Sinatra / Capitol 1984 "Alan Dell" LPs - Differences Between UK/Dutch/Spanish/Australian Pressings*

[Introductory notes from @MLutthans, Oct. 29, 2015: As many Sinatra fans know, in 1984 and '85, EMI in the UK released a series of LPs from Sinatra's 1953-1962 Capitol era, all digitally remastered and featuring new liner notes by British media personality Alan Dell. The series included all of Sinatra's Capitol "concept" LPs, plus five 1950s/1960s compilation LPs, and was released concurrently in the Netherlands (with the possible exception of the two This is Sinatra compilations). The UK releases were standard lacquer-cut LPs, while the Dutch series consisted of DMM pressings, probably cut in Germany, since EMI in The Netherlands did not have DMM capabilities at that time.
The assumption, at least by me (and I suspect others), was that the UK and Dutch LPs were essentially clones of each other (DMM aside), and initial comparisons to the two editions of Close to You seemed to bear this out, but a few things began to change thinking on this issue. For instance, several of us did a blind comparison of several editions of Close to You, and the UK and Dutch versions certainly differed in terms of sound quality. (As it turns out, the DMM LP was the overall "BEST SOUND" winner amongst those doing the blind listening, beating out the UK and a handful of other LP releases.) Another blind-listening comparison was done between 5 or 6 stereo LP releases of Come Fly with Me, and again, the differences were quite noticeable. (This time, the UK version bested the DMM version overall.)

Right around the time of that blind listening test, I posted this very surprising message regarding one of the compilation LPs in the series:]

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Here's one that comes totally out of left field (or at least out of the Netherlands):

Today I received a copy of the "All the Way" album, released in 1984 in the Netherlands as "their version" (for lack of a better term) of the 1984 UK "Alan Dell" series. Same liner notes as the UK version, but in DMM pressings rather than the regular lacquer cuts in the UK.

Well, everything on the outside packaging looks similar to what I've seen before with these pressings from the Netherlands, and the liner notes talk about how most of the recordings were made in stereo, but Witchcraft and All the Way were done in 1957 in mono -- all the same notes as the UK counterpart. The 1984 UK LP is stereo, but this 1984 Dutch DMM edition is mono!



In the same shipment, I also received the 1984 DMM cut of "Sinatra Sings.....of Love and Things," and it, too, has a MONO label. I haven't played it yet, but I'll bet it's mono, too.

By the way, mono fans: I'm only on song #5 (well.....#11, because I'm playing side two first), but this is the most dynamic, open-sounding release the mono version of this album has ever had, period. If you like this album in mono, you want to find one of these.

Also, I was amazed to see that my copies of each album look (and play, based on the first tracks I'm hearing) as absolutely "factory new." There's not a spindle mark, no little scuffs on the vinyl. Absolutely stone-cold mint......and mono from 1984! I'm really stunned to discover this one.

The All the Way catalog info, if you want to track one down is:
1A 038 260179 1
Released in 1984 in the Netherlands (not UK -- that's a different version, despite shared cover art, notes, etc.)

 

I haven't A/Bd it, but they sound like the real mono LP mixes to me.

???????

Here's a clip from SLEEP WARM, if somebody can tell for sure:
https://app.box.com/s/59n1v0dnyr2rvwbn4qe3qy09oh5jk1ii

 

Regarding those 1984 Dutch LPs I received yesterday:

It's playing now, and it is mono, as predicted. Genuine mono mixes, not folds. (As with All the Way, everything on the sleeve indicates stereo, but the disc inside is mono, and labelled as such.)

Great, wide open (zero compression) mono sound. (Side note: I think the mono mixes on most of these tracks are better than the mono mixes on the All the Way LP, but YMMV.)

Catalog #1A 038 26 0178 1. (The UK version contains the same Alan Dell liner notes, but is stereo. This Dutch one is mono, and very nicely mastered.)

 

Waveform for I LOVE PARIS:

A 1960s Capitol mono LP of this album would never look anything like that. (...not to say that those LPs *sound* bad, but there'd some definite compression going on, unlike here.)

 

The only two that I have that are mono despite being originally available as mono and stereo LPs are All the Way and Sinatra Sings...of Love and Things, and I was absolutely gobsmacked to learn that those are mono LPs from 1984, especially since all the Alan Dell liner notes are intact, including all the praise for the stereo recording technology of the day.

I'm not staring at my LPs right, now, but I'm pretty sure that, from the stereo era, I also have Where Are You, Come Fly with Me, Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely, Come Dance with Me, Nice 'n' Easy, Sinatra's Swingin' Session, Come Swing with Me, and Point of No Return, and they are all stereo. I can confirm this later.

As far as "are they worth tracking down," it has become obvious that, despite being viewed as simple "other pressings" of the UK Dell LPs, the Dutch LPs are actually 100% independent masterings, and of generally high quality. For instance, in a blind listening test of four full-length tracks from several LP sources, the 1984 "Dell" Dutch Close to You LP was the top choice by a group of several of our best-and-brightest sets of ears around here. It's a very nice sounding LP. The 1984 Dutch (stereo) Where Are You was also very nice, but in the interest of full disclosure, I'll add that the 1984 Dutch A Swingin' Affair was on the dull side compared to other versions. I haven't spent much time with most of the 1984 Dutch LPs yet (I've only really started hunting them down over the past few months), but my general impression is that if you like the Dell LPs but think they are a hair bright, the Dutch versions may be just what the doctor ordered, as they are (generally) well mastered from excellent sources, and the treble is definitely less aggressive on the ones I've spun. The vinyl is also of excellent quality -- very, very quiet.

 

I think I've got all of them. As far as I know (and based on your discovery of that CFWM mono LP earlier today, that's a major qualifier), the only "concept" albums in the bunch that are in mono are (some copies of) Come Fly with Me and (at least my copy of) Come Dance with Me. There's also a circa 1980 Dutch non-DMM mono No One Cares that is not part of the same series, but nearly so, chronologically speaking.

IIRC, my 1984 Dutch DMM LP of Come Swing with Me reads MONO on the label, but plays stereo, and the 1984 Dutch DMM No One Cares also reads "MONO" on the label but plays stereo.

The Compilations All the Way and Sinatra Sings...Of Love and Things are in mono, as well.

PONR is stereo (on my copy). I'm not sure that I've ever played Swingin' Session, but I do have it, and can check.

They were clearly released as part of the same burst of activity, and use the same artwork (with different fine print for different factories, etc.), but the mastering indicates that they are not cut from the exact-same cloth where the audio is concerned.

I have previously raised the question of the existence of the two volumes of This is Sinatra, as I have yet to find one anywhere online.

 

I checked out my Dutch DMM LPs of Nice 'n' Easy and Sinatra's Swingin' Session, and both are stereo.

 

Did the Dell LPs get issued in Spain, as well? Looks like at least one did:
Frank Sinatra ‎– Songs For Swingin' Lovers ' LP N.MINT SPAIN PRESS 1985 »

 

Update:

Thanks to @mahanusafa02 and @TrueStory, we now know that there there are separate mono and stereo 1984 DMM LPs from Holland for Come Fly with Me, No One Cares, Nice 'n' Easy, and All the Way. The mono copies use the 1984 stereo covers AND use the same catalog numbers, so they are not easy to spot, but they are out there. (I personally own mono copies from this series of No One Cares and All the Way.)

Also:

Is it possible the answer has been in front of us all along? On the corresponding UK LPs, most of the LPs bear a 1984 date in the fine print, but This is Sinatra and This is Sinatra, Volume Two bear a 1985 date. Is it possible that these two were delayed at some step of production in the UK, and that time lag caused them to miss production in Holland????? Something odd happened to those two, as the catalog numbers had irregularities in the UK, as well.

 

Same.

 

Update on the stereo/mono Dutch releases, here: Sinatra / Capitol Sound Quality, etc.: "Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely" (1958) .

 

I had never seen these before, 18 LPs over two boxed volumes:

From Discogs, regarding volume one:

Just as no actual Dutch DMM copies of This is Sinatra and This is Sinatra, Volume Two seem to exist, so those two albums are missing from these Spanish releases.
Frank Sinatra - Capitol Years, Vol. 1
Frank Sinatra - Capitol Years, Vol. 2

 

@mahanusafa02 - - As you say, not surprising, but a very cool find, notwithstanding!

Actual mono mix, I assume?

 

Excellent post -- thank you!

One little nitpicky correction:

The UK Dell LP has those two songs in mono, not fake stereo.

This is a byproduct of the CRAZY situation in which, in 1984, EMI, released these in mono (by accident????), then switched over to stereo (as intended????), and DID NOT CHANGE THE CATALOG NUMBER when the changeover took place. Pressing plants live and breathe "organization via CATALOG NUMBERS" -- nothing else. When a stamper wears out for catalog number VVX-34763432-1B, and the new, replacement stamper comes along for catalog number VVX-34763432-1B, they replace it, but if the stamper for the other side of the record, i.e., catalog number VVX-34763432-1A, is still working just fine, it stays in use. When that one wears out, a new stamper is made. Now....had EMI in The Netherlands changed the catalog number, this would never have happened. The fact that the catalog number stayed the same tells me that the mono releases were probably not intentional, and when the mistake was caught, all those titles changed over to stereo.