Nat King Cole LP question

A couple good scoops for LPs today... I got a mint copy of an LP called "Nat King Cole and the Nat King Cole Trio." It's on MFP (Music for Pleasure) which was EMI's mid-price range. The cover was printed in Holland (laminated flip-back style cover) and the LP was manufactured in Germany (MFP 5004). The front cover says "Stereo/Mono" but, I've just listened to the first side and it all sounded mono. No difference with the mono switch in. Tracks include Just You, Just Me / Don't Blame Me / For All We Know... Guest soloists include Stuff Smith (violin), Willie Smith (alto sax) and Juan Tizol (valve trombone).

Anybody know the vintage of this LP? I'm guessing mid-60s.

Cheers,
Chris

 

I don't know about the vintage of the album itself, but the pressing has to be around 1969 or later, since it has stereo/mono designations, and that would NOT have happened in Europe before 1969, as until then most pressings--including compilations, where applicable--had mono and stereo editions, and didn't mix and match and say so(at least, no pre-'69 import I've ever come across that's a 1st press). Definitely a reissue, however, as the King Cole Trio, obviously, recorded only in mono. If I'm wrong, gang, correct me.

Be thankful, Chris, what you're hearing IS mono; rechannelings in the US for such material were all too common starting in the early '60s, and kept going on for quite a long time until the digital age, when the fixation on authentic sound quality(however brief that might have been)mandated pure mono for the most part.

ED

 

Thanks for the info, Ed. (Why did I know you'd be the first to reply?) I was quite pleased to hear the sound in mono. It didn't say anything about being reprocessed so, I'm glad they didn't mess with it. (Gotta love that reprocessed sound on the old Pink Floyd "Relics" album with the bouncing "Arnold Layne" etc...) Other Nat King Cole LPs that I own are all mono pressings so, I didn't think this would be stereo.

Also picked up a mono UK pressing of a Burt Bacharach LP today, as well. It's called "Hitmaker!" and it's on London (HA-R 8233). It's from 1965 and the catch phrase on the back cover says, "The sound and talent of 1966... here today!" Cool!

Cheers,
Chris

 

I believe this is a re-issue of a 1956 lp called "After Midnight", which re-united the Nat King Cole Trio along with guest musicians.

 

Chris,

I have a few Bacharach 45's from that period, while he was with Kapp(he didn't make it big as his own recording artist until he signed with A&M, and even that was sleeper-status), but no Kapp Lp's. I will guess that might be where HITMAKER! comes from. I'd like to find a stereo version of that album, just to hear the arrangements...

Does the label list the Lp's US origin? Most UK vinyl at the time did.

ED

 

Ed,

Yes, this is Kapp material. On the front cover, there is the London logo with the Kapp logo next to it. On the label, under the "London Long Playing" text it says "American Series." On the left side of the label, it says "Recorded by Kapp Records, New York."

I have a Canadian stereo pressing of "Burt Bacharach Plays His Hits" (Kapp KS-3577). It is not a direct copy of that LP but some tracks do overlap. The quotes on the back of Canadian LP (from Marlene Dietrich, Anthony Newley, Dusty Springfield etc...) are all also used on the British collection. However, the UK LP also contains notes by Mike Gross of Billboard magazine.

Cheers,
Chris

 

Looks like you are correct. I just searched a discography and found a CD called "Complete After Midnight Sessions" listed. That's the stuff! Thanks!

Cheers,
Chris