Nat King Cole THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU SACD/45rpm from Analogue Productions

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by keoki82, Jan 28, 2012.

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  1. keoki82

    keoki82 Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Edmonton
    I did a thread search but couldn't find one dedicated to this particular album in the set of the Analogue Productions reissues. Is it overlooked? Thanks to Steve & Kevin's attention to detail, this is fast becoming one of my all-time favourite albums, and my favourite in the set after NKC Story.

    I haven't purchased the SACD with the mono mixes but I have a question about the mixing on the 45rpm. I do, however, have an original EMI mono pressing to compare to, which is why I opted for the vinyl copy of the reissue.

    On 3 of the selections, the mixing sounds very different from the rest of the album. This makes me wonder if these songs were all recorded at a single session which featured a different open mike arrangement for the stereo console. These are the songs:

    MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION
    CHERIE, I LOVE YOU
    CHERCHEZ LA FEMME
    DON'T BLAME ME

    The rhythm section is far more apparent, so much so that it seems to "boom forth" in the center image along with Nat's vocals, which makes it sound more like the closed mike mix. I'm wondering if the engineers were using a different setup on the open mikes the day these tracks were cut, or if perhaps they realized there was difficultly capturing the rhythm section, and did a split feed on the closed mikes from the percussion?

    I'd love to discuss this.
     
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  2. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Original recording engineer put the rhythm on the vocal channel, too loud. Don't let it bother you too much..
     
  3. keoki82

    keoki82 Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Interesting. So does that mean on the 3-track layer of the SACD, the percussion plays through the center channel with Nat's vocal on these selections?
     
  4. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Yup. Should be four songs.

    Why just on those I have NO idea.
     
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  5. apileocole

    apileocole Lush Life Gort

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  6. keoki82

    keoki82 Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Interesting. Was this a stopgap measure to deal with the open mike problems of the time? That would suggest the Capitol engineers were aware of the unsatisfactory spot pick-ups by the time this album was being cut...

    Unfortunate they only did this on four tracks of the album. I like it when an entire album has consistent sonics, although it doesn't bother me so much. It's still a lovely piece of work.
     
  7. My favorite of the Gordon Jenkins trilogy Steve mastered with Kevin Gray for AP...especially love Nat's rendition of Jenkins' "This Is All I Ask"!!!:love:
     
  8. apileocole

    apileocole Lush Life Gort

    Perhaps the rhythm was positioned closer to Nat on those numbers? Either to be more prominent in the presentation of the arrangement or for Nat to hear. Therefore being picked up more on his mic.
     
  9. keoki82

    keoki82 Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Edmonton

    Blissfully lovely says it perfectly.

    Stranger still that these selections spanned two of the album sessions...with the difference in sonics, one would imagine they would have been cut in the same day.

    The fourth Steve is DON'T BLAME ME, now that I'm listening to it....
     
  10. keoki82

    keoki82 Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Edmonton
    These 4 tracks were the first two cut on May 6 & 8th, according to the master numbers. Interesting...
     
  11. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Odd, ain't it? Drove me mad that I couldn't control the level of the rhythm! I assumed all four were cut at the same time with the same patched in set up.

    Apile, you sure the discography is right?
     
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  12. keoki82

    keoki82 Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Edmonton
    What's even stranger is that the opening viola solo on THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE was captured perfectly in the stereo presentation. Had this cut been done earlier, say for inclusion on LOVE IS THE THING, we probably wouldn't hear it so well. Clearly the engineers were aware of the problem and were beginning to experiment on how to remedy the situation.
     
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  13. keoki82

    keoki82 Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Gorts, please edit my initial post to include DON'T BLAME ME in the list of songs that have a different mix.
     
  14. apileocole

    apileocole Lush Life Gort

    The overall sonic character is consistent though, tonally etc, in spite of variations in placements. It's interesting (well to a sound geek like me) how distinct the sound is compared to the other two Jenkins albums recorded in the same studio just a few years in each direction. Strange to say but it sounds subtly softer and creamier and that perfectly suits the creative intent.
     
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  15. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    On the mono versions of these four songs, the rhythm parts are not boosted at all, much quieter than the stereo.

    Ah well, a nice album..

    We played THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE when we got married at the ceremony when we each entered. I remember compressing the crap out of the song so it could be heard at the ceremony over the speakers..
     
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  16. keoki82

    keoki82 Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Edmonton
    I agree, Nat's take on THIS IS ALL I ASK is breathtaking, although my favourite performance of this tune is still - don't laugh - Burl Ives' version. I think he left a piece of his heart behind in his delivery...or maybe it's just because he was a brilliant actor.

    Jenkins' arrangement is superior, however. Should be, since it's his tune!
     
  17. apileocole

    apileocole Lush Life Gort

    ^ Truly, a labor of love. :angel:
     
  18. John Krauss really did a whale of a job recording Nat's albums in 3-channel stereo and mono simultaneously, then mixing the 3-channels into 2 for the final stereo releases...I miss the simplicity of technique from those bygone days...:sigh:
     
  19. keoki82

    keoki82 Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Edmonton
    I agree. This must be why THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU is fast becoming my favourite of the three COLE/JENKINS albums. There is a silky, creamy, velvety tone that sparkles on these selections that the other two albums don't quite capture as well.
     
  20. keoki82

    keoki82 Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Edmonton

    Will it interest you to know that I'd like IF I MAY to be my wedding song? Does that mean I'll have to compress it too? :(
     
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  21. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Better compress it or most of it will be under the noise level of the room. I totally squashed THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE and it still sounded great. Of course I felt like I was walking to the gallows but that's another story. Wink.
     
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  22. apileocole

    apileocole Lush Life Gort

    Won't laugh; Burl Ives was a unique talent. I do wish he often had better arrangements on the pop stuff.

    It's a pity they left Don't Blame Me and There Is No Greater Love off originally as they are perfectly on par. Think I just might have chosen two others to drop if it had to be. Nat was obviously fond of Don't Blame Me, having had it as a staple back in the Trio years and recording it a number of times then, again instrumentally for Penthouse Serenade and finally as a vocal with orchestra ballad here.
     
  23. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    The original programming had THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE as the kickoff song, Side one, cut one, hence the cello intro, same as WHEN I FALL IN LOVE on Love Is The Thing..
     
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  24. It would have been a real headache for cutting engineers to cram 14 songs running 56 minutes into a single 33 RPM LP...especially without compromising the tonal fidelity and dynamics of the stereo mix on a 45/45 cutting lathe back in 1959...I'm just glad Steve and Kevin didn't have to make those compromises with their remasterings for Analogue Productions when they got their hands on the original session reels for this project!!!:cheers:
     
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  25. keoki82

    keoki82 Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Not to get off-topic but the best arrangements for Burl's pop stuff was BURL'S BROADWAY from (I'm guessing 1967?). Decca DL-74876. The orchestra was directed by Charles Albertine instead of Owen Bradley, and it's apparent. A very moving album.
     
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