Please answer the following questions: How did General Publishing Group know a demand was there for Nancy's coffee-table book An American Legend? How did Eagle Rock Entertainment know a demand was there for Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All bluray? How did Capitol know a demand for World On A String box-set was there? How did Thames & Hudson know a demand was there for Pignone's Sinatra 100 volume? How did UMe know a demand was there for reprinting facsimiles of Sinatra's original albums? How did Sony Legacy know a demand for A Voice On Air 1935-1955 set was there? How did Shout Factory! know a demand for Sinatra: New York box-set was there? How did Reprise know a demand was there for Sinatra: Vegas and Sinatra: London ? How did Sony-Legacy know a demand was there for A Voice In Time 1939-1952 ? How did Shout Factory! know a demand for The Concert Collection DVD box-set was there? How Little Brown & Co. publishers know a demand for Nancy's and Tina's and Jr's The Family Album was there? How did Eagle Vision Media know a demand was there for all the Sinatra concerts and specials they've been releasing on DVD? How did Reprise know the Standing Room Only set would sell a single copy? What made Reprise think anyone would buy a $500+ trunk of The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings? How did Capitol know The Complete Singles Collection would sell back in 1996? Frank Sinatra has been selling records for a long time. That's all the proof one needs. Anyone who demands proof of the proof can't be reasoned with and shouldn't be allowed to make business decisions. A hit singles collection is a hit singles collection because the singles are hits. The current singles collections are old, old, old masters in out-of-print packages. The Sinatra family puts out what interests them and ignores what doesn't. If they want to upgrade the singles collection -- and it needs to be remastered from the original tapes -- they'll do it. But the decision has nothing to do with whether or not a demand is there.
Can't answer for Capitol or SONY. However UMe has 100% last voice in what they produce. Sinatra Family sold all rights when they joined on. Look at what happened to Bing's catalog. It was doing very well with well-produced CD reissues coming out on a semi-regular basis. Once the Crosby people signed over to UMe and their bean counters evaluated everything, the flow for new productions has stopped COLD. It's very hard for some people who are Sintaraphiles to accept that Mr. S's popularity and sales are currently in a decline. It happens to all deceased entertainers.
I totally agree Paul. Those of us who read and post in the Sinatra threads really want more releases, better remixes, and superior mastering. However, the reality is Frank Sinatra recordings are not selling like hotcakes. I went back and looked for this post, by DJ Wilber, that appeared in The Concert Sinatra thread when Concord released the remixed CD (I remembered it because it was so depressing). The first week sales report (from Soundscan) pretty much says it all: regional first week sales breakdown... Northeast 25 Middle Atlantic 182 East North Central 38 West North Central 15 South Atlantic 45 South Central 18 Mountain 19 Pacific 66 These are not encouraging sales figures no matter how you look at it, but I'm sure other releases do better.
Well Paul, I'm one of the 182 in the Mid Atlantic, and I'm still regretting it (and my ears still hurt from listening to it)!
I was one in the mid Atlantic at the time. My ears almost bled. First cd I almost threw away. But kept it in case it’s worth something in my will.
If Frank made an objection re the session material on those releases, they would not have been issued with it.
I personally think FSE and UMG/WB should be focussing on digital-only releases go forward. It carries far less overhead (the production, shipping and inventory involved with physical units incurs a whole hell of a lot more risk) and they can provide various fidelity options for the Audiophile crowd if they so choose. There is a TON of material sitting in the vault -- especially live concerts recorded in the '60s that have yet to see any official release. A digital-only release (as Capitol did with Bobby Darin's remaining catalogue) gets it out there (most important) and allows them to take greater chances with more 'niche' Sinatra concerts and unreleased recordings. The raw sessions from the latter Capitol and Reprise years are fascinating masterclasses into the art of (analog) recording and creating a fully-realized vocal performance. I'm not saying FSE would necessarily sign off on this -- but given the millennial fascination with hearing isolated/studio multi-tracks (Freddie Mercury's raw sessions for example) this could be a compelling new 'in' for Sinatra as a true 20th century 'master'. I'm still holding out that those '65 summer concerts with Basie get some kind of release...as we know that at least one or two of them were professionally captured by Sinatra's team!
I thought the point of diminishing returns had been reached (and breached) long ago, but since that hasn't prevented many new releases and packages and repackages it shouldn't be any different for the unreleased material. Again, it comes down to personal interest of the people in control. I seriously doubt if Sinatra would approve of releasing his creative process -- sessions. He worked hard to perfect a song, even when it came easy, it came easy through craftsmanship. He wanted us to experience the finished, perfected expression the way he experienced it. If his recording sessions are to be released with various outtakes and alternates etc it should be in limited editions, perhaps for subscribers, but not sold generally to the masses. I realizes the contradictions and conflicting points of view inherent in the statement but I'm sticking with it. Personally, I could listen to Sinatra working out a song all day long. It would be a pleasure to mine ears. I know some of you feel the same way. The administrators of Sinatra's music who control what is released or not -- they've been the largest part of the problem as well as the blessing. I'll refrain from expressing any further views on them.
FWIW, Tony Bennett shares that same feeling. He has vehemently denied any "session material" to be released. Only time was for a Harold Arlen special where a recording session was filmed and an alternate take of a song was used.
It all depends...certainly singers/musicians have raw material that is best kept archived only, due to it being meh, unflattering, etc., but there can also be recordings that can serve to further illuminate their work and their artistry.
It does. I can see the merit for some artists, such as the Beatles, where they are developing, essentially, new music. It seems different, though, with Sinatra in that so much of his work was in the presentation.
I've listened to gobs of outtakes. It hasn't diminished my view of Sinatra's work one iota. As far as I can tell, he came into the studio ready to mold the recording into whatever he wanted it to be, and he stuck to his guns and made very good decisions "on the fly." For instance, Nelson's arrangement of Angel Eyes initially had a little woodwind intro prior to the first sweep of strings leading into the vocal line. Frank (well....somebody....and my money's on Frank, based on other outtakes where the studio dialogue is preserved) opted to jettison that intro and just get straight to the meat of the verse, and the recording is better for it. He had incredible musical instinct in-studio, and he put that to great use.
I completely agree. My favorite that I like to point out in these types of discussion is the way Mr. S "worked his way" into "Summer Wind". FANTASTIC!
@MLutthans 100% agree! Many years ago Barry Manilow (I KNOW! I KNOW!) was on Larry King Live! in a group discussion with others (including Miss Nancy) re: The Sinatra Legacy. Nancy vented about the bootleg session material circulating for decades. Barry politely told Nancy that he had listened to some of the tapes over the years and found them to be brilliant (as you have so perfectly spelled out) and explained why. She got all huffy and was not at ALL pleased with Barry's praises of said material.
I would agree that in listening to all of those session tapes, at no point is Frank's legacy as a master interpreter (and technician!) of the American songbook ever diminished by his own process. In fact, in every case, it made me appreciate his instincts all the more -- and in certain cases, made me wonder why they went with Take 6 instead of Take 1! He's a remarkable talent whose process would be invaluable for younger artists (and aficionados alike) to hear. It's amazing to hear how Frank shapes and refines even the finest arrangements into real masterpieces...whether it's thinning excess writing, locking in the right tempo or deciding at the end it's simply not worth pursuing (Lush Life, Have You Met Miss Jones...)
Just wanted to ask: when did we confirm that the first recording of Angel Eyes would be released in this set?
By diminished, I had meant that too much dissection might not be a good thing. I do understand how others may disagree.
I have a question about the Ultimate Sinatra 2 LP set. Another newbie question. Are any of the tracks remixed on this LP? I have the Trilogy LP and the Theme From New York New York sounds like it’s a different mix.
Different mix. See this post in a VERY long thread: New "Ultimate Sinatra" collections coming April 21, 2015 (post #608)
