Sinatra / Capitol Sound Quality (and general discussion): Singles, Soundtracks, Etc.

Many years ago, I authored threads at the Sinatra Family Forum containing session-by-session details, posted on the anniversary dates of the Capitol recordings. As best I can, I'll try to resurrect those posts here as appropriate to the discussion.

[ Unfortunately, some of the content has been moved or removed by the SFF admins or mods (along with my byline), and I no longer have editing privileges for my own contributions on the other website. So please excuse any broken links or missing photos. ]

This was my introduction to the SFF thread, The Early Capitol Days (or: 54 years ago TODAY, Frank recorded...), dated April 2, 2007...
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Somewhat over one year ago, I began a thread devoted to documenting each Frank Sinatra recording session, on its exact anniversary date, using a diary format:

FIFTY YEARS AGO TODAY, Frank Recorded...

An early post in that thread stated:

If I had been around and thought of this three years ago, we would have the Capitol recording history documented from its very start. Depending upon how this thread fares, I may go back and fill in the missing years at a later date. In the meantime, I think it is less confusing to stick with one time sequence, and fifty is a nice round number of years to consider.​

On this anniversary of Sinatra's FIRST Capitol recording session, I'm starting a similar thread as mentioned above. This one is devoted to the preceding years beginning in 1953. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep up with both threads, and—in four years time—we'll have a complete reference guide to the entire Capitol era.
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ON THIS DATE in 1953, Frank Sinatra had not been in a recording studio for more than six months. Since his final session for Columbia Records—the label he had joined as a solo vocalist a decade earlier—his future as a recording artist seemed uncertain. (See: September 17, 1952 - "Why Try To Change Me Now?")

Capitol Records, founded in 1942 by songwriters Johnny Mercer and Buddy DeSylva, and Hollywood businessman Glenn Wallichs, was not as established as Sinatra's former record company. His recently inked contract with Capitol was a tenuous venture for both Sinatra and the label. Frank's career was at a low point, as Capitol vice president Alan Livingston describes:

"Sinatra had hit bottom, and I mean bottom. He couldn't get a record contract, and he literally, at that point, could not get a booking in a nightclub. It was that bad—he was broke, and in a terrible state of mind. I received a call from Sam Weisbord, at the William Morris Agency, who told me that they'd signed Sinatra, and asked if I'd be interested in signing him. I said, 'Sure! His talent is still there . . .' And that's how he came to Capitol."​

Although Livingston had ideas of pairing FS with new arrangers (such as Nelson Riddle), Sinatra wanted to bring along his longtime Columbia arranger and trusted friend, Axel Stordahl, for this first session. At this point in time, Capitol's studio was located on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood (the former KHJ Radio studio). With this brief background, we enter that studio for Sinatra's first Capitol recordings, 54 years ago today...

 

Thursday, April 2, 1953

As was to become customary for FS in future years, it was an evening recording session at Capitol's KHJ Studios. From 8:30 to 11:30 p.m., four songs were recorded with orchestra conducted by Axel Stordahl. Three songs were arranged by Axel; the first was a Heinie Beau chart:

Lean Baby
(Music by Billy May; lyrics by Roy Alfred)
(Popularized in 1952 as an instrumental by the Billy May Orchestra)

Features alto sax solo by Ted Nash. Reminiscent of the pop material of the day, this tune was used for the B-side of Sinatra's first Capitol single. It reached #25 on the Billboard chart. It did not appear on LP until 1962, as an extra track on the expanded reissue of Swing Easy! (where it really didn't belong with the other standards).​

I'm Walking Behind You
(Music & lyrics by Billy Reid)
(Popularized by Eddie Fisher in 1953)

Sinatra's cover failed to achieve the success of Eddie Fisher's hit, but it did reach #7 on the Billboard pop chart, when issued on the A-side of Frank's first Capitol single. It was also released on an obscure 10-inch LP titled Today's Top Hits, Vol. 10 (Capitol H-9115), but the song then remained in the vaults for twenty years, until it appeared in the 1973 LP collection put out by Longines Symphonette, Sinatra Like Never Before.​

Both of the above tracks have appeared together in various CD compilations and box sets, such as The Complete Capitol Singles Collection (disc 1 of 4) and Sinatra 80th: All The Best (disc 1 of 2).

Day In–Day Out
(Music by Rube Bloom; words by Johnny Mercer)
(Popularized in 1939 by Helen Ward singing with the Bob Crosby Orchestra)

This was the only standard of the evening. Sinatra would go on to record this song twice more for Capitol with other arrangers (Nelson Riddle in 1954, and Billy May in 1958), but this Axel Stordahl ballad version remained one of the rarest of Sinatra's Capitol tracks. It was NEVER released on vinyl, and its first appearance on compact disc was in the 1987 reissue of Point Of No Return (see below).​

Don't Make A Beggar Of Me
(Music & lyrics by Al Sherman)

Although written for Sinatra and intended as a contemporary pop song, this tune was not released. It remained in the vaults until the 1966 compilation LP, Forever Frank.​

This evening would be Sinatra's last collaboration with Axel Stordahl until late 1961, when the arranger charted Frank's final Capitol concept album, Point Of No Return. Because of the connection to Stordahl, all four of these recordings first appeared on compact disc as extra "bonus" tracks in the 1987 CD reissue of the 1962 LP.

Musicians (20): Rubin "Zeke" Zarchy (trumpet); Vincent DeRosa (French horn); Heinie Beau, Arthur "Skeets" Herfurt, Ted Nash, Leonard Hartman (saxophone/woodwinds); Mischa Russell, Harry Bluestone, Alex Murray, Paul Nero, Irving Prager, Murray Kellner (violin); David Sterkin, Paul Robyn (viola); Cy Bernard (cello); Ann Mason Stockton (harp); Bill Miller (piano); George Van Eps (guitar); Phil Stephens (bass); Ray Hagan (drums).
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This first Capitol session 54 years ago was only to be the start of something big. For his next set of recordings in late April, Capitol producer Voyle Gilmore persuaded Frank to work with a young new arranger, Nelson Riddle. More about that in our next installment...
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NOTE: There is an unavoidable amount of overlap between this post and other threads. For additional discussion about this session and its recordings, see the following:

Sinatra's Capitol Anniversary
Day By Day - April 2
Significant FS Anniversary Dates (April 2, 1953)

From the latter post, we duplicate the photo below which was taken at this recording session. See that post for photo and source credits.

[EDIT] Sorry: Both the post and photo have been deep-sixed by the SFF. I think it was a scan from Chuck Granata's book, IIRC. —Bob F
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~ Frank's Albums

 

For those who may not know, the gentlemen in the second photo are (left to right): Axel Stordahl (arranger/conductor), Alan Livingston (Capitol A&R head), Voyle Gilmore (producer), and some other guy (boy singer).

 

I'm going to guess Ted Nash, not Heinie:

 

I think that might be a "staged" shot. However, I never thought to ask John Palladino if they tried a few different mics on Frank at first before using the U47. I figured Capitol had settled on that mic for lead vocals around that time as basically their standard for pretty much any singer, though it was pretty new then. They'd still use a 44 on a vocal group though, at least for a while. I'm pretty sure that's a 44 on the vocal group heard in "Don't Change Your Mind About Me", for instance.

 

Great idea, Matt! There's so many excellent recordings that weren't on the concept albums. I'm glad they'll be getting some attention. And nice to have sessions photos that give a glimpse into how these songs were made.

I'm Walking Behind You is my favorite from this first session. These four are similar in style to what Frank had been recording at Columbia.

Capitol signing Sinatra was the best move in musical history.

 

There is some debate as to which song was intended as the A-side. Ron Sarbo believes I have them reversed (which would normally be the definitive word ). So does the Hoboken Historical Museum, which places "Lean Baby" as the A-side. There are prominent discographies which list them the other way around.

Some early blurbs from Billboard...

April 25, 1953:



May 16, 1953:

 

AFAIK, the only releases of the Stordahl "Day In–Day Out" were: (1) Point of No Return CD bonus track (1987 Walsh and 2002 Norberg [2000 Concepts box equivalent]); (2) Frank Sinatra Sings the Select Johnny Mercer (1995); and (3) The Rare Sinatra disc in the UK 21-CD box set (1998).

 

You know Bob, you and Matt could be twins in your Avatars

Good read chaps, thanks.

 

She always said I was more colorful!

 

+ 1 and my brain is a sponge to your guys knowledge.

 

Its funny: he had reason to smile by the time the ad came out--but not so much when the picture was actually taken.....

 

Thanks Matt. Nice that Walsh left it dry. Would you say the tone on the bonus track is better than the album tracks, proper, on his PONR CD?