Sinatra / Capitol Sound Quality, etc.: "Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely" (1958)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by MLutthans, Feb 20, 2010.

  1. MLutthans

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

    I'm just getting started on this one, but a page with some mono samples is now available. Of course, stereo LPs and CDs will be following soon.

    If anybody has some nice mono clips they would like to share, please PM me.

    Page one can be found here, and as always, comments are welcomed!

    Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely - 1958 »
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2016
    Sim2, Rob Hughes, Rickchick and 2 others like this.
  2. rangerjohn

    rangerjohn Forum Resident

    Location:
    chicago, il
    Wonderful, Matt! I've been waiting eagerly for you to post this. Thanks so much. Can't wait to read on.
     
  3. DJ WILBUR

    DJ WILBUR The Cappuccino Kid

    another award winning hoffman thread Matt, your samples and lively commentary are a gas to read and listen to...I may have something to contribute, lemme rummage around...
     
  4. Evan L

    Evan L Beatologist

    Location:
    Vermont
    The best FS LP for me......

    Evan
     
    Price.pittsburgh and funknik like this.
  5. rangerjohn

    rangerjohn Forum Resident

    Location:
    chicago, il
    One of the best LPs of all time, period.
     
  6. Greg1954

    Greg1954 New Member

    Location:
    .
    Out of the MFSL LP/CD mono copies, I like the LP, it's more natural and open sounding.

    The D29 pressing, under the surface noise, is quite good, it has more of the 'puff of life' than the MFSL. If it was in clean undamaged condition, perhaps it'd be my favorite.

    Looking forward to the stereo samples, and see of there are any good complete stereo versions beyond the Walsh CD, which pretty much stinks. This album does sound good in stereo, I prefer it that way, added tape hiss besides.
     
    guitarman1969 likes this.
  7. MLutthans

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

    If any of you guys happens to have a 9 o'clock rainbow label stereo pressing or a gray-label US mono pressing, could you PM me? (Sorry to come begging, but I'd like to include these on the sample pages I'm working on.)

    Thanks,
    Matt
     
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  8. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey
    Gray label, really? A U.S. pressing? I'd like to see a picture, if possible.
     
  9. AaronW

    AaronW Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Martin, me too! Especially since my vertical text rainbow-label is N1#2 for side 1 and N2 for side 2. This has to be a Japanese, Canadian or British copy if it's a gray label...
     
  10. SCOTT1234

    SCOTT1234 Senior Member

    Location:
    Scotland
    The D-29 mono was my copy. It's not a grey label. I'll double check at lunchtime but fairly sure it is left logo with vertical text.

    I went back and checked the PM I had received from Scott, and it does not specify gray-label, so I will fix that on my site. (He offered "a D29 US mono, UK gray label" and something else in the list, and I let my own senility show through.)

    Matt
     
  11. MLutthans

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

    There are some posts about gray-label pressings going that high (D28 and higher) in this thread:

    http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?p=5214107

    but, of course, that album came out earlier in the gray-label era, so there was more time to work the numbers up to that point.

    Matt
     
  12. Evan L

    Evan L Beatologist

    Location:
    Vermont
    Wasn't the story that Capitol tried a new brand of tape for the recording of this album, making it much more hissy than usual?

    Evan
     
  13. fortherecord

    fortherecord Senior Member

    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    All the early pressings/copies I've seen of For Only The Loney were with the black 9 0'clock rainbow label. And don't all the early stereo pressing have phase issues? I think the whole album was mastered with the stereo channels out of phase.
     
  14. MLutthans

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

    Yes, supposedly 3M supplied Capitol with some new 1/2" tape formulation that didn't quite agree with their machines. It has always seemed odd to me that 1.) they wouldn't try out the new tape on a couple of lower-profile sessions first, and 2.) nobody would have said, "Geez, this new stuff is pretty hissy, so maybe we should get some more of the old stuff."
     
  15. Sneaky Pete

    Sneaky Pete Flat the 5 and That’s No Jive

    Location:
    NYC USA
    I have an old Capitol LP that I picked up used. It is mono and clean it sounds pretty good. I just got the MFSL gold CD and it is excellent. The sound is very warm and liquid.

    This is one of my favorite Sinatra lps, it is tied for first place along with Songs for Swingin' Lovers
     
  16. MLutthans

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

    I've added a link to a video about Frank's recording of "Lush Life" that was (apparently) intended for this album. It's at the bottom of the page, here.

    Matt
     
  17. MLutthans

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

    Also, I'm sorry to bring up a couple of old issues from this thread:

    http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/archive/index.php/t-119546.html

    ....but 1.) Have we resolved whether or not (for sure!) gray label domestic copies exist, and 2.) Exactly when the stereo LP came out. On my site you may have seen the blurb from Billboard announcing that the stereo issue would be out in November of '58.

    And a new topic: Does anybody have the 4-track tape? Does it include all 12 songs in stereo, or just the usual 10?

    And another new topic: I know that the first stereo album to contain all 12 songs in stereo was the 1976 British Issue, re-titled "One for My Baby," but were "It's a Lonsome Old Town" or "Spring is Here" ever issued in stereo on a compilation album prior to 1976? I don't think so, but I'd like to confirm.

    Matt
     
  18. jabbo5150

    jabbo5150 Forum Resident

    +1. I didn't think a gray label for this existed
     
  19. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    "It's a Lonesome Old Town," no other issues.

    "Spring Is Here" was on SINGS RODGERS AND HART (W 1825) in 1963. (See here.) I don't know if that LP had a true stereo issue. In the US, there was a Duophonic version (DW 1825), but I also see listings for SW 1825 in Great Britain and Australia. The track also appeared on some other stereo LPs (e.g. Capitol-Pickwick JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS), but I'm not sure about dates for those.
     
  20. rollerphant

    rollerphant New Member

    Location:
    Abilene, TX
    Really. To my ears, the mono wins hands down. The stereo does have the advantage of making Frank sound like he's very lonely in that big old empty soundstage (IMHO).
     
  21. MLutthans

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

    Only two CD versions out there, as the UK box set uses the Walsh, so it's Walsh & Norberg, and that's it. There are some good stereo LPs, though, which will be on the site soon.

    Matt
     
  22. Greg1954

    Greg1954 New Member

    Location:
    .
    That could be part of it, I like that slightly cavernous sound on Frank, in this music..

    Also, Nelson Riddle's masterwork orchestrations are rendered more effectively. Instrumental textures more apparent.
     
  23. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey

    Stereo version only. I'm guessing that the stereo version's secondary status may have contributed to not rejecting the tape stock. Still, it's ridiculous...
     
  24. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey

    It might be correct - it's probably not far off if not. I have two copies with the oldest version of the stereo banner across the top - the one that says CAPITOL STEREO RECORD - THE FULL SPECTRUM OF SOUND, all in the same size, plain text. Later, they typeset changed, "RECORD" was removed, and "STEREO" was made large and bold. One copy is an original, the other is a 2nd - no idea if the cover was swapped on that, or an older one was paired with it originally.
     
  25. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey

    Thank you...
     

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