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

How much of a deal were they? Only asking as Mr. S stuff is going pretty inexpensively these days.

 

I had gotten it for cheap with a duophonic Swing Easy, no wonder it was sold for cheap…! Thankfully I got a Scranton pressing of the twofer of Swing Easy and Songs for Young Lovers today along with Trilogy for 9 dollars, a far cry from the asking price of 25 dollars for both of them.

 

Great! You are getting into Mr. S at the right time as his popularity is heading into a very down period. Stock up while you can! And we will have a very good discussion on "The Future" I'm sure! And "Trilogy" as a whole.

 

Great period for collecting everyone actually! Maybe not for the right reasons, but still. In the last few weeks I snagged a 1960 mono pressing of Bing and Satchmo, a 1956 Verve original pressing of Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Sings (rather disappointing sound quality honestly), and some free Nat King Cole and Perry Como records. The original asking price for Bing and Satchmo was 10 dollars but the same guy that gave me a great discount on the Sinatras brought it down to 3 dollars, and I got those Cole and Como records for free from him.

 

Nice going!

 

Wow great for you!

 

Don't forget to get some Dick Haymes records as you collect.

 

I’ll keep an eye out for him, but to my memory I surprisingly haven’t came across him in the stores I’ve looked at, even if they readily stocked Bing, and 78s. I’ll have to look into him some.

 

His two Capitol label LPs are superb.

His ballad recordings for Decca are great.

 

Friends, I'm trying to piece together which of Frank's soundtrack recordings were unique recordings and which were taken from his movies. It's a l'il complicated. Can anyone confirm that my summary is correct?

High Society
Mind If I Make Love To You: film version and soundtrack version are the same
Well Did You Evah!: film version and soundtrack version are the same (well, the 'mono' soundtrack version before one of Bing's lines was removed from the 'stereo' version)
Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?: film version and soundtrack version are the same
You're Sensational: was re-recorded for the soundtrack because Frank was unhappy with his vocal on the film version
Pal Joey
I Didn't Know What Time It Was: re-recorded for the soundtrack
There's a Small Hotel: re-recorded for the soundtrack
I Could Write a Book: re-recorded for the soundtrack
The Lady Is a Tramp: re-recorded for the soundtrack (actually, the film version was recorded after the Capitol version)
Bewitched: does not appear in the film, recorded only for the soundtrack
Dream Sequence Medley: was not re-recorded, film version appears on the soundtrack
Can-Can
*all songs in the film and on the soundtrack are the same
C'est Magnifique
Can-Can / Montmart
I Love Paris (not in the film, but included on the soundtrack. Soundtrack version is a shorter version of what's on the "In Hollywood" boxed set)
It's All Right With Me
Let's Do It

Does this look right?

 

For the search engine: The quoted post (moved from another thread) and the reply by @MLutthans are easily missed by those searching for new “Sinatra” posts.

 

We just watched the DVD of Pal Joey last week. The version of Lady is a Tramp he does in the movie struck me as better than the released version. Is that version only available by watching the actual movie?

Hopefully I am not wrong and they are the same, but it sure sounded better/more interesting to me in that his vocal delivery in the movie was more "human", if you will, as opposed to the quite deliberate standard version (to me anyway).

 

It's included in the Frank Sinatra In Hollywood 1940-1964 boxed set from 2002. Essential box (if you don't already have it)

 

Yes, I have that set! Duh. I will check that out - great version of a song I was tired of hearing until I heard the movie version again. Thanks.

 

And don't forget that Mr. S played the big businessman on that song. He received a pretty decent royalty for every LP copy of the "soundtrack" sold. He knew the song would be a hit and made sure that the only way to purchase "Lady" on any LP at the time was on that soundtrack. The song was originally in the lineup for release on A Swingin' Affair! but replaced with "No One Ever Tells You".

 

Just found a mint mono copy of the „Forever Frank“ album that is literally in beautiful unplayed condition. I only had a worn out duophonic copy in my collection since I was a kid. The difference between the two versions is like night and day. Still too bad that the mono version has added reverb as well. Still a nice listen because of the rare song program.

 

I just received a pristine copy of the 4-disc set The Great Films & Shows. I saw it on eBay and remembered that a few of the tracks turn up as top choice in @MLutthans scorecard. Made a lowball offer and got it for sround $20 shipped. Now, to listen.

 

I am far from a Sinatraphile or completist but this is a most enlightening thread. So far the 3-CD Columbia compilation has suited me fine, but now I'm in danger of becoming a Sinatraphile. I don't have the dough to be a completist!

 

The Great Films and Shows is a beautiful Lp set. Very quiet vinyl and the artwork of the outer box looks very classy.

 

CD

 

Going way back on this one, if you don't mind. Did this ever get solved? Pretty sure that's not Studio C, either the control room or the studio itself.

This photo, also by Herman Leonard but not featured at the linked website, reveals what I believe to be Capitol's New York studio. I couldn't begin to hazard what he was recording, but Riddle (seen in the photo) was known to be in NYC with FS when he played the Paramount in August 1956.