise.

    Too bad the whole album hasn't been remixed like portions were for the 3-CD The Capitol Years set, but aingonnahappen.
     
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  22. Sneaky Pete

    Sneaky Pete Flat the 5 and That’s No Jive

    Location:
    NYC USA
    I do have that three CD set and I love it. That has been fulfilling most of my Sinatra on CD needs.

    I did buy the MFSL of Sings for Only the Lonely. That is a great sounding disc. Oh yeah I also have the first CD release of Songs for Swinging Lovers. But for an artist like Sinatra that is a pretty bare bones selection.
     
  23. tlake6659

    tlake6659 Senior Member

    Location:
    NJ
    Sorry can't get into the scorecard. Is the UK CD or the MFSL CD preferred?
     
  24. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    Capitol Walsh CD: "Good, but odd (Remixed from 3-track tapes.)"

    Capitol Norberg CD: "Avoid"

    UK 1998 CD: "Basically good, but thin sounding."

    MFSL 2008: "Excellent. The Gold CD version is the best of the 4 CD masterings."
     
  25. MLutthans

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

    OK, this has been on my mind for years (I've mentioned it before) -- can we actually talk about this and try to figure it out?

    As we know, the song Nice 'n' Easy was recorded prior to [EDIT -- make that AFTER -- thx, Martin] the tracks that became the Nice 'n' Easy album. At some point, the song The Nearness of You was removed from the album, and the song Nice 'n' Easy was put in its place, becoming the title track for the newly-retitled album. The song Nice 'n' Easy appeared as a mono single before [EDIT: After -- thx, Bob] the album Nice 'n' Easy ever came out, but it had no pre-album stereo release to my knowledge.

    We all know that soupy stereo mix that is on all 12 songs on the Nice 'n' Easy stereo LP. The album was remixed, with less soup, by Larry Walsh in the late 80s, and IIRC, the song was remixed again (nicely dry) by Walsh/Furmanek for The Capitol Years set in 1990.

    ....but there's this niggling little LP release from 1986 in the UK called The Frank Sinatra Collection, with notes by a man we all admire, Alan Dell.

    162126_1_f.jpg R-2562976-1337519131-9117.jpeg
    (I'm not sure which was the true "first run" cover. The SMALL HOURS-style cover was apparently from a mail-order version of the album, which I think came later. Anybody know for sure?)

    The lead-off song on this 1986 LP collection, reissued a year later on CD in the UK, Japan, Canada (with the gray cover), and perhaps elsewhere, is Nice 'n' Easy, and it's a (to my knowledge) unique mix, at least on the Canadian CD issue that I have from 1987. (I don't have the original UK LP.) Interesting to note that for songs from Sings for Only the Lonely, this 1987 Canadian CD version of the comp is reusing the freshly-issued (or maybe not-even-issued-yet) Walsh remixes.

    Lest you think this (the song Nice 'n' Easy) was a mix done in 1987 for CD release, I can tell you that the song Nice 'n' Easy was also issued, in this unique mix of which I speak, on a simultaneously-released-with-the-UK-LP (1986, not 1987) UK 12" 45 RPM single, b/w "Come Fly with Me" and "One for My Baby," with a very Columbia-ish catalogue number, #12CL426 EDIT: That part was incorrect. See post later in thread.
    Frank-Sinatra-Nice-N-Easy-115630-991.jpg [​IMG]
    ...which I also have, and on a 7" 45 RPM single, backed with "Come Fly with Me," #CL426, which I don't have:
    Unknown-5.jpeg
    IIRC, the 1986 12" single uses the original mix of "One for My Baby," not the Walsh remix (which didn't exist yet) -- a difference from the 1987 Canadian The Frank Sinatra Collection CD, where the Walsh remix is used.

    Here's a clip, sourced from the CD (the single mastering is superior [EDIT: but it's from a different mix -- see next page], but the CD is convenient), that falls within the iTunes window: https://app.box.com/s/wqi9flv5g42foqfar0b3

    I have a hard time believing that a new mixdown from the 3-track tapes would be created for release on a UK comp or single, but stranger things have happened, I guess. Any chance this drier mix appeared in some oddball place, like a late 60's "Best of" set or something? I would think its origins have to be with some sort of USA release, either one that came to fruition but flies under the radar, or maybe there was a planned stereo release -- apart from the Nice 'n' Easy LP -- that was planned and then ditched when the LP took its new form.

    One more thing: The "1986 [EDIT: make that 1987] mix" commits that cardinal sin of stereo mixing: violins on the right, which is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, today, tomorrow, and always.

    Thoughts??
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2018
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